Chapter 7: The Person Who Wasn’t Supposed to Exist
Nobody spoke after Maya’s words.
Not because we didn’t understand.
Because we understood too much.
A dead person couldn’t be standing outside the principal’s office.
A dead person couldn’t be watching us through the glass.
But someone had been there.
I stared at the hallway.
The emergency lights painted everything in a strange red glow.
The person outside was gone.
Only the empty hallway remained.
“Maya,” Aaron said carefully, “explain.””
She looked terrified.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the window.
“That bracelet.””
She swallowed.
“My brother had one exactly like it.””
Mr. Harris frowned.
“Your brother?””
Maya nodded.
“Ethan.””
The name seemed to change the entire room.
Officer Reyes stepped closer.
“What happened to Ethan?””
Maya looked down.
“He died five years ago.””
Nobody moved.
“How?”” Aaron asked.
Maya’s voice became quiet.
“The school said it was an accident.””
I felt a chill.
“What kind of accident?””
She squeezed her hands together.
“He fell down the stairs near the old science building.””
Mr. Harris looked confused.
“That was before my time as principal.””
Maya shook her head.
“No. You were here.””
The principal froze.
“What?””
“You were the assistant principal then.””
The silence was heavy.
Mr. Harris looked away.
“I remember Ethan.””
Maya looked at him.
“Do you remember what happened?””
His face tightened.
“I remember the investigation.””
“But do you remember what he told people before he died?””
Nobody answered.
Maya looked at me.
“He said he found something.””
Aaron leaned forward.
“Found what?””
“My brother never told me everything.””
Her voice cracked.
“But he kept saying one thing.””
“What?””
She whispered.
“He said, ‘The school is protecting someone.’”
The room went silent.
A sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Everyone turned.
Officer Reyes reached for his radio.
But before he could open the door, a voice called out.
“Wait.””
It was the school janitor.
Mr. Cole.
He stood there holding a flashlight.
“I found this near the electrical room.””
He held up a small piece of fabric.
My heart dropped.
It was dark blue.
Like the sleeve from the hidden video.
Aaron took it carefully.
“Where exactly?””
“The hallway outside this office.””
Everyone looked at each other.
Someone had been there.
Recently.
Mr. Harris rubbed his forehead.
“This school has too many secrets.””
Aaron looked at me.
“No.””
His voice was low.
“It has too many people trying to hide the same secret.””
The next hour felt unreal.
Officer Reyes searched the hallway.
Mr. Harris contacted district security.
Aaron reviewed every camera feed.
But the person never appeared again.
It was like they had vanished.
Then Aaron found something.
“Wait.””
Everyone turned.
He stared at the monitor.
“What?””
He rewound the hallway footage.
The screen showed the moment before the lights went out.
A figure appeared.
Walking toward the office.
But the camera angle only showed the person from behind.
Dark clothing.
Slow steps.
And the bracelet.
Aaron paused.
“Zoom in.””
The image became clearer.
Then he froze.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
He looked at Maya.
“Maya.””
She stepped closer.
The second she saw the screen, her face changed.
“No.””
She covered her mouth.
“What?””
She shook her head.
“That’s not possible.””
I looked between them.
“Who is it?””
Maya whispered.
“That’s Ethan.””
Nobody breathed.
“That can’t be him,” Officer Reyes said.
Maya stepped back.
“No.””
Her voice trembled.
“It can’t.””
Aaron looked at the screen again.
Then at the file information.
The hallway footage had captured the person at 2:14 p.m.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Because the security system had automatically identified the face.
May you like
And below the image was a name.
*ETHAN PARKER.*
