The atmosphere in the room shifted, like the calm before a storm. Laughter softened, smiles faded into uneasy glances. Maya's suggestion of playing Truth or Dare lingered in the air, but the spark had dimmed. Everyone's attention kept drifting toward the entrance, waiting for what felt inevitable.
The old clock on the wall ticked louder than usual, each second echoing through the tense silence. One of the fairy lights flickered, sputtered, then went out — leaving a small patch of darkness, like a warning.
Then—
The heavy doors creaked open.
A hush fell, thick as ink spreading through water.
He stepped inside without hesitation.
Tall. Lean. Dressed in a dark coat still damp from the rain outside.
The faint scent of wet earth and something colder followed him in.
His eyes swept across the room slowly — sharp, distant, calculating.
I forgot how to breathe.
A name slipped out from the crowd, barely a whisper, trembling and raw.
"Zavian..."
The sound hit like a punch to the gut.
Zavian — the boy who once sat quietly in the back, carved his initials deep into the school desks, and vanished without a trace the night everything fell apart.
Some shifted uncomfortably, staring at the floor or clutching their drinks tighter. Others glanced away, unwilling to face what he represented.
"I didn't think he'd actually show," muttered someone near the snack table.
"After what happened… maybe he shouldn't have," came the quiet reply.
Maya, fearless as ever, pushed through the crowd with that wicked grin of hers.
"Well, look who decided to show up fashionably late," she said, voice light but sharp as a blade. "Just in time to stir the pot."
Zavian gave her a slow, polite nod.
"Sorry I'm late."
"You're not late," Maya said smoothly, eyes glinting with something unreadable. "You're just... perfectly on time."
His gaze flicked around the room, but then locked with mine.
Suddenly, the years collapsed into a moment.
The fight under the old staircase. The blood on my knuckles. The lies that we buried in silence.
Zavian didn't smile.
Neither did I.
But the silence between us roared with everything we never said.
Nearby, someone whispered, "No one forgot that night..." like a ghost hovering just out of sight.
Principal Adam stepped forward, raising his hands to command attention.
"Now that we're all here," his voice steady, "shall we begin the night properly?"
Maya clapped once, bright as a flare. "Yes! Time for the game."
"Truth or Dare?" someone asked, uncertain if it was a joke or a challenge.
Maya turned to the crowd, eyes shining with mischief and something darker. "Exactly. Let's drag the past into the light. One truth, one dare — until nothing stays hidden."
Laughter broke out nervously. Some groaned. But no one left.
The game had begun.
And whatever secrets waited in the shadows — tonight, they would find a voice.