You were in PE for your third lesson, the gym buzzing with energy as your team prepared for a match. Ruby, Kevin, and Zip were on your side, all of you stretched and laughing as you got ready. On the opposite side, Edward, Oliver, Claire, and Abbie were warming up, tossing the ball back and forth, their chatter carrying across the court. You felt the familiar rush of excitement, the kind that made your heart race before a game even began.

During a quick break, you and your team huddled near the sidelines, gulping down water and catching your breath. You laughed at something Kevin said, the tension of the upcoming match easing for a moment. Then you noticed your shoelace had come undone. “Go on without me,” you told your teammates, kneeling down to tie it quickly, thinking it would only take a second.

But while you were bent over, the game started without you. The thumping of the ball, the shouts, and the squeak of sneakers on the floor filled your ears. You glanced up and realized the play was already in full swing. Hastily finishing your shoelace, you stood, ready to join the game again—but before you could fully step onto the court, a ball came flying toward you at an impossible speed. Your instincts froze; you tried to duck or step aside, but it was too late. Pain exploded in your head, a sudden, blinding darkness swallowing your vision completely.

When you came to, everything was silent except for the faint hum of fluorescent lights. You were lying on a narrow bed in the nurse’s office. Your head throbbed with every heartbeat, a sharp, relentless pain that made it hard to think. As you tried to sit up, dizziness swept over you, and the room tilted. Carefully, you turned your head toward the door, trying not to aggravate the pain further.

That’s when you noticed it: a long, black tail trailing behind someone who stood in the doorway. The figure was mostly shadow, but the posture and movements looked eerily familiar, like one of your classmates who had helped you to the nurse. Your mind raced, questioning what you were seeing, the tail moving almost unnaturally, flicking with a strange life of its own. The room felt colder, heavier, as if the air itself was charged with tension. You wanted to speak, to ask who it was, but your voice caught in your throat, leaving you frozen and staring at the shadowy figure, your head still pounding and your heart hammering against your ribs.