I woke up before my alarm.
That never happened.
For a few seconds, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the message from last night.
Tomorrow will be harder.
I checked my phone.
No new messages.
At school, everything looked normal.
Too normal.
The gate.
The noise.
Students laughing, shouting, running late.
I told myself I was overthinking.
In class, the teacher asked a question.
I knew the answer.
I raised my hand.
That surprised me.
I usually waited.
Or hoped someone else would answer first.
The teacher looked at me, then nodded.
I answered.
My voice didn't shake.
A few students turned to look at me.
Nothing special.
But it felt strange.
Like I had stepped into a place I didn't belong to.
During lunch, I sat alone near the stairs.
Not the window.
Not the last bench.
Just… somewhere else.
I took out my phone.
Still nothing.
I was about to put it back when a message appeared.
Unknown Number:
Good. You didn't hide.
I frowned.
Were you watching me? I typed.
No reply.
The afternoon passed slowly.
Every sound felt louder.
Every movement felt important.
On my way home, I noticed something.
Someone was walking behind me.
Not too close.
Not too far.
I stopped.
The footsteps stopped.
I turned around.
No one.
My phone vibrated.
Unknown Number:
Do not turn around again.
My heart started beating fast.
Why? I typed.
The reply came after a few seconds.
Unknown Number:
Because the hard part is not being scared.
I swallowed.
I continued walking.
This time, I didn't look back.
When I reached home, I locked the door and leaned against it.
My hands were shaking.
Another message appeared.
Unknown Number:
You passed today.
I slid down and sat on the floor.
Passed what?
Before I could ask, one last message came.
Unknown Number:
Tomorrow, you choose.
I stared at the screen.
Choose what?
The phone went silent.
And for the first time,
I felt like my normal life was already behind me.