For a few seconds, nobody moved.The hallway was packed with students.Teachers stood frozen near their classroom doors.Police officers watched from both ends of the corridor.Danny stood beside me, breathing heavily.Noah was next to Claire.Anna stood behind them.Michael remained beside his father.And my mother—My mother looked like she'd just seen a ghost.Jonathan stood across from her.He looked older than I had imagined from the photograph, but there was something strangely familiar about him.Not his face.His eyes.The same tired eyes my father had.The same eyes Elias had.The same eyes I'd seen in old photographs of the Carter family."Jonathan," Mom whispered again.He didn't move."Elena."My mother's eyes filled with tears.I stepped toward her."Mom."She looked at me.I had never seen that expression on her face before.Fear.Not fear of an enemy.Fear of what I might think of her.I lowered my voice."What did he mean?"She looked at Jonathan."Jack...""What did h

Ethan screamed.I grabbed him before he could fall."What's wrong?"He pointed toward the boy standing in the doorway."Him."The boy didn't move.He simply watched Ethan.His expression wasn't angry.It was almost sad."I know," he said quietly.Ethan shook his head."I've never seen you before.""You have.""No, I haven't."The boy looked at me."You just don't remember."Michael was still staring at him.His face had gone completely pale."Jonathan?"The boy looked at him."That's what they called me."Michael took a step forward."You said my father was Jonathan."The older man we'd been calling Jonathan stood behind Michael.He looked completely shaken."I thought he was."The boy smiled faintly."You never knew me."Michael looked between the two of them."Then who are you?"The boy answered without hesitation."Jonathan Carter."The older man's face tightened."No."The boy looked at him."You stole my name.""I protected you.""You erased me.""I saved your life.""You erased

Ethan screamed.The lights throughout Ravenwood High exploded at once.Glass shattered above us.Students somewhere on the floors above cried out.Then everything went dark.I grabbed Ethan before he fell."Ethan!"He wasn't responding.His eyes were closed.His body was shaking.I held him tightly."Mom!""I'm here!"Elena rushed toward us.Marcus immediately moved between Ethan and everyone else."Nobody touch him."Miriam stepped closer."Let me see him."Marcus raised his weapon."Stay back.""Marcus, if you don't let me help him, you may lose him."My father hesitated.I looked at Miriam."Help him."Marcus looked at me."Jack—""Please."He lowered his weapon.Miriam knelt beside Ethan.She placed two fingers against his neck.Her expression changed."He's alive."My mother dropped to her knees."Why isn't he waking up?""I don't know."Miriam looked at me."Something has entered his blood."I frowned."What does that mean?""I don't know yet."The voice came again.Soft.Almost

For several seconds, nobody spoke.The message remained on every phone.HE IS THE EIGHTH.Then the screens went black.The crowd erupted.People shouted.Someone screamed that the school was haunted.A few students started running toward the parking lot, only to be stopped by police officers.Parents pulled their children closer.Teachers tried to calm everyone down.Phones were raised everywhere.Recording.Streaming.Calling.The entire street had become chaos.But I couldn't hear any of it properly.All I could hear was Ethan's breathing.Fast.Uneven.Terrified.I turned toward him.He was staring at the school."Ethan."He didn't answer."Ethan."His eyes slowly moved toward me."Jack...""I'm here.""Am I the eighth?"I crouched in front of him."No.""But the message said—""I know what it said.""Then why would he say it?""I don't know."Ethan looked toward Marcus."Does Dad know?"Marcus didn't answer immediately.That was enough.Ethan's face changed."You do know."Marcus

Nobody followed me.Not at first.I stood across from Ravenwood High, staring through the open doors.The building looked completely different now.It was still the same school.The same entrance.The same trophy cases.The same school banner hanging above the reception desk.But tonight, it felt like the place had been stripped of everything familiar.Because somewhere inside those walls was a boy who had my face.A boy who claimed to be the real Jack Carter.And my father had just admitted something that I couldn't stop thinking about.I've been protecting the wrong son for seventeen years.I turned toward Marcus."What does that mean?"He looked at me."I don't know.""You just said it.""I know what I said.""Then explain it."Marcus looked toward Elena.She was crying quietly."I need to remember."I shook my head."No."Marcus frowned."No?""Not this time."I stepped closer."You don't get to tell me you need to remember after seventeen years of keeping secrets."His face tight