Chapter 3

Jeane noticed the uneasiness on my face.

She had always been able to read me. Maybe it was because we'd known each other for so long, or maybe she was simply the most perceptive person I'd ever met.

Without saying another word, she reached for my hand and gently squeezed it.

"It's okay, Sam," she whispered. "If you can't tell me anything right now, that's okay. I'll wait—as long as it takes."

She smiled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Just promise me one thing."

I looked at her.

"Don't disappear again."

She let out a small, nervous chuckle.

My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes.

For the first time since waking up, I laughed.

A real laugh.

The kind that comes after carrying too much pain for too long.

In that single moment, the fear, the confusion, and the anxiety faded into the background. They weren't gone—but they no longer felt unbearable.

The door clicked open.

A nurse walked in, checked the monitor, and quietly replaced the IV drip.

Neither of us spoke.

When she finished, Jeane stood up.

"I'll be right outside," she said with a gentle smile.

I nodded.

As the room fell silent once more, exhaustion slowly pulled me back into sleep.

What... am I looking at?

Why am I seeing... myself?

Is this a dream?

Or is this real?

Before I could make sense of it—

CRASH!

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room.

Instinctively, I threw my hands over my head.

A shadow climbed through the broken window.

I couldn't make out the person's face. The darkness swallowed every feature, leaving behind nothing but a silhouette.

The figure slowly straightened and smirked.

"It's been a long time..."

A pause.

"...Teacher."

The other me staggered back, trembling violently.

"What have you done?" they shouted. "Do you even understand what you've done?"

The stranger let out a quiet laugh.

"I haven't done anything wrong," they said, their smile growing even more unsettling. "I've only returned everything... to the way it was."

My eyes flew open.

I gasped for air, each breath sharper than the last. My chest tightened as if someone were squeezing the life out of me.

It was only a dream.

Wasn't it?

Still trembling, I reached for the glass of water beside my bed.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

The glass slipped from my fingers.

THUD!

It shattered across the hospital floor.

The sound brought a nurse rushing into the room.

"Sam!"

Her face turned pale as she saw me.

She immediately called for the doctor.

I couldn't stop moving. My body shook uncontrollably as I struggled to breathe.

Words poured from my mouth, but they came out as broken whispers—so jumbled that not even I understood what I was saying.

The nurse grabbed my shoulders, trying to steady me.

"It's okay. You're safe. Just breathe."

Moments later, the doctor hurried in.

I felt the sharp sting of a needle in my arm.

The room began to blur.

The voices around me grew distant.

And once again...

Darkness claimed me.

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