The Last Bell

Chapter 3: Suspicion Grows

The study session starts off normally. Lila takes charge, organizing everyone's materials into neat piles while Jamal sets up his laptop, getting ready to pull up digital flashcards for the group. Raj and Daniel continue to joke around, playfully tossing wads of paper across the room when they think no one's looking. Carlos keeps one eye on Denise, who's sitting just a few desks away, texting someone and glancing at him now and then.

Zara, still glued to her phone, snickers at something she sees online and says, "Guys, this is trending on Instagram right now." She holds up her phone to show a horror movie meme.

Daniel rolls his eyes. "Zara, we get it, you love horror, but we're already living one: the IB."

Everyone laughs, even Matt, though it's a half-hearted chuckle. He's been silent most of the time, sitting by the window and watching the darkening sky. The once lighthearted vibe in the room gradually starts to shift. There's something unsettling about the silence that settles between the jokes.

As the evening progresses, the group digs into their study material. Lila is working through some physics problems, flipping through pages quickly, while Zara casually hums to herself, absentmindedly scribbling in her notebook. Jamal has his headphones on, typing away on his laptop, and Raj is quietly flipping through an old textbook.

Then, something odd happens. The lights flicker—just once, but enough for the group to notice.

"Whoa, what was that?" Raj asks, looking up from his book.

"Probably just a surge," Jamal responds, tapping away at his keyboard without even glancing up.

But the flicker doesn't go unnoticed by everyone. Denise, sitting closer to the front of the room, looks up, her eyes darting toward the door. She gets up, casually brushing past Carlos.

"I'm gonna grab a soda from the vending machine. Want anything?" she asks Carlos with a grin.

"No, I'm good," Carlos mumbles, barely paying her any mind as he continues focusing on his notes.

Denise disappears out the door, and a few minutes later, Matt stands up. "I need some air," he mutters before leaving the room without waiting for a response.

As more time passes, the mood becomes increasingly tense. Lila stops scribbling in her notebook and looks around. "Has anyone seen Denise? She's been gone a while."

"Maybe she got lost on her way to flirt with another guy," Daniel jokes, though the tone of his voice suggests even he's a bit uneasy.

"It's just a vending machine run," Jamal says, eyes still glued to his laptop, but Lila's worried expression causes him to glance up. "Okay, maybe it's been a bit long. Should someone check?"

"I'll go," Carlos says, already standing up. He feels an odd sense of responsibility, despite wanting to keep his distance from Denise earlier.

He leaves the room, heading down the dimly lit hallway toward the vending machines near the entrance of the school. As he approaches, the hallway feels eerily quiet. No signs of Denise. He checks the area, even peering outside for a second, but she's nowhere to be found.

Now concerned, Carlos heads back to the classroom, pushing open the door. "She's not there," he announces.

The group exchanges nervous glances.

"And Matt?" Lila asks, already knowing the answer from Carlos's face.

"He's not there either."

The mood in the room shifts dramatically. Lila takes charge, pacing. "Okay, we need to split up and check the halls. Maybe they ran into each other or something. This is starting to get weird."

Zara, looking up from her phone, frowns. "Or it's the start of one of those horror movies I watch. You know, the part where everyone starts going missing one by one."

Daniel raises an eyebrow. "Okay, not helping."

"Come on, Zara's right," Raj chimes in, though he's grinning. "Maybe they're playing some weird prank on us."

They all try to laugh it off, but there's an undeniable tension hanging over them now. Something is definitely off. Carlos feels it in the pit of his stomach. Denise may flirt around, but she wouldn't just vanish like that.

As they gear up to search, Lila hesitates. "Look, if anyone else goes missing, we all regroup here in the classroom, okay? No splitting up too far."

They agree, though the growing sense of unease makes the small group feel like something much darker is looming just ahead.