Mia had always been quiet, the kind of student no one noticed unless they wanted someone to mock. At St. Marcellus High, her life had been a relentless cycle of taunts and humiliation. Her tormentors seemed to take joy in her misery, and she endured it all in silence—until the day a new transfer student, Claire, arrived.
Claire was strange, her presence both unsettling and magnetic. She rarely spoke, but when she did, her words carried a weight that lingered. One afternoon, she approached Mia in the library, her expression unreadable.
“I’ve been where you are,” Claire said softly. She slid a small wooden box across the table, its surface carved with strange symbols. On top of it lay a dusty, leather-bound journal. “This will help you.”
Mia hesitated, her trembling fingers brushing against the box. “What is it?”
“Justice,” Claire replied cryptically. “You’ll know what to do.”
Claire transferred out of St. Marcellus High the next day, leaving no trace behind. Left alone with the mysterious items, Mia began to read the journal. It belonged to a girl named Evelyn, a student who had endured the same torment Mia now faced. The final entry chilled her to the core:
“They took everything from me. Midnight will make sure they pay—with their lives.”
The box contained a mummified black cat’s paw, brittle yet radiating an unnatural energy. The instructions in the journal were clear: place the relic in a hidden location, speak the incantation, and the curse would awaken.
Mia didn’t hesitate. Late one night, she snuck into Classroom 3C, where a trapdoor in the floor led to the forgotten basement. She placed the box beneath a broken desk, its wood rotting with age, and whispered the spell under her breath.
The air grew thick, the room unnaturally silent. A low growl echoed in the darkness, and golden eyes appeared in the shadows. The black cat was awake.
The first to go was Samantha, the ringleader of Mia’s tormentors. The black cat appeared in class the next morning, jumping onto Samantha’s desk and staring at her with its piercing yellow eyes. Samantha laughed nervously, shooing it away, but the damage was done. That evening, Samantha fell from the school roof in a gruesome accident.
One by one, the bullies met their end. James, who spread cruel rumors about Mia, was electrocuted when his phone charger exploded. Lily, who had vandalized Mia’s locker, was found lifeless in the pool, her face twisted in terror.
The school was gripped by fear, the black cat’s presence becoming a harbinger of doom. Yet Mia remained calm, even as her classmates whispered about the curse.
By the time the last bully was gone, Mia knew her time at St. Marcellus High was over. She packed her things and left without fanfare, taking the journal and the box with her.
Mia’s new school was much the same as the last—different faces, same cruelty. But this time, Mia wasn’t the victim. She watched, silent and observant, as another student named Elena became the target of bullies.
One rainy afternoon, Mia approached Elena in the library, carrying a familiar box and journal. “I know what it feels like,” Mia said, sliding the items across the table.
Elena hesitated, her eyes wide. “What is this?”
“A way to stop them,” Mia replied. Her voice was calm, but her gaze held an unspoken warning. “You’ll know what to do.”
Mia walked away without another word, leaving Elena with the box, the journal, and a decision to make. As she exited the school gates, a black cat crossed her path, its golden eyes gleaming in approval.
Mia disappeared from Elena’s life just as Claire had from hers, but the cycle continued. In the shadows of yet another school, the black cat prowled, ready to deliver justice once more.
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