Wednesday
Anonymity
Seven students received a silent ping on their phones.
✦ New Group Created: "C.A.N. – Club of Absolutely Nothing" ✦
Icon: a blank white square.
No admin name.
No welcome message.
Just a single line in the description:
"You're here now. That's enough."
Jay sat cross-legged on his floor, staring at the glowing screen.
He could see the list—partially anonymized by the app. Usernames that meant nothing. Profile pictures that ranged from blurry sunsets to cartoon animals.
No real names.
No clues.
And that was the point.
He hadn't invited his friends.
He hadn't told anyone.
Just posted the form. Quietly. Softly. Like bait.
And they came.
Strangers.
Drifters.
Maybe people like him.
The First Message
He tapped into the chat and typed slowly:
JAY (admin):
There are no ranks.
There are no roles.
There is only one challenge:
Today, lunchtime.
Be somewhere you're not supposed to be.
Bring nothing. Say nothing. Just observe.
He hit send.
Then set the phone down.
The Replies
At first—nothing.
Then:
A sticker of a traffic cone with sunglasses.
A blank emoji.
Someone typed "Okay."
One user posted a shaky photo of an empty hallway lit by sunlight.
Jay smiled.
This was already better than he imagined.
Lunchtime.
No announcements.
No club meetings.
No call to action.
But across campus, strange things started happening.
In the third-floor corridor, a lone student sat cross-legged on the floor, reading a paperback novel out loud to no one.
In the courtyard, someone left chalk drawings under the benches—smiley faces, strange quotes, tiny frogs.
On the stairwell landing, Jay leaned against the wall, arms folded, eyes half-lidded—watching as one student sat directly across from him and said nothing.
They both stayed there for ten minutes.
Then the other student stood, nodded once, and walked away.
Jay never saw their face clearly.
Didn't ask for it either.
Stirring Questions
Rumors started circulating by mid-afternoon.
"Did you see the sticky note under the library table?"
"Someone put sunflower seeds in every empty desk drawer."
"Why is there a paper boat in the staff toilet sink???"
Jay watched from the background. Always silent.
Noticing everything.
Tyler's Reaction
Later that day, Tyler cornered him outside the vending machines.
"Dude. What is happening."
Jay blinked. "You'll have to narrow that down."
"Someone left a drawing of our soccer captain riding a llama in my locker."
Jay took a long sip of juice. "Sounds like you're loved."
"I asked Emma. She said you're the one acting weird lately."
Jay shrugged. "You know me. I'm an inspiration to mischief."
Tyler narrowed his eyes. "If I find out you started a secret society—"
"I'd need matching robes."
Something Bigger
Jay sat back in his chair.
Phone screen dim. Group chat still open.
The number of members had grown to twelve.
Twelve people he didn't know.
Maybe from other classes.
Maybe not even from his year.
But they were all watching the same thread.
"Tomorrow," he typed,
"Leave something behind.
Small. Quiet. Unexpected.
But let someone find it."
He didn't sign the message.
Didn't send anything else.
Just stared at it for a while, then powered off his phone.
Back at school, in an empty hallway, a random student stopped beside the bulletin board.
They placed a small sticky note near the bottom corner.
It read:
"I don't know what this is. But I think I needed it."