Chapter 2: The Devil You Know

"Ms. Harper, help me! Ms. Harper, please help!"

The plaintive cry dragged me out of a long, haunted nightmare. I jolted upright in my old metal desk chair, the cheap plastic seat sticky from the southern heat, the air thick with the smell of old erasers and sweat. My heart hammered as if the poison was still in my veins.

Coming to my senses, I realized I’d been gripping the pen in my hand for a long time, the ink already soaking through the lined notebook paper.

I blinked down at the mess—blue ink pooled into the wide-ruled spirals, my hand aching from the grip. A sharp ache ran up my arm, making me flex my fingers. My mind was still in two worlds, the past and now colliding in this stuffy classroom.

Looking up, I saw a small, dirt-stained hand clutching my arm.

Ellie Barnes was shaking me in panic, crying out for help.

The pen slipped from my hand almost instantly. It was as if I’d seen a ghost—I jumped to my feet immediately.

The sound of my chair scraping against the linoleum snapped me fully awake. My heartbeat thudded in my ears as I stared down at her, the memory of her laughter—cold and triumphant—still fresh as a bruise.

"What happened?"

My voice came out steadier than I felt, but inside I was reeling. Was this really happening again, or was it just another nightmare?

I had clearly been poisoned to death by Ellie Barnes.

Could it be…

I gently pinched my lower back.

Reborn?

I pressed hard enough to feel the sting. Real enough. I looked around, taking in the scuffed desks, the faded American flag drooping in the corner, the smell of old chalk and floor polish. Somehow, impossibly, I was back. Back before it all went wrong.

I immediately called my parents.

Hearing those familiar voices again, I clenched my fists tightly, struggling to hold back tears.

My mother’s voice was warm and teasing, Dad’s slow drawl comforting as ever. Relief made my vision blur. If I could keep them safe this time…

My gaze, cold as ice, fell on Ellie Barnes.

She looked up at me, red-rimmed eyes searching for sympathy. But this time, all she saw was someone who knew her game.