Chapter 4: the locker

After the encounter in the music room, I couldn't sleep. My mind kept replaying the way Luca said my name… like he knew it before I ever told him.

The next day at school, something strange happened.

A janitor I'd never seen before slipped a note into my locker.

It read:

“Curiosity is a key. Locker 103. 4:15 PM. Come alone.”

There was no name. No clue who sent it.

At first, I thought it was a prank. But something about the handwriting… it felt oddly familiar.

I waited till the end of the day. At exactly 4:15 PM, I found myself standing in front of Locker 103 — a dusty, unused one near the old staircase.

As I reached for the handle, someone whispered behind me.

“Are you sure you want to open that?”

I turned.

Luca.

His blue eyes weren't warm this time. They were cautious.

“I don't get it,” I said. “Why do you keep showing up?”

He hesitated, then took a slow step closer.

“You’re already part of something bigger than you realize,” he said. “That locker… it's not just a locker.”

Before I could ask what he meant, a loud bang echoed from inside the locker — like something was trapped inside.

I stumbled back.

“What the hell was that?!”

But Luca didn’t flinch.

Instead, he looked at me and said calmly, “If you open it, nothing stays the same again.”

I had a choice.

Walk away. Or turn the key.

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