CHAPTER SIX

Sleep didn’t come easily.

It hovered at the edges of my vision, taunting me, not allowing me to rest. Whenever I closed my eyes, there was no escape from the scene – the cracks in the floor, the silence of the room, everyone staring at me as if I shouldn’t be there.

I rolled onto my other side, tucking the blanket further against myself.

"This is pointless…" I murmured. Yet it didn’t seem pointless.

It seemed… wrong. The room was too silent.

There was an intensity about the silence that made me think that I wasn’t alone, despite being alone.

I blinked my eyes open, The ceiling stared back at me. Unmoving, Unchanging. Normal.

"You're overthinking," I muttered.

I rolled back onto my side, Lila’s bed was empty. I frowned a little. "She said she was tired…"

The door was shut, lights were off.

Where was she? Unease washed over me. I sat up straight, listening, no sounds of movement, no voices, just Silence. I got out of bed, my bare feet meeting the cold floor. I shivered but kept going.

"Lila?" I whispered. No reply.

I stood and made my way to the door. There was something strange, I couldn't pinpoint it. I went to grab the handle—When I stopped. The mirror. It was right behind me.

For a moment, I swore that I saw something, I stiffened. Slowly, I turned, Nothing. Just me looking so pale, tired and confused.

"You are seriously losing your mind," I told myself. But when I turned around—There it was. Words, etched onto the mirror. My heart rate accelerated. I approached slowly, as if the words would disappear if I was too fast. But they didn't, they were still there. Fresh. Like someone had just written them.

"YOU DON'T BELONG HERE."

My throat tightened. An icy feeling traveled through my arms.

"…This isn't funny." My voice cracked. I glanced around quickly.

"Lila?"

The rhythm of my heart increased rapidly. I extended my hand, my fingers touching the mirror. It was cold.

And then— A new line appeared, As if it were being written by an invisible presence. I stumbled backwards.

"They know what you are."

“What am I?” I asked.

My voice sounded like it was coming from someone else’s body. “I don’t even know what I am…”

The air changed its composition, there was no other explanation. As if everything became different, yet nothing moved. And then— I felt that strange pressure once more. As if something tried to break free. I instinctively grabbed my arm.

“Stop…” My fingers dug into my skin, my breathing became irregular. And then—A noise muffled behind me. I turned around. But the door— It was ajar. Although I remember locking it. My heart accelerated faster.

“This is completely weird,” I said.

I started walking towards the open door, instinctually trying to move away.

But somehow, another force—More powerful than the previous one, Pulled me forward.

I opened the door. The dark and silent hallway lay in front of me, the lamps flickered.

“Lila?” I called.

No reply.

But then—Footsteps. Far away, slow. draggily. I swallowed.

“…Nope.” I need to go back, lock myself up. Act like none of this ever happened, that’d be clever.

That’d be sensible. Yet—I stepped out. Because something in me wanted to know more.

The air was cold outside, like it’s breathing. The footsteps echoed, I followed them, One by one. The deeper I went, the more silent it got. Until, I understood something, there were no students anywhere.

“…Where’s everybody?”

My voice sounded too loud. The footsteps stopped. So did I. I heard my heartbeat.

“Hello?” I tried.

Then—Someone spoke.

His voice, soft and familiar.

“Nira…”

I couldn’t think, questions werent coming. I could only move, chasing his voice.

“Nira…”

It sounded real.

My heart clenched when I turned a corner—The hall ended.

There was—A door. An old door. Not like the others, dark brown, with scratches. As if it didn’t fit in this place.

Someone spoke again.“Come…”

My hand reached out, for the doorknob. I paused.

Something about it seemed off.

“It sounds like you…I just need to know…”

Then my hand touched the doorknob. I was grabbed hard. I yelped, turning around, Lila. She held me by my wrist, too hard. Her expression—Wasn’t right. She spoke through gritted teeth.

“Don’t.”