CHAPTER 4
I ran.
Down the hallway, cold air slicing against my skin, the baby's cries bouncing off the walls.
Each step felt heavier, like something was pulling me back. Like the building itself didn't want me to leave.
Then—some part of me screamed to look back.
I didn't want to.
But I did.
And that's when I saw him.
Brook.
Standing.
But his feet—
They weren't touching the ground.
He hovered a few inches above the floor, body limp, arms dangling like a marionette suspended by invisible strings.
His head twitched to the side. Slowly. Unnaturally.
And his eyes—
They weren't his eyes.
Gone was the soft brown I remembered. In their place: black. Endless. Reflecting nothing.
Something was inside him. Something else.
"Brook?" I breathed.
But whatever was looking at me now… it wasn't him.
I spun back and ran harder, the baby clinging to me now like he understood the danger too.
I turned a corner too fast, nearly crashing into the lockers—
And slammed right into someone.
I stumbled back, startled, the baby letting out a tiny wail.
The girl I hit stared at me wide-eyed.
Long red hair. A soft pink dress stained at the hem.
Tia.
Her expression shifted from surprise to horror.
"Crystal?" she whispered. "Why are you running?"
I could barely breathe.
"There's something—Brook—he's not… he's not himself anymore."
Tia's face paled instantly.
And then, softly, like she already knew what I'd say next:
"Did he float?"
I stared at her. "What—?"
Tia stepped closer, her voice trembling.
"If he's not touching the ground… then it's already started."
My throat went dry.
"What's started?" I asked, clutching the baby tighter. "Tia, what do you mean?"
But Tia didn't answer. She just grabbed my wrist and pulled me hard.
"We don't have time," she said. "If he's floating, then we're already running out of it."
We darted down another hallway, her grip like iron, the building groaning around us like it was alive—watching.
"Tia!" I gasped, trying to keep pace. "You knew something like this would happen! What is he? What's inside Brook?"
She shook her head, red hair whipping behind her. "It's not Brook. Not anymore. Once it takes hold, it erases you. One second you're yourself, and the next—"
Her voice cracked.
"—you're just a shell. A puppet for it."
A chill ran down my spine.
The baby let out a soft sound again. A whimper… or a warning?
We reached a door at the end of the hall. Tia shoved it open, pulling me inside.
It was an old music room, dust layering the instruments like it hadn't been used in years. She slammed the door shut and locked it.
I turned to her, breathless.
"You have to tell me what's going on. You said it's started—what is it?"
Tia looked at me, something unreadable in her eyes.
"Crystal… do you really not remember?"
I stared. "Remember what?"
She stepped closer, her voice lowering.
"This place. The baby. What's happening to Brook. It's all part of the same thing. You were part of it before—before we all forgot."
I felt my knees weaken.
"No," I whispered. "I don't… I don't remember anything."
Tia nodded slowly, like that confirmed something.
"That's because it made us forget. All of us."
She looked down at the baby in my arms, her eyes narrowing.
"But he didn't forget you."
The baby opened his eyes.
And for the first time, I swear I heard him speak—
Not with words.
But inside my head.
"You're not ready yet."
Tia kept her eyes on the baby, her voice a shaky whisper.
"Brook's power... it's much darker than he ever let on."
I looked at her, startled. "Darker how?"
She hesitated, then met my eyes. "He never told anyone the full truth. He said his power was to see what's hidden... but I think it goes beyond that. I think he can interact with it. That's why it took him first."
I shivered.
"What do you mean it took him?"
Tia swallowed hard. "The thing that's in him now? It's been watching all of us since this game started. But Brook… I think he saw it. Talked to it. Maybe even helped it."
I stepped back, shaking my head.
"No. He wouldn't do that."
"I'm not saying he wanted to," Tia said quickly. "But sometimes power isn't a gift. It's a curse. And his… it opened a door."
A silence fell between us.
The baby shifted again in my arms, his eyes still wide, alert, but calm now.
Tia looked at me, eyes softening.
"…What's your power, Crystal?"
I blinked. "I—I don't know."
She sighed, running a hand through her red hair.
"I don't either."
We stared at each other, both confused, both searching.
"How is that possible?" I asked. "Everyone has something. Everyone was chosen for this."
"Maybe ours haven't woken up yet," Tia murmured. "Or maybe we knew once… and forgot."
I shook my head, the weight of everything pressing in again.
"I don't feel safe here, Tia. I need to leave. I need to get out of this school—now."
She looked at me, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then she said softly:
"We can't leave."
"What?" I whispered.
"Not until the game ends."
I felt my heart drop. "You're saying we're trapped?"
Tia nodded.
"We all are. The rules won't let us go. Not until someone wins… or everyone's gone."
I looked down at the baby, then back at the locked door, the shadows creeping under it like fingers searching for something.
"I'm not playing this game," I said quietly. "I'm surviving it."
Tia's gaze hardened.
"Then we better start figuring out what you really are."
I stared at Tia, everything swirling too fast to hold onto.
"How do you know all this?" I asked, my voice rising. "How does Brook? How do either of you know what's going on… and I don't?"
Tia looked at me, and for the first time, she didn't have an answer.
"I don't know," she said slowly. "I just… remember things. Pieces. Like dreams I can't wake up from."
I shook my head, frustrated. "But I don't remember anything. Not my family. Not my life before this school. Not even how I got here. Why is everyone else remembering, and I'm just—blank?"
Tia took a cautious step forward. "Maybe that's part of it. Maybe you were meant to forget. Maybe… someone made sure you did."
The baby shifted again, quietly watching me with eyes that felt far too knowing.
I looked down at him.
"And what about him? Why do I always have him with me?" My voice cracked. "Why do I feel like… like he's the only part of me that's real?"
Tia didn't answer right away.
Instead, she looked at the baby. Then at me.
Then softly said, "Crystal… what if that baby is your power?"
The room felt suddenly colder.
I stepped back. "What does that even mean?"
But Tia was staring at me now with something like fear—and wonder.
"I think," she whispered, "you and Brook… you were part of this long before the rest of us were. Maybe even before the game started."
I blinked. "Then why can't I remember?"
She swallowed.
"Because maybe if you did remember… none of us would still be here."
The words echoed in my head like a warning wrapped in fog.
I shook my head slowly, backing away. "That doesn't make sense. Why would I—why would me remembering be dangerous?"
Tia's lips parted, but she didn't speak. Her silence said everything.
"You think I'm the reason this is happening," I whispered.
"No," she said quickly, "I don't think that. I think you're the key to stopping it. But… Crystal…"
She hesitated, looking at the baby again.
"If you were part of this from the beginning, if your memories were taken—then it wasn't to protect you. It was to protect everyone else."
I felt the ground shift beneath me, like the world had tilted.
"I didn't ask for this," I said, my voice trembling.
Tia nodded, eyes full of something like pity. "None of us did. But you're not just in this game, Crystal. You might be the reason it exists."
A sharp wind rattled the windows behind us.
The lights flickered again.
And the baby, still in my arms, looked up at me—his mouth opening slowly as if he was about to cry—
But instead, he whispered one word:
"Remember."
I suddenly remember something. A memory.
A girl with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail. She was crying—no, sobbing—her face twisted in rage and heartbreak. She was screaming at us, cursing us out, her voice cracking from the intensity.
"I hate you! I hate all of you!"
I could see the pain in her eyes—raw, unfiltered, like a wound ripped open. Her dark brown eyes, deep as dark chocolate, were filled with something more than anger. Betrayal. Desperation.
And then... the last thing I heard was her voice, low and trembling:
"It's all your fault, Lisa."
Everything around me went silent. My breath caught in my throat. My name. She said that name again.
I fainted, my heart aching with a pain I couldn't explain.
Then came the dream.
It was hazy, like fog wrapped around my mind. I saw a girl—she had light bown hair, the same shade as mine. But I couldn't see her face. No matter how hard I tried, it was like her identity was hidden from me, just out of reach.
She was crying.
Someone—no, multiple people—were hitting her. Bullying her. Hurting her.
I couldn't move. I could only watch.
There were two others in the room. Their faces were blurred, like smudges on glass, but I could make out just enough. One was a guy with messy brown hair. The other, a girl with short blonde hair that stopped at her shoulders. Both stood by, watching—silent, unmoving. Were they scared? Or were they part of it?
The girl screamed then—so loud, so broken it made my chest hurt.
"I hope you die, Lisa!"
I jolted awake, breath caught in my throat.
Tia was standing in front of me, her long red hair cascading down her back, wearing that familiar pink dress. Her wide eyes filled with worry.
"Lia?" she said softly.
But I couldn't answer. I was too shaken, too confused.
Why was I dreaming about this?
Why did these memories feel real?
And most of all… why was I here?
Nothing made sense. Not the girl with the brown eyes who hated me. Not the faceless bullies. Not the name Lisa—even though everyone here calls me Crystal.
Was that who I really was?
Who am I?
And what exactly did I do?
Tia reached out, gently touching my arm. "You're shaking…"
I looked down. She was right. My hands trembled like leaves caught in a storm. My skin felt cold, too tight for my bones.
"I saw something," I whispered, barely able to hear my own voice. "Someone. Me, maybe. I don't know."
Tia's brows furrowed. "Another nightmare?"
I nodded, but it didn't feel like just a dream. It felt like remembering.
"But it wasn't like the others," I said slowly. "It felt… closer. Sharper. Like I was watching something I wasn't supposed to see."
Tia hesitated. Then, in a voice as soft as falling ash, she asked, "Was the name Lisa in it again?"
I blinked. "You've heard that name before?"
She bit her lip. "You've said it in your sleep. A lot."
A chill crawled up my spine. My thoughts scattered like broken glass.
Lisa. That girl. That scream. That pain.
And me—Crystal, not Lisa—but what if that wasn't true?
I stood, wavering slightly as the dizziness passed. "I need to find out who I am, Tia. The truth. All of it."
Tia looked scared. "What if you don't like the truth?"
I stared at my reflection in the cracked mirror across the room. My face looked like mine. And yet… it didn't.
"Then at least I'll finally know what I'm running from."
Tia was silent for a long moment. Then she walked over to the window, pulling back the curtain just enough to peer outside.
"They're watching you," she said quietly. "They have been since you got here."
I turned toward her, heart thudding. "Who?"
She didn't answer at first.
Instead, she reached into the drawer of the old nightstand and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Faded, creased, like it had been handled too many times.
She held it out to me. "I wasn't supposed to keep this."
I unfolded it slowly.
It was a photo. Blurry. Black and white. Four kids standing in a hallway lined with lockers. Three of them were facing the camera. One had her back turned. My back.
But I knew that dress. That hair. That posture.
Me.
Or… Lisa.
Scrawled in red ink on the back were just two words:
"Subject: Reassigned."
"What is this?" I breathed.
Tia looked at me, something dark flickering in her eyes. "I think it's a piece of the truth you're looking for."
Suddenly, the room felt smaller. The walls closer. The air heavier.
Because if this was real, if I really was someone else, then the dreams weren't dreams at all.
They were warnings.
And whatever I was running from—
Was getting closer. Then we heard it.
A sharp chime—mechanical, cold, final.
A voice followed, flat and emotionless, echoing through the air like it came from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"Lia Jack, Rosa… have all been eliminated from the Game."
My stomach dropped.
I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until it came out in a shaky gasp.
Eliminated.
Not left. Not quit.
Eliminated.
I looked at Tia, but her expression was unreadable now—frozen, like she'd been expecting it.
"Three people," I whispered. "Gone. Just like that."
Tia nodded slowly. "The Game is accelerating. They're not waiting anymore."
A low, creeping dread began to slither through me. "You knew this would happen?"
"No," she said. "But I knew it was only a matter of time."
My mind was racing. Lia. That was the name the girl screamed in my dream. Was it connected? Or was it just coincidence?
No. I didn't believe in coincidences anymore.
Especially not in a place like this.
"How long do we have?" I asked.
Tia's lips parted like she was about to say something, but then—
Another chime.
"Final Phase Initiated. Remaining Subjects: Five."
Five. Just five.
And I was one of them.
Tia met my eyes. "If you want to survive, you need to us your power. My hand clenched around the photo.
"My power?" I asked, looking down at my hand.
For a moment, there was nothing—just the faint tremble of my fingers and the racing of my heart.
Then—
A flicker.
Like static dancing across my skin.
And suddenly, I knew.
Not in words or memories, but in truths. Brutal. Final.
Lia was a civilian.
Rosa and Jack were Mafias.
Jack killed Lia.
Rosa killed no one.
I staggered back, clutching my chest as the knowledge crashed into me like a wave—cold, sharp, unstoppable.
"That's what I can do," I whispered. "I can see… what happened. The truth."
Tia's eyes widened. "Your power's awakening. That's why the dreams felt real. They were real."
I looked back at the photo, now burning in my palm like it was alive.
"Lia didn't scream at me because she hated me," I murmured. "She was trying to warn me. And now she's—"
"Eliminated," Tia finished softly. "Because she saw too much."
I looked up at her, the pieces shifting—clicking into place in ways that made my stomach twist.
"Jack," I said. "He's still out there."
Tia nodded grimly. "And you just exposed him."
Another chime echoed in the room, softer this time—like a breath before a scream.
Next Round Begins Now.
A countdown began on the wall—glowing red numbers burning into the silence.
00:59:59.
One hour until the next move.
I stared down at my hand again, the aftershock of truth still tingling in my bones.
My name might be Crystal now. Or Lisa.
But whoever I was…
I wasn't helpless.
Not anymore.
Then, all of a sudden, I felt a hand on my back.
I turned quickly.
Tia stood there, her eyes calm, almost too calm.
"Goodnight," she whispered.
Before I could speak, a heavy dizziness swept over me—like the floor tilted beneath my feet. My vision blurred. My limbs went weak.
I looked down.
The baby—
Gone.
My arms were empty.
Panic surged, but my body wouldn't move. Wouldn't respond.
Then I heard it.
A voice. Not Tia's.
Cold. Satisfied.
"Finally… I got the baby."
And then—
Blackness.
Like falling into a well with no bottom, no light, no sound.
The last thing I felt before everything went dark was the echo of betrayal burning in my chest.
I woke up slowly, my head pounding like I'd been underwater too long.
But something felt… wrong.
I was lying on soft grass, surrounded by open night. Above me, the sky stretched wide and endless, scattered with stars that shimmered like broken glass.
A gentle breeze brushed against my skin.
I looked down—
I was wearing a prom dress.
Deep blue. Satin. Elegant. It clung to me like it had been made just for this moment.
I sat up quickly, heart racing. Confusion clawed at my mind.
Where was I?
Then, a voice broke the silence.
"Finally, you're awake, Lia."
I froze.
Lia.
Not Crystal.
I turned toward the voice.
And what I saw stopped my breath cold.
A girl stood a few feet away, staring at me with a strange mix of sadness and knowing.
I recognized her instantly.
Same eyes. Same face.
It was me