CUT TO: JAYJAY'S HOUSE – SUNDAY AFTERNOON
The living room is a chaotic mess of pillows, snack wrappers, and empty soda cans. A flat-screen TV blares a horror movie, but no one's really watching.
Jayjay lounges upside-down on the couch, legs hanging over the backrest. Cass sits cross-legged on the carpet, flipping through her sketchbook.
Sienna leans against the wall, knees tucked to her chest, eyes flicking toward the TV but unfocused.
Theo and Damien sit by the coffee table, dismantling an old radio like it's a bomb.
Zephyr lies on the floor, scrolling through his phone.
ZEPHYR: (yawning) Why do all horror movies have the dumbest characters?
JAYJAY: (dramatically) Because smart people don't wander into basements during a blackout.
CASS: Or split up when there's a serial killer.
JAYJAY: Or exist.
SIENNA: (smirking) You wouldn't survive five minutes.
JAYJAY: Excuse me? I'd be the comedic relief who dies halfway through. That's an honor.
Everyone laughs, and for a second, the room feels lighter.
Theo twists a wire, eyes narrowing.
THEO: If we fix this, it might pick up old frequencies. Maybe even walkie-talkies.
DAMIEN: And we can scan the school's old radio channels.
Cass flips her sketchbook shut.
CASS: What are you guys? Ghostbusters?
THEO: (dead serious) I prefer 'Paranormal Detectives.'
Jayjay sits up.
JAYJAY: If we get walkie-talkies, I'm using call signs. I wanna be "Eagle One."
Zephyr snorts.
ZEPHYR: You'd be "Flamingo."
JAYJAY: You'd be "Sad Boy."
They start bickering, and Sienna leans her head back, letting the noise wash over her like waves.
It's chaotic. Messy. But it feels safe.
CUT TO: KITCHEN – LATER
Cass and Sienna dig through Jayjay's fridge.
CASS: Why do you only have expired yogurt and ketchup?
SIENNA: And five bottles of pickle juice?
Jayjay shouts from the living room.
JAYJAY: (defensive) It's for emergencies!
Sienna bites her lip, holding back a laugh.
SIENNA: What kind of emergency requires this much pickle juice?
Cass grins, nudging her shoulder.
CASS: It's nice seeing you smile again.
Sienna blinks, caught off guard.
Her chest tightens, and she quickly turns to grab a water bottle, hiding her face.
SIENNA: I smile.
CASS: Yeah, but not like... that.
Sienna's throat dries up.
Before she can answer, Theo peeks in.
THEO: I need copper wire. Do you guys have any?
Cass points at Jayjay.
CASS: Check his weird pickle stash.
CUT TO: ROOFTOP – SUNSET
They climb up to the rooftop, sprawled out on a blanket as the sky bleeds orange and purple.
Zephyr plays music from his phone, the volume low.
Jayjay tries balancing a cookie on his forehead.
JAYJAY: This is peak relaxation.
The cookie falls. He eats it.
Sienna watches the horizon, the fading sun casting shadows on her face.
Damien glances at her.
DAMIEN: You still think someone's watching you?
Her fingers curl around the hem of her hoodie.
SIENNA: (softly) It's not just a feeling.
Everyone falls quiet.
Zephyr sits up, stretching his arms.
ZEPHYR: If someone's messing with you, we'll figure it out.
JAYJAY: And we'll punch them.
Cass rolls her eyes.
CASS: We don't even know who 'them' is.
THEO: Yet.
Theo adjusts his glasses, his voice steady.
THEO: I checked the wing charm design again. It's not just random. It's a replica of an old logo — like, really old.
Cass blinks.
CASS: What logo?
Theo pulls out his phone, showing a faded black-and-white image of a crest.
It looks almost identical to the charm.
THEO: St. Augustine Academy's first school emblem. From when the school was built.
Sienna's breath catches.
SIENNA: That was... decades ago.
THEO: (nodding) They changed it in the early 2000s, but someone still has the old symbol.
The wind shifts, cool and sharp.
The shadows stretch longer.
Jayjay shivers.
JAYJAY: Okay, now it feels haunted.
ZEPHYR: (joking) Maybe it's the ghost of a pissed-off alumni.
Damien doesn't laugh.
His eyes stay locked on the charm image, his jaw tight.
DAMIEN: (quietly) Or someone who never left.
CUT TO: NIGHT – SIENNA'S ROOM
She lies in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her phone buzzes.
A single text.
UNKNOWN: Did you have fun today?
Her chest constricts.
Her hands shake.
She blocks the number.
Turns her phone off.
But she doesn't sleep.
Because outside her window, just barely visible through the curtains...
There's a silhouette.
Still.
Watching.
Waiting.
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...
