Between two worlds

Scarlett arrived at school earlier than ever. She had spent much of the night looking through the old book she had found in her aunt’s attic.

As soon as she saw Leslie at the entrance, she ran toward her.

—Leslie! I have something to show you. You’re going to love it, but I’ll tell you about it during recess —she said, barely able to contain her excitement.

Leslie smiled, intrigued.

—Alright, Scarlett. You’ve got me curious.

When recess came, they both went to the cafeteria and sat in their usual spot. Scarlett carefully took the book out of her backpack and placed it in front of Leslie, as if it were a treasure.

—Look at this —she said, pointing to a page filled with strange symbols—. It belonged to my mom… and I feel like there’s something special about it.

Leslie flipped through the book for a moment, but she didn’t seem as excited as Scarlett had expected. She looked up and commented:

—Your mom was probably into this kind of stuff. Maybe it was her hobby, or she got it from some movie. There are people who like these things.

Scarlett felt a small pang of disappointment. She had hoped Leslie would feel the same excitement she did. But something inside her told her that her mother wasn’t just a casual fan… that the book held something real.

While Scarlett was showing the book to Leslie, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Alex, the boy she had met the day before, was sitting at the table across from them with his group of friends. He seemed distracted until, suddenly, his gaze locked onto the book in Scarlett’s hands. He stared at it for a few seconds and, without saying anything to his friends, stood up quickly and walked toward Scarlett and Leslie.

Without warning, Alex grabbed Scarlett by the arm, staring at her intensely.

—Where did you get that book? Who gave it to you? Answer me! —he said, in a tone that made Scarlett’s heart race.

Scarlett looked at him, shocked, not understanding why he was so upset or why he was holding her like that.

—What…? —she began to say, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Leslie frowned and snapped:

—Hey, let her go! What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?

Realizing he had gone too far, Alex released Scarlett and lowered his gaze, visibly uncomfortable.

—I’m sorry, really… —he muttered before turning around and quickly returning to his table.

Scarlett and Leslie watched him, completely confused. Leslie shrugged, trying to brush it off, but Scarlett kept her eyes fixed on Alex, wondering what he knew about that book.

Then Alex suddenly stood up and walked away, his friends following him, clearly surprised. Scarlett watched them leave, feeling like she had to do something. She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and followed them. She needed an explanation; Alex couldn’t react like that and leave her hanging.

Outside, she saw that Alex and his friends had stopped a short distance away. She hid behind the door, trying to listen, but their voices were barely a murmur, and she couldn’t make out what they were saying. Still, after the way Alex had reacted, Scarlett was almost certain it had something to do with the book.

Suddenly, one by one, Alex’s friends walked away, leaving her alone with him. Scarlett didn’t waste any time and stepped forward, determined.

—I need an explanation, Alex —she said, crossing her arms—. That reaction wasn’t normal. What’s going on with the book? Why did you react like that?

Alex avoided her gaze and murmured:

—It was nothing. Forget it.

But Scarlett wasn’t going to let it go so easily.

—Nothing? That’s not the reaction of someone who “doesn’t care.”

Alex sighed, clearly frustrated.

—Look, just forget it, okay? It’s nothing —he said in an irritated tone, as if he wanted to end the conversation right there.

But Scarlett couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew something important and, for some reason, didn’t want to share it.

Alex sighed again in frustration and repeated, “It’s nothing.” Scarlett looked at him, trying to find some answer in his expression. But he added nothing else. He simply looked at her for a second, then turned around and left, leaving her there alone and full of questions.

Scarlett stood there, feeling a mix of frustration and intrigue. She knew he knew something about the book… and that he wasn’t willing to tell her. But now more than ever, she was determined to find out what Alex was hiding.

After what had happened between Scarlett and Alex, the bell rang, and everyone returned to their classes. Scarlett went to her seat with her mother’s book in her hands, trying to focus, though she still felt unsettled by everything that had just happened. At that moment, a boy from the class approached her and, pointing at the book, asked curiously what it was about. Scarlett explained that it belonged to her mother, but before she could say more, she noticed Alex watching her from his seat, his expression serious and his lips pressed together. He had seen the boy’s intentions—he wanted to get Scarlett’s attention—and felt a pang of jealousy he didn’t fully understand, so he simply watched in silence. Scarlett, sensing his gaze, looked back at him and noticed his reaction. That made the boy who had started the conversation feel a little uncomfortable, and he took a step back, unaware that he had awakened an unexpected emotion in Alex.

Then, at the end of classes, I approached Scarlett and said:

—Seriously, take my advice and throw that book away. It’s just nonsense.

I saw the way she looked at me, as if she didn’t fully understand. But I was sure of what I was saying; it wasn’t going to do her any good.

She frowned and pressed the book against her chest, as if it were something important to her. She looked at me, waiting for me to explain more, but I wasn’t in the mood to do so. I just wanted her to understand that she was wasting her time on it.

—Why? —she finally asked, unable to hide the discomfort in her voice.

I sighed. I didn’t want to go into details, but something about her insistence made me think she wasn’t going to let it go.

—Because those things only fill your head with false ideas —I replied flatly—. You don’t need that to understand what’s going on here.

She looked confused, but I didn’t add anything else.

Then she said:

—What’s your problem, Alex? —she said, her annoyance growing stronger with every word—. How can you talk to me like that and act like nothing’s wrong? You don’t give me any explanation, you just say “it’s nonsense” and expect me to listen.

He looked at me, narrowing his eyes, as if weighing what he was going to say. He seemed annoyed too, though he tried to hide it.

—Scarlett, do whatever you want —he finally replied, shrugging—. I already warned you. I won’t say anything else.

I felt my shoulders tense at his tone. It was frustrating that he acted as if he knew something I didn’t and refused to explain it.

Alex arrived home with a frown on his face and a knot of frustration in his chest. Without thinking twice, he tossed his backpack and jacket onto the couch, as if the weight of the situation were crushing him. Knowing that Scarlett had that book put him in a difficult position. He had barely had time to process it when he felt the familiar presence of his “group of friends” waiting for him under the porch: his pack. Among them was the leader, arms crossed and wearing a demanding look.

“What happened at school, Alex?” the leader asked bluntly.

Alex remained silent, his eyes avoiding his leader’s. He knew what could happen if he mentioned the book Scarlett had. It was the very book they had been searching for for years, a relic that held secrets about the supernatural world—secrets none of them wanted to fall into the wrong hands. The revelation would condemn Scarlett and lead to the destruction of the book along with her; the punishment for possessing it was death. So he took a deep breath and simply shook his head.

“It’s nothing,” he replied in a controlled voice, while the echo of the truth pounded inside him.

I avoided my leader’s piercing gaze, knowing that any sign could betray me. After a moment of silence, he nodded, though there was no trust in his expression.

“Very well, Alex. I hope it truly is nothing,” he murmured firmly, making it clear there would be no second chances.

Finally, he and the rest of the pack left, leaving the house in an unsettling silence.

I went up to my room and dropped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as my mind returned again and again to Scarlett. Now that I knew the danger she was in if anyone discovered she had the book, there was only one thing I could think of: I had to protect her. I couldn’t allow the truth to come out. Scarlett couldn’t pay the consequences for something she didn’t even understand.