"Who are you?"
"What?" I exclaimed in disbelief.
"Who are you?" He asked again, his voice louder this time.
"Does he not recognize me?" I thought to myself while I examined him. He was tied up, pale, and almost starved.
"This must be the reason why Alex doesn't recognize me. I will lose my mind if I were in his shoes—if I'm not losing it already," I thought as I freed him from the shackles he was tied with.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
He stepped back like he was afraid.
"I'm okay, thanks," he said.
"You know me, right?" I asked, pointing to myself. He shook his head negatively and walked away.
I walked behind him, but as soon as I touched him, I found myself back on my bed in my room.
"Are you not going to get ready for school?" Zion asked as he walked out of the room.
I paused and thought about all that had been happening. It felt like another trance, but more real than a mere trance. After what seemed like a long time, I stood up and went to get ready for school.
At school, lessons went by in a blur, and classes were over before I knew it. I was walking down the hallway, filled with students, when I heard someone call my name—it was Zion.
"You won't believe what just happened, Luna!" he cried, putting his hands on his knees like someone exhausted from running.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Alex's father came today and said Alex has been found! He was found this morning, lying at their porch," he said, and my heart skipped a beat.
"How did he get there? And why was he found as soon as I untied him in that strange place? I didn't take him home. I didn't even know where he lived. Why is all this happening?" I thought to myself.
"Is everything okay?" Zion asked, staring at me curiously.
"I'm fine," I said. "Where is he now?" I asked.
"I don't know, but I hope he is okay," Zion replied.
"Or should we visit him at home? I don't know his house, though," Zion added as he held my hands and kept chattering while we walked home.
Alex came the following school day, and students murmured to themselves about the missing boy being back.
I was in class talking to Sarah during break when Zion walked in.
"Lunaaa!" he said, sounding almost on the verge of tears.
"What happened?" I asked, curious.
He paused for a while, then kicked the chair.
"Nothing," he said, turning away as if to leave, but I held his hands back.
"Zion, what really happened?" I asked in an authoritative tone.
"Urghhh… this is embarrassing," Zion muttered, looking at the ground.
"What's embarrassing enough to say, nobody will laugh at you" Sarah said.
"You can say that when it isn't your best friend snubbing you in public," he replied, still looking down.
"I greeted Alex in the hallway, and he snubbed me. I followed him to class and confronted him, and he asked if we knew each other," he said, looking at me.
"We've been bros since day one since he came here, and it's not like he lost his memory or something—he still interacts with everyone else in class except me, even people he normally doesn't talk to," he added sadly and sighed.
"I'm hungry. Do you want to eat?" he asked, as if he hadn't been grieving over his friend a while ago.
"I'm not hungry. You can ask Sarah," I said.
"Do you want to eat now?" he asked Sarah.
"Sure," she said, and they left.
I waited a few minutes, then stood up to go to Zion's class to confirm what he said by myself. I grabbed some books along the way and made a quick stop at my locker. When I opened it, I saw something I had forgotten—the golden envelope with red marks, which came at me like a lost puppy. Suddenly, it opened by itself, revealing a letter:
Dear Luna,
You might have noticed some strange things happening around you. We have noticed too, and are certain that you will be a great fit for 'The Mystical School of Supernaturals.' We would like you to be a student so you can learn more about who you are and the powers you possess.
The Dean, MSS
There were also some words on the back, with the instruction: "Chant slowly." I didn't know what it meant, but I followed, and the greatest thing happened—unlike anything I had ever experienced. Every student in the school paused. Every activity stopped—students about to fall, someone holding a book—all as if time itself paused, while I did not.
Then, a very tall woman appeared, wearing a long black overall and a strange-looking hat, like the witches' hats one sees on Halloween. She had unusually large boots that almost made my heart leap out of my chest. As she came closer to meet me, I could have sworn my feet were glued to the ground. Her eyes were all black, without any hint of white, staring at me deeply. My mind felt blank. Everywhere felt like danger.
It looked like danger.
—It had to be danger