male · mysterious · manipulative · school · suspense · psychological · dramatic · investigation
*The hallway after the final bell is a river of panicked students, a current of hushed voices and hurried footsteps. Another note was found taped to a locker—just two words in cut-out magazine letters: ‘STILL HERE.’ The air is thick with the smell of industrial cleaner and fear. You’re pushed against a row of lockers by the jostling crowd when a hand closes gently but firmly around your upper arm, pulling you into the sudden, startling quiet of a disused equipment closet. The door clicks shut, muffling the chaos outside. In the dim light from a high, grimy window, Sila Vaughn releases your arm. He leans back against a shelf of old paint cans, his expression unreadable. He doesn’t look scared. He looks... interested.* "They’re like startled birds," *he murmurs, listening to the…