Yvessirae Pov
The sterile, lemon-scented air of the clinic felt like a cage. My throat was a map of fire where the boy's hand had crushed the life out of me, and every time I swallowed, it felt like jagged glass. But I didn't care. I couldn't stay in that bed.
"Ready?" Maia whispered. She was hovering by the back exit, her eyes darting toward the nurse's station.
I nodded, leaning heavily on Dvora. My legs felt like lead, but the rusted bell pin in my pocket was pulsing against my thigh, a steady thrum-thrum-thrum that acted like a second heartbeat. It was telling me to move. It was telling me the time was running out.
We slipped out the door and into the cooling evening air. The sun was a bruised purple on the horizon, casting shadows that looked like long, reaching fingers across the grass.
"We have to be fast," I rasped, my voice sounding like it belonged to a ghost. "The Chapel first. Then the Lab."
"We're with you, Rae," Dvora said, her grip on my arm tightening. "To the end."
We reached the Chapel just as the first grey light of dusk settled over the campus. The building looked different through the Cracked Lens I held to my eye—the stone wasn't just old; it was alive, breathing in the fears of the students.
We burst inside. The massive pipe organ stood at the front, its silver pipes gleaming like bared teeth. I stumbled to the bench, my fingers hovering over the keys. I didn't know music, but the Herald's mark on my hand began to glow. My fingers moved on their own, slamming down onto the ivory.
Bellow. Scream. Roar.
The music wasn't a melody; it was the sound of a thousand resets happening at once. The floorboards beneath the organ clicked open, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside lay the Valedictorian's Speech—a scroll that bled real ink.
"Three," Maia gasped, grabbing it. "We have three!"
"The Lab," I commanded. "Now!"
We sprinted across the quad. The 8:00 PM bell hadn't rung yet, but the "Sleepers" were already acting strange. Dozens of students stood perfectly still on the grass, their heads tilted toward the sky, their eyes wide and empty. They were waiting for the reset.
We burst into the Chemistry Lab. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and ozone. There, sitting in a beaker of glowing green acid, was the Rusty Key.
Dvora didn't hesitate. She grabbed a pair of metal tongs and fished the key out. It hissed, steam rising into the dark room.
"Four!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the glass beakers. "Rae, we have four! Only the First Bell is left! We can actually do this!"
We turned toward the door, the exit gates at the end of the long hallway glowing with a soft, golden light. For the first time, I felt a spark of true hope. We were going to win. We were going to break the loop and walk out of St. Jude's.
"Let's go!" I yelled, taking a step toward the light.
But then, my world tilted.
A sharp, agonizing pain exploded in the center of my chest. It wasn't a blade. It was a coldness that felt like my blood was turning into slush. I stopped mid-stride, my knees buckling.
"Rae?" Maia caught me before I hit the floor.
"Rae, what's wrong? We're right there! Look at the gate!"
I tried to speak, but my vision began to flicker. It was like a television losing its signal. The room would be there, then it would be a blur of gray static, then it would be back.
Bzzzzzzzt.
"It's... it's pulling me," I choked out.
The Mark of the Herald on my hand was glowing white-hot, but it wasn't a glow of power—it was a glow of deletion. The school had realized I had four items. It realized the "Game" was about to be lost.
"She's resetting!" Dvora screamed, her voice sounding miles away. "But the bell hasn't rung! It's only 7:55! It's cheating! The school is cheating!"
I looked at my hands. They were becoming transparent. I could see the floorboards through my skin. I felt a terrifying tugging sensation at the base of my skull, like a giant hand was trying to rip my soul out of my body.
"Don't let go!" I sobbed, reaching for Maia.
"I've got you! I've got you!" Maia was crying, her tears falling onto my flickering face.
But it didn't matter. The school was a machine, and I was just a glitch it was fixing.
In the corner of the room, the shadows began to pool. The Floor Guard and the Chemist didn't even have to hunt us. They just stood there, watching with cold, empty eyes as I dissolved into light. They knew they didn't have to lift a finger. The school was doing the work for them.
The last thing I saw was Maia and Dvora screaming my name, their faces full of a horror I will never forget. They were still there—solid, real, and trapped—while I was being erased.
"I'll come back for you," I tried to say.
But the static swallowed my voice. The light blinded my eyes. And the world went silent.
7:05 AM.
I woke up with a scream that died in my throat.
I was back in my room. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. I sat on the edge of my bed and looked at my hand. The skin was perfect, but the burn of the bell mark was still there, etched into my palm like a brand.
I had failed. And worse—the school had learned my tricks.
End of chapter 10