I didn't move.
I couldn't.
She was there.
Standing in the same place… near the window.
Just like before.
But this time…
She wasn't alone.
Someone was standing next to her.
At first, I thought it was just another student.
A tall figure. Still. Quiet.
But something felt… wrong.
People were walking past them.
Talking. Laughing.
No one stopped.
No one reacted.
It was like—
They weren't there.
My throat went dry.
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
They were still there.
She was looking at me.
But the one beside her…
Wasn't moving.
Not even a little.
No breathing. No shifting weight. Nothing.
Just standing.
Like a shadow that forgot how to disappear.
My chest tightened.
"Don't look at it for too long."
Her voice.
Soft.
But clear.
I froze.
She hadn't moved her lips.
But I heard her.
Right next to me.
I turned sharply.
She was still across the hallway.
Near the window.
But her voice had been…
Here.
My heart started racing.
"What… is that?" I whispered.
Her eyes flickered slightly.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
"You can see him," she said.
This time, her lips moved.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like every word mattered.
I nodded without realizing.
She looked down for a second.
Then back at me.
And for the first time—
I saw something in her eyes.
Not calm.
Not control.
Fear.
"You weren't supposed to," she said quietly.
A sudden chill ran through my body.
"What do you mean?"
No answer.
Instead, she took a small step back.
The figure beside her didn't react.
Didn't turn.
Didn't breathe.
But something about it felt aware.
Like it knew I was looking.
And it didn't like it.
My hands started shaking.
"What is he?" I asked.
Her gaze shifted… slowly… toward the thing standing next to her.
And for a split second—
I saw its face.
Or something close to it.
It wasn't clear.
It wasn't human.
It was like… pieces of a face.
Misplaced.
Eyes that didn't align.
A mouth that wasn't fully there.
Like someone tried to draw a person…
And gave up halfway.
I staggered back.
My vision blurred.
"Don't look at him!" she snapped suddenly.
Too late.
The moment I looked away—
The pressure hit.
Hard.
Like something grabbed my head from the inside.
My ears rang.
A sharp, piercing sound.
I dropped to my knees.
The hallway noise disappeared.
Everything faded.
Except one thing.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Coming closer.
My breathing broke.
No.
No no no—
I didn't want to look.
I couldn't look.
But something forced me.
Slowly…
My head lifted.
And he was closer.
Much closer.
No one else reacted.
No one else saw.
He stood right in front of me now.
Too tall.
Too wrong.
His face—
No.
Not a face.
A space where a face should be.
Moving.
Shifting.
Trying to become something.
My heart felt like it would explode.
Then—
A whisper.
Right next to my ear.
Not her voice.
Not human.
"You remember too much."
Everything went black.
When I opened my eyes—
I was outside.
Sitting on the cold ground.
My back against the school wall.
The sky above me looked normal.
Too normal.
My hands were trembling uncontrollably.
I grabbed my phone.
2:03 PM.
My stomach dropped.
Another gap.
Bigger this time.
Much bigger.
I didn't remember leaving the hallway.
I didn't remember anything after that whisper.
Nothing.
My breathing became uneven.
"No…" I whispered.
This was getting worse.
Faster.
More aggressive.
Like something was reacting to me.
Punishing me.
For seeing.
For knowing.
My fingers moved on their own.
I pulled out the notebook.
Opened it.
The page was already filled.
Not slowly this time.
Not forming.
Already there.
Dark.
Heavy.
The words looked different.
Sharper.
Angrier.
"You looked at him."
My heart pounded.
"I didn't mean to," I whispered.
Silence.
Then—
More words.
"Now he can see you too."
My entire body went cold.
I looked up slowly.
Across the school yard.
Students walking.
Talking.
Living.
And then—
Near the gate—
I saw it again.
Standing.
Watching.
Not moving.
Waiting.