The Third Silence

This school looks normal. Where nobody can be trusted—not even themselves. Who’s real? Who’s fake? And what if the biggest secret is about them? Silence is louder, and nothing is what it looks like.

Chapter 1  "The Bell Didn’t Ring"

Something felt off.

Lia couldn’t explain it. It was just... a feeling. The kind that pokes you quietly and makes your heart beat faster for no reason.

She stood near the school office, looking at the clock.

8:03 AM.

The bell was supposed to ring at 8:00 sharp. It always did.
But today, nothing.

Students around her didn’t seem to care. Some were laughing, others were scrolling through their phones. It was like no one even noticed the bell was missing.

But Lia noticed.
She always noticed small things like that.

She touched her wristwatch. It was old, scratched, but special to her.
It had stopped working.
Right at 8:00 AM.
Weird.

She tried to shake the thought away. Maybe the bell was just late.

Then she saw someone walk past quietly �" Riven. He was in her class but hardly talked to anyone. Always wore that same dark hoodie. Always kept to himself.

People said he was creepy. Lia wasn’t sure. He looked more... tired. Like his brain never stopped running.

She smiled a little and said, “Hey.”

He didn’t stop. Didn’t even look at her. But as he passed, he said something so low, she almost missed it.

“It’s starting.”

Lia blinked.
Starting? What’s starting?

Before she could ask, he had already turned the corner.

Confused, she walked into class. No teacher yet. A few students were chatting. The whiteboard still had yesterday’s lesson on it:
“The Psychology of Memory.”

She sat at her desk and noticed something strange.

There was an envelope on her table. No name. Nothing written on it. Just plain.

She slowly opened it.

Inside was a photograph.

It looked old, black and white, a little blurry. It showed one of the school corridors �" the same one she had just walked through.

And in the photo, she saw herself.
Standing next to Riven.

She stared at the picture.

It didn’t make sense.

Her stomach turned. But she told herself it was probably just some prank.

Yeah. Just a prank... right?

Author's Note

Heyy! This story is packed with twists, mind games, and secrets — so don’t expect to figure it out too soon 😏. I’d really love your honest thoughts, theories, fav characters, or parts that confused you (in a good way or bad way)!

Please avoid spoilers in public comments if you can 💀 Let everyone suffer the suspense like you did hehe.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! You're awesome (even if you don’t trust anyone in this story 👀).