Chapter 6: School Days
Tuesday, 14th November 2023
5:30 a.m
The sound of broken glass echoed across Gray's mind for what felt like an eternity.
The eardrum shattering noise reflected and shot within every fragment of glass, creating an hellish echo composed by an ethereal and horrifying cacophony of sharp sounds.
Horrified, Gray jolted awake, his eyes bloodshot and his hair unkempt.
He stayed on the side of his bed without blinking, as if an unseen enemy was about to strike.
After a minute, the young man stood up from his bed.
"Ah!" Gray suddenly felt a sharp pain on the sole of his foot. He checked it and found a shard of glass sticking inside it, a drop of blood slowly flowing down his foot.
What?
He carefully removed it with great pain and reached for the slippers hidden under his bed, wanting to avoid getting stabbed once more.
Once he found them, he finally stood up and turned the light on, seeing the cause of his problems.
It was a shattered mirror.
What the fuck? Gray shivered.
Is my house haunted? Was I awake when I heard that sound? Or did my half-asleep mind hallucinate the scary part of it?
Why—Just why do I keep on having these damned dreams…?
What did that statue mean? And why was I hidden inside it?
I have to tell Casanova as soon as possible. Otherwise, I might lose my sanity
I should have also asked for his number… What if something happens and I'm unable to contact him?
Gray took the clothes on his floor and threw them on the side of his room. He then took a broom and started swiping the floor.
…
It's still early, I'll make some breakfast for me and Kathy.
He quickly went inside the bathroom and started to brush his teeth, taking five minutes.
Satisfied, Gray went to the kitchen and started preparing some toasts filled with scrambled eggs and some bacon for his sister.
He poured some orange juice for Kathy, while he poured himself some milk to pair with cookies.
After some minutes, his sister finally woke up.
He called her and mentioned about their breakfast being ready. She was surprised. Gray was never someone who enjoyed waking up early.
In fact, he was a person who preferred sleep over anything.
Kathy ate as soon as she could and rated his breakfast a nine out of ten.
Seeing the pleasurable result, Gray smiled and kept on eating his breakfast, staying on social media in the meantime.
He then went to his room as soon as he was done and began searching for clothes in his wardrobe.
He choose to wear a white t-shirt and a grey hoodie matched with sweatpants of the same color. He didn't forget about wearing a coat, this time. And since he still had some time before going out for school, he decided to revise a bit of physics.
As he was revising, he was strangely unable of remembering the contents of his book, as if he hadn't opened it for years.
He swiped the pages, but it was as if his brain had been trapped inside a maze filled with endless shadows that covered his memories under their shade.
Thinking that it was a one-time thing, he grabbed his biology book and experienced the same outcome.
After some moments, Gray's library became a mess as he trashed the books and notebooks, trying to find something that he remembered.
His confusion turned into worry, and his worry turned into fear.
Everything inside the books that wasn't general knowledge or something that had influenced him deeply, had been erased from his mind.
How is this possible? he started to tremble with fear.
Kathy mentioned that she was going out, but he was too dazed even think of replying.
Gray immediately took his phone and searched for answers on the internet, writing down his symptoms with his shaky hands.
Upon further investigation, he read that his symptoms were temporary and possibly caused by stress and sleep issues.
Gray was very prone to them, especially now, considering all the bad dreams and experiences he was having.
Regardless, he still decided to tell Casanova about his symptoms regardless, not wanting to risk anything.
Once his anxiety subsided, he checked his watch and noticed that it was 7:30 am. He was unaware of just much time he had spent in 'reading' or rather, 'thrashing' the books.
Gray took his things and hastily stepped out.
…
While walking, he felt the same eerie sensation of having his soul inspected by an unknown creature. But with every time he turned around, nobody was there. This feeling kept on irritating him.
Ever since he had those bizarre dreams, he never had a moment of peace. Even his dear sleep was starting to turn him down.
These events made Gray question his own sanity.
"This situation is too serious, I have to find Casanova as soon as possible…" he bit his nails.
He started to walk as fast as he could, and after some minutes, he found Casanova. The man was still working with his subordinates.
Gray called him, mentioning that they had to talk once more.
Casanova frowned lightly.
Like the day before, he immediately told his subordinates to work without him, going down the roof once more.
As the two started walking, Gray began to ramble almost incoherently,
"I had a strange dream once more."
"I was inside a void filled with an overwhelming, infinite amount of darkness. I was somehow able to fly, so I traveled there for what felt like an eternity. I felt freedom, but I soon found myself to be lonely."
"I asked if someone was there, hidden in the shadows with me."
"And then, a voice heeded my call."
"So I started to seek it out. I soon found that the point of origin came from behind a place darker than the void itself."
"I used all my strength, and somehow, I was able to move that pulsing, amalgamation of shadows."
"As soon as they unraveled away from my sight, I saw a gigantic statue. It sported a crown on its head. His face was cracked, and an endless hole was inside it.
The bottomless void was calling me and slowly, I found myself be attracted by it. At first it was a gentle tug, but then it turned aggressive, calling me with a growing impatience."
The desire to seek the unknown—the desire to understand the impossible became too much for me, and so, I decided to look inside the hole. And there, I saw myself."
"We looked the same, but he had a strange expression etched upon his face. When I looked inside his eyes I felt a profound, incomprehensible sense of hate hidden within them."
Gray continued,
"I then heard a noise similar yet different to the shattering of glass. The noise kept on repeating and repeating, as if it was looped on multiple, damned speakers. And when I woke up, the mirror inside of my room was completely shattered."
"These days, I keep on feeling as if someone is watching me. But when I turn around, I don't see anyone behind me.
"And lastly, this morning when I woke up, I noticed that I couldn't remember anything that wasn't general knowledge, but that could probably be just from the stress of this situation… right?"
"I just…I just don't know what is happening to me…"
While he was hearing his story, Casanova wore a complicated expression.
The man stayed in silence for a long time before finally speaking.
"Are you busy in the evening, just as soon as you finish with school?"
"No, why is that important?" Gray replied, his voice etched with confusion.
The man continued, "As soon as you finish school, turn left and right with random patterns. Don't bother thinking too much about where you're going. However, I can make a promise to you. Gray, whenever you end up, you will find the answer."
What does that even mean?
"Alright..."
Casanova turned around and started walking away without saying anything else.
Hoping to be in time, Gray checked his watch and noticed that it was 8:25 am. He was late, so he started running.
While running, he remembered two important facts.
I forgot to tell him about the monolith and to ask for his number…!
…
After seeing his school's building, he noticed that the gates were locked.
Doing his best to be as sneaky as possible, Gray checked if there was someone walking around him.
Seeing that nobody was there, he climbed them.
Gray preferred doing that instead of ringing the doorbell because the school secretaries were going to mark him as late. And if his sister were to find that out, the consequences would be unimaginable.
As soon as he climbed the gates, he went up the emergency stairs. Gray wasn't afraid to be caught by a teacher since he was aware that nobody used those stairs. Except the people that smoked obviously.
Finally, he was inside the building.
He had to walk in the empty hallways for some time, because his class was far from the emergency stairs. But luckily, nobody caught him, and he was able reach his class without any issue.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in." a female voice responded, clearly annoyed.
Once Gray opened the door, over twenty-five students placed their piercing gates upon him.
"I can't get used to this…" he silently said.
Wanting to be polite, he decided to greet the teacher. "Good morning, mrs… Uh…mrs..." he stuttered, unable to remember her name.
"What's your reason for being late this time?" she inquired passive-aggressively.
Gray scratched his hair and started lying shamelessly.
"I was stuck inside the school bathroom. I ate chinese food last night."
The poor boy had to use some self-deprecation to improve his teacher's mood, so she would let him get off the hook. Their english teacher was known to be what could only be described as an asshole, and this was the only method he knew. She loved to annoy and bother students for the smallest things, finding a great pleasure in doing that.
Knowing his teacher's 'hobby', he formulated a lie that would make her feel good by seeing a student embarrass himself in front of her class.
A few students chuckled, embarrassing him even more.
"Montoya, I didn't ask you for such precise details." she said.
Her poker face could fool the other students, but it couldn't fool Gray, for he noticed the slight smirk she sported on her wrinkled face upon hearing his words.
His english teacher's face had a slight deformity; one side of her face was droopier than the other. That was why he could see the smile on her lips with great clarity.
Gray immediately formulated a theory.
Did she suffer a stroke? Maybe I'm wrong, but wasn't there also a syndrome that left one side of the face paralyzed? What was the name again…?"
Had his memory not been wiped out, he would've been able to know the syndrome he was thinking of.
She spoke once more, the side of her lips still smirking, "Sit down and stop interrupting the lesson."
After nodding, he walked towards an empty seat on the third row, close to one of his only friends.
Just as he sat down, he heard him chuckle. "Chinese food? Are you for real?"
The voice was from his best friend Rowan Vellore. Gray had known him since childhood, and he was the first friend he ever had.
Gray never was an extroverted person. He never liked talking to new people, choosing to instead immerse himself into novels or any form of entertainment.
His mother's death strengthened the "shell" he had, turning into a full blown fortress, causing him to avoid the little interactions he had.
Luckily, his friend helped Gray in dealing with her passing.
Rowan's yellow hair were buzzed, while his eyes were a light blue. His face was chiseled and that, plus his short hair made his facial features stand out even more, allowing him to be seen as handsome by his female peers.
Since Rowan was way better than Gray at talking and joking with people, he always included him in his conversations, freeing him from the fate of being considered as a social outcast by the whole class.
Gray never felt like going out, but when Rowan annoyed him enough, he didn't have the choice but hang out with him or with his group of friends.
He never considered Rowan's group of friends as his own, but he was still thankful they weren't against his presence when they were together.
His friend asked him of why he missed school the past day, but Gray dismissed his question, saying that was sick.
He wanted to tell him about his strange dreams, but when he remembered Casanova's warning and his strange object, he feared of what would happen if Casanova were to find out.
…
In the aftermath of two long, boring hours, the bell finally rang.
Gray stretched his back and since he had nothing better to do, he followed Rowan outdoors. Rowan met with his group of friends and began talking with them, leaving Gray to stand awkwardly while they joked and laughed together.
Rowan occasionally asked him questions, wanting to include his friend in their conversation. But even then, Gray didn't have much to say.
Before he noticed it, the bell rang once more, causing the students to go inside their classes.
…
After an hour, a different class started. When the door opened, Gray got called by the teacher. The man sported a 70-30 parted haircut and wore a plain brown coat matched by pants of the same color. He couldn't recognize nothing about him, however.
While most of his english teacher's information was missing, this one was a blank slate.
Is he a substitute teacher?
"What's going on?" Gray questioned the professor.
"You have to take your philosophy test, you were missing last week." the teacher replied.
He joined last week, and he already did a test? Why did nobody tell me that there was a new teacher?
The boy tried to think about the old philosophy teacher, but after seeing nothing coming up in his mind, he nodded and went towards the man, taking the paper he gave him.
Just as he sat on his seat, he looked at the first question.
1. Who was René Descartes? (there are many options)
A. A mathematician.
B. A musician.
C. A king.
D. A philosopher.
E. An homeless person.
I'm sure he was a philosopher, but I can't remember well if he was a mathematician.
I'll just choose both.
Gray chose the answers A and B, moving forwards with the test.
When was he born?
A. 25th December 0 d.c
B. 16th November 1551 d.c
C. 31st March 1596 d.c
D. 3rd February 1492 d.c
I can't remember it… I'll choose one at random.
He chose the 2nd answer and began to look at the other question.
Explain what Descartes had meant from his famous quote "Cogito ergo sum".
Gray thought for a moment and started writing, pleased to see that he could remember the most important points in the topic.
"Descartes' objective is finding the indubitable truth. So, like the famous quote by Socrates: "I know that I know nothing." He starts doubting everything that he can't be certain about, so that he can find the fundamental things about everything that surrounds him. He doubts whatever can't be determined by science or by his senses."
"But after some time, he starts to doubt them too."
"When you're dreaming, you aren't aware that everything you see is just a product of your mind. For example, like the famous philosopher Zhuang Zhou, the one who dreamed of being a butterfly, and the one who asked himself if he could have been a butterfly that dreamt of being a man."
"He then starts doubting even math itself. He asks himself if there's an evil demon, a trickster that wants him see reality as he sees fit. Just then, he starts to acknowledge about his inability of being sure about anything, for the evil demon might trick him into thinking that 2+2 equals five and so on."
"Ultimately, he realizes that the only thing he can be sure about is that he's doubting, and the fact that he's doubting makes him conclude that 'someone' or 'something' is doubting. Therefore, this act proves that he is thinking. To be deceived by the evil demon, he has to think. If there's no thought, then there it means that there is nothing to be deceived.
"If I doubt then I think."
"Cogito ergo sum, I think, therefore I am."
"This is all I can remember. I'm surprised that I could write that much. I'm lucky that i studied this topic from my mother's library. I really wanted to impress Kathy those days..." Gray silently said, pleased with his performance.
…
When break started, Gray handed his paper to the teacher.
Instead of going out, he choose to stay in class without following Rowan, instead deciding to wait for the bell to ring.
When he heard the sound, he went into the gym.
And after having physical education with his class, he packed his stuff, going on the school's gates.
"Let's see where I'm going to end up!"