Katherine

"El, we're late," I muttered, standing impatiently at the front door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Elena's voice called back from somewhere in the depths of the house.

I glanced at the time on my phone and sighed. "If you're not down here in thirty seconds, I'm driving myself."

Her footsteps thundered down the stairs, and she appeared in the doorway, her bag slung over her shoulder, her streak of sky blue catching the morning light. "Relax, Mara. Mrs. Cartwright's quizzes are awful, but it's not like being five minutes late will kill us."

I rolled my eyes but didn't argue as we headed out to her car. The ride to school was quiet except for the hum of the engine. Elena tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as we pulled into the crowded parking lot.

"Okay, new week, same chaos," she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder as we joined the sea of students funneling into the building.

The school buzzed with the usual energy of a Monday morning. Students crowded around lockers, trading stories about their weekends. My focus was on navigating the hallway, but as we turned a corner, I froze.

There she was.

Standing next to Caroline, laughing at something she said, was a girl who stopped me in my tracks. My breath hitched as I took her in. The wavy dark hair, the piercing eyes, the streak of sky blue cutting through her hair—it was like looking in a mirror, except the reflection wasn't quite right.

Elena bumped into me from behind. "What's wrong—" She stopped, her voice trailing off as she followed my gaze. Her face paled. "What the hell…?"

Before either of us could say anything, Caroline spotted us. "Amara! Elena!" She waved us over, a bright smile on her face. "Come meet Katherine!"

"Katherine?" Elena repeated, her voice sharp.

"Yeah! She just transferred here. Isn't that crazy?" Caroline asked, seemingly oblivious to the tension that hung in the air as we approached.

Katherine turned to face us fully, and I felt like the ground beneath me had shifted. Her gaze lingered on me first, then Elena, her smile growing wider. "Amara and Elena," she said, her voice smooth and confident. "Caroline's been telling me all about you two."

Her tone was friendly, but there was something in her eyes that set me on edge.

"It's nice to meet you," I said cautiously, forcing myself to remain polite.

Elena, on the other hand, crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Where are you from, Katherine?"

Katherine tilted her head, unfazed by Elena's cool tone. "Oh, here and there. My family moves around a lot, but it's nice to finally be in a town like this."

The way she said it, so casual, made me want to question her further, but Caroline jumped in. "I was just telling Katherine about the Fall Festival this weekend. You guys are going, right?"

"Of course," Elena said, though her focus was still on Katherine.

"You should all come together!" Katherine said brightly, her gaze flicking between the two of us. "I'd love to get to know you better.

"Yeah, maybe," I said, my unease growing.

The bell rang, cutting the conversation short. Caroline waved as she and Katherine walked off together, chatting like they'd been friends for years.

Elena grabbed my arm. "We need to talk. Now."

I let her pull me into an empty classroom. "Okay, what's going on?"

"You saw her," Elena said, her voice low. "She looks just like us, Amara. And that streak? What are the odds?"

I leaned against a desk, my arms crossed. "It's weird, I'll admit that. But we don't know anything about her yet."

"Exactly! Which is why we need to find out," Elena said firmly.

"Fine," I said, though unease churned in my stomach.

The rest of the day was a blur. Everywhere I went, it felt like Katherine was just around the corner, chatting with someone new, laughing with Caroline, blending in as if she'd been here forever. But her presence felt wrong, like a shadow that shouldn't be there.

By the time the final bell rang, I was exhausted. Elena and I met by the car, both of us silent as we drove home.

When we pulled into the driveway, Elena broke the silence. "Caroline's already attached to her. If Katherine's up to something, we'll need to be careful."

I nodded, my mind racing.

Later that evening, as I sat in my room, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Caroline.

Caroline: Katherine's invited us over to her place tomorrow. You and Elena better come!

I stared at the message, unease creeping in. Whatever Katherine was up to, I had a feeling we were about to find out.