Monday mornings always carried a different kind of energy. The corridors buzzed with conversations, lockers slammed shut one after another, and students hurried through the hallways before the first bell could catch them outside. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, painting golden rectangles across the polished floor, while the old walls silently watched another ordinary school day begin.
Ethan Carter walked through the entrance with his backpack hanging loosely over one shoulder. It was only his second day at Westwood High, yet the strange feeling from yesterday hadn't disappeared. If anything, it had grown stronger. Every hallway, every staircase, and every classroom felt oddly familiar, as if he had walked through them years ago. He kept convincing himself that it was only his imagination, but his heart refused to believe it.
As he reached Classroom 11-B, Noah Miller was already waiting near the door, balancing a football on one foot.
"There you are!" Noah called. "I was starting to think you transferred to another school overnight."
Ethan laughed softly. "It's only eight in the morning. How do you already have this much energy?"
"It's a gift."
"It's a curse."
Noah placed a dramatic hand over his heart. "That hurt."
Before Ethan could reply, another voice interrupted them.
"Good morning."
Both boys turned around.
Elena Brooks stood a few steps away, holding two notebooks against her chest. She wore the same shy smile Ethan had noticed yesterday. The morning breeze lifted a few strands of her hair before she tucked them behind her ear.
"Morning," Ethan replied.
Noah looked from Ethan to Elena before grinning mischievously.
"So... project partners."
Both Ethan and Elena looked at him.
"What?" Noah shrugged innocently. "I'm just stating facts."
Elena smiled awkwardly while Ethan shook his head.
"You enjoy embarrassing people, don't you?"
"It's my favorite hobby."
The three of them entered the classroom together.
Mrs. Anderson arrived exactly on time.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, ma'am."
She placed a pile of books on her desk before looking around the room.
"I hope everyone remembers the literature project I assigned yesterday. You'll have three weeks to complete it, and I expect original work. No copying from the internet."
A chorus of disappointed groans echoed through the room.
Mrs. Anderson ignored them.
"Since you're working in pairs, today you'll spend the last period in the library collecting information."
Noah leaned toward Ethan.
"I hate libraries."
"You've probably never been inside one."
"I went once."
"And?"
"I fell asleep."
Ethan laughed under his breath.
Even Elena, sitting beside them, couldn't stop herself from smiling.
The morning passed surprisingly quickly. Mathematics turned into Chemistry, Chemistry became History, and before anyone realized it, the final bell before lunch echoed through the corridors.
During lunch, Noah disappeared with the basketball team, leaving Ethan carrying his lunchbox toward the same maple tree where he had sat yesterday.
To his surprise...
Elena was already there.
She looked up as he approached.
"I was hoping this bench wasn't your reserved seat."
Ethan smiled.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
She laughed.
"I guess we'll have to share."
He sat beside her, leaving a respectful distance between them.
For a while, they simply ate in comfortable silence.
Then Elena suddenly asked,
"So... why did you transfer here?"
Ethan paused.
"My dad's work."
"Oh."
"He got transferred a few weeks ago."
"That must've been hard."
"It was."
She nodded slowly.
"I've studied here since kindergarten."
"Really?"
She smiled proudly.
"I know every shortcut in this school."
"Then you'll have to show me."
"I'll think about it."
"You drive a hard bargain."
"I know."
They both laughed.
Somehow...
Talking to her felt easier than talking to anyone else.
The final period arrived, and the library was quieter than the rest of the school.
Rows upon rows of wooden shelves stretched toward the far wall, filled with books that looked older than most of the students. Dust floated lazily through the rays of sunlight coming from the tall windows.
"Wow..." Ethan whispered.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Elena said.
He nodded.
"It feels... old."
"It is."
An elderly librarian looked up from his desk as they entered.
"You two must be here for the literature project."
"Yes, sir," Elena answered politely.
The old man smiled before handing them a list of books.
As Ethan reached for it...
The librarian suddenly froze.
His smile disappeared.
He stared directly at Ethan.
For several uncomfortable seconds, neither of them spoke.
Finally, the old man asked in a quiet voice,
"What did you say your name was?"
"Ethan Carter."
The librarian's expression changed completely.
Almost...
Like he had seen a ghost.
He adjusted his glasses.
"I... I'm sorry."
He forced a smile.
"You remind me of someone."
Ethan frowned.
"Someone who studied here?"
The old man hesitated.
"Many years ago."
Before Ethan could ask another question, the librarian turned away and disappeared between the bookshelves.
Elena looked at Ethan.
"That was... strange."
"Very."
For the next hour, they searched for books and notes for their assignment.
Every now and then, Ethan noticed the librarian glancing toward him from behind the shelves.
It wasn't curiosity.
It was fear.
As they finished collecting their material, Ethan accidentally noticed an old photograph hanging near the librarian's office.
It showed a class standing in front of the same school building nearly twenty years earlier.
His eyes wandered across the faces.
Then suddenly...
They stopped.
A boy standing in the last row looked...
Exactly like him.
Same eyes.
Same hair.
Same expression.
Even the smile...
Didn't reach his eyes.
"Ethan?"
Elena's voice broke his trance.
"You okay?"
He pointed toward the photograph.
"Do you know who that is?"
She looked carefully.
"I've never seen him before."
Ethan couldn't take his eyes off the picture.
Beneath it, a small brass plate had faded with age.
Only one name remained readable.
Daniel Carter.
His heartbeat echoed in the silent library.
Carter.
The same surname.
The same face.
The same school.
And suddenly...
The words from Chapter One returned to his mind.
Something about that name didn't feel new...
To Be Continued...