The next day, the other boy didn't come to school.
People talked about it.
"He got in trouble."
"Maybe he was suspended."
"Maybe he just skipped."
No one really knew.
But I did.
At least… partly.
My phone buzzed during first period.
Unknown Number:
Now you understand why I warned you.
I didn't hesitate this time.
You're not watching me, I typed.
You're protecting yourself.
There was a long pause.
Longer than ever before.
Then a message came.
Unknown Number:
Yes.
My heart beat faster.
From what?
The reply came slowly, like each word mattered.
Unknown Number:
From becoming visible.
I leaned back in my chair.
You were like him.
Another pause.
Then:
Unknown Number:
I was him.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
You refused.
Unknown Number:
And I paid for it.
I swallowed.
What happened?
This time, the answer came in one sentence.
Unknown Number:
They never stopped watching me after that.
I stared at the screen.
Who are "they"?
The typing dots appeared.
Stopped.
Appeared again.
Then:
Unknown Number:
People who confuse attention with control.
I closed my eyes.
So he wasn't a villain.
He wasn't a mastermind.
He was someone who learned too early.
Why me? I typed.
The reply came almost instantly.
Unknown Number:
Because you were invisible enough to choose.
I sat there quietly.
For the first time, everything made sense.
The tests.
The silence.
The warnings.
He wasn't pushing me forward.
He was trying to stop me from disappearing into expectation.
One last message came.
Unknown Number:
What happens next is up to you.
I looked around the classroom.
At the teacher.
At the students.
At myself.
Invisible.
Visible.
For the first time—
I knew the difference.