Chapter One – The Transfer
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The first thing Aria Veyra noticed about Ravenwood High wasn’t the massive gothic gates or the towers of ivy crawling over brick walls—it was the silence.
For a school that claimed to be alive with “the brightest young minds of the future,” the air felt heavy, as if the building itself was holding its breath. The sky above hung low and gray, and the late autumn wind cut through her thin jacket like knives.
“Great,” Aria muttered, pulling her backpack higher on her shoulder. “Day one, and the weather already hates me.”
She had survived transfers before. New schools, new towns, new people who looked at her like she didn’t belong. But Ravenwood was different. The stares lingered longer, eyes tracking her as though she carried something no one else could see.
The hallways smelled faintly of candle wax and dust, even though fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Her sneakers squeaked against polished marble floors as she made her way toward the office. Along the walls, framed portraits of past principals watched her, their painted eyes sharp and unnervingly alive.
And then it happened.
“Aria…”
Her name. A whisper. So soft, she might’ve blamed it on imagination—except it came from right beside her ear. She spun, heart racing. No one was there. Just a stretch of empty lockers and shadows pooling darker than they should.
“Just nerves,” she whispered to herself. But the shadows seemed to curl closer, listening.
---
By lunchtime, Aria had already learned three things:
1. Cliques were carved in stone. Cheerleaders, athletes, drama club, all neatly divided like territories in a war.
2. Everyone stared. Not just in the usual “new kid” way, but as though she carried a secret written across her forehead.
3. Kael Draven was untouchable.
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She’d noticed him leaning against the far wall in the cafeteria, black hoodie half-zipped, hair falling into his storm-gray eyes. The whispers weren’t just in her head this time—they rippled around the tables.
“That’s Kael. Don’t go near him.”
“He’s cursed, my cousin swears.”
“He was expelled from two schools before this one.”
Aria told herself she didn’t care. She wasn’t here to get involved. Except, when Kael’s gaze lifted and locked onto hers, she swore she saw the same haunted recognition she’d glimpsed in the shadows.
And just like that, Ravenwood no longer felt like just another transfer. It felt like a trap.
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Chapter Two – The Boy in the Shadows
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The cafeteria was buzzing, all clatter and chatter, the hum of teenage kingdoms dividing into tables. Aria gripped her tray like it was a shield, scanning for a safe landing spot. Mira waved her over, already surrounded by a swirl of students who seemed to orbit her energy like moths to a flame.
“You survived first period,” Mira teased, sliding a soda across the table toward her. “That’s better than most transfer kids.”
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Aria smirked. “Didn’t know Algebra was life-threatening.”
“You’d be surprised.” Mira’s grin flickered for just a second—like she knew something Aria didn’t.
Before Aria could press, the cafeteria doors creaked open. The chatter thinned, like sound itself held its breath. He walked in.
Tall. Dark jacket. Eyes that didn’t just look, but searched. His presence made the air heavier, like the shadows leaned closer when he passed.
“That’s Kael Draven,” Mira whispered, following Aria’s gaze. “Don’t—”
But it was too late. His eyes locked with Aria’s. For a heartbeat, the noise of the cafeteria vanished. A cold rush swept through her veins, and she swore she heard it again—
Aria…
Her name, in the faintest whisper.
The room snapped back to life. Kael sat alone at the edge of the cafeteria, untouched by the chaos around him. People stared, but no one dared approach.
Ethan Hale, golden boy of Ravenwood, leaned across the table, flashing his perfect grin. “Word of advice? Stay away from Draven. He’s… trouble.”Aria raised a brow. “And you’re not?”
Ethan chuckled, but Mira’s eyes darted nervously toward Kael, like she wanted to say more but didn’t dare.
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And then—Aria’s tray trembled. No—the floor. She felt it, a subtle vibration humming beneath her sneakers. She blinked, looking around. No one else noticed. But in the corner, Kael’s fist clenched, knuckles white, and the shadows beneath his chair stretched too far—like they were alive.
For the second time that day, Ravenwood whispered to her.
And Aria realized something terrifying.
The shadows weren’t just following her.
They were connected to him.
Chapter 3 – The Boy in the Shadows
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The next morning, Ravenwood High seemed quieter than usual. The air hung heavy, like the whole building had secrets it didn’t want to share. Aria felt it the second she stepped through the gates—an invisible weight pressing against her chest.
Students crowded the hallways, but her attention was drawn to one corner. Leaning against the lockers like he owned the shadows around him, was the boy she had seen yesterday. Dark hair fell carelessly across his forehead, his piercing eyes watching everything but revealing nothing.
Kael Draven.
The way the crowd shifted around him was strange, almost unnatural—like no one wanted to get too close, but no one could look away either.
Aria caught herself staring. His gaze flicked toward her, and for a split second, the hallway seemed to dim. The shadows at his feet stretched—longer, darker—before snapping back into place.
Her heart jumped.
Did I just imagine that?
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Before she could look away, he pushed off the lockers and strode past her, brushing so close their shoulders almost touched. A faint chill ran down her skin, as if the shadows themselves had followed him.
“Careful with that one,” a voice whispered beside her.
Aria turned. Mira stood there, clutching her books, her expression unusually serious.
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“Kael Draven,” Mira said, lowering her voice. “He doesn’t talk to anyone. Some say he’s cursed. Others say… well, let’s just say people who get close to him don’t stay around long.”
Aria frowned. “And you believe that?”
Mira hesitated. “I believe Ravenwood is full of things we don’t understand. And Kael? He’s right in the middle of it.”
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The warning should have been enough. But when Aria glanced down the hall and saw him vanish into the shadows like smoke, a shiver of curiosity crawled up her spine.
That night, as she lay in bed, her dreams pulled her back to Ravenwood’s halls. Whispers curled around her like mist, repeating the same name over and over.
“Kael… Kael… Kael…”
And at the end of the dream, she saw him—standing in the dark, eyes glowing faintly,
as if he wasn’t entirely human.
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Chapter 4 – Whispers in the Dark
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The night air inside Ravenwood was heavy, carrying the scent of damp stone and withered ivy. Aria’s lantern flickered as she and Kael descended deeper into the hidden corridor. The silence between them was thick, though unspoken questions trembled at the edges of their lips.
“Do you hear that?” Kael whispered, pausing.
Aria held her breath. Somewhere beyond the walls came the faint sound of dripping water—yet beneath it, something else. A scrape. A shuffle. Almost like footsteps. She tightened her grip on the lantern, her heart drumming in her ears.
But before they could follow the sound, the scene shifts—across town, another story begins to unfold.
---
Elena sat cross-legged on her bed, books scattered around her. Her candle burned low, its wax pooling over the holder. She traced her finger along the margin of an ancient text she had borrowed from the archives, words barely visible in the faded ink.
The forgotten shall rise… The bond of five shall be tested.
Her brow furrowed. It was the same line she had dreamt about days ago, whispered in a voice she did not recognize. She slammed the book shut, frustration clawing at her. Secrets were being kept from her—she felt it in her bones. And if Aria and Kael were hiding something again, she intended to find out.
---
Elsewhere, on the dim-lit streets of Ravenwood, Sebastian adjusted the collar of his coat, scanning the alleys as if expecting someone—or something. He had grown used to walking in shadows, listening for whispers that weren’t carried by the wind. Tonight was no different. He stopped beneath a broken lamp, pulling a folded letter from his pocket.
The wax seal was already broken, but he read the lines again and again, the words etched into his mind like a curse:
“They are not ready. But the choice has been made. Protect her—even if it costs you everything.”
Sebastian clenched the paper, his jaw tight. Protect her. But which her?
---
Back inside the hidden corridor, Aria shivered. “Kael, we shouldn’t be here.”
But Kael’s eyes gleamed with a strange resolve. “This place holds answers. Maybe even the truth we’ve been searching for.”
As they pushed deeper into the shadows, none of them knew that their paths—Aria in the ruins, Elena in her room, Sebastian in the streets—were all winding toward the same secret, one powerful enough to unravel everything they thought they knew about Ravenwood.
And in the silence of the night, the whispers grew louder.
The corridor was quieter than usual, the faint hum of the old lights above barely breaking the silence. Aria’s absence was heavier than she had expected. Even though she had tried to convince herself she wasn’t needed here, the house seemed to breathe differently without her presence. Every shadow seemed longer, every whisper more deliberate.
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Lucas moved down the hallway cautiously, his footsteps echoing against the cold wooden floor. The letters he had found in the attic earlier weighed on him like stones in his pocket. There was something in them—something that didn’t belong. Secrets meant to be buried, yet here they were, laid bare.
Suddenly, a soft sound caught his attention—a faint shuffle from the end of the hall. He froze. A figure emerged from the darkness. Sebastian. His expression unreadable, eyes glinting with a mixture of curiosity and warning.
“Did you find anything?” Sebastian asked, his voice low, almost swallowed by the shadows.
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Lucas hesitated. “I… I think so. But you need to see this first.” He handed over the crumpled letter. Sebastian’s brow furrowed as he scanned the lines, the tension between them thickening.
“We’re not the only ones looking,” Sebastian muttered finally, folding the paper carefully. “And whoever’s behind this… they’re closer than we think.”
Before Lucas could respond, a sharp creak echoed from the stairwell. Both boys tensed, instinctively moving toward the source. A flicker of movement, a shadow darting along the walls.
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Aria, unaware of their discoveries, wandered through the library, her fingers brushing the spines of dusty books. Something made her pause—an unusual chill, the faintest scent of smoke that didn’t belong. Her intuition screamed danger, yet curiosity rooted her in place. She reached for a particular book, and as she pulled it, a hidden compartment slid open, revealing a small, metallic key.
At the same moment, the boys reached the library doors. Their eyes met Aria’s, wide and startled, the key clutched tightly in her hand. A shared sense of dread passed between them. They weren’t just uncovering the house’s secrets—they were stepping into someone else’s plan.
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From the shadows, a whisper floated across the room, chilling them to their core:
“Curiosity will be your undoing…”
And just like that, the candlelight flickered out, plunging them into darkness.
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and then Add to home screen.