Eli quickly gathered his test paper, heart racing with urgency, and briskly walked up to the front of the class. His fingers brushed against the desk as he handed the paper to Ms. Lena, his mind already racing ahead. With a quick nod from the teacher, he jogged back to his seat, his thoughts not on the test he just finished, but on the situation that gripped him in a way nothing else had before.
I have to get Leo's help, Eli thought, clenching his fists under the desk. But I can't expose the time loop. I need to be careful….
He glanced sideways at Leo, who was talking and laughing with Mia. There was something easy about their conversation—like it was the most normal day in the world. Eli waited for a few moments, letting their conversation wind down, while his mind ran through all the possible ways he could frame his request.
Finally, when the timing felt right, he turned to them with a practiced, but slightly strained smile. "Guys, can you help me with something?" His voice was calm, but inside, his chest was tight, anxious that they might see through him.
Leo, always quick to sense curiosity in the air, raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. "What's up?" he asked, intrigued. Beside him, Mia smiled warmly, as though offering silent encouragement, her eyes bright with interest. Across the desk, Alex, who had been silently observing, also turned his head, his expression now one of curiosity.
Relief washed over Eli, though he worked hard to hide the tension coiling inside him. Okay, so far so good, he thought, pulling together the half-truths he had carefully crafted. His smile this time was a mix—half genuine, half forced, as he tried to maintain his calm facade. "So, this online friend of mine," Eli began, leaning forward slightly as though drawing them into a secret, "gave me a long riddle. Or maybe 'puzzle' is the better term."
He could see Leo's curiosity deepen, and Mia's eyes twinkled with amusement. Eli let out a nervous laugh, feeling the intensity of their attention.
"A riddle?" Mia's voice was playful, clearly intrigued by the sudden turn of conversation. "Wait—are we talking about one of those recently famous scenario-solving games?" she asked, leaning forward with an excited grin.
Before Eli could respond, Lisa, who was sitting just in front of Eli, turned around with her usual boundless energy. "Scenario games? Oh, I'm joining too!" she exclaimed, eyes bright with excitement as if she had been waiting for something fun all day.
Leo smirked, leaning back in his chair. "So, is this why you didn't sleep well last night?" His voice was teasing, but there was an edge of concern in his eyes.
Eli smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to keep his story believable. "Yeah, kind of. I got really into it," he admitted with a chuckle. "It was harder than I thought, and I didn't even realize the time passing until it was already morning."
Leo's smirk softened, and Mia gave him a knowing smile. "Sounds like you," she teased lightly, but there was an encouraging note in her voice. She was ready to jump in, Eli could tell.
"So, what's the scenario?" Alex, who had been listening quietly up to now, chimed in, his interest piqued.
Eli took a deep breath, steadying himself. This was the moment. He couldn't afford to slip up now. Every detail had to sound right, had to feel like a game, but not give too much away. He locked eyes with Leo for just a second longer than necessary, hoping he wouldn't pick up on the tension still gnawing at him from the inside.
"Well, the scenario is…," Eli began, his voice steady but his heart pounding, "…imagine you're stuck in a loop. Like, time is repeating itself. Every day, everything happens the same way, except one thing keeps changing: people. One by one, they start to disappear, and only you remember them. No one else notices they're gone, and everything around you just… keeps going."
He paused, watching the curiosity spark in their eyes.
"But here's the kicker," he continued, leaning forward, lowering his voice as though sharing a deep secret. "You have to figure out what's causing the loop and why people are disappearing before it's too late. The friend who gave me the riddle said that every person's disappearance is connected to me. But didn't tell me how."
He watched as they processed his words. Leo's brow furrowed as he thought it over, his mind already working through the possibilities. Mia had a spark of excitement in her eyes, always loving a good mystery, while Alex nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the details. Lisa, on the other hand, was practically bouncing with energy, eager to dive into the challenge.
"That sounds intense," Leo finally said, scratching his chin. "So, it's like... you're the only one aware of it, but you're the key to stopping it?"
"Exactly," Eli said, his voice steady, but inside he felt a mix of relief and tension. I can't mess this up, he reminded himself. I need them to help me figure this out, without exposing the truth.
Mia leaned closer. "That's actually a pretty cool concept," she said, her excitement bubbling to the surface. "I mean, it sounds like the stakes are high. So, what do you need our help with?"
Eli's heart beat faster, but this time, with a spark of hope. Maybe—just maybe—they could help him figure it out before the loop reset again. He wasn't alone in this, not anymore.
Eli said with a strained smile but one could feel the hopefulness in his voice, "The thing is, I'm actually stuck. You see, I figured out that only people that I know of will disappear, but I don't know how the mechanism works or anything else for that matter."
"Oh, only people you know disappear?" Alex asked with interest. His eyes narrowed in thought.
"Yeah, but that's all I know," Eli said nervously. Every second, it was starting to become harder to maintain his face. He was fearing the moment Leo started believing him, but so far, everything was going fine, so he had to calm down Eli sighed and looked at his friends with expectations.
A few seconds later, Leo finally said something, relieving Eli, who was getting extremely stressed from the wait. "How does the loop work exactly? I mean, is there any specific time it starts and ends?"
Eli was a bit surprised; because of his tense situation, he didn't consider something so simple. The first thing he should have thought of was how the loop works. Only then should he have thought of ending it.
Eli searched his memory for a few seconds and replied, "The loop starts at nine AM every time. Aside from that, if you try to go outside, the loop restarts and.." Eli hesitated for a moment, wondering if they would figure it out if he said it but ultimately decided to take the risk ":...if you tell anyone about the loop and they believe you, the loop will restart. As for how it ends, I'm not sure, but the loop started the first time when the clock reached six o'clock and the bell rang in the evening."
As Eli finished speaking, Alex's quiet voice broke through the silence of the classroom. He leaned back in his chair, observing Eli with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Weird way to put it. It feels more real, doesn't it?"
His comment was casual, but it carried a weight that made Eli's heart race. Alex, with his observant nature, often noticed the little things that others overlooked. The way he phrased his thoughts revealed a deeper understanding of Eli's subtle cues, causing a flicker of unease within him.
Eli quickly gathered himself. The longer waits before answering the more suspicious it will look. He said with an awkward laugh," Well, that's how that friend wrote it. He is weirdly descriptive."
Alex didn't say anything, just nodding, showing his understanding. But he looked more focused now.
From behind Leo, Mia commented, "This person you mention is really, really interesting. Does he make these games often?" Mia looked really interested in this friend. She probably wants to play some scenario game with him.
Leo rolled his eyes if it was someone else they might have misunderstood things but Leo was too used to Mia's behavior to care he knew she wouldn't betray him still he didn't like the fact that his girlfriend will spend time with someone else that's why before Eli could come up with an answer Leo started speaking.
"That's interesting so let's assume it really ends at six in the evening. So if you tell people about the loop, they disappear? Isn't this game needlessly hard? Anyway is there really any reason to tell them in the first place? Just solve it on your own." Leo said, making Mia pout, they clearly understood what he was doing, but she also looked at him with amusement.
"That…" Eli paused, organizing his words to not reveal anything. "You see, according to that friend, you need other people's help to completely end the loop. But he didn't tell what help."
Mia said with doubt, trying to look even more interested to make Leo react "But you can't tell this to anyone, right?"
Eli shook his head, completely ignoring their interaction, and said, " Not necessarily. I can indeed tell as long as they don't realize they are really stuck In a time loop."
Everyone anyone else could say anything else. Alex looked at Eli with narrowed eyes and said, "Like you are doing now?"
Eli looked Alex in the eye, desperately trying to keep the dread and surprise at bay, but ultimately failed as his eyes widened. He just stared at Alex, waiting for the loop to restart, but He quickly realized that, unlike last time, the loop wasn't restarting. Things weren't out of hand yet, Eli thought and replied, pretending as if he only realized that now." Y-yeah, you can do it that way too, man. Why didn't I think of this before?" Eli hit himself in the back of the head to make it more believable.
Alex leaned back, not saying anything, but his eyes were still narrowed. Eli looked away from Alex fearing he might reveal something if he looked too much
Leo said with amusement while ignoring Mia's antics to make her annoyed "That's very like you."
Eli stopped himself from glaring at Leo and saying he was doing just that right now. He was starting to get angry at Leo for not taking him seriously but he stopped himself. He didn't want the restart to end so soon. Besides to them, it's just a game, and Eli would like to keep it like that, not that he has any choice in the matter. Their reaction was understandable.
Just as Lisa was about to say something. The classroom door opened and Miss Yuri walked in.
They all quickly stood up and said quickly, "Good morning, miss!"
Eli also greeted along with everyone else. He was getting tired of doing this unnecessary thing again and again.
He then sat down and looked at his friends.
Leo quickly replied, "Let's continue our talk at the lunch." Then he focused on the class. Ever diligent as always.
Miss Yuri, standing at the front of the classroom, began asking for everyone's progress on their assignments, her voice cutting through the low murmurs. One by one, the students gave their updates, the classroom atmosphere a mixture of boredom and impatience as the minutes ticked by.
"Eli," she called.
Eli stood up from his desk and gave a summary of his progress, the words flowing from his mouth out of habit rather than conscious thought. It wasn't the first time he'd done this. He'd been here before—twice, to be exact.
As he finished speaking and turned to sit down, the sharp sound of a bird hitting the classroom window echoed through the room. The entire class jolted, eyes widening in shock at the sudden noise.
Except for Eli.
He didn't even flinch. He had seen this exact scene play out before—the bird, the window, the startled faces of his classmates. This wasn't new. It was all part of the loop.
The room slowly returned to its usual hum as the students recovered from the brief moment of surprise, but Eli remained quiet, staring out the window where the bird had fallen. The weight of the knowledge that he was reliving the same day, again and again, hung heavy on him.
Suddenly, from in front of Leo, Alex turned towards Eli and said, "You don't look surprised."
Eli swallowed hard. Was Alex observing me? That's right, I was supposed to be surprised too, but why was Alex observing me? Does he suspect something? Not wanting to make Alex more suspicious
He replied to Alex with a confused expression. At least he tried to look confused. "What do you mean? Of course, I'm surprised too."
Alex narrowed his eyes but ultimately didn't say anything and turned his head to the front. Behind him, Leo was looking at Alex with confusion.
Eli sighed in relief as Alex turned his back, but the brief comfort was quickly overtaken by a flood of questions. If Alex really suspects me, then why hasn't the loop restarted yet? The thought lingered, gnawing at him. He glanced over at Mia, seated near the window, deep in conversation with a friend. His mind immediately jumped to the possibility—Is there something special about her? Or... His eyes briefly flickered with suspicion, narrowing in contemplation.
But as soon as the thought arose, Eli shook his head. No, what am I thinking? He rubbed his temples, frustrated with himself. It's not Mia. If anything, Alex is just suspicious of me—not the loop itself. The logic made sense, though Eli couldn't help but feel uneasy. A normal person wouldn't even consider the idea of a time loop to be real, right? But then again, Alex isn't exactly normal...
Eli shook his head again, trying to silence the escalating paranoia. Since the loop hasn't restarted, it means Alex doesn't suspect anything about the loop. He let out another quiet sigh, though the relief that came with that realization was fleeting. Things are just getting more complicated, he thought bitterly.
Alex is probably suspicious because of how I acted at the beginning of this loop, Eli reasoned. When the loop had first reset, his initial confusion and paranoia must have made him stand out more than he realized. I need to act normal—next loop, he resolved, mentally planning his next steps.
Then, Eli froze, the thought sending a chill down his spine. Why am I even considering the next loop? His pulse quickened as panic crept back in. I need to end this now. Finish this in this loop, or else...
His gaze shifted slowly to his friends, scattered throughout the room, laughing, chatting, completely unaware of the dark truth hanging over them. One of them will disappear.
The weight of that thought made his stomach lurch. Each time the loop reset, it came with a cost—a terrible, permanent cost. Eli clenched his fists beneath his desk, the urgency building within him once more.
Eli shook his head again, frustrated with the gnawing uncertainty in his mind. If, and only if, I still can't solve this by the end of the loop, he thought, I'll ask Alex what exactly he's suspicious about. The idea of his friend figuring out the loop was unsettling, but Eli was running out of options.
Just as his thoughts started to spiral, Miss Yuri's voice rang out, cutting through the fog of his internal debate. "Eli, come to the front," she called, her tone neutral yet commanding, pulling him back into the present.
Eli pushed himself up from his desk, dragging his feet toward the front of the classroom. His mind was scattered, caught between the ever-tightening noose of the time loop and the project he was supposed to present. He tried to appear distracted, thinking maybe, just maybe, she'd take pity on him and let him off easy like last time.
But Miss Yuri was sharper than that. "You really thought you could get away with acting distracted?" she said, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "I'm not giving you a free pass just because you're doubling up on assignments for yourself."
Eli inwardly grumbled, biting back the frustration welling up inside him. He couldn't afford to stir up any more trouble, so he obediently launched into an explanation of his physics project, his words automatic and rehearsed. Even as he spoke, a familiar anxiety clawed at him. The nagging thought was always there: If the loop restarts...
Not good, Eli scolded himself, feeling the nausea rise again. I'm thinking like this again. The thought of another person disappearing, of someone he cared about vanishing without a trace, churned in his gut. Every failure, every reset, came with an unbearable price. Yet he couldn't let anyone know—not fully—about the weight of the choices he was carrying. Not unless he wanted the loop to start again. And it always took someone.
Finally, Miss Yuri gave him a small nod. "You can go back to your seat now." Her words, though casual, seemed to echo louder than they should have.
With a long, silent exhale, Eli returned to his seat, slumping slightly as he sat down. The sound of rain tapping against the window pulled his gaze outside. He stared at the downpour for a moment, his mind wandering, but not in the peaceful way one might expect. Instead, his thoughts were a frantic storm of ideas and half-baked theories, all racing toward dead ends.
He wracked his brain for a solution, but with so little information to work with, everything felt either flawed or purely speculative. He couldn't figure out a clear path forward, and each new loop seemed to twist the puzzle further, keeping the answers just out of reach. It was maddening.
The more time passed, the more desperation started to seep into his thinking, though deep down, Eli already knew the truth. I won't solve this in this loop, he thought, the heavy realization sinking in. Or the next one, for that matter.
The hopelessness clung to him, but he couldn't stop. He had to keep searching, had to keep trying—because the cost of failure was just too high.
The morning classes passed in a blur of lectures and note-taking. The familiar rhythm of their schedule set in: each class lasted an hour, with five-minute breaks between them. By the time the bell rang for lunch at 2:25, they'd already completed five classes.
The lunch break, a welcome 35 minutes of freedom, offered some time to relax before the day resumed. History, the final class, would take them to 4 PM, but today had a slight change—no clubs after school, thanks to it being Wednesday.
As Miss Lena exited the classroom, Eli felt a surge of urgency. He stood up, determination guiding his steps as he made his way to the bathroom, hoping to find any sign of the mysterious girl who had thrown his world into chaos. He approached the mirror, recalling the moment from the first loop where everything felt different, almost surreal.
He stood in front of the glass, staring at his reflection, searching for answers that never came. Time seemed to stretch as he lingered there, anticipation heavy in the air. But after a few minutes of nothing happening and the growing discomfort of curious glances from others, he finally sighed in resignation. With a mix of disappointment and confusion, he turned away, the fleeting hope of a clue slipping through his fingers like water.
As he walked out of the washroom, he realized someone was standing just outside, looking at him intently.
It was Alex.