≪ So, what’s it gonna be, human? ≫ the monster, to whom the voice he had heard before belonged, said in a low, creepy whisper.

≪ What are you going to give up to enter? ≫

Leo stood perfectly still, avoiding eye-contact at all costs.

Don’t look at him, don’t look at him…

A slight panic gripped his legs, firing them up like engines.

I need to get out of here.

If that classroom was haunted, as it clearly was, he didn’t want anything to do with it.

Leo wanted to spend his last two years of high school peacefully and without any problems, so getting cursed by a spirit on his first day wasn’t part of the plan.

He gulped nervously, staring straight ahead.

≪ I’ll give up entering ≫

Surviving came before everything – if he couldn’t enter the classroom, so be it.

I’ll just go home and try again tomorrow…

The ghost just stood there, confused.

≪ Huh? ≫

Leo nodded firmly.

≪ Yep… now, if you’ll excuse me… ≫

He stepped back, looking for the door handle in the darkness.

Where is it…

≪ W- wait! ≫ Vio exclaimed.

Huh??

Things weren’t going according to his plan.

He scratched the back of his head.

Why isn’t he-

Nancy chuckled, her mouth full of pistachio ice cream.

≪ Hehe, looks like your idea’s ain’t working… ≫

She swung her spoon up in the air, then dug it back inside the ice cream tub she was holding.

Terry nodded distractedly, busy with a ice cream cone he was topping with chocolate

≪ I told you, you should’ve gone with the vampire mask instead… ≫

≪ Hey!, where did you get that! ≫ Nancy exclaimed, snatching the cone from his hands. ≪ I don’t have one! ≫

Terry immediately grabbed it back, holding it close to his chest.

≪ It’s from my secret snack locker, it’s mine! ≫

Nancy was outraged.

≪ You have a secret snack locker!? ≫

≪ Yes I do! I’m the school’s vice president, so I’ve got privileges! And this just so happens to be one of the council’s rooms! ≫

≪ Hmm, is that so? Well, then this just so happens to be my ice cream! ≫

Nancy took the ice cream tub and started running away with it, and Terry immediately started chasing her.

≪ No it isn’t, give it back! Didn’t you get hurt? Just go to the infirmary! ≫

≪ No I didn’t! ≫

The two faced each other in a stall.

Terry smirked, then stomped her toe.

≪ Yes you did! ≫

≪ AH! ≫

Now he was running away, and Nancy was chasing him.

≪ Grr… you ****, take this! ≫

≪ AHH!!. help! ≫

Leo finally found the door handle and clicked it open.

Before he could escape, though, Vio grabbed his arm.

≪ WAIT! ≫

Leo turned around, surprised.

Vio hesitated.

He didn’t have a plan anymore, but he had wasted his entire lunch break to try and scare the newcomer and, before admitting failure, he still had one last trick to try.

≪ T- THERE! ≫ he shouted, pointing at random towards the ceiling.

Great Cat Spirit, you who frighten this valley since the beginning of time and have been honored by us today, now’d be the perfect time for a surprise entrance!

Leo looked up, confused.

What is he talking abou-

Suddenly, a shadow moved under the ceiling.

He squinted his eyes – he couldn’t see clearly in the dark – and the shadow stopped.

≪ Huh? ≫

The shadow – round and spiky, eerily similar to Vio’s mask – slowly turned towards him, then jumped.

≪ AAAHHH! ANOTHER GHOST! ≫

Leo immediately ran out of the way: Wtf is going on in here!

The shadow landed behind him with a soft thump, and meowed.

YES! Vio cheered.

I knew it!

After all the times he had called it on, the Great Cat Spirit had finally made its appearance.

Vio was almost moved to tears, but first he had to brag.

He turned to Nancy and Terry, who were still bickering.

≪ SEE!? I told you that- ≫

≪ Out of the way! ≫

Leo ran straight thru him, bumping his shoulder into Vio’s chest.

Vio flew away with a muted groan, and the mask went flying the opposite way.

He hit Nancy, who, with an angry ≪ ACK! ≫, hit Terry (he wasn’t really in her way, but while falling she kicked Terry’s leg so that he’d fall too), and the clumsy trio tumbled down on the floor.

Leo, still unable to see where he was going, tripped on them and dropped on the ground like a sack of potatoes with a loud, dull thud.

The cloud of dust around them took a few seconds to set.

Nancy got up first, dizzy.

≪ Ouch… ≫

Terry rolled on his side, in pain, rubbing his knee. He glared at her.

≪ Hey, why don’t you watch where you’re going, you dummy… ≫

Nancy’s eyes sparked with anger, and she kicked him again right as he was getting up, sitting him back down.

≪ Why don’t you do that, idiot! ≫

≪ Ouch! You’re the idiot! ≫

Leo staggered up and saw the stars dancing around his eyes.

He was out of balance, but someone offered him a hand.

≪ T- thanks… ≫

Who is this…?

In the darkness, he couldn’t see his face.

The classroom door slammed open and a tall, grumpy figure appeared in front of the exit.

≪ What’s going on in here! ≫

≪ S**t! ≫

≪ It’s Mr. Gilson! ≫

≪ Who’s that there! ≫ the man shouted harshly. ≪ What was all that noise! Why’s it so dark in here! Who’s that there, come out- AAAHHH! ≫

With a high-pitched scream the man fell on his butt while the shadow that had just jumped down the ceiling sneaked in between his legs and ran away in the hallway.

It was a big, fluffy gray cat.

≪ It’s Benny! ≫ Terry exclaimed.

Nancy clapped her hands: ≪ Yeah!, get him! ≫

≪ O- oh… ≫ Vio murmured, gloomy.

Benny was an old cat that often roamed around the school’s building.

S- so, it wasn’t the Great Cat Spirit…

He sniffled – suddenly, his cold was acting up again.

Terry noticed him him and chuckled.

Mr. Gilson staggered back up, pointing randomly with a shaky finger.

≪You brats! S- stop acting up and come ou- ≫

No need to ask.

≪ Yep! ≫

≪ Coming! ≫

Nancy and Terry dashed out of the classroom faster than lightning, and the old teacher spun like a dancer while the shockwave hit him.

≪ H- HEY!, you two- ≫

Vio took Leo’s hand.

≪ Quick ≫

Leo didn’t even have time to be surprised – Vio started running, so he followed him. They went the other way, and Mr. Gilson, still spinning, couldn’t grab them.

The two boys were out in the hallway, drowned in sunlight.

Leo faltered and covered his eyes, but Vio was already dragging him away.

≪ Come on! ≫

They turned left – Nancy and Terry were running the other way.

Mr. Gilson came out right behind them, furious, and glared left and right.

≪ Those brats… ≫

He clenched his fists and sped up behind Vio and Leo, who were closest.

≪ Stop right there! ≫

Leo glanced back, and a rush of adrenaline ran through his body.

≪ He’s following us! ≫

≪ Run faster, then! ≫

The hallway was empty, and the bright golden light entered through the windows on the right.

One window was open, and the wind filled with the scent of flowers from the prune tree outside ruffled Leo’s hair.

Time seemed to slow down.

The boy he was following had short, dark and luminous hair that left the back of his neck naked.

He was quite taller than Leo and had broader shoulders, but his arms were thinner, and he could see the blue veins.

The hand holding Leo’s was bigger than his, and the grip was firm.

It hadn’t even been ten minutes he had entered his new school and Leo was already escaping from a teacher with a boy he had never met in his entire life.

In all of his school years, Leo had never been even remotely close enough with someone (and dumb) to do something so crazy – rather, he had always kept a low, lonely profile.

He so wasn’t used to it that he felt a strange, euphoric feeling, and almost burst out laughing.

≪ This way! ≫ Vio exclaimed.

They made a steep right turn and entered a much smaller corridor. On the right there was a big wooden door and then a line of windows, on the left a few smaller metal doors that led to storage rooms.

Vio let go of Leo and opened the big door on the right.

≪ In here, quick! ≫

Leo hurried inside, because he could still hear Mr. Gilson shouting in the hallway, and Vio shut the door behind him.

They were in the room behind to the school library, visible behind glass doors.

There was a little desk near the glass doors, but from all the dust and the piles of books left on it it looked like no on had sat there in years.

Leo’s eyes sparkled, and he stepped forward. He loved libraries, and spent most of his time there in his previous schools.

≪ Are we going- ≫

Vio grabbed his hand and dragged him back.

He opened a door on the wall on the opposite side of the glass doors and pushed Leo inside, then followed him and quickly closed the door.

The room was small and filled with dusty bookshelves. There was barely enough space to stand up.

The only light, golden and dense like a haze, came from a little plastic window up on the door, leaving the room in semi-darkness.

Leo hunched his shoulders and clung to the wall, trying to make himself as tiny as possible.

He closed his eyes.

He could feel Vio’s presence right in front of him – his slightly heavy breathing on his ear and neck, and the heat and scent radiating from his skin.

He didn’t dare to move a muscle.

He’s so close!

Suddenly he felt like he was about to pass out. It was too hot in there, his skin and stomach were burning and he couldn’t breathe.

He opened his eyes.

≪ C- could you- ≫

He stopped.

Vio’s face was only a few centimeters away from his, and Leo saw it clearly for the first time.

His skin was slightly pale and covered with tiny, hazel freckles, but the cheeks were flushing from the heat and his lips were thin and bright red as if sunburned.

The tall cheekbones drew deep lines in his skin that started from under his sharp, cat-like eyes and contoured his small but well-defined jaw, giving his appearance a mysterious, almost dangerous feeling.

The most impressive thing, thought, was the color of his eyes – a piercing ice-blue that highlighted his dark, thick eyebrows.

Leo held his breath, and his vision almost blurred.

Vio put his finger on his lips: ≪ Shh! ≫