Marcus looked pale. "I didn't code anything. I just found the link on a forum. It said 'Play the real school.' "

Leo slammed the lid shut. His heart was a jackhammer. Marcus was staring at the blank wall, breathing hard.

Leo clicked "Start."

He was in the hallway. The familiar, looping floor of Schoolhouse #3. But there was no sound. No slap of the ruler. No squeak of sneakers. Just the low hum of the school’s HVAC system bleeding through his earbuds.

In a school where every educational website is a fortress, one chaotic hallway holds the key to ten minutes of freedom.

A new sound played through the tinny speakers. Not the "Time to learn!" voice. It was a whisper. Dry. Rustling like leaves.