I woke up on the floor.
My body felt heavy, like I had been dragged through something and dropped there.
For a few seconds, I just lay there staring at the ceiling, trying to remember how I even got here.
My head was pounding.
The first thought that came to my mind was simple.
It was just a nightmare.
I sat up slowly and grabbed my phone, my fingers still shaking as I opened the group chat.
There was nothing.
No messages.
No calls.
Relief washed over me.
I checked the time.
11:16 PM.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
See. Just a dream.
Then a notification appeared.
Lisa: did any of you have a strange dream?
My chest tightened.
Before I could reply, Ben typed.
Ben: yeah… I dreamed we were trapped in some terrifying world
My heart skipped.
Michael sent another message almost immediately.
Michael: same here ،we were together
Michael: and there were monsters ،one of them looked like Lisa's brother
I stared at the screen, my fingers hovering uselessly.
Alex: it wasn't just me?
For a few seconds, no one replied.
Then Lisa typed again.
Lisa: so we all had the same dream?
Ben: that's impossible
Michael: there's no way that was real
Michael: shared dreams don't work like that
I wanted to believe him.
I really did.
But my eyes drifted down to my chest.
The crystal was glowing.
Not bright.
Not violently.
Just enough to make my stomach drop.
Alex: no… Ben might be right
Alex: the crystal is lighting up
Alex: the same colors as before
Blue.
Dark and cold.
Then slowly, it shifted.
Purple.
Then it stopped.
The chat went silent.
No one knew what to say anymore.
Was it a dream?
Or something else?
Alex: listen ،go back to sleep
we'll talk about this tomorrow ، I'm exhausted and I can't think straight
One by one, they agreed.
Lisa: okay… tomorrow
Ben: fine
Michael: get some rest
The chat went quiet.
I didn't sleep well.
Morning came too fast.
I got ready for school, my thoughts stuck on last night.
Before leaving, I stopped in my room and looked at the crystal on my desk.
I left it there.
I didn't want it near me today.
Classes dragged on.
Teachers talked.
Notes were written.
But none of it stayed in my head.
All I could think about was the library.
The creature.
The way the crystal reacted.
By lunch, we all looked exhausted.
We sat together in the cafeteria, barely touching our food.
I finally spoke.
Alex: it looks like we really were in the third world
Alex: whether we like it or not
Michael frowned.
Michael: I still think it was a shared hallucination
Michael: stress or something
Ben shook his head.
Ben: we need proof
Ben: something solid
Michael sighed.
Michael: we'll see in the next few days
Michael: if it was just a dream… it'll stop
Ben looked at me suddenly.
Ben: by the way, Alex
Ben: why did you bring the crystal with you?
I froze.
Alex: what?
Ben: it's in your hand
My breath caught.
I slowly looked down,The crystal was there.
Resting in my palm.
My heart slammed so hard it hurt.
Alex: I didn't bring it, I left it at home,I swear
For a moment, everything around me felt unreal.
Michael noticed my expression and put a hand on my shoulder.
Michael: hey… relax
Michael: maybe you brought it without realizing
I nodded, even though I knew that wasn't true.
I never forget something like that.
We tried to ignore it after that.
The rest of the day passed normally.
Too normally.
And somehow…
that scared me more than anything else.
On my way home from school, I noticed something strange.
Animals kept staring at me.
A cat froze in the middle of the sidewalk, its body stiff, eyes wide like it had seen a predator.
A dog across the street started whining and pulled away from its owner when I passed by.
Their eyes weren't curious.
They were afraid.
Like my presence alone was enough to scare them.
I tried to ignore it and kept walking, but the feeling followed me all the way home.
When I opened the door, the house felt wrong.
Too quiet.
I saw my mother sitting in the living room, her shoulders shaking.
She was crying, holding a photo tightly in her hands.
A photo of her and my dad.
I stopped breathing for a moment.
I walked toward her slowly.
And then i said:
mom… why are you crying?
She looked up at me, her eyes red and swollen.
Mom: sit down, Alex
My stomach twisted.
I sat across from her, my hands resting on my knees, suddenly feeling very small.
Mom: you know your father is on a business trip, right?
Alex: yeah… I know
Her lips trembled.
Mom: there was an accident today
My heart dropped so hard it felt like it physically hurt.
Alex: is he okay?
My voice came out weak.
Scared.
She broke.
Mom: your father… Jack… died today
I felt a sharp pain in my chest, like something cracked inside me.
My mother started crying harder, covering her face with her hands.
Mom: the company said it was a sudden heart attack while he was working
Her words echoed in my head, but they didn't make sense.
Died.
Heart attack.
Today.
I stared at her, waiting for something inside me to explode.
But nothing happened.
No tears.
No scream.
No anger.
Just… emptiness.
I felt like a mannequin sitting on the couch.
Still.
Hollow.
My mom cried beside me, and I wanted to comfort her.
I knew I should.
But my body wouldn't move.
My chest felt heavy, but not in a way I understood.
Like the pain was there, but locked behind something.
I looked down at my hands.
They were shaking now.
And for the first time since I got home…
I felt afraid.