The city skyline fades in behind the windshield, early sun slicing through heavy clouds. A young man in the passenger seat, hoodie half-zipped, headphones hanging on his neck. This is Hayden Reeve, wide-eyed and silent, staring blankly ahead.
In the driver seat was his older brother, Lamar Reeve, as he stopped at a stop sign, Lamar then spoke.
"You nervous or somethin'? You been quiet the whole ride."
Hayden responded with a soft laugh
"I'm good. Just… thinking."
It was silent for a couple seconds until Lamar broke the silence.
"Well stop thinkin' too hard. Midtown ain't gonna bite… unless it grew fangs since I visited."
Hayden chuckles. A soft beat plays from the radio—old-school hip-hop. Lamar turns the volume down and looks at his little brother.
"This is it, you know. You're not just starting school. You're starting life. I'm not gonna be around to pull you outta stuff anymore."
"I know." Hayden responded with.
Lamar now serious, "Call that school your home. Respect it. Survive it. And don't be a damn idiot."
Hayden smirks as Lamar pulls into a massive circular drive. Camera pans up to reveal the sprawling, Gotham-level elegant structure of Midtown High School, towers and glass, banners flowing in the breeze.
Watchtower High Season 1 Chapter 1: "Arrival"
Now on school campus, Hayden Reeve made his way inside of the dormitory building.
Inside the boys' dorm, it's chaos. Students are moving in, boxes everywhere, sneakers, towels, loud music playing.
Hayden stands in front of his dorm room, "Dorm 103" he says.
Hayden steps into his room, where his new roommate Tyrell "Ty" Washington is already unpacking. "Roomie! You must be Hayden. I already claimed the left bed.. You cool with that?"
Hayden surprised that he has a lot of energy, "My brother used to go to this school, he told me stories about other students complaining about their beds being haunted, so just make sure mines isn't alright?"
"Well this is Midtown" Ty responded with. "Wouldn't be surprised if it were"
They bump fists. Instantly good chemistry—The scene then switches to the second floor. The Boys Dorm is on the bottom floor while the Girls Dorm is on the second floor.
We meet Amber Smith, stylish but subtle, holding a volleyball in one hand and luggage in the other moving into her dorm room. Her eyes scan everything with precision. She's accompanied by Carmen Rojas, her best friend and roommate.
"Midtown dorm life, huh? I give it three weeks before we catch someone sneaking up to our floor." Carmen said
to Amber.
"Three?" Amber replies confusingly. "I give it one if people are really bold."
Carmen laughs it off and goes to get the rest of her luggage outside the scene lingers on a bulletin board full of missing student flyers from years past—half ripped off, most yellowed with age. Carmen sees it and frowns. "Creepy…"
The scene then switches back to Lamar Reeve, on the phone with someone still driving his car, the person behind the other line says, "Did you drop him off?" Lamar then replies "Yes, I just did mom."
Lamar's Mother then says "Ah, that school has a dormitory correct? I guess I wont be seeing him until the end of the school year."
Lamar just stares blankly quiet. "Hayden has always been a stubborn kid ya' know. Doing things without thinking and being impulsive, I'm just glad you didn't inherit that trait too. I just really hope that same mindset doesn't get him in trouble at school."
Lamar finally speaks up, "Mom he'll be fine, Hayden is an idiot but hes not a super idiot. I'm sure he wouldn't go off doing something dumb without thinking anymore, hes grown older and is much mature. If he does something without thinking, then it was probably for a good reason. You know hes always ready to do good even if its not his problem. Thats why I love the damn idiot.." Lamar Grits his teeth while smiling.
On the phone, you can hear someone in the background talking to Lamar's Mom, "Anita! We could really use your help, theres a lot of patients here that are injured."
Now revealed that her name is Anita, Anita then asks Lamar, "Sorry for asking you, when you're about to leave. But before you go off, could you pick up Tania and Aniya from school?" Lamar looks confused, "Don't feel sorry for asking me to pick up my siblings mom, I have all the time in the world for family."
The Scene now shifts back to Midtown High, in an Auditorium. A man walks up to the microphone and speaks to the audience of hundreds of students, "Welcome to Midtown. My name is Principal Hawthorne, and I will be your Principal for the rest of this school year.
You've made it into one of the most prestigious institutions in the country. What you do with that honor… is up to you."
After the end of the Announcement in the Auditorium, Hayden bumps into a quirky guy with glasses, "Hey man, watch where your going you almost made me drop my phone. And you just messed up the PERFECTLY good photo..!" The guys says.
Hayden then apologizes saying, "Sorry Man I didn't mean to mess up your shoot. You apart of the drama club?"
The guy looks confused, "Why do you say that? because of the camera? Do you know Naomi Briggs the Junior from the tech lab? Im working with her in there, sometimes we even Help the school with its security."
Hayden genuinely looked shocked at this. "A student helping with a prestigious school like Midtown with it's security? Who are you anyway?" The guy then responds "The names Ethan Zhou! Sophomore and in Homeroom 2-B."
Meanwhile, Hayden makes eye contact with Amber Smith, her Beautiful blonde hair and Blue eyes ctaches his sight, they look at each other for a split second and then look away.
While walking through the hallway trying to find his locker, Hayden meets a man with shorts and kets dangling put of his pocket. The man then says "Hey kid. You play ball?"
Hayden smirks, "Guess you could say I try."
The man smiles, "Good, the names Coach Reigns, Tryouts are Friday. Bring that height with you."
*2 Hours pass by - Bathroom/Back of The School – Mid-afternoon*
It's a girl in the bathroom doing her makeup. Everything seems good until, *Click* the lights suddenly went off, The girl now sounding shocked and scared. A couple seconds later the lights are back on. "*Sigh* That really scared me."
she then turns to the mirror in horror to see an individual fully dressed in black with a black mask behind her holding a knife. She lets out a loud scream that could be heard throughout the campus. Then we shift to the outside of the bathroom of where you can hear cries and stabbings.
5 minutes after her body was found,
Police swarm. Detective Liana Cross arrives on site. Calm. Collected. Principal Marin is panicking behind closed doors. Word gets out fast. Phones blow up. Parents demand answers. Principal Hawthorne speaks with the Detective, "Hello Detective, I have you know the school will be fully cooperating with your investigation." Detective Cross then replies with, "If thats the case, then I want you to make it so no ones leaves Not the students, Not the staff. Put the entire School gates on lockdown, we have hundreds of suspects and no one leaves until we figured out how this happened."
A Slow but mute montage goes on of Detective Cross Questioning all the students, This lasts until sundown. Right when we finally get to Hayden. "Where were you around 3:40-4:10 PM?" Detective Cross asks Hayden.
"In the Auditorium, like everyone else. But when it ended I went to my locker and I spoke to Coach Reigns. 20 Minutes after that, the announcement was played on the PA." Hayden himself was shaking, how could someone have died he thinks to himself. If there was a murderer running around campus, then He doesn't feel safe at Midtown.
Detective Cross leaves Midtown and Decides to come back the next day to finish questioning the students she didn't question.
A couple hours pass by, its now 12 AM, Hayden can't sleep, He stays up thinking about how could the girl possibly died. Hayden getting ready to speak to ask if Ty is awake, then Ty speaks before Hayden does saying, "You can't sleep either can you?"
Hayden stares blankly to the left of the room of where Tyrell is facing the wall on the other bed. "How'd you know I was up?"
"Dude." Ty says "You know you've been making these random noises the entire time right?"
Hayden covers his face embarrassed, "Sorry man, it's a bad habit."
Ty laughs and says, "It's no biggie, but i'm guessing the dead girl kept you up didn't it?"
Hayden replies with, "Yeah. Just thinkkng about it is terrifying, what if that could've been us..?"
The room is silent for a couple seconds until Ty says, "dont think like that. You'll just end up jinxing yourself to death."
"You're right I guess." Hayden replies with. "Hey, i'm gonna go for a walk around the dormitory, since I cant sleep" Hayden then picks up his headphones and grabs his grey hoodie.
"Don't get lost." Ty Says
Hayden slightly chuckles and steps outside the room. His breath fogs slightly—cold air through cracked windows.
After 3 Minutes of walking, Hayden turns a corner he then sees A figure in all black, a smooth onyx mask, is crouched over someone holding a knife. A girl. Blood spreading beneath her.
Hayden freezes. Their eyes meet. They stared at each other, for Seven Full Seconds of pure silence.
Then the figure bolts. Hayden stumbles forward, whispering—"Hey! Wait–what the hell!?"
Hayden runs over and drops to the girl, who's still breathing. "How badly are you hurt? Where is the injury? Where did he slash you..!?"
"My phone… jacket… help…" the girl says weakly.
Hayden gives finally fines the cut and wraps his hoodie around it to stop the bleeding, "Heres my phone, call the police."
Hayden looks up at the attacker still running away, "That stupid son of a b*tch!" Hayden then got up.
The girl looks at Hayden confusingly, "What are you planning to do..?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Hayden responds with, "I'm gonna catch that bastard!"
"Wait no, thats reckless! don't do it!" The girl cried.
But there was no point, When Hayden Reeve sets his eyes on a goal he wont stop until he achieves it.
It then cuts to Amber Smith, she sees two peoples outside her window, one running, one chasing.
"Why the hell are you looking out a window?" Carmen Rojas says.
Amber doesn't say anything for a while then responds with, "I guess you can say, I saw something interesting."
Hayden Reeve(Voiceover): "The first day of school… someone died. And somehow… I ran toward it."