As I walked down the hallway, a nagging sensation crept up my spine. The school was eerily silent, a suffocating quiet that only made the strange sense of unease grow stronger with each step. The building had always felt cold, its walls painted in that lifeless pale yellow, the fluorescent lights flickering faintly as if struggling to stay alive. But today, it felt different—like something was watching, waiting.

I slowed my pace, glancing at the corner near the janitor's usual station. He was always there around this time, perched on a rickety old chair, sipping his lukewarm coffee with that bored, distant expression. But today, the chair was empty. I paused, frowning. The sight of that empty corner unsettled me more than I wanted to admit. He never left his post, not during school hours, at least. I forced myself to shrug it off, telling myself it didn't matter. Maybe he had something else to do. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The rain had started to fall harder outside, drumming steadily against the tall windows. A dark, stormy sky loomed above, casting long shadows through the glass. I didn't feel like braving the downpour yet, so I lingered by the school gate, leaning against the cold metal bars. With nothing else to do, I pulled out my phone to kill some time, hoping it would take my mind off the creeping unease.

But when I checked the screen, my stomach dropped. 5:59 PM.

School had ended over an hour ago. Where had the time gone? I couldn't have been asleep this whole time—could I? I didn't remember dozing off. A wave of confusion hit me, and I blinked, trying to shake it away. Just as I was about to make sense of it, the school's clock hit 6:00 PM.

The bell rang loudly, the sound reverberating through the empty halls. My head began to spin, a sharp pain shooting through my skull. The hallway wavered, like a mirage in the heat. I tried to steady myself against the gate, but my legs gave out beneath me. My vision blurred. The last thing I heard before everything went black was the rain pounding harder against the windows, a deafening roar that swallowed everything.

---"Eli! Hey, Eli, wake up. It's about to start!"

Leo's voice cut through the darkness like a lifeline, pulling me out of the void. I blinked rapidly, my vision slowly adjusting to the light. I was back in the classroom. I shot upright in my seat, my heart racing as I scanned the room in confusion. The familiar rows of desks, the chalkboard covered in notes from earlier—everything was exactly as it had been that morning. But how?

The school clock rang again. This time, it showed 9:00 AM. My mind was reeling. Just a moment ago, I was standing by the gate, ready to leave. So how could it be morning again?

Leo sat beside me, leaning back casually in his chair. His carefree grin hadn't changed at all. He looked exactly the same—golden-brown hair tousled like he'd just run a hand through it, his eyes always sparkling with that confident, almost playful glint. He was the kind of guy who could charm his way out of any situation. But as I stared at him, the confusion in my mind only deepened. What was happening?

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, nudging me gently with his elbow. "Did you have a bad dream or something?"

His voice was lighthearted, the same easygoing tone he always had, but it felt distant to me. I felt trapped, like I was suffocating under the weight of something I couldn't quite understand. I ran a hand through my black hair, feeling how damp it was with sweat. My rare green eyes darted around the room again, trying to find something—anything—that could explain what was going on.

"Yeah..." I muttered, still not fully convinced. "Just a bad dream, I guess."

Leo raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Stressing over a dream? What, did the teacher give you detention in it or something?" He flashed me a grin, as if trying to pull me out of my daze.

I tried to smile back, but it came out weak. I could see the worry start to creep into his expression, the playful edge of his grin fading. "You sure you're okay?" he asked, his voice dropping slightly.

Before I could answer, the teacher's stern voice interrupted us. "Leo! Eli! Stop talking!"

"Yes, sir," we both chimed reflexively. I could hear the sharp tone in the teacher's voice, and neither of us wanted to test his patience. He had a way of glaring at you that made your skin crawl, and I didn't feel like facing that today.

I leaned back in my seat, exhaling slowly. It had to be a dream, I told myself. Some weird, vivid dream. That's all. The more I tried to convince myself, the more my heart pounded in my chest. But as the seconds ticked by, I tried to settle into the familiar routine. Just a dream. Nothing else.

As the teacher called for attendance, I stood up when he reached my name. "Here," I mumbled, my voice quieter than usual. I caught Leo glancing at me out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him. I wasn't in the mood for more questions.

I scanned the classroom, looking for something—anything—that could make me feel grounded again. But as my eyes landed on the empty space where Rose's desk should've been, my stomach twisted again. Her desk was gone. Not just empty, but completely gone, like it had never been there in the first place.

Rose wasn't here either.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She had always been here, sitting just two rows down from me. Rose, with her bright smile and quick wit, always making sarcastic remarks under her breath that Mia would laugh at. But now she was just... gone.

The teacher didn't call her name for attendance. I frowned, thinking he must know something I didn't. Maybe Rose was sick. Maybe the desk had been taken for repairs. But why didn't he mention it?

Before I could dwell on it, the teacher's voice broke through my thoughts. "There will be a pop quiz today."

A collective groan erupted from the class, the usual chorus of complaints filling the air. But my heart dropped for a different reason. A pop quiz—just like in my dream.

My hands grew clammy, and I felt the panic creeping back in. Was this really just a dream?

Alex, seated in front of Leo, turned around and eyed me. His sharp, intense gaze bore into me. Alex always had that look about him, the look of someone who was constantly sizing up the world around him, ready to fight if necessary. He had a boxer's build—lean, muscular, always on edge, like he was ready to throw a punch at any moment. "You're acting weird today," he said bluntly, his voice low.

I flinched. "N-no, I'm fine," I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady.

Alex didn't look convinced, but before he could say anything else, the teacher called my name again. "Eli!"

I jumped in my seat, my heart skipping a beat. "Yes, sir?"

"You're talking too much today. Go switch seats with Kyle."

Kyle, a scrawny kid who was notorious for trying to cheat during tests, let out an excited "Yahoo!" as I stood to switch seats with him. He practically bounced over to my spot, clearly pleased with his new vantage point.

But the teacher's icy gaze stopped him in his tracks. "Kyle, see me after class," he said, his voice low and menacing.

Kyle's face fell instantly, his happiness draining away as he slumped into my old seat. I could practically see him going through all five stages of grief as he realized his excitement had been short-lived. I sighed, moving quietly to his seat without further complaint.

As I settled into Kyle's seat, Roland, who sat in front of me, turned around and passed me the quiz sheet. My hands trembled slightly as I took it, bracing myself. I quickly glanced at the questions, and to my relief, they weren't the same as the ones from my dream. These questions were different—harder, sure—but different.

For the first time since waking up, I let out a shaky breath, feeling a small sense of relief. Maybe it really was just a bad dream after all.

I focused on the quiz, forcing myself to push the creeping anxiety out of my mind. The room was quiet, save for the occasional scratch of pencils against paper and the sound of the rain outside. Time crawled by as I worked through the questions, my brain struggling to keep up with the difficult material. I didn't know half the answers, but at that moment, I was just thankful the questions were different.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the teacher called time, and we handed in our papers. As I made my way back to my new seat, I noticed Kyle humming a happy tune to himself, oblivious to the impending doom of his meeting with the teacher. My irritation flared up. He had probably cheated, and here I was, likely failing. "Hey," I said, giving him a nudge. "Didn't the teacher tell you to see him after class?"

Kyle's face fell again, his grin disappearing in an instant. "Man, why'd you have to remind me?" he grumbled, dragging hisfeet as he shuffled toward the front of the classroom, muttering under his breath. I watched him go, a small smirk playing on my lips despite everything. At least I wasn't the only one having a bad day.

As I moved back to my seat, though, a thought struck me, cutting through the brief moment of amusement. Rose. She still hadn't shown up. Her desk was missing, and no one, not even the teacher, seemed to notice or care.

I sat down, my legs feeling heavier than before, and turned to Leo, who was leaning back in his chair, looking out the window with his usual laid-back demeanor. His golden-brown hair caught the light from the rain-soaked window, but I couldn't focus on that. There was something I needed to know."Hey, Leo," I started, keeping my voice low. "What happened to Rose? Why isn't her desk here?"

Leo turned to me, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Rose? Who's that?"

I stared at him, my heart skipping a beat. "What do you mean, who? Rose—Mia's best friend. You know, she's always sitting a few rows over."

Leo's frown deepened, and he looked genuinely puzzled. "Mia doesn't have any friend named Rose," he said slowly, as if trying to make sure I understood him.

That creeping unease I had been trying to keep buried suddenly surged to the surface. My hands trembled again, and I could feel my chest tightening, my breath coming in shallow bursts. "You're messing with me, right?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Of course, Mia has a friend named Rose. They're always together."

Leo's eyes softened, concern replacing the confusion. He reached out and gave my shoulder a light squeeze. "Eli, I'm serious. I don't know anyone named Rose.

"For a moment, the world seemed to tilt around me. I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself. This couldn't be happening. I looked around the classroom, but everything seemed normal. Normal, except for the missing desk and the gnawing feeling in my gut telling me something was very, very wrong.

Before Leo could say anything else, I shot up from my seat, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. My heart was pounding, the panic now bubbling over into full-blown terror. I couldn't take it anymore—I needed answers.

Without another word, I darted out of the classroom, ignoring Leo's calls behind me. The hallways felt colder now, the shadows longer. The rain outside beat against the windows, louder and more insistent, as if the storm itself was trying to swallow me whole.

I spotted Kyle at the end of the hall, his back to me as he walked toward the teacher's office, and I ran to catch up with him, my footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

"Kyle!" I called out, my voice cracking from the strain. He stopped and turned around, an annoyed expression on his face. "What now, Eli? I'm already in trouble, can't you leave me alone?"

Ignoring his tone, I grabbed him by the shoulder, harder than I meant to, but I couldn't help it. My voice was shaky, my breath ragged. "Let me see your quiz questions," I demanded.

Kyle blinked, looking bewildered. "Why? It's just an exam, dude. Chill out."

"Please," I croaked, my grip tightening on his shoulder. My chest felt like it was being crushed, the fear and confusion suffocating me. "Just... just give it to me."

Kyle, clearly startled by my desperation, reluctantly fumbled through his bag and pulled out the quiz sheet. He shoved it into my hands, looking at me like I'd lost my mind. Maybe I had.

My hands trembled as I unfolded the paper, my eyes scanning the questions. My heart stopped. The questions—they were the same. Exactly the same as the ones in my dream. Every word, every number, every detail. It was all there.

I felt the world around me collapsing, my mind spinning out of control. This wasn't just a bad dream. It wasn't something I could brush off anymore.

I was trapped in something I couldn't understand. And worst of all, I had no idea how to escape it.