MIRA'S POV:
It's strange, being here.
Not because of the shadows, the faceless monsters, or the floating desks. I've seen all of it before. Not exactly… but close enough that my chest tightens when I look around.
I remember the corridors. The walls. The doors that shouldn't exist. The classrooms where laughter and screams were indistinguishable.
But I don't remember how it felt to be a child in this place. Confused. Afraid. Trapped. Alone.
Now, seeing Sarah, Lara, Felix, and Kai, I realize I have a responsibility. Not just to survive… but to guide them. To protect them. Even if the school resents me for it.
I close my eyes briefly, focusing. I reach out—not physically, but mentally—into the energy of the building. It reacts. Subtly. Shadows hesitate. The faceless creature pauses mid-step.
I open my eyes. "Stay close," I whisper.
Sarah glances at me, worried. "Mira… how do you know this?"
I hesitate. "…Because I remember. Or at least… fragments of it. Memories that weren't mine, maybe. Or maybe they were. It's hard to tell here."
Felix groans. "Great. So we have a psychic with selective amnesia. Perfect."
Lara snickers. "Selective amnesia? Sounds like my last math test."
I almost laugh. Almost. But there's no time.
The walls creak. A distant ticking fills the room again. The shadows outside ripple. They're testing me, probing my control.
I take a deep breath and focus harder. Every memory I have of this place, every hint of its architecture, every hidden corner I ever glimpsed as a child… I send it outward. To guide them. To mislead the monsters. To protect my friends.
The faceless creature reappears in the doorway. Its limbs bend in impossible angles. It tilts its head at me.
"You know me," it whispers—my voice.
I flinch. "…Yes. But I know you too."
The shadows shiver. The creature hesitates, as if it's realizing I'm not just another human to fear. I am part of it. And yet, I am separate.
Sarah looks at me. "Mira… what do we do?"
"…We fight," I say. My hands tremble slightly, but my voice is firm. "We distract it. Lead it where we want it. Use the hallways. Use the doors. And… I think I can trap it temporarily—but it will take all of us working together."
Felix groans again. "All of us? You do realize we're all screaming babies, right?"
Lara grins. "Speak for yourself, Felix. I'm terrifyingly competent in horror comedy."
I almost smile. Almost.
Then I glance at the hallway. The shadows are moving again. Slowly. Purposefully. Waiting. Watching.
I know this is only the beginning.
The real fight is coming.
And if we fail… I know exactly what the school will do.