The next day, I walked into school feeling careful.
Like I was carrying something fragile inside my head.
I kept testing myself.
Names.
Dates.
Small facts.
Some came easily.
Some didn't.
In class, the teacher asked us to open our notebooks.
I did.
Then I froze.
Half the page was blank.
I stared at it.
"I wrote this," I whispered.
"I know I did."
But I couldn't remember when.
Or why.
My phone vibrated.
I didn't even flinch now.
Unknown Number:
Today's test is simple.
I swallowed.
What test? I typed.
The reply came slowly.
Unknown Number:
Recover one memory.
My heart beat faster.
How?
A pause.
Then:
Unknown Number:
Pay attention.
That was it.
No instructions.
No place.
Just that.
During lunch, I watched everything.
The noise.
The faces.
The way people talked without listening.
I noticed things I usually ignored.
A girl tapping her pen again and again.
A boy staring at the same wall.
The broken fan making the same useless sound.
Suddenly, something clicked.
The fan.
The table.
My initials.
A memory surfaced.
I smiled without meaning to.
That day in middle school…
I carved those letters because I wanted to be noticed.
Even if it was by a table.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
You remembered.
I typed quickly:
Yes.
A moment later:
Unknown Number:
One memory returned.
I felt lighter.
Like something unlocked inside my chest.
Then another message came.
Unknown Number:
This is how the game works.
I leaned back in my chair.
So this was it.
Not punishment.
Not control.
Training.
I didn't know the end of this game.
But for the first time…
I felt like I was learning something important.