The leaves of the tree rustled softly in the same wind that caught the page of Thomas' book, turning it prematurely. Returning to the page he was on, he took the time to look at his watch. Free period was coming to an end, and he would just make it to class on time if he left now. Committing the proper page number to memory, he stood and stretched before picking up his bag and heading towards the school.

Everything was so much more quiet than before, in his eyes. Students talked in hushed tones in the halls and classes seemed more subdued. And Thomas no longer went unseen. Before Sierra... left, most people wouldn't so much as glance in his direction, and he moved through the school like a ghost; unseen, unheard, and liking it that way. Now though, he always drew stares, and knew people whispered about him once he had passed. It was that damn list. Five names and a sentence on a scrap of paper that nobody knew the meaning of. Were they responsible somehow? Had Sierra wanted to tell them something?

Thomas had devoted a week of thinking to it, and hadn't even scratched the surface of the possibilities. He barely knew the Andersons or the Parker girl, and certainly didn't feel comfortable approaching them to ask about it. The fifth name, Nigellus Rollins, was completely unfamiliar. He wasn't a student or a teacher, or anyone Thomas could find. The whole event was an enigma, and clearly beyond him.

Once in the building, he did his best to ignore the stares. Thomas kept his eyes on the ground as he made his way to his locker. Once there, he took a peek around from behind his hair, seeing Dylan down the hall, at her own locker. He couldn't help but notice her and the others on the list more often these days, but he gave no hint of it as he swapped history and math books for English and science. As he closed his locker, he saw the couple by the water fountain and decided he wouldn't grab some water after all. Starting in the other direction, he headed towards his next class, eyes on the ground once more.