It was Alif.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.I nodded, forcing a small smile.
"The prize-giving ceremony is about to start. We need to go backstage," she said.
I followed her backstage while Sayma went to sit with the audience. The ceremony began shortly afterward. After receiving my certificate and gift, I returned to my seat beside Sayma while Alif went back to helping as a volunteer.
Surrounding was filled with excitement and applause. We enjoyed watching the rest of the program until it finally came to an end.
As the ceremony concluded, the volunteers and teachers gathered on stage for a group photo. Sayma and I stood among the crowd, cheering for Alif.
Suddenly, Sayma nudged me.
"I think your teacher is calling you."
I looked toward the stage and froze. Teacher Wang was waving at me, signaling for me to come over.
Me?
Why would he call me? I wasn't even a volunteer.
"Go!" Sayma urged, pushing me lightly. "The teacher is calling you. Don't waste time."
Without thinking any further, I hurried toward the stage.
As I stood beside him, my heart began racing. He didn't look at me. His eyes remained fixed on the camera, a gentle smile resting on his face.
Yet I couldn't stop smiling.
Out of all the students there, he had called me to join the photo.The happiness I felt was impossible to hide. I turned toward the camera, my cheeks aching from smiling so much. For that brief moment, everything felt perfect.
After the program ended, the three of us went to a nearby restaurant. We talked for hours. Well... mostly I talked.
Alif and Sayma listened patiently to all my random stories and nonsense. Somehow, they never seemed to get tired of it.
By the time we finished chatting, it had gotten quite late.
We headed toward the bus stop.
Just as I was about to board the bus, my phone vibrated.
A message.
From that unknown number. It's 11p.m.
"Are you tired?" My heart dropped. I immediately looked around. Was that person nearby? Was he watching me right now?
Was he on the same bus? Countless thoughts flooded my mind.
"Are you getting on or not?" Sayma asked.
I couldn't answer.
My mind had gone completely blank.
I just stared at her. She frowned before grabbing my hand and pulling me along.
Once we found seats on the bus, she looked at me carefully.
"Is something wrong?"
I quickly shook my head. I didn't tell her about the message. I didn't want to scare either of them.Their stop came before mine, so Alif and Sayma got off first. The bus became quieter. There weren't many passengers left. I wanted to look at everyone, searching for someone suspicious, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.Every stranger suddenly felt dangerous. When my stop finally arrived, I got off the bus and started walking home.
Fast. The road was almost empty. Dim streetlights cast weak pools of light across the pavement, while darkness swallowed everything beyond them. The night was so quiet that I could hear sounds from far away.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps.
Behind me.
My entire body stiffened.Someone was following me. The footsteps grew closer. My breathing became uneven. Without thinking, I broke into a run. Faster.Faster. My heart pounded violently against my chest. The gate of my house finally came into view. Relief washed over me.I quickly glanced behind me while running—
But the moment I turned my head forward again—
Bang!
I crashed hard into someone. And before I could fall, a hand reached out and grabbed my arm.