When the school goes quiet

The first thing Matilda noticed about her new school was how quiet it was.

Not completely silent, there were students laughing in the corridors, teachers calling out names, and shoes echoing against the polished floors....but there was something about the place that felt strangely still. She couldn’t explain it.

Matilda adjusted the strap of her bag and walked through the entrance, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. Being the new girl was never easy. Her tall figure and wavy hair made her stand out enough, and she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to talk to people or disappear into the nearest classroom. That was the problem with being an ambivert.

She had just reached her classroom when a girl with bright red hair accidentally bumped into her.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” the girl said, immediately stepping back.

Matilda smiled. “It’s okay.”

“I’m Claire.” She gave her a warm smile. “You’re new, right?”

“Yeah. I’m Matilda. But everyone calls me Mattie.”

“Mattie,” Claire repeated. “I like it.”

Something about Claire’s sweetness made Mattie relax.

They ended up sitting together during lunch, and within minutes, they discovered they had far too much in common.

“You like ghost stories?” Claire asked, her eyes lighting up.

“Love them.”

“Even the really creepy ones?”

“Especially those.”

Claire laughed. “Okay, we’re definitely going to be friends.”

Mattie grinned. “Deal.”

They spent the rest of lunch trading their favourite stories—haunted houses, mysterious disappearances, old legends and strange things that supposedly happened in schools.

Then Claire leaned closer.

“You know this school has a ghost story, right?”

Mattie’s smile slowly faded into curiosity.

“No way.”

“Oh, definitely.” Claire glanced toward the empty corridor outside the classroom. “People say that sometimes, after everyone leaves...”

She paused.

“The school doesn’t stay empty.”

Mattie stared at her.

For the first time that day, she wondered if the strange quiet she’d noticed when she arrived had been trying to tell her something.

Neither girl noticed the classroom door slowly creak open behind them.