Ring, ring. The school bell finally breaks the irritating cacophony filling the classroom and happily announces the end of the suffocating physics class. Only a few people truly wait for permission to leave or a chance to say goodbye to the teacher, flying out as soon as possible.

How could everyone still chatter and joke mindlessly when Tanya Kennedy slipped out of reality—lost, missing, and probably dead?

Perhaps, strangers aren't the ones to blame, carrying enough troubles of their own. However, Martha, one of your mutual friends, turned out to be more troubled about teenage drama rather than the real danger.

"And then they looked at each other this way, you know, that special way couples do or soon-to-be couples. I can tell when someone has a story between them. It's obvious. I've seen these kinds of faces before."

PShhhhhhh the water bounces off the white ceramic of the sink and echoes in the bathroom. Your fingers move through your hair, the movement more absentminded than actually intentional. Even if your gaze was fixed on their own reflection, you can feel the image blurring as your thoughts get dragged from Martha's blabbering to your own mind swirl.

"Michael mentioned that Tanya grows distant, and I heard them fight once, too. She was so cold—like nothing even mattered—a bit irritated too, maybe."

You wished to be ignorant, to believe that it wasn't the truth, yet you knew better. The blond girl was intelligent, but most importantly, she was a true detection dog when it came to dirty secrets. You had to feign obliviousness due to the promise you made, a cursed pact that happened after you caught Tanya cheating red-handed. What else should you done for your best friend? Her getting all touchy-feely with William wasn't your main concern now. Tanya was a ghost, unable to be found anywhere. There were no messages sent to you, nor did she post anything on her Twitter account. It would've been at least a little calmer if she'd merely ignored you, put you on 'read', or at least appeared online once.

Never. And everything is going to get worse.

And then this spirit, too. Demon, an illusion, whatever it was. Lila. You saw her in William's apartment, once.

You sense a nasty pressure on your skull.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Martha's sharp question slaps you out of the pain. Your head still aches, faintly, so you just nod.

Sensing encouragement, she shifts closer, hushing her voice. "I've heard they could've slept together, too, and that's why Tanya has been rejecting Mike for so long."

Stop assuming those things, you cut her off. You were still in a public place, where anyone could hear, especially Tanya's boyfriend himself. An emotion akin to scared surprise crosses her features, and she leans away, reluctantly forcing herself to shut up.