Running down the enormous halls of the academy, Emilian was running late for gym class. The hall felt like it wasn’t ending. The marble floors extend at her feet and never get closer to her destination. The door to the lockers for gym class only felt like it was getting further away.

After what felt like thirty minutes, she was finally at the door to the locker room. The door was about eight feet tall, twice Emilian’s size, dark oak with a golden handle that fits it to a tee.

Opening the big door wasn’t that hard, but definitely noticeable to the other girls in the room. Some were still wearing the classic Rockwood Academy uniforms, gray skirt or pants with a red accent for the words Rockwood.

Everyone stared at Emillian , some started to whisper until a thin, hourglass figure walked up to Emilian and dragged her to her locker.

“Why are you so late? You’re lucky the teacher isn’t in here,” she said with a hint of irritation.

“I’m sorry, Sophia. I was coming from Algebra. I lost track of time,” Emilian said, staring at Sophia’s model-like face with her naturally blonde hair in a messy bun, complementing her perfectly tanned skin and brown eyes.

“Well better keep track of your time. Now go get dressed or you're going to be even later,” Sophia said while turning around to her locker.

Emilian looked around. She always dreaded this specific room. The bright red lockers, four in a column, about twelve in a row. The lockers never had enough room for much. Bathroom was around the corner, but she hadn’t been in there since last semester.

Emilian eventually opened her locker to look at the mirror, but instead, a photo caught her attention. In the photo were a couple with a baby. The mother had braided, dark brown hair with a round face that seemed to always have a soft expression, as for the father had slicked back, black hair with a strong jawline and seemed to always be stern. The baby only looked like a newborn, a couple weeks old at most.

This was the only complete family photo Emilian had before her father died, or so she was told.

 She heard a voice from around the corner saying, “Well isn’t it little miss goody two shoes.”

“Don’t look! She looks as horrible as ever!” another voice said, added on.

Emilian continued to look at her mirror. She was skinny, yet muscular with red hair that brightened like a flame in the sun and had gray eyes with a hint of blue. She was stunning, yet blind due to the mainly repeated phrases that made her doubt.

One Emilian finally turned to the voices, they were walking straight towards her.

‘Great… another repeat’ Emilian thought.

Ever since Emilian transferred to this school these two girls would torment her to the point that last semester she left for a couple months before returning.

“Leave us alone, Julie” Sophia sighed.

“Awe, does the dust bunny have a bodyguard?” The first voice laughed while messing with her hair until she looked up at Sophia and Emilian with a devilish smile.

Julie was always the first to speak. She was small and thin with brown hair with green tips. As for her sidekick, Jane, was chubby with half green and half red hair that always looked matted.

“I think Jane and I are going to have fun, but we will do it later since class will start soon,” Julie chuckled, walking away with the obviously fake model walk. As for Jane just stands there, sticking her tongue out at Emilian and Sophia before waddling back to Julie like a lost puppy.

“Maybe the ‘Double J’s’ need a reality check,” Sophia said as if the threat meant nothing.

“Don’t you realize? They are never going to leave us alone! Never! They are just going to do exactly like last time,” Emilian said with a panicked voice while tears strolled down her rosy cheeks, “It’s never going to end or get better. I wish I was back home with my mom, reading books in the living room. I want the smell of homemade tomato soup waiting for me. Safe and away from this awful school, but I’m stuck here in this place and only allowed home for Christmas and summer break, wondering when will this torture end.”

Sophia stood there in shock, amazed how Emilian finally opened up and said more than two sentences. Emilan never spoke her mind and was always caught with three books in her book bag along with school work.

“You should get ready,” Sophia said quietly as she walked forward to comfort her friend, “ Julie is right about one thing. Class starts soon.”

Pulling away, Sophia turned back to her locker and finished getting dressed in the black shorts and gray shirt that Rockwood printed on the front and put on her tennis shoes that are a basic black with a white brim.

Emilian did the sane, but only to realize she closed her locker before pulling the clothes out.

When Emilian opened her locker, her uniform was neatly stacked in the center of the locker, but something was different.

Her Tennis shoes were placed neatly on top of the clothes. They looked like they were just thrown in there, but what was weirder was the fact how a small, silver rectangle took the spot of her shoes.

As Emilian was about to touch the mystery object, Sophia says, “Come on! You have 1 minute!”

In a rush, Emilian takes off her school uniform and puts on her gym uniform, closes her locker and runs after Sophia.

The entire gym seemed like a blur as Emilian only thought of the mystery object in her locker. At least until a volleyball hit her right in the face causing her to fall backwards.

“Are you ok?” Sopia asked, then let out a small gasp and turned to the gym coach, “Coach! I’m taking Emilian to the bathroom to clean up!”

Coach took one glance and nodded, “Five minutes top.”

“Once in the bathroom Sophia lectured Emilan, “Why are you daydreaming!? Did you forget we are in gym class? You’re lucky you only have a light nosebleed.”

“I’m sorry,” Emilian whispered.

“It’s ok, but what were you thinking about?”

“Nothing. Just what Julie said earlier,” Emilian lied. Emilian never lied before. She hated the thought of lying, but she didn’t want Sophia to worry about something so little as a mystery object.

“She won’t do anything. She is trying hard to win popularity and making everyone her puppets.”

Emilian nodded and looked at the time. It has only been 3 minutes and she heard people starting to go to the locker room.

Sophia understood right away and did one last touch up to make sure the nose bleed fully stopped before dragging Emilian to the locker room to hopefully avoid the ‘Double J's’.

After finishing getting dressed and finishing tying her tie, Emilian started examining the mystery object.

As she pulled it out, she realized it was a phone that had a note with it.

Only call the number programmed into the phone if you want your life to change forever.

As she finished reading the note, Emilian heard the ‘Double J's’ again and shoved everything she needed in their book bag before starting to rush out with Sophia. Just before they walked away from their lockers they were yanked down to the ground.

“Leaving so soon?” Julie snickered.

“What do you want to do this time?” Jame asked.

“Like we did last year. Stick their heads in the toilet,” Julie chucked.

Fear swept over Emilian's face and mind. ‘Not again… Please no. I can't let this happen!’ she thought as her breathing became fast and short causing Sophia to realize she was having a panic attack.

“Emilian! You need to breathe! Emilian!” Sophia yelled, causing the other girls to rush away before a teacher realized they are the ones causing all the problems, “At least that scared them,” Sophia said before returning back to Emilian, “You need to breathe. Remember, in three, hold, then out three.”

As Emilian started to calm down, class ended, which meant the school day was over. Sophia started to walk her friend to their dorm to make sure she was completely good.

Once at her dorm, Emilian recognized the look Sophia was giving her as she put the key in the door, “I'll be ok. I'll just be doing homework and reading.”

Sophia nodded before fully leaving after Emilian walked Into her dorm.

The dorm was small, yet spacious. Windows on one side of the living room. Small tv was planted on the wall to the right of the windows. Directly across from the windows was the kitchen and a small hallway that led to the bathroom and her room.

Emilian had one of the few dorms that didn't allow a roommate because the dorm only had one bedroom.

As Emilian took a breath of some freedom, she set her book bag on the floor and pulled out the mystery phone.

The phone was an older model, but it still functioned. The question now is, what happens next?

‘Should I call the number? Should I not? What if it changes my life badly? What if it changes for the better?’ Emilian couldn't control her thoughts, but she knew one thing.

She would never allow the ‘Double J's’ to do anything to her again. She turned on the phone and examined it.

The number started with a 316, which was a Kansas number, as for Emilian's number started with a 458, which was an Oregon number. She didn't recognize the number, which relaxed her a little.

Before she called the number out of curiosity, she wanted to eat and think about her options first.

Emilian wanted her mothers comforting tomato soup, but she didn't have the money nor the ingredients for it.

At the end of the day, Emilian made mac & cheese and wrote a list in her head that clearly pointed to calling the mystery number.

She didn't want the torture anymore. She just wanted peace.

Pulling out the phone, she goes To the call log and calls the number.

It rang 4 times before a male voice answered, “Hello Emilian. It's about time I got to talk to my daughter.”