Alex woke up late, groggy and still carrying the fatigue of overthinking and restless sleep. He hurriedly grabbed a meager breakfast, barely tasting it as he rushed to school, a knot of nerves twisting in his stomach.
The school building pulsed with the usual energy, students weaving through the hallways, but Alex felt disconnected—moving on autopilot, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a gentle tap on his shoulder startled him. He spun around, eyes widening as he recognized the girl from the forest—up close for the first time in daylight. Her presence froze Alex in place.
She met his gaze with an unnervingly calm smile. "You didn't go there today, did you?" she asked in a soft but strangely knowing tone.
Alex's heart raced. How could she know about his routine or the forest? He stammered, "What do you mean?"
She extended a pale hand, her eyes locking with his. "Hi, I'm Ruby. I saw you in the forest yesterday and the day before. I wanted to talk, but just couldn't—so I thought I'd say hello here today."
Alex, still reeling from the shock of recognition and the hidden meaning behind her words, nodded in response—uncertain, wary, but undeniably intrigued by this girl who seemed to watch the shadows as closely as he did.
Alex blinked, still adjusting to the shock of seeing Ruby again, especially here in the crowded hallway. "So… do you go to that forest to jog or something?" he asked, half-confused, half-curious.
Ruby tilted her head slightly, her calm expression unchanged. "Jog?" she echoed, almost amused. "No. I don't go there for that."
Her tone was light, but something about it made Alex uneasy—like there was a meaning behind her words he couldn't quite grasp. After a pause, she added, "I go there because it's quiet. I like the forest. But you… you shouldn't wander too deep alone."
Alex frowned, unsure how to respond. She seemed to know more than she was saying, her voice carrying an odd mix of warning and familiarity.
Before he could ask anything else, the bell rang, and the hallway filled with noise again. When he looked back, Ruby was already gone, leaving only the faint echo of her words behind.
At lunch, the cafeteria buzzed with noise—clattering trays, bursts of laughter, and the hum of overlapping conversations. Alex sat quietly at a corner table, idly picking at his food while lost in thought. His mind drifted back to the morning, to Ruby's cryptic words about the forest.
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder from behind. "Hey, how are you, bro?" came a familiar voice.
Alex turned, startled for only a second before recognizing Max—the same guy who had saved him from the car yesterday. Max grinned, his easygoing energy cutting through the noise of the cafeteria. "I heard you're new here, man."
"Yeah," Alex replied with a faint smile. "Only three days."
Max dropped his tray on the table and sat down beside him. "Cool. You'll get used to this place. It's not as boring as it looks," he said with a laugh that seemed to come easily.
For the first time in days, Alex felt a trace of warmth and normalcy—something simple and human amid the strangeness surrounding him. For a few brief minutes, the heaviness of the past days seemed to ease as the two chatted over lunch, a small but meaningful start to friendship.
Alex and Max sat across from each other, trays half-empty, their casual conversation flowing easily now.
Through small talk, Alex began to learn about Max's life. Max told him he had moved here two years ago after his father's job transfer. "Didn't like it at first," Max admitted, pushing his drink aside. "Everything felt too quiet… too small, you know? But now, it's okay. You get used to it."
Alex nodded, feeling a tug of understanding. The two shifted topics, talking about the odd mix of teachers—some kind, some strict—and the handful of notorious students everyone called the "hall bullies." When Alex mentioned his own experience on his first day, including the confrontation he'd had, Max smirked knowingly. "Yeah, those guys try to mess with everyone new. Don't let 'em get to you."
Surprisingly, Alex found himself sharing more than he planned—about the awkward start, about feeling out of place, and even about a few classmates who seemed jealous for reasons he didn't quite understand. Max listened with patient attention, occasionally tossing in a joke that eased the tension.
By the time lunch ended, Alex felt lighter than he had in days. The gloom that had been clinging to him since his arrival seemed to fade just a little. As they stood to leave, Max grinned. "Guess you're stuck with me now. Consider it a survival partnership."
Alex laughed quietly—a real laugh—and for the first time, it truly felt like he wasn't alone anymore. A friendship had begun, simple and steady, grounding him amidst the swirl of mysteries waiting beyond the school walls.
After the long afternoon classes, the hallways had grown quieter, most students busy packing up or hurrying to their last lessons. Alex walked down the corridor, his mind still running over his earlier talk with Max—a small comfort in the chaos of recent days. But just as he turned the corner near the old wing of the building, a familiar voice stopped him.
"Alex," someone called gently from behind.
He turned—and there she was again. Ruby stood a few feet away, sunlight slipping in through the tall windows behind her, casting a faint halo around her outline. Her eyes, calm and knowing as before, met his steadily.
"You seem lost in thought," she said softly.
Alex blinked, trying to gather his words. "Ruby… right? I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
Her lips curved into a faint, almost sad smile. "I told you—I see you often." She took a slow step closer, her tone a mixture of care and mystery. "You still go to that forest every morning… don't you?"
The question froze him. "How do you—" he stopped mid-sentence, trying to understand. "I mean, I didn't see you there today."
"I don't always want to be seen," Ruby replied, her voice distant now. "But it's good you stayed away today. The forest isn't… calm right now."
There was something in her tone that made Alex's pulse quicken—an unspoken warning that hinted at danger just beyond his understanding. Before he could ask more, Ruby turned her head slightly at the sound of students approaching from the main hallway.
"I'll see you soon," she said quietly, and just like before, when Alex looked again, she was gone—vanished without a sound, as if she had melted into the sunlight itself.
He stood there motionless, her words echoing in his mind.
That evening in the quiet cabin, Alex sank into a worn chair by the window, the shadows of the fading day stretching across the room. His mind replayed the encounter with Ruby—the way her voice had carried a warning, yet held a strange kindness. He felt a swirl of confusion and curiosity, the forest's mysterious pull stronger than ever.
Why did Ruby know about the forest and his routines? Why the warning not to go deeper? The questions churned inside him, mingling with the exhaustion settling deep in his bones. His heart itched to trust her, yet the cold uncertainty wrapped around his thoughts tightly.
Alex's internal monologue drifted through doubts and reflections, touching on his loneliness, the strange new friendships, and the opaque danger lurking quietly in his new world. Each thought sharpened the truth he hesitated to face—that this place, this forest, held secrets far beyond a simple schoolboy's story.
The night stretched on, a silent witness to the tug of fear and fascination guiding him forward—an internal conflict as shadowed and tangled as the woods themselves.