Lexicon I: Specter's Cry

A new Student?

The classroom buzzed with the usual mix of idle chatter and whispered gossip, but the moment Sasha stepped through the door, an unsettling silence fell over the room. Her entrance was calm, composed, and oddly commanding, as if she had walked into this moment with a purpose only she understood.

Kinan watched her closely from her seat at the back of the room. There was something immediately off about Sasha—not in an obvious way, but more in the way her presence filled the space. Her movements were measured, her eyes scanning the room with a cold, almost predatory gaze. It was unsettling, but it also stirred a feeling deep inside Kinan, one that she couldn't quite place.

Olav, seated next to Kinan, shifted slightly in his chair, his expression tense but unreadable. He didn't need to say anything for Kinan to know what he was thinking—this wasn't just some random new student. This was Sasha, the girl who had been a ghost from their past.

"Class, this is Sasha," the teacher said, gesturing toward her. "She's a transfer student from Russia. Make her feel welcome."

Sasha offered a brief nod to the class, her red-blood eyes scanning the room as if measuring each student in turn. Her white-milk hair caught the light from the window, adding to her striking, almost ethereal appearance. She moved to take an empty seat near the front of the class, far away from Kinan and Olav.

Tejo, ever the social butterfly, leaned over to Kinan and whispered, "Well, she's definitely... different."

Kinan barely acknowledged him, her gaze still fixed on Sasha. Different wasn't the word. There was something deeper here, something dangerous. She could feel it. The last time they had seen Sasha, she had been a child—broken, lost, and vulnerable. But the girl sitting in front of them now was a far cry from the one they remembered.

"What do you think her deal is?" Tejo pressed, oblivious to Kinan's inner turmoil.

Olav answered before Kinan could, his voice low. "I'd leave her alone if I were you."

Tejo blinked in surprise. "Whoa, serious vibes from you two. Did you know her before?"

Kinan forced herself to focus, offering Tejo a quick shake of her head. "Just a feeling."

But in reality, it was far more than a feeling. The Sasha they had known had been taken into military custody after Price found her. Kinan hadn't kept track of what happened to her after that. She had assumed Sasha had been put into a care program, maybe even adopted into civilian life. But now, seeing her here, Kinan's gut told her there was more to Sasha's reappearance than coincidence.

As the teacher droned on about the day's lesson, Kinan couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't going to be an ordinary school day. Her instincts, honed from years of surviving in dangerous environments, told her that Sasha was more than just a transfer student. The connection to their past, the way Sasha had appeared without warning—it all felt too deliberate.

The bell rang, snapping Kinan out of her thoughts. Tejo bounded out of his seat, heading toward Sasha with his usual enthusiasm. "Hey! Welcome to the school, Sasha. I'm Tejo, and that gloomy duo back there are Kinan and Olav." He shot a grin back at them, oblivious to the tension between the three.

Sasha's red eyes flicked toward Tejo, and for a split second, Kinan thought she saw something shift in her expression—something cold and calculating. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a polite, if distant, smile.

"Thank you," Sasha said, her voice calm, though there was a sharpness to it, like a blade hidden beneath a layer of silk. "I appreciate the welcome."

Tejo, unfazed, launched into a series of rapid-fire questions about where she was from, what brought her here, and whether she liked the school so far. Sasha answered each question with the same poised politeness, but her eyes never softened. They remained hard, calculating, and distant, like someone always three steps ahead of the conversation.

Kinan and Olav exchanged a glance from the back of the room. This was definitely not the Sasha they had known. She had changed—radically.

As the group headed out of the classroom and into the bustling halls of SetiaBangsa High School, Kinan felt the air around her shift. Sasha was close now, walking just ahead of her, and Kinan couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of unease. She knew better than to believe in coincidences, and Sasha's arrival couldn't have been one.

"So," Tejo said, walking backward to face Kinan, Olav, and Sasha as they moved through the crowd. "What do you guys think? Am I going to be tutoring the mysterious new girl?"

Sasha's lips quirked into a half-smile. "I'm sure I can manage on my own."

The three of them reached the cafeteria, and as they took their seats, Kinan watched Sasha carefully. Her movements were so precise, so deliberate. It was as if she had mapped out every step before she even took it. Olav remained silent, his usual calm exterior masking the tension underneath. Kinan could feel it though—Olav was just as wary as she was.

"So," Kinan began, trying to keep her tone casual, "Russia, huh? What brings you to SetiaBangsa?"

Sasha met her gaze, and for a moment, Kinan felt the full weight of those red-blood eyes. It was like staring into a void—empty, cold, and vast.

"I'm here for personal reasons," Sasha replied, her tone measured. "But let's just say I needed a change of scenery."

Kinan nodded slowly, her suspicion deepening. Personal reasons. It was a vague answer, deliberately evasive. Sasha was hiding something—something big.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of classes and idle conversation, but Kinan's mind never strayed far from Sasha. Every movement, every word Sasha spoke seemed meticulously calculated, like a person who was always in control of the situation. It reminded Kinan of the kind of control one learns on the battlefield, where every decision could mean the difference between life and death.

When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Kinan felt a knot of tension coil tighter in her chest. She exchanged a glance with Olav, who gave her a small nod, confirming that he felt it too. This wasn't over.

As they left the school grounds, Sasha slipped away into the crowd, her figure disappearing into the sea of students heading home. Kinan watched her go, a heavy sense of unease settling in her gut.

"Do you think she knows?" Olav asked quietly as they walked toward the parking lot.

Kinan shook her head. "I don't know. But something's off. She's different. Controlled."

Olav's brow furrowed as they walked in silence, the weight of their past beginning to surface once again. Kinan couldn't shake the feeling that Sasha wasn't here by accident. Something—or someone—had brought her back into their lives.

As they reached the car, Kinan glanced at Olav. "We need to keep an eye on her."

Olav nodded, his expression grim. "Agreed."

They got into the car, the engine's rumble filling the quiet as they drove away from the school. The tension between them remained, unspoken but ever-present. Whatever was happening, Kinan knew it was only the beginning. Sasha's return had brought with it a storm that neither of them were ready for.

As they drove into the fading light of the afternoon, Kinan couldn't help but feel that everything was about to change—and this time, there would be no going back.