After that day, I couldn't stop noticing things.
Not because I wanted to.
Because my mind wouldn't let me ignore them anymore.
In class, I noticed how the teacher always paused before saying my name.
Like he was unsure.
Like I was easy to forget.
I noticed how my friend always sat beside me,
but never really looked at me when talking.
Small things.
Things I never cared about before.
My phone stayed silent the whole morning.
That made me uneasy.
By afternoon, I finally got a message.
Unknown Number:
You are improving.
I stared at the screen.
Improving at what? I typed.
The reply came quickly.
Unknown Number:
At seeing.
I sighed.
"So now I'm training my eyes?"
No reply.
During break, I went to the water cooler.
While waiting, I heard someone behind me.
"Hey."
I turned.
It was the same boy.
The one from before.
He looked normal.
Relaxed.
For a second, I wondered if I should say something.
Before I could decide, he spoke again.
"Do you ever feel like…"
he paused, searching for words,
"like you missed something important?"
My heart skipped.
I smiled, trying to sound casual.
"All the time."
He laughed softly.
"Yeah. Same."
Then someone called him from behind.
He waved and walked away.
That was it.
No secrets.
No confession.
But my chest felt tight.
Because now I knew one thing:
I wasn't the only one who felt lost.
Later that evening, my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
You did well today.
I typed:
Why are you helping me?
There was a long pause.
Long enough to make me think there would be no reply.
Then a message came.
Unknown Number:
Because someone once helped me.
I sat quietly.
That was the first time he said something about himself.
Before I could ask more, another message appeared.
Unknown Number:
Tomorrow will be harder.
I locked my phone.
Harder how?
I didn't know.
But I had a feeling—
The game was slowly changing.