The Traitor in the Textbook
Ella’s head dropped against the desk for the third time that morning.
History class.
Again.
The words on the board blurred together as the teacher droned on about dates, wars, and dead kings. Ella’s eyes slowly closed, her cheek resting on her folded arms. For once, she felt peaceful—until a sharp knock echoed through the classroom.
“Ella Carter.”
She jolted awake, nearly falling off her chair.
“Yes—yes, sir?” she said, blinking rapidly.
The entire class burst into laughter.
The history teacher stood in front of her desk, arms crossed, eyes blazing. “Since you find my class so sleep-inducing, you will write an essay.”
Ella groaned internally. “An essay… on what?”
The teacher’s lips curled into a thin smile. “Prince Adren.”
Silence.
Ella frowned. “Adren… who?”
The laughter this time was louder.
“Prince Adren,” the teacher snapped. “Your long-lost brother, apparently.”
More laughter.
Ella slumped back in her chair. Great. She had officially embarrassed herself.
“You will submit a detailed essay by next week,” the teacher continued coldly. “And I expect effort, Miss Carter. Sit properly.”
As the bell rang, Ella shoved her books into her bag, still half asleep.
“Who the hell is this Adren?” she muttered while walking out.
Her best friend Sara walked beside her, adjusting her glossy hair. “You seriously don’t know?”
“No. And I don’t care,” Ella replied. “History hates me, and I hate it back.”
Sara gasped dramatically. “Prince Adren was the ruler of the Hawon Empire.”
“That helps me… how exactly?” Ella sighed.
“You’re in real trouble this time, girl,” Mike said, joining them. He pushed his glasses up his nose, clearly enjoying this. “We barely know anything about that king.”
Ella stopped walking. “What do you mean barely?”
“Well,” Mike shrugged, “almost everyone who wrote about him ended up imprisoned.”
Her eyes widened. “Wait—what?”
“People say he hated writers,” Sara added. “Anyone who wrote history during his reign disappeared.”
“Was he that bad?” Ella asked quietly.
“Yes,” Sara nodded. “Sir said he killed his own parents for the throne.”
Ella felt a chill crawl down her spine. “So I have to write about a monster.”
She rubbed her temples. Perfect. Just perfect.
Ella Carter wasn’t lazy—she was just tired.
Tired of expectations.
Tired of pretending.
Tired of not knowing what she wanted.
She had grown up without a mother and with a father who felt more like a stranger than family. He provided everything except warmth. The house was always quiet. Too quiet.
Sara and Mike were her escape.
Sara—confident, beautiful, dreaming of becoming a model.
Mike—brilliant, focused, always chasing science and impossible ideas.
And Ella?
She was in her final year of high school with no dreams at all.
And lately, a heaviness followed her everywhere.
“I need help,” Ella said suddenly, turning to them. “Please.”
Sara raised an eyebrow. “Beg properly.”
“You both score amazing in history,” Ella pleaded. “I know you must know something about that traitor.”
Mike shook his head. “I only know what everyone else knows. He killed the king—his own father—who was apparently kind and loved by the people. After Adren took the crown, things went downhill.”
“That’s it?” Ella groaned. “That’s all history gives me?”
“So what do I do now?” she asked, almost on the verge of tears.
“Let’s go to the museum,” Sara suggested. “Maybe there’s something new.”
Ella’s face lit up slightly. “That’s actually… a good idea.”
“We’ll go together,” Sara smiled.
“I can’t,” Mike said suddenly.
Ella stared at him. “What do you mean you can’t?”
“I have work.”
“What’s more important than me?” Ella asked suspiciously.
Sara burst out laughing. “Don’t tell me you’re still working on that time machine.”
“It will work this time,” Mike said seriously.
Ella crossed her arms. “You’re rejecting a cute girl for an experiment you’ve failed for decades.”
Sara nodded dramatically. “Honestly, it’s better to have enemies than friends like you.”
Mike just sighed and walked away while the two girls laughed.
Ella watched him go, unaware that his impossible experiment—and her cursed essay—were about to change her life forever.
