Reborn, I Let Them Take the Cursed Graduation Photo Chapter 03

Reborn, I Let Them Take the Cursed Graduation Photo Chapter 03

The photographer’s face drained of color. His lips trembled as he stumbled backward.

“I… I can’t do this.”

His voice cracked.

“I just remembered… that Rules Horror story…”

He dropped a shaky, “I’m sorry,” then bolted across the field without looking back.

The football field exploded with chatter.

“Wait… do you guys think this is actually one of those Rules Horror situations?”

“No way. It was just thunder.”

“But it was sunny literally a minute ago…”

“Yeah, that storm came out of nowhere.”

Voices overlapped until the entire crowd dissolved into nervous speculation.

The more superstitious students began glancing around uneasily.

“Katherine,” someone called, “you’re always weirdly good at sensing this kind of stuff. Do you… feel anything?”

I looked up.

The blood-red words hanging in the sky had begun to fade.

They were growing lighter by the second, but they hadn’t disappeared.

“If I told you I had a really bad feeling…” I asked quietly, “would you actually cancel the photo?”

Silence.

For the first time, no one answered in unison.

“Of course we’re taking it!”

Isabella stepped forward, panic creeping into her voice as she looked around at everyone’s hesitation.

“I’m leaving the country next week! This is our last chance to get a class picture together!”

Ethan immediately backed her up.

“Don’t listen to Katherine. She’s letting some creepy internet story get into her head.”

He pulled a phone and a small tripod from his backpack.

“Everyone, line back up. We’ll take it ourselves.”

The group exchanged uncertain looks.

No one wanted to be the first to object.

In the end, they listened to Ethan.

I quietly moved to the far edge of the second row.

Making sure no one was paying attention, I slipped one hand into my jacket pocket.

I’d already prepared a face mask.

If fate really couldn’t be avoided…

Then I’d cover my face.

As long as my face wasn’t in the photo, maybe I could escape whatever was coming.

The phone was positioned.

Ethan reached for the timer.

Just before he tapped the screen, a furious voice thundered across the field.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Everyone turned.

Dean Catherine Montgomery strode toward us at full speed, her expression darker than the storm clouds gathering overhead.

“Nobody is taking a full class photo.”

“Dismiss immediately.”

Ethan’s face hardened.

He whipped around and glared straight at me.

“Katherine.”

His voice was sharp enough to cut.

“You reported us, didn’t you?”

“You did this again!”

Every pair of eyes landed on me.

Students rolled their eyes in annoyance.

“Seriously? You had to snitch over a graduation picture?”

“Dean Montgomery’s favorite little teacher’s pet.”

“Pathetic.”

I stayed calm.

“I’ve been standing here with all of you the entire time.”

“I haven’t even touched my phone.”

“So how exactly was I supposed to report anything?”

Ethan marched over, grabbed my backpack without asking, and yanked out my phone.

He’d seen me unlock it enough times to remember my passcode.

Ignoring my protests, he unlocked it himself.

He searched everything.

Messages.

Social media.

Call history.

Nothing.

There wasn’t a single conversation with Dean Montgomery.

His frustration boiled over.

“You deleted it!”

He jabbed a finger at me.

“It had to be you! Nobody else would’ve reported us!”

I met his glare without flinching.

“Then prove it.”

He froze.

Only for a second.

Then he snapped.

“You’re the only person here who actually believes that stupid Rules Horror crap! Who else would’ve cared enough to report us?”

A cold laugh escaped me.

“I said it wasn’t me.”

“If you’re making the accusation, then the burden of proof is yours.”

“You…”

Ethan opened his mouth to yell again.

Dean Montgomery cut him off before another word came out.

“Enough.”

Her voice echoed across the field.

“Did you really think you could gather nearly fifty students out here without anyone noticing?”

She folded her arms.

“The Office of Campus Safety called my office twenty minutes ago.”

“Even the university president knows you’re here.”

She waved everyone away.

“The photo shoot is canceled.”

“Go home.”

Isabella’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

“Professor Montgomery…”

“I’m studying abroad next week.”

“I just wanted something to remember everyone by…”

The dean’s expression softened.

“You can still make memories.”

“Take pictures with your friends.”

“Take group photos.”

“You don’t need one giant class photo to remember college.”

“But…”

“There are no ‘buts.’“

Her tone left no room for negotiation.

“It’s university policy.”

No one dared argue any further.

One by one, the students reluctantly dispersed.

Ethan clearly hadn’t given up.

The moment the professors were gone, he posted in the private class group chat that excluded faculty.

[Tomorrow’s Saturday. Meet at the front gate at 10:00 a.m. We’ll take the graduation photo then.]

Then he tagged me specifically.

[@KatherineEllis. You’d better be there.]

I never replied.

Instead…

I looked back up at the sky.

The message only I could see had changed.

[FINAL WARNING.]

[DO NOT TAKE A GRADUATION GROUP PHOTO.]

[IF YOU IGNORE THIS WARNING, CALAMITY WILL FOLLOW.]