The Recall Trials
Chapter 47: Symbols of the End

Chapter 47: Symbols of the End

Then, out of nowhere, Marla raised her hands... and began chanting.

Strange syllables. Like some forgotten language. Her voice trembled, but her clouded and grey eyes never blinked.

The room dropped several degrees.

"I swear it just got colder in here," someone murmured, hugging their arms. "Did they crank the air conditioning or something?"

"The spirits want to help.

The ones we lost...they scream.

Their pain rots the walls of this place.

They seek justice, not rest.

They have chosen some of you.

Do not reject their gift.

Or their wrath."

Marla announced.

Then she stopped mid-chant and stared straight at me.

Her eyes locked with mine. I couldn’t look away.

"You," she said, pointing. "You’re the Mask."

My blood ran cold.

"You wear your past like silk," she whispered.

"Soft to the touch. Easy to slip off.

A mask cannot bleed...but it will crack."

I couldn’t breathe.

She turned slowly. Her gaze landed on Zaara.

Something in my chest clenched. Like she was peeling me apart right there.

Then she turned to Zaara.

"You’re the heart," she whispered.

"The heart that trusts no one

But will burn the world to save the one it loves.

Be careful when you bleed for others...

When fire burns too long...

It turns to ash.

Revenge drinks deeper than love ever could."

Zaara flinched parting her mouth slightly, like the words hit something buried deep.

Then Marla moved again until she stood in front of Nomi.

"You," she said coldly. "You’re the Serpent."

"Your smile is sugar.

Your truth is venom.

You’ll bite before you’re bitten...

And when you strike,

Even the ones you love will fall."

Nomi raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is she talking about?" she muttered under her breath, then scoffed and turned away, brushing her hair off her shoulder as she walked back to her bed.

Marla’s eyes slid next to Theo.

"You," she said. "You’re the Wolf."

"Loyal to the pack.

But when the hunger comes...

You’ll eat your own, and smile with blood in your teeth."

Theo let out a low laugh, shaking his head.

"Someone get this psycho out of my sight," he muttered and plopped back on his mattress. "She’s tryna scare us into a coma."

Others followed. Some rolled their eyes. Some called her delusional. Some laughed it off nervously and pretended to stretch, hoping she wouldn’t turn to them next. A few just slipped quietly back to their beds.

No one asked for the clue again.

But Marla wasn’t done.

She turned to Carter.

"You... you are the Shield."

"You’ll take every blow.

You’ll carry every sin.

But shields crack when leaned on too long.

And when yours breaks...

The ones behind you fall."

Carter just stared. Frozen. Like a thousand thoughts were storming behind his eyes.

Ah..." she breathed, almost like she was smiling.

"The spark."

I turned.

"You’re the spark," Marla said again, turning to jojo.

Jojo didn’t say anything. Her fists clenched at her sides.

"The spark that wants to light the fire," Marla continued.

"But fire does not ask who it burns."

The room got colder again. I could feel it on my neck.

Marla took another step toward her.

"You carry rebellion in your breath...

but beware the breath that stirs the storm.

You think you’re escaping.

You’re walking straight into your end."

Jojo blinked.

"Don’t do it," Marla said, softer now.

"The ones behind the masks...

they’re waiting for someone to try."

Then her voice turned into something else, more warning than speech.

"The spark must stay hidden...

or it’ll be the first to flicker and burn out."

Jojo didn’t respond.

Then...she turned to me again.

This time, she reached out. Her cold fingers, curled around my hand.

"There are two," she whispered. "One is the Mask. The other... is the Face."

I swallowed hard. "What does that mean?"

But she didn’t answer.

Instead, she just backed slowly into the shadows again repeating what she just told me...disappearing into the dim corner of the room.

And just like that, the chill remained...but she was gone.

No one spoke.

Because deep down, none of us really understood what she meant...

I knew she wasn’t talking nonsense.

The rest of the morning passed in a haze of half-eaten breakfast, paranoid glances, and too many unspoken thoughts. No one said much after Marla’s eerie message. It was like she’d cursed the air, the room felt colder. Like her words had iced the air itself.

By noon, everyone had drifted into their own corners. Some lay in their bunks pretending to sleep, others just stared into space, minds racing behind still faces. The silence felt heavy... like something was coming.

Zaara and I sat by the far corner, knees almost touching, whispering softly. My head throbbed from overthinking. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marla’s glazed stare.

Then Jojo approached us.

She moved casually, but I could tell it was forced like someone walking through fire trying not to look burned.

"Can I talk to you two?" she asked, voice low. "About what I mentioned earlier."

Zaara glanced at me. I nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

Without another word, Jojo turned and led us down a dim hallway near the restrooms...the south corridor. The cameras here had a blind spot. We’d all heard rumors about it. A dead zone. A flaw the elites either missed or ignored.

She stopped beneath a flickering bulb and turned to face us.

"This spot’s clean. They can’t see us here."

Zaara narrowed her eyes. "What’s going on?"

Jojo leaned in, her expression sharp, urgent. "I want out."

That hit hard. I blinked. "Wait... what?"

"I’m serious," she said. "I’m done watching people disappear. Done waiting for them to pick us off one by one. I want to find a way out...not just for me. For everyone."

Zaara stiffened beside me.

"I’ve been studying the guards. Watching their routines. Waiting. Thinking. There’s a pattern. A loophole. A way out...and it’s not playing their shitty game. It’s flipping the whole damn board."

Jojo took a breath.

"I need your help. Just one thing."