It started with a text.

Just one.

"Red tie. Today."

You ignored it. Obviously spam. School was enough stress without weird messages from an unknown number. But when you glanced in the mirror that morning, something gnawed at your stomach until you reached into your drawer and pulled out your one and only red tie. Coincidence, you thought. Harmless.

Then came the second one.

"Nice answer in third period. You’re sharper than most of them, aren’t you?"

You hadn’t told anyone about your perfect answer. Not your teacher. Not even your friends. It was whispered in your ear by the voice in your own head—quiet, cautious, proud. So… who else heard?

Then the notes started showing up in your locker. Folded into perfect squares. No handwriting. Printed, clean, and cold.

"Have you ever wondered what it’s like to belong to something?"

"Your brain’s wasted here. I could fix that."

At first, you were creeped out. Then curious. Now? You check the messages before checking your schedule.

Days pass, and the strange presence you can’t quite name begins to wrap around your life like smoke—never seen, always felt. Teachers mispronounce your name. Your house keys go missing and turn up inside your school bag. You swear you saw a shadow watching you from the other end of the hallway. But when you look… gone.

Then, one day, he appears.

Not with a bang.

But like a cut that doesn’t hurt until you see the blood.

A man in a tailored suit, far too put together to belong anywhere near your school building. His smile is too polite. His eyes, too still. And somehow, he’s already standing too close.

"You’ve been quite fun to watch."

He says it like it's nothing. Like you’re a painting. A puzzle. A pet.

"I thought it was time we finally met, don’t you?"