The trip that changed everything

CHAPTER 18

The sun rose over Brookline Academy with an energy that mirrored the buzz around the school. Students chattered excitedly as buses lined up outside for the long-awaited academic excursion — a weekend trip to Glades bridge, a quiet coastal town known for its museums, cliff side views, and legendary ghost stories.

Emma stood near the second bus, clutching her duffel bag tightly. She hadn't been this nervous for a trip since she was a child. The tension had little to do with the trip itself — it was everything that had built up over the past weeks. Megan's strange silence, Riley's growing suspicion, Lucas's emotional distance, and now the pairing lists.

"Group Four," announced Mr. Sterling, the history teacher, reading off his clipboard. "Emma and Ryan 

Emma's head snapped up.

Ryan? The new boy who had recently climbed to third in class ranking — just behind Lucas, and now dangerously close to overtaking even her. Intelligent, sharp, and always quiet… but there was something unreadable behind those dark eyes.

Lucas, standing only feet away, stiffened at the announcement but said nothing. Emma met his gaze briefly, silently trying to communicate that she hadn't asked for this.

Ryan approached her with that same unreadable smile. "Looks like we're stuck together."

"Yeah," Emma said. "Let's try to make it work."

They boarded the bus together.

The Journey

The bus rumbled out of the school gates. Sophie and Riley sat in the row across, whispering and laughing. Megan was in the back, oddly quiet, her eyes fixed on the window, fingers tapping a rhythm only she understood.

Emma glanced at Lucas, who sat beside one of the shy book club girls. He didn't look her way, only stared ahead, deep in thought.

The trip was only three hours long, but it felt like an eternity.

Ryan turned to Emma mid-ride. "You're not excited?"

She raised a brow. "What gave it away?"

"You look like someone who knows something's coming. Something heavy."

Emma hesitated. "You sound like someone who expects drama."

Ryan smirked. "In a school like ours? Drama's the background music."

At Glades bridge

The group arrived mid-morning. Glades bridge was all charm and mystery: stone-paved streets, mist rolling over cliffs, and old museums whispering stories of wars and lost love.

Each student pair was assigned a topic to research for their historical report. Emma and Ryan received "The Gladesbridge Incident of 2003" — an unsolved mystery involving a fire at an old art gallery that left one woman dead.

They were assigned a small inn to share with other pairs — girls in one room, boys in another.

That evening, after dinner, Emma and Ryan were going over research materials in the local archives. Ryan, for all his cold wit, was brilliant. Efficient. And frustratingly observant.

"You're hiding something," he said casually.

Emma blinked. "Excuse me?"

He tapped the folder. "Your focus slips every time you see Megan."

Emma's throat tightened.

"I'm good at spotting patterns," Ryan continued. "She's not just a mean girl to you. She looks at you like… you ruined her life."

Emma lowered her eyes. "It's complicated."

Ryan studied her for a long moment. "I can handle complicated. But if it affects the project, I need to know what I'm walking into."

Emma's voice was barely above a whisper. "She… and I… We weren't strangers before this school."

Ryan leaned in slightly.

"I used to live in Greystone City," she began. "When I was thirteen, there was this art center. My mom used to work there — she taught weekend workshops. Megan's mom… she was a curator there."

Ryan didn't blink.

"There was this exhibit night. I was with Megan — she wasn't even called Megan then. Her name was Lea. We snuck into a restricted area, just being kids. I tripped a lamp over. I thought we turned everything off before we ran."

Emma paused, voice cracking. "The fire started a few hours later. It killed Megan's mom."

Ryan's expression didn't change, but his fingers curled slightly around the table's edge.

"I didn't tell anyone. No one knew we were there. But Megan did. She saw it all. And when I transferred here and saw her again… I realized she changed her name, her look — everything. But she never forgot."

Megan's Descent

Megan stood alone by the cliffs that night, away from the group, hair whipping in the wind. The picture in her trembling hand showed the past: her mother, smiling beside her younger self — Lea — with Emma barely visible in the background.

She whispered to the wind, "You thought I'd forget?"

Back at the inn, while others slept, Megan slipped out. Riley, who had begun watching her, silently followed at a distance. She met with someone in a parked car — a tall man in black. Words were exchanged. Riley couldn't hear them, but when the man handed Megan a small pouch and left, something inside him froze.

This wasn't just school rivalry anymore.

Disaster Strikes

The next day, the groups split up for fieldwork. Emma and Ryan were supposed to photograph and document the remaining ruins of the 2003 fire site, now a memorial garden. As they crossed the old path through the woods, Ryan suddenly yanked her back.

A tree branch, heavy and dead, fell from above — directly where Emma would've stepped.

They stared at it, breath caught.

"That wasn't natural," Ryan said slowly. "Someone timed that."

Emma's stomach dropped. "Megan…"

"She's escalating."

Lucas's Breaking Point

Meanwhile, Lucas was helping gather feedback from another group near the riverbank when a small boy tripped. Instinctively, Lucas rushed forward and caught him — but the movement, the panic in the boy's eyes, triggered something.

A memory.

His father's face — yelling, leaving — the slam of a door.

The boy's scream echoed the night his father walked out.

Lucas stumbled back, breath shallow, vision blurring. He tried to stand but crumpled beside the tree. A teacher called for help. Riley ran over, followed by Sophie.

"Lucas?" Sophie knelt beside him.

"I—I can't breathe—" he gasped.

"He's having a panic attack!" Riley yelled. "Get water!"

As Lucas faded, his mind whispered one thought: I'm still broken.

Riley's Truth

Later that night, Riley finally confronted Emma in the hallway of the inn.

"I know," he said quietly. "What happened in Greystone."

Emma's heart stopped.

"I saw Megan meet someone last night. I don't think she's working alone."

She whispered, "How much do you know?"

"Enough to know you're not the villain. But Megan... she's planning something else. And now Lucas is unraveling too."

Emma leaned against the wall, her world spinning. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone…"

"I believe you. But it's time we stop hiding."

The Test Results

Returning to school, the atmosphere was still tense. But within days, teachers released the results of the term's first major test.

Emma — 1st place

Lucas — 2nd place

Ryan — 3rd place

Megan — 4th place

The moment the results were pinned, whispers flew.

Megan stood in front of the noticeboard, staring. Not crying. Not yelling. Just… silent.

Then she turned and walked away, the expression on her face unreadable — but far from done.

A New Rivalry

Later that week, Ryan approached Emma in the library. He held his result paper with the number 3 circled in red.

"You're still top."

Emma gave a soft smile. "Barely."

He leaned in. "Let's see how long that lasts."

"Are you challenging me?"

Ryan smirked. "Always."

Closing Scene

That night, in her room, Emma looked at the photo Megan had mailed her anonymously months ago — the one from the fire gallery. She finally placed it in a drawer, locking it away.

Outside, Megan stared at the school building, holding a new note in her palm:

Phase Two begins now.

Behind her, the same black-clad man stood again.

And far away, Lucas sat alone in his room, staring at an old photo of his dad, tears silently tracking down his face.