"A new beginning is always
the end of an old story"

I stood at the entrance of my new school, Redwood High, my heart pounding with excitement as the car stopped in front of the building. "All the best dear! I'm sure you'll make a lot of friends here." My dad said as I stepped out of the car and waved him a goodbye.

The tall, dim-white buildings looked old but well-kept. Ivy crept up the walls and the big, wide windows were letting the sunlight in. The front lawn was filled with green trees that were just starting to change colors with the approach of autumn. The waters of the fountain sparkled due to the colourful lights, making me want to dip my fingers into its clear streams.

I took a deep breath, rolling my suitcase behind on the gravel path.

In my 16 years existence I had never felt this nervous. New school, new friends, new classes, new teachers and a whole new place to live. Currently, I'm done with new things .

I moved closer to the fountain as its glowing lights drawing me in. My confidence grew as I caught sight of my own reflection in the water. For a moment, I almost didn't recognize myself.

While I was walking through the school gates, flaunting my favorite blue dress and a pair of white sneakers I had just bought yesterday for making a good first impression, I noticed a group of students laughing and chatting, everyone seemed to know each other. I felt a bit out of place but I walked past them, trying to blend in.

As I entered the main building I was stunned. The hallways were full of people moving around, slamming the lockers and the sounds of conversations filled the air.

Colorful posters decorated the walls beautifully, advertising various clubs and the upcoming events like the Halloween dance.

While I was busy admiring the large poster welcoming new students, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see a cute guy with curly black hair and circular-rimmed glasses that hid the actual shade of his brown eyes.

"Hey berry! Come with me, I'll show you my new do-" he stopped as looked at my face.

"Oh! I'm sorry " he said hesitatingly,

"No, It's okay," I replied.

"I actually thought you're my sister" he then turned around to leave but I stopped him and asked "Could you please tell me where the office is?"

He looked at me curiously and then questioned, "Are you new?"

"Yes," I answered.

His face lit up with a smile "you're at the right place then"

"What do you mean?"

"Follow me. I'll take you to the office," he said, gesturing for me to come along.

"Actually, I have to give tours to five new students as part of a punishment from our math teacher, Mr. Fredkins. I was caught sneaking out at night. You know what, we call him Mr. Angry bird too" he exclaimed and I chuckled.

We walked together, and before I knew it, we were at the office.

" Here you go" he said.

" That was fast! I didn't even realize when we reached here " I thanked him and I entered inside.

A good-looking woman with long gray hair, wearing a white blouse with a pair of black pants and black heels, sat behind the desk, legs crossed.

"Hello, you must be Emily Parker. Welcome to Redwood High," she said warmly after looking through the papers I handed her. "I'm Mrs. Thompson, the school secretary. Here are your schedule and your dorm room keys."she continued.

"Thank you," I replied, giving her a gentle smile as I took the papers and keys.

I glanced at my schedule and saw that my first class was English with Mrs. Rose.

"Any problems?" She asked.

"No, everything looks good," I said, shaking my head.

Outside I saw him standing, resting his back on the wall.

Was he waiting for me?

"Do you also have any work here?" I questioned.

He then smiled "Yes! I was waiting for you. I still have to give you a school tour."

"But before the tour I want to freshen up because I 'm totally exhausted and I also have some time before the classes start. I would be really grateful if you help me find my dorm room first." making a puppy face, I pleaded, hands joint "please". "Your room is in the Grey Hall, which isn't too far from the main building." He said, pointing towards the Grey Hall.

A few minutes later as we were walking towards the Grey Hall, I noticed a red headed guy looking at me but he quickly walked away when I glanced back. He must be looking at something else.

"Back to Earth Miss! Which alien space ship did you just contacted with" "none!" I replied as we started walking again.

After talking to him, I got to know that the hostel buildings are differentiated by colors. But in these many colors I got gray,"Why not blue?" I wondered aloud.

I looked out through the hallway's big windows and saw swings beautifully decorated with flowers and veins.

"What are those for?" I asked, pointing at the swings.

"They're just antique pieces of artwork kept as decorations" and my lips formed an 'O'

When we reached the Grey Hall, I found out that my room was on the ground floor.He asked for the keys but when I was handing them to him, I saw his terrified face as looked at the door no. "1..3...5.." he muttered, and shared a quick glance towards the room aside.

Strange?

"Thanks for the help but Can I know your name please? " I asked, breaking the silence.

"It's Mark, Mark Yen," he said, unlocking the door for me. I stepped inside.

"What a beautiful name you have" I said as I turned around.

"I know right" he paused and then continued "Anything else?"

"No! I can manage the rest, thank you"

"Okay, see you in class then. Bye!" "Bye" he waved as he felt for the Red Hall.

The room was cozy, with two beds, two desks, and a large window that let plenty of light in.

One side of the room was already decorated with sticky notes, charts and photos. Looks like my roommate had arrived earlier.

I was about to start unpacking, when the door opened, and I heard a girl's voice "oh! Are you my new roommate? By the way, you're gorgeous, girl!"

How can she even say that when she hasn't even seen my face yet!

I turned to see a girl sitting on the bed of the decorated side. She was wearing a red shirt having black stripes, with black leggings making her legs look longer and slender. Her long , blonde hair cascaded down her back beautifully, as her eyes showed their aubergine color.

"Hi! I'm Jessica, your roommate," she said, offering me her hand with a bright smile.

"Welcome to Redwood High!"

"Hi, Jess.ica. It's nice to meet you," I replied, shaking hands with her,smiling back.

I was so lost in her beauty that I literally forgot her name in microseconds.

She sat beside me and started talking like we were besties from college who met years later and have lots of gossip to share. She was really nice to me and she even helped me in getting settled.

She told me that she was also a junior and had been at Redwood High since she was 10. She seemed friendly and outgoing, and made me feel comfortable with her.

As we were talking suddenly in the middle of the conversation her face formed a frown and she said "..but this time, luck was against me."

"But why?"

Jessica's expression changed slightly, becoming more serious. "You don't know about Room 136? Oh... um..., so there's a bit of a story or I don't know a rumor about that room. Some say it's haunted."

"Haunted?" I asked, interested but a little nervous as I remembered Mark's face turning yellow.

"Yeah, it's kind of a story around here that a student disappeared from that room 2 years ago, and ever since, strange things have been reported. But don't worry too much about it. It's probably just stories to scare the new kids," she said, trying to sound reassuring but I wasn't so sure .

I nodded, but the mention of the haunted room only made me more curious.

The rest of the time I was only pondering about what had really happened if there was any truth to the rumors.

As I finished unpacking, she asked "Hey would you like to join me on a school tour after the class", I agreed.

Just then the school bell rang and we left for our classes.

I shared a glance at the door of the room no.136 and only one thought came in my mind,

Was it really haunted?

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This is the first chapter of the book and I hope after reading the prologue this chapter makes no sense but there is something name introduction which adds relevance to the chapter.

Please do comment & vote 🙏

With lots of love

Only yours
Sapphire's Echo