I woke up, drenched in sweat.
The morning sunlight burned through my eyelids. I blinked slowly. The room was quiet. Too quiet.
I tried to remember how I got here.
Nothing.
Not a single memory.
I sat up, heart hammering. My backpack was on the floor, open. Papers scattered. The notebook. Closed.
I opened it. The last page I remembered… blank.
Nothing new.
I shook my head. Maybe I was dreaming. Maybe I had slept too long.
I stepped out of my room.
The hallway looked… wrong.
Pictures on the wall were slightly off. Framed awards tilted. A shadow where there shouldn't be one.
I called out. "Mom?"
No answer.
I walked to the kitchen. The coffee machine was on. Half a cup of coffee, cold.
I didn't remember making it.
I didn't remember leaving it.
My stomach sank.
I grabbed my phone. The screen said 10:37 AM.
I blinked.
Wait.
I was supposed to be at school.
I ran.
When I arrived, the gate was empty. Students walking in, chatting. But they didn't look at me.
I ran to my classroom.
The door was locked.
I knocked. Hard.
Nothing.
Then I saw the time on the classroom clock.
9:35 AM.
I froze.
I had lost an entire hour.
No memory. No warning. Nothing.
I tried to remember what happened.
Every detail was blank.
Then, I felt it. A tingle in my hand.
The notebook.
I opened it.
A single sentence had appeared:
"You're late. Don't forget again."
I didn't write it. I couldn't have.
I looked around. No one was near. No one had been.
My chest tightened.
I was losing control.
Every step I took felt heavy. The world was normal. The people around me… normal.
But I wasn't.
I sank to the floor, hands on my head.
"Stop it… stop it…" I whispered.
The air felt thick. The walls seemed closer.
And then I heard it.
A laugh. Soft. Mocking.
I looked up. No one.
But I felt it. Watching.
I grabbed the notebook again. Flipped to the last page.
This time, more words had appeared:
"You're remembering. But not enough."
My breathing became shallow.
Not enough?
I didn't understand.
I couldn't understand.
And that's when I realized…
I was alone.
Completely alone.
Even in a crowded hallway, surrounded by people… I was invisible.
And the notebook… the notebook was the only proof I existed.
But for how long?