CHAPTER TWO: The Glimpse Behind the Mask
Ava stood motionless in front of her locker, eyes wide and breath shallow. Her heart pounded as if trying to leap out of her chest. What she'd just seen… couldn't have been real.
But he was real.
The boy had just stepped out—from inside her locker, of all places. Her locker. Her mind raced, failing to make sense of what she had just witnessed. His features were partially hidden in the dim corridor light, but his eyes—dark, deep, unreadable—had locked with hers for that fleeting moment. Then, just like that, he turned and started walking away down the deserted hallway, not saying a single word.
"W-wait!" she called out, finding her voice at last. "Who are you? How did you—?"
But he didn't look back. He kept walking until the shadows swallowed him whole.
Ava blinked rapidly, willing herself to move. But before she could chase after him, a soft tap on her shoulder nearly made her scream.
"Whoa, it's just me!" said a familiar voice.
Ava spun around, startled, only to find the school's elderly janitor, Ms. Halley, standing behind her with a set of keys in her hand and an amused look on her wrinkled face.
"Sweetheart, what are you still doing here? School's been out for almost an hour."
"I—I was just… finishing up," Ava mumbled, still dazed, her voice distant. She glanced quickly down the corridor again—nothing. He had vanished completely.
Ms. Halley eyed her suspiciously, then gave the locker door a firm shove, closing it with a loud clang that echoed through the empty hall. "Well, finish up and head on home. These hallways get eerie when they're empty."
Ava nodded, grabbed her bag, and rushed out without another word. She didn't even say goodbye. Her mind was too cluttered to think clearly.
Who was that boy? How did he end up in my locker? Was he hiding? Is this a prank?
But a deeper part of her mind—the part that remembered his piercing eyes and the eerie stillness that followed him—whispered something else.
Maybe he wasn't… real.
As she hurried through the quiet corridors, Ava passed by a group of girls talking near the garden entrance. Their voices drifted toward her.
"—I swear, I saw someone. Like, just standing there, watching us."
"Ugh, not that ghost story again," one of them replied, rolling her eyes. "You've been watching too many TikToks."
"I'm serious! You remember the rumors? They say the school is haunted. That a student died here years ago—"
Ava's footsteps slowed for just a moment, her stomach twisting. A student died? The story sounded absurd… but why did it feel like it mattered?
Before she could hear more, something caught her eye just beyond the front gate. Her heart stopped.
There he was.
Standing at the edge of the school grounds, almost like a statue carved from shadow. His posture calm, unreadable. His gaze? Fixed entirely on her. There was no mistaking it.
A chill ran down her spine.
He wasn't running this time. He was watching.
She clutched her bag, every muscle tensing, then turned and ran. Her shoes pounded against the pavement as she darted through the gate and didn't stop until she reached her front door.
---
"Ava?" Her mother, Aurora, emerged from the kitchen, startled to see her daughter burst inside breathless and flushed. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
Panting heavily, Ava forced a tight smile. "Nothing. I'm fine."
Aurora raised a brow and guided her toward the couch. "You're not fine. You're shaking. Here, drink this," she said, handing her a glass of water.
Ava drank deeply, trying to suppress the tremors. "I was just… running home. Felt like I needed the cardio."
Her mother's brow furrowed. "You hate running."
"Yeah, well…" Ava forced a laugh, "thought I'd try something new."
Aurora didn't press further, but Ava knew she wasn't convinced. She could feel her mother's eyes on her long after she'd retreated to her room.
That night, Ava lay awake, tangled in her sheets. Her mind was far from rest. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the boy again. The way he had stepped out of her locker, the way he'd vanished, and those eyes… not hostile, but haunting. Searching.
She hugged her pillow tightly and let out a shaky breath.
Was it a dream?
But then, why did it feel so real?
She finally drifted off, but sleep brought no peace—only a strange, vivid dream.
She was back in the hallway. The air was colder. The lights flickered. She heard footsteps behind her, slow and deliberate. When she turned, he was there again. Not running. Not hiding. Just watching her.
And then… he whispered something.
> "You weren't supposed to see me."
Ava jolted awake, her heart racing. Her alarm hadn't even gone off yet. The world outside her window was still cloaked in darkness, but she couldn't shake the chill crawling up her spine.
She pulled her blanket tighter and sat up slowly. Something wasn't right.
When she got to school the next morning, she hesitated at her locker. Her hands trembled slightly as she entered her combination.
She opened it carefully.
Everything looked normal—books stacked, her binder sitting on top, her calendar tacked to the back wall.
Except for one thing.
A folded piece of paper.
It hadn't been there yesterday.
With trembling fingers, Ava opened the note. The handwriting was rough, almost like it had been scribbled in a hurry:
> If you're reading this, it means I made a mistake.
Please… don't tell anyone you saw me.
Ava's eyes widened.
The boy hadn't just been real… he was trying to contact her.
But why?
And what did he mean by mistake?
---
🔹 Chapter Hook:
Before Ava could react, a shadow passed behind her in the reflection of her locker mirror. But when she turned—no one was there . What will you do if you were Ava ? Will you tell everyone there's a ghost or keep quiet about it as the fear devours you ? Don't forget to drop your comment in the comment section and show me some love .