Part One: The Boy They Knew
Elliot adjusted the collar of his worn leather jacket, the cool breeze biting at the edges of his skin as he stepped onto the cracked pavement of Pine Ridge High School. The air smelled of salt, the ocean just a mile away, and the faint buzz of voices hummed in the distance.
He was used to being the new kid, used to the curious glances and quiet whispers that followed wherever his father's job dragged them next. But this? This was different.
The hallway froze as soon as he stepped inside, conversations halting mid-sentence. Dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward him. Whispers rose like a tidal wave, crashing all at once.
"Is that...?"
"No, it can't be."
"But he looks exactly like—"
Elliot kept his head down and moved toward his locker, gripping the schedule he'd been handed in the office like it was a lifeline. He wasn't sure why everyone was staring, and frankly, he didn't care. At least, that's what he told himself.
A girl stepped into his path. She had dark, stormy eyes and jet-black hair tied up in a loose braid. She studied him with a mixture of disbelief and something Elliot couldn't quite place—fear, maybe?
"Caleb?" she whispered.
The name hit him like a cold slap, though it meant nothing to him. "Uh... sorry. Who?"
Her brow furrowed, the color draining from her face. "You're not... You can't be Caleb," she stammered, taking a shaky step back.
He stared at her, trying to make sense of the interaction, when another voice broke through the tension.
"Lila, leave the new guy alone." A tall, broad-shouldered boy in a letterman jacket approached, putting a protective arm in front of the girl. He glared at Elliot as though he'd done something wrong.
"I'm not Caleb," Elliot said firmly, though his voice cracked at the edges. "My name's Elliot."
The boy's jaw tightened. "Right. Elliot." His tone dripped with skepticism, but he stepped aside, leading Lila away.
Elliot's head spun as he opened his locker, shoving his bag inside with more force than necessary. Who was Caleb? And why did everyone seem to think he was him?
But even as he slammed the locker shut and headed to his first class, he couldn't shake the feeling creeping up his spine.
Because in the reflection of the metal locker door, for just a split second, he thought he saw someone else looking back at him.
?
YOU ARE READING
Do I look like HIM ?
Mystery / ThrillerThe story follows Elliot, a teenager whose life turns upside down when he moves to a small coastal town. On his first day at school, everyone seems shocked by his appearance, whispering behind his back and staring. Soon, he discovers that he bears a...
