There was nothing special about the day, which was probably why it felt so normal.
It started the same way most days did. The alarm went off too early, like always, and for a few seconds I just lay there staring at the ceiling, trying to decide if getting up was really necessary. It never felt necessary, but somehow I always did it anyway.
The room was quiet except for the faint sound of movement somewhere else in the house. Probably my parents already awake. They had that strange ability to function in the morning without looking half-dead.
I reached over and turned off the alarm, then sat up slowly. Nothing exciting planned. No test I was worried about. No event worth thinking about. Just another school day.
After getting dressed, I went downstairs.
"Morning," my mom said from the kitchen.
"Morning."
Breakfast was already on the table. It usually was. My dad was sitting with his phone, scrolling through something, occasionally making those small expressions people make when reading news they pretend not to care about.
"You're quiet," he said without looking up.
"I just woke up."
"That's not an excuse," my mom replied.
I shrugged and started eating.
The conversation stayed light and mostly pointless. Normal things. Reminders about homework. A comment about the weather. Nothing that felt important enough to remember later.
After a few minutes, I grabbed my bag.
"Have a good day," my mom said.
"Yeah."
"Try to look more enthusiastic," my dad added.
"No promises."
And with that, I left.
The walk to school was exactly the same as always. Same streets. Same houses. Same people doing predictable morning things. Cars passing, dogs barking, someone rushing somewhere like they were already late.
There's something oddly comforting about routine when you don't really think about it. Everything just exists the way you expect it to.
By the time I reached the school gate, a few familiar faces were already there.
Tyler was leaning against the wall like he usually did, looking half-awake.
"You look terrible," he said as I approached.
"Good morning to you too."
"I'm serious. Did you even sleep?"
"I slept."
"Doesn't look like it."
"You don't look great either."
"That's different. I never look great."
I laughed slightly, and we headed inside.
Classes passed in the usual slow way. Teachers talking, students pretending to listen, clocks moving at a speed that felt intentionally cruel. Nothing unusual happened, which was honestly the best type of school day.
At break, we sat near the same spot we always used.
"What are you doing this afternoon?" Tyler asked.
"Nothing."
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing planned."
He nodded like that was the most reasonable answer.
"I might just go home and do absolutely nothing too," he said.
"Exciting."
"Very."
The bell eventually pulled us back to class.
By the end of the day, my brain felt tired in the dull, familiar way that had nothing to do with actual effort. Just hours of existing in a chair.
Walking home, everything felt normal. No strange thoughts. No sense of anything unusual waiting. Just the usual feeling of finally being done with school.
When I reached the house, I dropped my bag near the stairs.
"I'm home," I called out.
No immediate response.
Which wasn't strange.
The afternoon unfolded quietly.
I made something to eat, then sat at the table staring at my phone longer than I probably should have. Messages, random videos, nothing interesting enough to hold attention but somehow enough to pass time.
Eventually, I moved to my room.
Homework came first, mostly because getting it out of the way always felt better than letting it hang over the evening. It wasn't difficult, just repetitive.
Time passed without much thought.
At some point, I noticed the house felt unusually quiet.
Not silent.
Just… still.
I paused for a moment, listening.
Nothing.
Then I went back to what I was doing.
There wasn't really any reason to think about it.
Later, I went downstairs again.
Everything looked the same.
Nothing out of place.
Nothing strange.
Just the ordinary feeling of an ordinary day slowly moving toward evening.
And if there was anything different about that afternoon…
It was too small to notice.