Angelo woke up groggy, his dreams still lingering at the edges of his mind like wisps of smoke. The whispers, the empty space, the strange feeling of something slipping just beyond his grasp—it was the same dream, again.
He sat up, rubbing his face. He wasn't sure if it was just stress or something else entirely, but either way, he hated it.
A knock at the door snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Angelo, wake up!" Annabel's voice pierced through the wooden door like a siren.
He groaned. "I am awake."
"Then why are you still in bed?"
"Because I just woke up."
Annabel kicked the door. "Don't make me come in there."
He sighed. "Why are you even bothering me this early?"
"It's noon."
"…I stand by my question."
She groaned. "Jade told me to wake you up. She said if you don't show up today, she's going to sew your eyelids open in your sleep."
Angelo's eyes widened. "Okay, see, I believed that threat, and now I'm scared."
Annabel snorted. "Hurry up, lazy idiot."
She stomped away, and Angelo sighed, throwing himself out of bed.
---
By the time he arrived at the tutorial center, everyone was already gathered.
Jade glared at him. "You're late."
"Fashionably," Angelo said, dropping into a chair.
JJ leaned back, amused. "More like disgracefully."
Angelo ignored him and stretched. "Alright, what's the agenda?"
Eli tapped the stack of books in front of him. "Studying, Angelo. Studying."
Angelo looked at the books as if they had personally wronged him.
Jade crossed her arms. "If you don't focus today, I'm going to start making you model my tailoring projects."
Angelo gasped in horror. "You wouldn't."
She smirked. "Try me."
"…Fine," he muttered, opening a book.
For the next hour, he attempted to focus. It was going well—until JJ nudged him.
"Hey, check this out."
Angelo glanced up, seeing JJ's phone screen.
The news app was open.
"Strange Phenomenon in Town: Witnesses Report 'Invisible Forces' Causing Unexplained Events."
Angelo stiffened.
He read the article, heart pounding. The report described minor incidents—objects moving on their own, people tripping over nothing, strange feelings of déjà vu.
His stomach twisted.
"Creepy, huh?" JJ said. "Feels like a ghost town lately."
Angelo forced a laugh. "Yeah. Crazy."
But deep down, he felt uneasy.
---
Later that evening, as Angelo walked home alone, the air felt… off.
The streetlights flickered, and for a second, he thought he saw a shadow shift unnaturally.
He stopped, glancing around.
Nothing.
Just his imagination.
Right?
He continued walking, shoving his hands into his pockets. But the uneasy feeling never left.
It was as if something unseen was watching.
Waiting.
And that terrified him.