The second bell echoed through the halls of Rothswood High as students slowly filled Room 204.
History class.
The room carried the familiar smell of old textbooks and chalk dust. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows, falling across rows of desks where students settled in, half-awake and half-interested.
At the front of the room, Mr. Halvorsen wrote a large date across the board.
1776
He set the chalk down and turned to the class.
"Alright everyone, settle in."
Chairs scraped the floor as conversations slowly died down.
Lena sat near the middle of the room beside Naomi, her notebook open in front of her. Cassidy sat behind them, lazily twirling a pen between her fingers while Lyra had claimed the seat closest to the window, looking more interested in the outside world than the lesson.
Across the room, Lucas Calder leaned back in his chair beside Mateo Reyes, the two of them speaking quietly.
Then the classroom door opened.
A few heads turned.
The new student stepped inside.
Adrian Vale.
He walked calmly to the teacher's desk and handed over his schedule.
"I'm Adrian Vale," he said. "I was told to report here."
Mr. Halvorsen glanced over the paper briefly before nodding.
"Right. Mrs. Dalton mentioned you." He gestured toward the room. "Go ahead and take any empty seat."
Adrian scanned the classroom.
His gaze briefly passed over Lena and the others before he moved toward an empty desk two rows behind her.
Cassidy noticed immediately.
She straightened in her seat and leaned forward slightly.
Naomi elbowed her.
"Relax," she whispered.
Cassidy ignored her.
Up front, Mr. Halvorsen clapped his hands once to get everyone's attention.
"Let's continue."
He pointed to the date on the board.
"1776. The year the American colonies declared independence from Britain. One of the most important moments in American history."
Students began scribbling notes as the teacher paced slowly in front of the class.
"The Revolutionary War lasted eight years, ending officially in 1783. The conflict reshaped the balance of power across the world—"
"That's not exactly true."
The interruption came from the back of the room.
The class fell quiet.
Mr. Halvorsen paused mid-sentence and slowly turned around.
His eyes landed on Adrian.
"Excuse me?"
Adrian didn't seem bothered by the attention.
"The war changed the balance of power in the colonies," he said calmly. "But globally, things stayed mostly the same for a while."
A few students glanced at each other.
The teacher crossed his arms slightly.
"And why do you say that?"
Adrian leaned back in his chair, speaking like he was simply explaining a fact.
"Britain still controlled most of the major trade routes. France gained influence after supporting the colonies, but that didn't last long. The French Revolution in 1789 changed that pretty quickly."
Silence hung in the classroom for a moment.
Then Mr. Halvorsen raised an eyebrow.
"You seem very confident about that."
Adrian shrugged.
"I'm good with dates."
A few students laughed quietly.
The teacher tapped the chalk against the board.
"Well, Mr. Vale… let's test that."
Adrian gave a small nod.
"Alright."
"When did the French Revolution begin?"
"1789."
"When did Napoleon declare himself emperor?"
"1804."
Mr. Halvorsen continued without pause.
"The War of 1812?"
"1812 to 1815."
Some students had started turning in their seats now.
Cassidy leaned toward Naomi.
"Okay… that's kind of impressive."
Naomi nodded slowly.
The teacher studied Adrian for a moment before asking another question.
"When was the Treaty of Paris signed, officially ending the Revolutionary War?"
"September third, 1783."
The answer came without hesitation.
Mr. Halvorsen walked slowly toward his desk, clearly intrigued now.
"Alright," he said. "Let's try something closer to home."
He looked directly at Adrian.
"When was Rothswood founded?"
A few students looked confused.
That wasn't exactly a question that usually showed up in textbooks.
But Adrian answered instantly.
"1821."
Mr. Halvorsen nodded once.
"Correct."
He folded his arms again.
"And the six founding families?"
Adrian's expression didn't change.
"The Harts. The Blakes. The Calders. The Reyes. The Whitmores."
He paused briefly before finishing.
"And the Vales."
A low murmur spread through the room.
Mr. Halvorsen watched him carefully for a second longer before letting out a quiet chuckle.
"Well," he said, gesturing toward Adrian's notebook, "since you're clearly ahead of the rest of us, Mr. Vale… maybe you should just focus on writing down the dates."
A few students laughed.
Adrian inclined his head slightly.
"Fair enough."
The lesson continued, but the atmosphere in the classroom had changed.
Several students kept glancing back at the new guy.
Cassidy leaned forward again.
"Okay," she whispered to Naomi, "now I'm definitely curious."
Naomi nodded in agreement.
Lyra, however, wasn't smiling.
She was watching Adrian carefully.
Something about him felt… off.
Not because he was smart.
But because of the way he had answered those questions.
It hadn't sounded like someone recalling something they'd memorized.
It sounded more like someone remembering something they had actually lived through.
Behind Lena, Adrian calmly wrote the dates in his notebook.
To anyone watching, he looked like a normal student taking notes.
But his mind was somewhere else entirely.
Back to the night Rothswood had been founded.
Back to the six families who had stood together beneath the moonlight and sworn to protect the town.
A promise written in blood.
And promises like that were never meant to be forgotten.