-WAKE UP-
My eyes slowly opened, squinting against the morning light peeking through my curtains. I slowly pushed myself off the bed and sat on it, as I was heavily disoriented.
"Yesterday"
My memories began flooding in, but they were jumbled and confused; it felt like I was putting a puzzle together in my mind, trying to separate the fake from the old.
I went to school yesterday and participated in a competition, taking the third spot. To celebrate, my dad took us all out to a fancy restaurant somewhere in town. That was the fake memory I had. It felt so real, though, as I seemed to know about these events in great detail, even remembering so many of the emotions I felt. This phenomenon was powerful.
I got out of bed and approached the window, looking at the world before me. It was quiet and still, and the sky was coloured in shades of pink and orange. A sense of calm washed over me as I stood here, which was exactly what I needed. I had to approach this situation carefully and pay attention to the events and details surrounding it. If I received a new memory, it probably meant everyone else did too, so they would have no recollection of the day before.
My destination was the school, which was my best chance of encountering that person since that is where the monster supposedly spawns. Time to prepare.
—
As I came out of my room, I was greeted by the sound of crying. The source was obvious and clear; the question, however, was what he was complaining about this time. Despite being 6 years old, Omar was such a crybaby. My mom has told me that I was never like that when I was his age.
I came downstairs to see my mom cooking up something in the kitchen while Omar was seated at the dining table, wailing continuously.
"Good morning, mom."
"Good morning, Elisa. Did you sleep well?"
She said this as she turned towards me, holding a bowl, into which she began to whisk something.
"I did, but all that does not matter because his crying ruined my mood."
"Sorry about that. I told him he could not take brownies to school, and he burst into tears."
So he was crying over something so mundane. A true nuisance of a brother.
"Anyways, you are dressed up nicely."
"Thanks, I do try to look my best."
Today's outfit was a black and white-coloured cropped shirt jacket with a black top on the inside and a pair of deep blue jeans. Honestly, it was nothing too crazy, but I liked what I wore, and it seems my mom did as well. I walked over to the counter where the loaf of bread was and took out three slices, which were going to be my breakfast.
"That restaurant we went to yesterday was really nice, wasn't it?"
"It was average at best."
My mom responded, as she was still focused on what she was whisking.
"Average? Come on, mom, you know that is a lie. You don't just want to admit it."
She set the bowl down and turned to me with her arms crossed. I took a large bite of my bread as she did this.
"I am not lying, okay? I am just giving my only valid criticism. Plus, remember we were served cold chilli?"
"Chilli con carne tastes amazing, hot or cold, so I did not really care about that."
I was very passionate when it came to chilli, and she knew this. In a sign of defeat, she turned back to her bowl.
"I guess you prefer their food more than my cooking then; it truly is sad."
"Wait, let us not get ahead of ourselves."
I immediately said this to her.
"Mum, your food is the best there is; there is no competition."
I saw her smile as I said this.
"Good"
And with that, she went back to whisking what was in the bowl. For some reason, I felt I had lost the argument in some bullshit way. Anyway, I confirmed that everyone else was given new memories and had no recollections of the day before. Their memories were literally being overwritten.
Meanwhile, my brother had stopped crying and sat down to watch some television. I guess giving him no attention during his tantrums was the right call.
—
The world appeared to be going on as usual as I walked to school. People rushed by, focused on their own lives, oblivious to the strange events that had transpired. I was truly the only one who remembered what had happened. I felt isolated and alone as a result of the thought.
As I arrived, I looked around the school compound. Everything was fully restored and resembled nothing like the remains it was reduced to in the previous loop.
"Finally, you are here."
Chills went up my spine as I heard his voice, and dozens of emotions began swelling from within. I threw my arms around him and tightly embraced him. He appeared startled and bewildered by my unexpected display of affection.
"Are you okay?"
He asked with concern etched on his face.
"I am just happy."
I replied, my voice choked with emotion. I looked up into his eyes for a moment, feeling grateful for his presence. After a while, I pulled away, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment. He turned away from me and walked away, seemingly processing what just happened, but within seconds he was back.
"Where is Braina?"
"She is at dance class. I thought she told you she was having a quick meeting immediately after they arrived at school"
"Shit, sorry about that. It just slipped my mind."
I said as I scratched the top of my head innocently, but I was already aware of this since I remembered the fake memory of that conversation. The important thing was that they were both back from the dead and alive.
A loop that restores everything back to normal but gives everyone new memories each time it does so. Interesting.
My present objective had not changed, and it was to find that person. On the way here, I was thinking about how I should do that. I could have just waited for their arrival when the monsters appeared and approached, but I was not keen on waiting, which is why my tactic was simple. I might come off as a crazy person, but it might just work—that is, on the off chance that the person is on the school grounds right now.
"Come on,"
I said as I took Louis by the hand and dragged him across the courtyard to the statue in the middle.
"What is going on, Elisa? Where are we here?"
"I just need you to listen to what I have to say."
He was confused, and understandably so. I stood on the raised platform that the statue was on and, with a deep breath, gave it my all.
"Everyone, I need you to listen to me!"
I managed to attract the attention of multiple people at once, who were startled, confused, and curious about why I was shouting.
"There was an attack yesterday that killed dozens of people right here in this school, but for some reason, you people do not have any memories of these events."
There was a small but growing crowd that I addressed. I could hear their murmurings grow louder as more people joined. What surprised me was the fact that people could actually care enough to come and listen to what I had to say.
"That attack has not been the first one, though, as I have witnessed three so far. I know what I am saying might be insane; in fact, it is, but we are trapped in a loop."
"A loop? That kind of dumb prank is this."
"I have watched videos of people saying outlandish things just to see the reactions of others online."
"It is not funny, just annoying."
"Are you going to say that we are all in a dream next?"
Multiple people from the crowd responded in various ways: some made remarks, others laughed, and some simply lost interest and left. This response was very much what I expected, but I needed a way to spread what was happening one way or another.
"Mrs. Nunez, get down from there now."
The voice came from a woman who walked through the crowd, which had made way for her. Mrs Graham.
"What is the meaning of all this?"
"Just raising awareness about something important."
She stared at me before turning to address the crowd.
"Alright everyone, go to your classes right now."
Her commanding attitude and tone caused the crowd to disperse slowly. There wasn't much I could do about that.
Noon
I needed to warn them about it.
"Before you all go, please leave the campus before noon."
"Elisa, stop this nonsense at once."
Mrs. Grtaham said, but I was not bothered enough to listen.
"Please, I am serious. If you do not leave school before noon, you could all die."
I felt a hand grab mine and pull me away—it was Louis. He just looked ahead without turning back to me. Meanwhile, I could feel Mrs. Graham's gaze burn into the back of my head. I had definitely made her furious today.
We climbed up the stairs, and he led me into an empty classroom. He let go and stared at me with a hint of frustration and confusion.
"What the hell was that?"
"Listen, everything I said there was true."
"What? You have been acting weirdly throughout this morning. First was that hug out of nowhere, and now this."
Even though I explained it to him, there was no way he could understand. There was no one who could.
"Loops? Some kind of attack? Were they right about this being some kind of stunt like the ones pulled online?"
"No, it is not. I am being completely serious here."
"You sound insane."
"I know, but there is a simple way to prove what I am saying is true. We just have to wait till noon, then you will all see."
"An attack?"
"Exactly, not just any attack, though, a monster attack."
"Monsters?"
He began laughing loudly, and I could tell he was waiting for me to reveal that it was all an elaborate prank or something that I was pulling on everyone—maybe he even thought Briana was involved as well. However, his laughter faded away once he realised how serious I was.
"You cannot be serious."
I took his hand and held it tightly.
"Even though you all do see the proof at noon, your memories will reset in the next loop, so you will have no recollection of all this."
He looked at me with extremely high levels of confusion and perplexity.
"You are my best friend, and I need you now."
"So you retain your memories even though the cycle ends?"
A voice said, however, that this was not Louis'; it came from the newcomer who is now standing at the door.
"That is right."
I said as I and Louis stared at him. The longer I stared at him, the more I seemed to recognise him from somewhere. Was this a fake memory, or had I actually seen him before? I let go of Louis' hand and walked over to the stranger; that was when it clicked and I remembered.
"You are the one who called Mrs. Graham by her first name."
"What is going on, Elisa?"
Louis said as he tried to get an explanation that would satisfy his curiosity, but I paid no attention to him; instead, my entire focus was on the man right before me.
"That was from two cycles ago, so you really do remember."
He was able to remember the incident as well, which meant that he was the one I was looking for.
"I have been looking for you. I want to know what is going on here"
He remained silent as he thought deeply about something, and he then took a long sigh.
"Just to be sure, meet me at the boy's locker room at 8 a.m.; try not to be late."
A meeting at the boys' locker room by 8 a.m.? Did he want the loop to restart before we talked? Why was that?
"Why not just talk right now?"
As I said this, I watched as his right arm suddenly began glowing as some kind of white energy emitted from it. It seemed to morph and shift around this hand as it clumped together to form a blade. It looked amazing, and I was speechless.
"I will explain why I am doing this later."
I wanted to ask so many things, but I was unable to say a word.
"Oh, and Elisa, you can call me Reuben."
Before I could even blink, he drove the blade right through my chest, and time felt like it had stopped for a while. It was painless and quick, as everything went black.