Nearby, Juno adjusted a chair jammed under the doorknob. She’d stacked desks and chairs against it like she’d done this a hundred times before. Maybe she had.

  Lisa swallowed hard. None of it added up. Most of all, the way everyone else seemed to accept it as just another part of the school day.

  She ran her hands through her hair. “No one talks about this? No one warns the new kid that this happens?”

  “We try,” Juno said, giving the chair a final push with her shoulder. “But it’s hard to explain something like this in a way that doesn’t sound... well, insane.”

  Lisa let out a short, humorless laugh. “You’ve got that part right.”

  The silence between them stretched. Somewhere above, the ceiling fan creaked once… then settled back into its slow spin.

  Then—

  A knock at the door.

  Lisa jolted upright, her hand flying to her mouth. “Was that—?” she started, but stopped herself.

  Juno stayed low, her eyes narrowing.

  Another knock.

  “Juno?”

  The voice was muffled, but familiar.

  “Juno, it’s Amir,” it said. “It’s me. Please. Open up.”

  Lisa turned to her. “That’s him,” she whispered. “Isn’t it?”

  Juno just listened.

  “Juno, come on,” the voice said again, urgent now. “I’m hurt. I’m stuck. It almost got me. I barely made it.”

  Lisa moved toward the barricade. “Should we—”

  “No.” Juno’s voice was firm. “Not yet.”

  “But it’s Amir.”

  “Ask him something,” Juno said, stepping closer to the door. “Something only he’d know. Something from today.”

  Lisa hesitated. Everything from today felt like a blur. “Okay…” she said, trying to focus. “Uh… Amir, what did you say during history class?”

  After a short pause, the voice came back. “Gee, I don’t know, Lisa,” it snapped. “I wasn’t exactly paying attention, I was trying to survive. Just open the damn door.”

  Lisa looked at her. “He sounds right.”

  “No,” Juno whispered. “Listen to him.”

  “Please!” the voice shouted. “Please, I’m bleeding. I’m hurt. Let me in.”

  “What was the date Calder wrote on the board?” Juno asked suddenly.

  Silence.

  Then the voice stammered. “I—I don’t remember. Just open the door!”

  Lisa took a step back.

  Juno’s hand stayed frozen.

  Suddenly, they could hear the hum of the fluorescent lights above them, faint and steady. Somewhere deeper in the building, footsteps echoed.

  But from the other side of the barrier, there was nothing.

  Until the voice changed.

  It lurched, twisting mid-sentence into something else.

  “You little rats,” it growled, low and guttural. “Always hiding. Always running. Think this pesky trick will keep me out?”

  A thud hit the door. Then another. The whole barricade shuddered.

  Lisa clamped a hand over her mouth.

  Juno didn’t move.

  “You’ll run out of days,” the thing snarled. “One day, that bell won’t ring.”

  Another hit. Louder. Angrier.

  The chairs rattled. One toppled to the floor.

  Then one final blow, hard enough to make the door bend inward with a groan.

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  And then—

  It was gone.

  Lisa stood frozen, still staring at the place where it had been just moments ago.

  Beside her, Juno let out a slow breath. “It’s been trying that one a lot lately. Mimicking voices. It’s getting smarter.”

  Lisa backed away from the barricade. “It knew Amir’s voice.”

  “It’s not just the voice,” Juno said. “It’s how they talk. You have to listen for what’s missing. What’s off.”

  Lisa’s lips parted like she was about to say something, but she hesitated. She swallowed hard. “What would’ve happened if we opened the door?”

  Juno kept her eyes on the threshold.

  The moment lingered. And then—

  Ding. Ding. Ding.

  The bell rang, loud and absolute. It echoed through the school, rolling down every hallway and stairwell. Locks clicked open. Lights buzzed back to life. Somewhere, a breath was released, then another. They had made it. The clock struck twelve.

  It was over. For now.

  Slowly, the lab door creaked open. Juno stood there, one hand on the handle, chewing her gum. In the hallway beyond, everything looked… normal. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Students moved in quiet clusters, their faces pale and unfocused, like people stumbling out of a nightmare.

  Juno turned to Lisa, who still hadn’t moved. Her hands hung stiff at her sides, eyes distant. “This is a safe spot,” Juno said, motioning to the doorway. “Tomorrow, we come straight here. No detours.”

  Lisa blinked. “Tomorrow?” The word hit her like a slap. “You think I’m coming back to this place?” She took a half-step back. “You’re insane.”

  “Lisa—”

  “No!” she cut her off, shaking her head. “I’m not doing this. I don’t care what this is, or what rules you’ve made up. I’m done.”

  She pushed past Juno and into the hallway. Down the corridor, a teacher’s voice echoed: “Let’s go, people! Recess is over, back to class!”

  Lisa moved through the crowd, disoriented. Students were filing into rooms, chatting softly, as if it had all been just a dream they were already forgetting. She turned toward her classroom, hands still shaking.

  Her bag. She’d left it behind. Of course she had.

  She made her way down the hall, passing students who barely seemed to notice her. Room 3B. The door was open, just like she’d left it. Inside, everything looked exactly the same. The fan still turned lazily on the ceiling. The whiteboard still read 476 A.D. Most of the students had returned to their seats, quiet and dazed.

  She stepped in slowly. Her books were scattered under her chair. She crouched and started picking them up. Juno appeared beside her and knelt to help.

  “Look,” she said gently. “I know it’s a lot to take in right now. But it does get easier. Just rest, okay? Take the rest of the day if you need to.”

  Lisa snatched one of the books from her hand. “Don’t talk to me like this is normal,” she said through her teeth. She stuffed the book in her bag and stood. “You’re all crazy. Every single one of you. Pretending nothing happened.”

  She started for the door, but Javi was already there. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

  Lisa stepped closer, defiant. “Home.” She tightened the strap on her shoulder. “I’ve had enough of this. I don’t know how you did it or what kind of prank this is, but it’s disgusting. My parents are going to hear about it.”

  In the corner of the room, Theo crouched beside a desk, fingers flying across his tablet. Lines of code flickered across the screen. Graphs, grid maps, probability models updating in real time. “You don’t know what’s out there,” he said calmly, not looking up. “Leaving now might just make it worse.”

  Lisa stared at him. “Yeah?” she said. “I’ll take my chances.”

  She turned back toward the exit, only to find Javi still standing in her way. He hadn’t moved. His eyes went to Juno instead, unsure.

  “Let her go,” Juno said.

  Javi didn’t budge at first. But then he exhaled and stepped aside.

  Lisa walked out without another word, her footsteps echoing down the hall. Not once did she look back.

  Javi watched her disappear around the corner. “Why’d you let her?”

  Juno crossed her arms.

  “We all remember how it was the first time,” she said quietly. “This one’s no different.”

  Her eyes stayed on the empty hall. “She needs to find out for herself.”

  Lisa walked fast. She reached the front doors. Stopped. Her hand hovered over the handle, fingers trembling.

  What if they were right? What if this wasn’t over?

  What if—

  No. Enough.

  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed. The door opened wide with a slow creak.

  Light flooded in, too bright at first. Then, gradually, shapes came into focus.

  The outside world looked exactly as it had that morning. Bright, clean sidewalks, cars glinting under the sun. A gust of wind rattled the flag at the far end of the lot. Perfectly normal.

  But right as she was about to step through, something on the bulletin board by the entrance caught her eye. A poster half peeled at the corner, the image showing a boy in a football jersey mid-throw.

  The caption beneath read:

  “Westridge Wants You.”

  Lisa’s gaze lingered a moment longer than she meant to. Then she turned away and stepped out into the light.

  The air was cooler. She could smell cut grass. She headed toward the front gate, fast and steady, until—

  “Lisa!”

  She froze. Turned.

  Mr. Calder was standing on the walkway behind her, smiling in a tired, confused sort of way. Back in his shirt and tie. Human again.

  “I was looking for you,” he said. “You left this in the classroom. I think it’s yours.”

  He held out a book. “The Rise and Fall of Civilizations,” he said, glancing at the cover with a small grin.

  Lisa stared at it, then slowly reached out and took it from him.

  “Funny title,” he added. “Something about ancient empires. Much like the Romans, huh?”

  She swallowed. “Yeah.”

  He rubbed the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. “You know, most students don’t actually read this stuff. They just sit through the hour, waiting for the bell. But you…” He gave a faint smile. “I saw the notes in the margins. The underlines. Made me think maybe I wasn’t completely wasting my breath.”

  Lisa didn’t know what to say. She looked down at the book in her hands.

  Mr. Calder’s smile faded. “I’m… uh, sorry about earlier,” he said after a moment. “Didn’t mean to leave class like that. Wasn’t feeling great, to be honest.”

  He let out a small, awkward laugh. “Had to get Mrs. Greaves to cover for me. Probably just dehydration or something. I’m fine now.”

  His eyes dropped to the bag over her shoulder. “Heading somewhere?” he asked casually. “There’s another session starting now if you’d like to join. Mrs. Greaves is still covering for me.”

  She panicked. “I can’t,” she blurted. “I got a call. From home. My mom… she got into an accident.”

  The lie made her stomach twist.

  “Oh.” His face softened. “I’m so sorry. Is she okay?”

  Lisa nodded quickly. “Yeah. I just need to get there.”

  He hesitated, clearly uncertain if he should let her go. “Do you need someone to walk you—?”

  “No, I’m good,” she said, already backing up. “Thanks. For the book.”

  “Of course. Take care.”

  She turned and walked fast through the gate.