Chapter 3
Ophelia
My thumb hovered over the notification. Who would text me now? Probably just another student continuing the torment in a new way.
I almost put the phone away, but something made me open the message.
Don't jump. They're not worth it.
My heart lurched. I spun around, scanning the empty rooftop. "Who's there?"
No answer. Just the wind.
Another message appeared:
I've seen what they did to you. The desk. The bleeding. The mirror. The humiliation.
"Who are you?" I whispered, my voice shaking.
Someone who understands. Look at the southwest corner of the parking lot.
I edged closer to that side of the roof and peered down. In the dimming light, I could see Seraphina and her friends clustered around the student lockers, frantically pulling at the handles.
As I watched, an alarm began blaring from the lockers. Seraphina kicked hers in frustration, her perfect composure cracking.
My phone buzzed again:
I've triggered their lockers' security system. All their precious belongings are locked inside.
"How did you—"
The phone rang. The same unknown number.
I answered, my hand trembling. "Who is this?"
"Someone who's been watching." The voice was distorted through some kind of modulator, impossible to identify as male or female. "Someone who knows what it feels like to stand where you're standing now."
I stepped back from the edge, unsettled. "How do you know what's happening to me?"
"Because I've been where you are. The same despair. The same certainty that nobody would miss you." The voice paused. "But I also know something they'll never understand."
"What's that?" My curiosity cut through the fear.
"Real pain creates real strength. You have both, Ophelia. They have neither."
I watched Seraphina below, her expensive manicure ruined as she clawed at her locker. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because I'm tired of watching them win. I'm tired of seeing them break people like you and walk away smiling." The voice hardened. "Now you have a choice."
"What choice?"
"You can step off that roof and give them exactly what they want. Or you can step back and help me make them pay."
My mind raced. "This is insane. I don't even know who you are."
"You don't need to know who I am. You only need to know that I can help you fight back." The voice softened. "But I won't stop you if you want to jump. That's your choice. I just want you to know you have options."
Below, Seraphina was now yelling at a security guard who seemed unable to open the lockers.
"How do I know I can trust you?" I asked, genuinely uncertain.
"You don't. Not yet. But ask yourself: what have you got to lose that you weren't already willing to throw away?"
I stood silent, absorbing the truth in those words.
"If you want my help, walk away from that edge. Go back to your room. Watch them for the next few days. Learn their patterns. Find their weaknesses. Then contact me."
The call ended abruptly.
I stood on the roof for several long minutes, my mind spinning with questions. Who was this person? How had they known what was happening to me? How could they control the school's security system?
More importantly: were they right?
Slowly, I backed away from the edge and turned toward the stairs. Not because I fully trusted this stranger, but because they'd given me something I no longer had:
Curiosity about tomorrow.
Halfway down the stairwell, I nearly collided with someone coming up.
Felix.
We both froze. His eyes widened when he saw me, and various emotions crossed his face: surprise, relief, and something else I couldn't identify.
"Ophelia." His voice sounded strange. "What are you doing up here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." My voice was steadier than it had been in days.
Felix ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable. "I was just... I heard the alarm and wanted to check what was happening."
"The roof is the opposite direction from the parking lot," I pointed out.
"I know, I just..." He trailed off, then looked at me more intently. "Your head—is it better?"
The question caught me off guard. "Why do you care?"
He flinched slightly. "I didn't mean for you to hit the bench. That wasn't supposed to happen."
"What was supposed to happen, Felix? Just a little humiliation? Just enough to make your friends laugh?" My anger surprised even me.
He looked away. "It's complicated."
"No, it's really not." I stepped past him. "Enjoy your trip to the roof."
I continued down the stairs, acutely aware of him watching me go. Something had shifted in me—not completely, not permanently perhaps, but enough that I was walking away from him rather than cowering.
My phone buzzed with another message:
Good choice. Meet me online tomorrow at midnight. Username: Nemesis.
I slipped the phone back into my pocket, my mind already calculating. I needed information. I needed leverage. I needed to understand who my mysterious ally was.
But most of all, I needed to decide how far I was willing to go for revenge.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard the security alarm finally stop. Through the window, I could see Seraphina storming toward the mansion, her perfect hair disheveled, her face contorted with rage.
For the first time in weeks, I smiled.
I didn't know who Nemesis was yet, but they'd given me something invaluable: the chance to see my tormentors suffer even a fraction of what I had.
Was it wrong to enjoy that feeling? Probably.
Did I care? Not anymore.
In my room that night, I created a new email account and searched for secure messaging apps. If I was going to communicate with this "Nemesis," I needed to be careful.
I started a note on my phone, listing each person who had hurt me and what I knew about their routines, their fears, their weaknesses.
Seraphina: Obsessed with her social status. Terrified of public humiliation.
Amy: Desperate for popularity. Would betray anyone to keep it.
Felix: Conflicted. Possibly the weakest link.
Diana: Cares about appearances above all else.
I paused at Felix's name. His behavior on the stairs confused me. Was he coming to check on me? Or was he planning something sinister?
Either way, I intended to use every minute to prepare.
