The Nightfall Chronicles

The Last Replacement - 3

...40 minutes ago...

"Hey!" a voice called out from my left, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I turned to face the voice, only to find a guy contorting his face in the strangest way, using his hands to stretch his eyes and mouth into ridiculous expressions. I couldn't help it - I burst out laughing, harder than I had in a long time. He looked absolutely hilarious, and I was doubled over, struggling to catch my breath. "S-sorry!" I managed to say between fits of laughter, but I couldn't stop. Eventually, my laughter died down, and that's when I noticed his expression. He stood frozen, wide-eyed, as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Um, is there something on my face?" I asked, unsure of why he was staring at me like that. He blinked in disbelief, stammering, "N-no, nothing at all. I'm just... surprised."

"Surprised? Why?" I pressed, curious to know what had him so thrown off.

He paused for a moment, thinking before finally saying, "No one has ever laughed that long at my funny faces before."

"That's a strange reason to be surprised," I replied, stifling a small laugh as the corners of my mouth curled up again.

I glanced at the classroom he stood in front of and asked, "Are you from that class?" pointing toward it for clarity. He looked over his shoulder, then turned back at me. "Yeah, I am," he replied, though his answer seemed oddly uncertain, as if he wasn't entirely sure himself. I found it strange, but I brushed the thought aside. Maybe he's just like that - one of those people who seem unsure of the simplest things.

"Why are you out here?" I asked, curious if he had been kicked out as well. "I got booted for not paying attention in class. What's your story?" I added with a smirk, wondering if we had the same fate.

He let out a sigh and said, "I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other now." I couldn't help but burst into laughter again, the thought of our shared fate making the whole situation even funnier.

With a playful smirk, he bowed slightly, one hand behind his back, mimicking the gallant gestures of men from centuries past. "If you don't mind, may I ask for your name, milady?" he said flirtatiously, his voice dripping with mock chivalry.

"I'm Eliza," I replied with a small smirk, playing along with his old-fashioned charm.

"Just Eliza?" he teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Eliza Drake," I said, lifting my chin slightly with a proud demeanor. "It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does," he replied, his demeanor shifting to one of refined courtesy. "May I ask your name?" I inquired, my tone now effortlessly shifting from playful to genuinely interested. "I'm Nathaniel," he said, offering his hand with a charming smile. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Eliza."

Nathaniel? My mind raced as I connected the dots - he was the same guy from the profile I'd stumbled upon last night, the one with that eerie bio about his birthday. But seeing him now? He didn't look anything like I expected. He wasn't the typical Gen Z guy you'd imagine scrolling through social media.

It was absurd, really. There was no way this Nathaniel could be that Nathaniel Grimshaw. Maybe it was just a coincidence, a common name shared between two people. But still, I couldn't shake the thought, the unsettling feeling gnawing at the back of my mind.

"Are you... Nathaniel Grimshaw?" I asked, my voice tinged with hope that he'd shake his head and laugh at the mere suggestion.