Chapter 1 The Warning

Aurelia's pov

I found it on my first day.

The bathroom was empty when I walked in. The tiles were old, and the light bulb was on .

I just needed to pee , fix my hair and reapply my lip gloss before first period.

That's when I saw the mirror.

Someone wrote on it in red colour or ink. The letters were big and messy as if the fellow who wrote it was in a hurry not to be caught.

STOP ASKING QUESTIONS

My hands started shaking. I looked around the bathroom but it was still empty. Just me and those red letters staring back at me.

I hadn't asked anyone anything. I literally just got here this morning.

I pulled out my phone to take a picture but it was dead which made no sense as I charged it that morning, maybe I didn't plug it well, who knows?

I stared at the message for another minute trying to figure out what it meant. Was this some kind of prank they played on new students? Was someone trying to decorate the bathroom mirror? Or better still was it a message for someone else?

Even at that it didn't feel like a prank or a joke. Away It felt like a warning.

I grabbed some paper towels and tried to wipe it off but the red stuff wouldn't come off easily. It was sticky. I didn't want to think about what it actually was.

My heart was beating really fast and the urge to pee wasn't there anymore, it was as if the pee disappeared upon seeing the message

I needed to get out of here.

I left the bathroom and started walking back down the hallway toward the main building. This whole wing felt wrong and silent, it was as if nobody hasn't been there in years.

"You shouldn't be here."

I jumped and spun around so fast I almost tripped.

A guy was standing there. Tall, maybe seventeen, with dark messy hair and tired eyes. He was just standing in the middle of the hallway looking at me.

"Jesus, you scared me," I said.

"This hallway. This wing." He looked around like he was checking if anyone else was there. "Nobody comes here unless they don't know better."

"Well I didn't know. I got lost trying to find my locker."

"You're new."

"Yeah. It's my first day here.

He stared at me for a long time. Like he was trying to figure out something

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Aurelia. Lia." I said as I crossed my arms. "Who are you?"

"Ezra." He stepped closer and his voice got quieter. "Listen. You need to be careful here. I mean really careful."

"Careful of what?"

"Just... don't ask questions. Don't go looking for things. Keep your head down and you'll be fine."

I thought about the message on the mirror. Stop asking questions. Was that him? Did he write it?

"Did you write that thing on the bathroom mirror?"

His eyes widened a little. "You saw it?"

"Yeah I saw it. It was very hard not to notice

"That wasn't for you." He ran a hand through his hair. He looked stressed. "That was... it doesn't matter. Just forget you saw it okay? Go to class. Make friends. Do normal school stuff. Don't get involved in things that aren't your business."

"Involved in what?"

"Nevermind" His voice got harder. "Lincoln High isn't what it looks like. There are things here... people here who don't like it when students ask too many questions."

"What kind of things?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because if I tell you, you'll want to know more. And wanting to know more is really dangerous." He looked down the hallway again. "I have to go. Just... be careful okay? And stay away from this wing."

He started to walk away.

"Wait," I called after him. "What aren't you telling me?"

He stopped but didn't turn around. "Everything."

Then he was gone.

I stood there in the empty hallway feeling really confused and very scared. What was that about? What was he warning me about?

I pulled out my wristwatch to check the time. I was definitely late for first period now.

I found my way back to the main building and tried to forget about the scary message on the bathroom mirror and the weird guy and the strange warning. But I couldn't stop thinking about it.

In English class I sat next to this girl with short black hair who introduced herself as Iris. She was nice but talked a lot. She even helped me find my next class.

"You look kind of freaked out," she said as we walked to Calculus. "First day jitters, ehn?

"Something like that."

"Don't worry. Lincoln High takes some getting used to but it's not that bad once you figure it out."

I wanted to ask her what she meant by that but I didn't. Ezra's warning was still in my head. Don't ask questions.

The rest of the day was normal. Classes, lunch, more classes. Iris introduced me to her friends Marcus and Jade. They seemed cool, and jovial.

There was another guy at lunch, Ezra, but he didn't say anything to me. Just sat there picking at his food and acting unbothered.

So that was the same Ezra from this morning. The one who warned me.

I tried to catch his eye a few times but he wouldn't look at me.

Last period was Art. The teacher Ms. Rivera told us we could work on whatever we wanted. I didn't really know what to do so I just started drawing random stuff in my notebook.

Circles,Lines, Patterns.

I wasn't really thinking about it. My hand just kept moving.

When I looked down at the end of class I realized I'd filled a whole page with the same thing over and over. Three circles overlapping each other with lines going through them.

It looked familiar somehow. Like I'd seen it before. But I couldn't remember where.

"Interesting design," Ms. Rivera said, looking over my shoulder.

"Thanks." I closed the notebook.

After school I went back to my locker to get my stuff. The hallways were almost empty now. Most people had already left.

Not long after, my phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from a number I didn't recognize.

I pulled it out and read it.

"Go home. Don't come back."

My hands started shaking again. I looked around the hallway. A few students were still there but nobody was looking at me. Nobody was paying attention.

Another text came through again

This is your only warning.

I stared at the screen. Who was this? How did they get my number?

I wanted to text back and ask but I was too scared. Instead I just shoved my phone in my pocket, grabbed my bag, and got out of there as fast as I could.

On the bus ride home I kept checking over my shoulder. Kept looking at the other passengers wondering if one of them was watching me.

This was crazy. I'd been at this school for one day, just One day and nd someone was already sending me threat messages

When I got home Mom wasn't there yet. She left a note saying she'd be late and there was food in the fridge.

I sat on the couch and stared at my phone. The messages were still there.

Go home. Don't come back.

This is your only warning.

I should tell Mom. I should tell someone.

But what would I even say? That I found a weird message in a bathroom and some guy warned me to be careful and now someone's texting me threats? It sounded insane. Saying it out would make me look crazy

Maybe it was just a prank. Maybe a coincidence, Maybe someone was messing with the new girl.

But it didn't feel like a prank.

I pulled out my notebook and looked at the drawing I'd made in Art class. The overlapping circles. The lines.

Why did I keep drawing this? Where had I seen it before?

My phone buzzed again and I almost dropped it.

Another text from the same number.

"We're watching you."

I turned off my phone and threw it

on the couch.

Tomorrow I'd figure this out. Tomorrow I'd find Ezra and make him tell me what was going on.

But right now I just wanted to pretend this day never happened.