Chapter 2

The school hallway felt like a time warp. The same posters, the same squeak of sneakers on linoleum, the same faces I' d seen a lifetime ago. I moved through the crowd like a ghost, every nerve ending tingling with a horrible sense of déjà vu.

Sarah met me at my locker, her face bright and oblivious.

"Hey! You look like you' ve seen a ghost. Bad dream?" she asked, pulling out her chemistry book.

"Something like that," I mumbled, my hands fumbling with my lock.

I had to be careful. I couldn' t change too much, too fast. I couldn' t let anyone think I was crazy. My plan had to be subtle, a quiet counter-attack he would never see coming. Last time, I studied in the library, in my usual corner carrel. Today, I' d go to the empty classroom on the third floor. A small change, but a start.

As I closed my locker, a shadow fell over me.

"Well, well. Look who it is. The future valedictorian."

It was Noah. He leaned against the lockers next to mine, his arms crossed, that same arrogant smirk on his face. His friends, a pack of mindless hyenas, snickered behind him. My stomach twisted into a tight knot of pure hatred.

"What do you want, Noah?" I asked, my voice flat and cold. I refused to show him the fear that was trying to claw its way up my throat.

He pushed off the lockers, stepping into my personal space. "Just wanted to wish you luck on the exams. Not that you need it. You' ve probably got every answer memorized already, don' t you?"

"Leave me alone," I said, turning to walk away.

He grabbed my arm. His grip was firm, a warning. "Not so fast. I have a proposition for you."

My blood ran cold. It was happening again. Exactly as before.

He led me to the same spot behind the gym. The air was thick with the smell of cut grass and dread. He laid out the same insane bet. His supposed mind-reading ability. The Ivy League schools. My brother' s medical bills against three months of my servitude.

Every word he spoke was a nail in the coffin of my past life. But this time, I wasn' t just a scared, desperate girl. I was a ghost with a memory of her own murder.

"You' re thinking it' s a trap," he said, his eyes glinting. "You' re thinking, 'There' s no way this idiot could get into a community college, let alone Harvard.' But you' re also thinking about Liam. About how this is his only chance."

I stared at him, my face a mask of stone. I let him think he was reading my mind. I let him believe he was in control.

"Fine," I said, my voice devoid of the hesitation it held last time. "I agree."

His smirk faltered for a second, surprised by my quick acceptance. But it returned just as fast, more confident than ever.

"Good girl," he said, patting my cheek condescendingly. "I' ll see you after the results."

He and his friends swaggered off, laughing. I stood there for a long moment, my fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. The physical pain was a welcome distraction. It grounded me.

The first day of exams was math and science. I walked into the exam hall feeling a strange sense of calm. I knew these questions. I had answered them before. I filled out the bubbles on the answer sheet with swift, confident strokes. For a few hours, it felt normal. I was Ava Miller, the brilliant student, the girl who had her future mapped out. The feeling of the pencil in my hand, the familiar scent of paper-it was a temporary escape. I let myself believe, just for a moment, that everything would be okay.

But the moment I stepped out of the hall, the weight of my reality came crashing back down.

He was waiting for me.

"Tough one, that physics problem number 23, wasn't it?" Noah said, falling into step beside me. "The one about angular momentum. You almost went with answer C, but then you remembered the formula for rotational inertia and switched to D at the last second."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

The world tilted on its axis.

That was exactly what happened. It was a tiny, insignificant moment of doubt, a flicker of thought inside my own head that lasted no more than five seconds. No one could have seen it. No one could have known.

My carefully constructed composure shattered into a million pieces. The memory of his perfect score, identical to mine, flashed in my mind. It wasn't a coincidence. It wasn't cheating in any way I understood.

It was real. He could actually read my mind.

"How...?" I breathed, the word getting stuck in my throat.

He just laughed, a low, cruel sound. "I told you, Ava. I know what you' re thinking." He leaned in, his voice a whisper that sent shivers down my spine. "And there' s nothing you can do to stop me."

He walked away, leaving me standing alone in the crowded hallway. The noise of students faded into a dull roar. A cold, paralyzing despair washed over me. I had come back to fix things, to save my brother, to get my revenge. But how do you fight an enemy who lives inside your head? How do you win a game when your opponent knows your every move before you even make it?

I felt a wave of nausea. I stumbled to the nearest bathroom and collapsed against the cold tile wall, gasping for air. The hope I had felt just this morning curdled into bitter hopelessness. It was happening all over again, and I was just as powerless as before.