CUT TO: CLASSROOM – MORNING
The hum of fluorescent lights fills the room. Notebooks flip, pens scratch paper, and the leftover buzz from the festival slowly fades into the background.
Sienna sits at her desk, hand still wrapped in a bandage. She rests her cheek on her palm, eyes glazed as she stares at the equations on the board like they're hieroglyphs.
Her mind feels stuck — like she's walking through sludge.
MR. SALCEDO: And that concludes the lesson. I expect your assignments by Thursday.
The bell rings, signaling the end of math class. Students shuffle to pack up, chatting as they drift toward the hallway.
Jayjay leans against Sienna's desk, twirling his pen.
JAYJAY: You didn't write anything down.
SIENNA: I'm manifesting the answers into my brain.
JAYJAY: Can I manifest my way out of school?
Cass swings her bag over her shoulder, eyeing Sienna carefully.
CASS: You've been zoning out all morning.
Sienna forces a smile, the edges of it sharp.
SIENNA: I'm conserving energy. Saving it for something useful.
Jayjay squints.
JAYJAY: Like what?
SIENNA: My after-school nap.
They walk into the hallway, blending into the crowd of students.
CUT TO: SCHOOL HALLWAY – 11:45 AM
The hallway hums with life — lockers clanging, footsteps echoing, voices overlapping.
Sienna grips the strap of her bag tighter, her knuckles white. Every slam of a locker makes her flinch. Every passing shadow feels too close.
Damien and Zephyr linger by the lockers, chatting about something Sienna can't hear. But Damien's gaze flicks to her the second she walks by.
His eyes narrow at the bandage on her hand.
DAMIEN: (low voice) She looks like hell.
ZEPHYR: She always looks like that.
DAMIEN: No, this is different.
Zephyr tilts his head, watching Sienna disappear around the corner.
ZEPHYR: You could just ask her.
DAMIEN: (scoffs) Yeah, because that'll go well.
CUT TO: LUNCHROOM – 1:00 PM
The cafeteria buzzes. Trays clatter, people laugh, and everything feels loud.
Sienna sits at the table, pushing her rice around with a spoon. Her appetite's been gone for days. Jayjay tells a story about accidentally microwaving a metal fork, but his words dissolve into static.
Her phone buzzes.
Her heart stutters.
She flips the screen over — but it's just a school reminder.
She exhales shakily, but the dread lingers.
CASS: Sienna?
She blinks up at Cass, who's watching her like a hawk.
SIENNA: Huh?
CASS: You spaced out.
Sienna stuffs a spoonful of rice in her mouth, chewing like it'll prove she's fine.
SIENNA: Just tired.
JAYJAY: You said that yesterday.
SIENNA: Maybe I'm tired every day.
Jayjay exchanges a look with Cass, but they drop it.
CUT TO: ENGLISH CLASS – 3:00 PM
The classroom is dim, blinds half-closed. Mr. Villanueva reads from Macbeth, voice low and steady.
Sienna grips her pencil tight.
MR. VILLANUEVA: "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."
The words twist like a knife in her gut.
Her pencil tip snaps, the sound loud in the quiet room.
Damien, two seats away, notices immediately.
She doesn't look up, doesn't meet anyone's eyes, just quietly sharpens her pencil like nothing happened.
CUT TO: COMPUTER LAB – 5:00 PM
Theo and Cass sit side by side, watching the hallway footage on a school computer.
They replay the clip over and over, pausing on the shattered glass.
CASS: Can you zoom in more?
Theo squints, enhancing the frame.
A small charm dangles from a keychain — a silver wing.
THEO: This.
He sketches the shape onto a sticky note.
CASS: We need to find whoever this belongs to.
Theo nods, shutting the computer down before the lab closes.
THEO: It's not much, but it's a start.
CUT TO: SCHOOL GATES – 6:00 PM
The final bell rings, signaling the end of the day. Students flood through the gates, chattering and laughing as they head home.
Sienna lingers by the school fence, staring at the ground.
The sun dips lower, painting the street in gold.
Damien leans against the gate, watching her from a distance.
He doesn't approach.
He just watches.
Like he's waiting for her to crack.
CUT TO: SIENNA'S ROOM – NIGHT
Sienna lies in bed, blanket pulled up to her chin.
Her phone buzzes on the nightstand.
Her chest tightens as she reads the message.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: I know you told someone.
Her pulse pounds in her ears.
She flips the phone face-down, heart slamming against her ribs.
The wind rattles the window, and she stares at the ceiling, wide awake.
She doesn't sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED...
YOU ARE READING
Between Bruises and Butterflies
Teen FictionSt. Augustine Academy is no ordinary school. It's a playground for the rich, a battlefield for the broken, and a maze of friendships laced with betrayal. When a new transfer student steps through its gates, she carries more than just her sketchbook...
