A girl who receives a letter from tomorrow
🕯️ THE GIRL WHO RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOMORROW
Genre: Mystery • Thriller • School Drama • Friendship • Time Travel
Setting: Modern-day Lagos
Main character: Amara, a brilliant 16-year-old student who wants to win her school’s national writing competition.
The hook
On the night before the competition, Amara receives a letter.
The strange part?
It is written in her own handwriting.
And the date at the top is one year in the future.
The letter contains only one warning:
“Amara, whatever you do, don’t let Daniel enter Room 17 tomorrow.”
The problem is that Room 17 doesn’t exist.
At least, it isn’t supposed to.🕯️ THE GIRL WHO RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOMORROW
CHAPTER ONE
THE LETTER
Amara had always believed that the strangest thing that could happen to a student was failing an examination she had studied for.
She was wrong.
It happened at 11:58 p.m.
She was sitting at her desk, trying to finish the final paragraph of her story for the National Young Writers Competition.
Her room was quiet.
Everyone else was asleep.
Then—
Knock.
Amara looked toward her bedroom door.
Nothing.
She returned to her laptop.
Knock. Knock.
This time, it came from her window.
She slowly stood.
There was nobody outside.
Only darkness.
Then she noticed something lying on the windowsill.
An envelope.
Her name was written across it.
AMARA ADEYEMI
She opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
She read the first line.
And immediately dropped it.
The handwriting was hers.
Exactly hers.
Same letters.
Same strange way she crossed her T’s.
At the top of the page was a date.
August 7, 2027.
Amara stared at it.
Tomorrow was August 8, 2026.
Her hands began to shake.
She continued reading.
The message was short.
Amara,
If you’re reading this, then the letter reached you.
I don’t have much time.
Tomorrow, Daniel will enter Room 17.
Do not let him.
If he enters, everything changes.
And Amara…
Don’t trust the person who delivers this letter.
She stopped reading.
“What?”
Amara looked around her bedroom.
Nobody was there.
Then she heard footsteps downstairs.
Someone was walking toward the front door.
She ran downstairs.
Her mother was asleep.
Her father was asleep.
The house was locked.
But when Amara reached the living room, she saw something that made her blood run cold.
The front door was slowly opening.
A person stood outside.
Wearing a black hoodie.
Amara couldn’t see their face.
The stranger placed another envelope on the doorstep.
Then walked away.
Amara ran to the door.
“Wait!”
The stranger stopped.
For one second, they turned around.
Amara saw their face.
And screamed.
Because she knew them.
It was someone she had spoken to that very afternoon.
Someone she trusted.
Someone who had absolutely no reason to be outside her house at midnight.
Amara looked down at the second envelope.
Three words were written on it:
DON’T TRUST ME.
Her phone suddenly rang.
It was Daniel.
She answered.
His voice was shaking.
“Amara…”
“Daniel? What’s wrong?”
“I found something.”
“What?”
A long silence.
Then he whispered:
“I found Room 17.”
The call ended.
Amara looked at the letter in her hand.
Then at the clock.
12:01 a.m.
And somewhere in the distance, the school bell rang.
Even though school was closed.
TO BE CONTINUED…
What is Room 17? Why does Amara’s future self know about it? And who is the person she trusted that delivered the mysterious letter?🕯️ THE GIRL WHO RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOMORROW
CHAPTER TWO — ROOM 17
The next morning, Amara arrived at school before everyone else.
She hadn’t slept.
The letter was folded inside her schoolbag, hidden between two textbooks.
She kept touching the bag every few minutes just to make sure it was still there.
Room 17.
The words wouldn’t leave her mind.
Their school had sixteen classrooms in the main building.
Everyone knew that.
So where had Daniel found Room 17?
Amara spotted him near the assembly ground.
“Daniel!”
He turned.
His face was unusually pale.
She ran toward him.
“Where is it?”
Daniel looked around before answering.
“Not here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I found it yesterday.”
“Where?”
He pointed toward the oldest part of the school.
“The abandoned science block.”
Amara stared at the building.
Students weren’t allowed anywhere near it.
The windows were broken, weeds covered the walls, and the entire place had been locked for years.
“You went inside?”
Daniel nodded.
“There’s a staircase behind the laboratory.”
Amara lowered her voice.
“And Room 17?”
Daniel swallowed.
“It’s underneath the school.”
Amara stared at him.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know.”
He pulled out his phone.
“I took a picture.”
He showed her.
The photograph showed a narrow concrete corridor.
At the end was a rusty blue door.
Above it was a number.
17.
Amara’s stomach tightened.
“Why didn’t you tell me yesterday?”
“Because I found something else.”
“What?”
Daniel zoomed in on the photograph.
There was writing on the wall beside the door.
Amara leaned closer.
Her heart stopped.
The writing said:
AMARA WAS HERE.
She stepped backward.
“No.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What?”
“I’ve never been there.”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.
“You’re not supposed to know about that room.”
They turned.
Their English teacher, Mrs. Adekunle, stood behind them.
Her expression was completely different from the warm teacher Amara knew.
She looked frightened.
“Where did you get that picture?” she asked.
Daniel quickly locked his phone.
“Nowhere.”
Mrs. Adekunle stepped closer.
“Listen to me carefully.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“If you find Room 17 again…”
She looked directly at Amara.
“Do not open the door.”
Then she walked away.
Amara watched her disappear into the crowd.
Daniel whispered:
“Your letter said not to trust the person who delivered it.”
Amara nodded.
“But it didn’t say anything about Mrs. Adekunle.”
Daniel looked toward the abandoned building.
“Maybe we’re asking the wrong question.”
“What question?”
He pointed toward the school clock.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be asking who built Room 17.”
Amara frowned.
“Then what?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Who was the first person to enter it?”
Before Amara could answer, the school bell rang.
Everyone began moving toward their classrooms.
Amara reached into her bag.
Her fingers touched the letter.
Then she felt something else.
A second piece of paper.
She pulled it out.
It hadn’t been there before.
Her handwriting appeared across the page:
“You have until 4:00 p.m.”
Underneath was another sentence.
“At 4:01, Daniel will remember everything.”
Amara looked at Daniel.
“Daniel…”
He turned.
“What?”
She couldn’t speak.
Because behind him, across the school courtyard, stood the person who had delivered the letter to her house.
The stranger smiled.
Then pointed toward the abandoned science block.
The clock showed:
3:17 p.m.
TO BE CONTINUED… 🕯️
What will Daniel remember at 4:01? And why does Amara’s future self seem to know exactly what is going to happen?🕯️ THE GIRL WHO RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOMORROW
CHAPTER THREE — 4:01
Amara couldn’t take her eyes off the stranger.
The person stood beside the abandoned science block, completely still.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then the school clock moved.
3:18 p.m.
Daniel touched Amara’s shoulder.
“Amara?”
She jumped.
“What?”
“You’ve been staring at that building for five minutes.”
She pointed.
“Do you see that person?”
Daniel looked.
Nobody was there.
The stranger had disappeared.
Amara’s heart pounded.
“We have to go.”
“Go where?”
“Room 17.”
Daniel grabbed her arm.
“You heard what Mrs. Adekunle said.”
“I know.”
“She told us not to open it.”
“I know!”
“Then why are you going?”
Amara pulled the mysterious letter from her bag.
“Because apparently, by 4:01, you’re going to remember something.”
Daniel stared at the paper.
“What am I supposed to remember?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then maybe that’s exactly why we shouldn’t go.”
Amara looked at him.
“Daniel, someone from the future sent me a warning about you. Someone knows about a room that officially doesn’t exist. And my name is written on the wall inside it.”
She took a breath.
“If we don’t find out why, we’ll never know whether that letter was meant to save us…”
She looked toward the abandoned building.
“…or trap us.”
⸻
At 3:42 p.m., they stood outside the science block.
The door was unlocked.
That frightened Amara more than a locked door would have.
Daniel switched on his phone flashlight.
They stepped inside.
Dust covered the floor.
Old laboratory tables stood beneath torn sheets.
A broken clock hung on the wall.
It had stopped at exactly—
4:01.
Amara froze.
“Daniel.”
He looked at the clock.
“That can’t be a coincidence.”
They continued through the building until they reached a narrow staircase.
At the bottom was a corridor.
And at the end—
ROOM 17.
The blue door looked exactly like the photograph.
Daniel reached for the handle.
“Wait.”
Amara noticed something scratched into the wall.
She moved closer.
There were names.
Dozens of them.
Students.
Teachers.
Dates.
Then she saw the final name.
AMARA ADEYEMI — AUGUST 7, 2027.
She stepped backward.
“That’s tomorrow.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
He pointed at the date.
“That’s next year.”
A loud metallic sound echoed through the corridor.
CLANG.
The door had opened by itself.
Darkness filled the room.
Then a light flickered on.
Inside was a desk.
A chair.
And hundreds of envelopes.
All arranged neatly across the floor.
Every envelope had one name on it.
Daniel picked one up.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He handed it to Amara.
The name on it was:
AMARA ADEYEMI.
She opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Amara stared at it.
It showed herself standing inside Room 17.
But she looked older.
Much older.
And beside her stood Daniel.
Except Daniel was crying.
On the back of the photograph were six words:
“This is where everything went wrong.”
Suddenly—
4:01 p.m.
Daniel dropped to his knees.
“Daniel!”
He grabbed his head.
Images flashed through his mind.
A dark corridor.
A locked door.
A screaming voice.
A girl running.
A fire.
Then—
A memory.
He looked at Amara with terrified eyes.
“I remember.”
“What?”
His voice trembled.
“You gave me the letter.”
Amara stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
“You were the one who sent it.”
“That isn’t possible.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No. Not you now.”
He pointed at the photograph.
“You…”
He swallowed.
“…from the future.”
Before Amara could respond, the door behind them slammed shut.
The lights went out.
And a voice whispered from somewhere inside the darkness:
“You weren’t supposed to come back.”
Amara’s blood ran cold.
Daniel grabbed her hand.
“Don’t move.”
A second voice answered from the other side of the room.
This time, Amara recognized it immediately.
It belonged to Mrs. Adekunle.
“I’m sorry, Amara.”
A light suddenly came on.
Mrs. Adekunle stood beside the desk.
She was holding a matchbox.
And in her other hand was a photograph of Amara’s mother.
Amara stared at it.
“Why do you have my mother’s picture?”
Mrs. Adekunle looked at her sadly.
“Because your mother was the first person to enter Room 17.”
Silence.
Then she added:
“And she never came out.”
TO BE CONTINUED… 🕯️
What really happened to Amara’s mother? Why did future Amara send the letter? And if her mother never came out of Room 17… who has Amara been living with all these years?
🕯️ THE GIRL WHO RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOMORROW
CHAPTER THREE — 4:01
Amara couldn’t take her eyes off the stranger.
The person stood beside the abandoned science block, completely still.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then the school clock moved.
3:18 p.m.
Daniel touched Amara’s shoulder.
“Amara?”
She jumped.
“What?”
“You’ve been staring at that building for five minutes.”
She pointed.
“Do you see that person?”
Daniel looked.
Nobody was there.
The stranger had disappeared.
Amara’s heart pounded.
“We have to go.”
“Go where?”
“Room 17.”
Daniel grabbed her arm.
“You heard what Mrs. Adekunle said.”
“I know.”
“She told us not to open it.”
“I know!”
“Then why are you going?”
Amara pulled the mysterious letter from her bag.
“Because apparently, by 4:01, you’re going to remember something.”
Daniel stared at the paper.
“What am I supposed to remember?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then maybe that’s exactly why we shouldn’t go.”
Amara looked at him.
“Daniel, someone from the future sent me a warning about you. Someone knows about a room that officially doesn’t exist. And my name is written on the wall inside it.”
She took a breath.
“If we don’t find out why, we’ll never know whether that letter was meant to save us…”
She looked toward the abandoned building.
“…or trap us.”
⸻
At 3:42 p.m., they stood outside the science block.
The door was unlocked.
That frightened Amara more than a locked door would have.
Daniel switched on his phone flashlight.
They stepped inside.
Dust covered the floor.
Old laboratory tables stood beneath torn sheets.
A broken clock hung on the wall.
It had stopped at exactly—
4:01.
Amara froze.
“Daniel.”
He looked at the clock.
“That can’t be a coincidence.”
They continued through the building until they reached a narrow staircase.
At the bottom was a corridor.
And at the end—
ROOM 17.
The blue door looked exactly like the photograph.
Daniel reached for the handle.
“Wait.”
Amara noticed something scratched into the wall.
She moved closer.
There were names.
Dozens of them.
Students.
Teachers.
Dates.
Then she saw the final name.
AMARA ADEYEMI — AUGUST 7, 2027.
She stepped backward.
“That’s tomorrow.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
He pointed at the date.
“That’s next year.”
A loud metallic sound echoed through the corridor.
CLANG.
The door had opened by itself.
Darkness filled the room.
Then a light flickered on.
Inside was a desk.
A chair.
And hundreds of envelopes.
All arranged neatly across the floor.
Every envelope had one name on it.
Daniel picked one up.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He handed it to Amara.
The name on it was:
AMARA ADEYEMI.
She opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Amara stared at it.
It showed herself standing inside Room 17.
But she looked older.
Much older.
And beside her stood Daniel.
Except Daniel was crying.
On the back of the photograph were six words:
“This is where everything went wrong.”
Suddenly—
4:01 p.m.
Daniel dropped to his knees.
“Daniel!”
He grabbed his head.
Images flashed through his mind.
A dark corridor.
A locked door.
A screaming voice.
A girl running.
A fire.
Then—
A memory.
He looked at Amara with terrified eyes.
“I remember.”
“What?”
His voice trembled.
“You gave me the letter.”
Amara stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
“You were the one who sent it.”
“That isn’t possible.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No. Not you now.”
He pointed at the photograph.
“You…”
He swallowed.
“…from the future.”
Before Amara could respond, the door behind them slammed shut.
The lights went out.
And a voice whispered from somewhere inside the darkness:
“You weren’t supposed to come back.”
Amara’s blood ran cold.
Daniel grabbed her hand.
“Don’t move.”
A second voice answered from the other side of the room.
This time, Amara recognized it immediately.
It belonged to Mrs. Adekunle.
“I’m sorry, Amara.”
A light suddenly came on.
Mrs. Adekunle stood beside the desk.
She was holding a matchbox.
And in her other hand was a photograph of Amara’s mother.
Amara stared at it.
“Why do you have my mother’s picture?”
Mrs. Adekunle looked at her sadly.
“Because your mother was the first person to enter Room 17.”
Silence.
Then she added:
“And she never came out.”
TO BE CONTINUED… 🕯️
What really happened to Amara’s mother? Why did future Amara send the letter? And if her mother never came out of Room 17… who has Amara been living with all these years?
🕯️ THE GIRL WHO RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOMORROW
CHAPTER FOUR — THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH
Amara couldn’t move.
“My mother?”
Mrs. Adekunle nodded slowly.
“She entered this room seventeen years ago.”
Daniel looked confused.
“But Amara is only sixteen.”
“I know.”
“Then how could her mother—”
“Because Room 17 doesn’t follow the rules you know.”
The lights flickered.
Amara stared at the photograph in Mrs. Adekunle’s hand.
Her mother’s face was younger in the picture.
Standing beside her was another woman.
Mrs. Adekunle.
Amara’s eyes widened.
“You were there?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Mrs. Adekunle looked toward the blue door.
“We opened the room because we believed it could show us the future.”
“And did it?”
“No.”
She paused.
“It showed us the consequences of our choices.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Where is her mother?”
Mrs. Adekunle’s expression became painful.
“She made one choice that night.”
“What choice?”
“To save her daughter.”
Amara’s eyes filled with tears.
“What does that mean?”
Mrs. Adekunle placed the photograph on the desk.
“Your mother discovered that someone would try to change your future.”
“Who?”
Mrs. Adekunle didn’t answer.
Instead, she pointed toward the hundreds of envelopes.
“Every envelope belongs to someone who entered Room 17.”
Daniel picked one up.
“Then why are there so many?”
“Because every time someone changes the future…”
She looked at Amara.
“…the room creates another timeline.”
A cold silence followed.
Amara suddenly understood.
The letters weren’t predictions.
They were warnings from different versions of the future.
She looked at the letter in her hand.
“Then who wrote mine?”
Mrs. Adekunle whispered:
“You did.”
Amara shook her head.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You said future me wrote it.”
“I said you wrote it.”
Mrs. Adekunle walked toward the desk.
“There are many versions of tomorrow, Amara.”
She opened the final drawer.
Inside was a small digital recorder.
She pressed play.
Static filled the room.
Then a familiar voice spoke.
Amara’s voice.
Older.
Tired.
Terrified.
“If you’re hearing this, I’ve already failed once.”
Amara’s heart raced.
The recording continued.
“Don’t trust Daniel.”
Daniel froze.
Amara slowly turned toward him.
He looked just as shocked.
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Then Daniel whispered:
“Amara…”
She stepped away from him.
“What did you do?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re the one who brought me here.”
“I swear I don’t remember.”
Suddenly, the blue door began shaking violently.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Something was on the other side.
Mrs. Adekunle grabbed Amara’s hand.
“We have to leave.”
“What about Daniel?”
Mrs. Adekunle looked at him.
“He can’t come.”
“Why?”
The door suddenly stopped shaking.
A voice came from behind it.
A man’s voice.
Calm.
Familiar.
“Because Daniel already died.”
Amara’s blood ran cold.
She turned toward Daniel.
He was standing perfectly still.
Then she noticed something terrifying.
There was no shadow beneath his feet.
TO BE CONTINUED… 🕯️
If Daniel is already dead, who has been standing beside Amara all this time?
CHAPTER FIVE — THE SHADOW WITH NO FACE
Amara stared at Daniel.
There was no shadow beneath his feet.
“Daniel…” she whispered.
He looked down.
His face changed.
“I didn’t notice that before.”
Mrs. Adekunle grabbed Amara’s arm.
“Don’t touch him.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s not supposed to be here.”
Daniel stepped backward.
“What do you mean?”
Before Mrs. Adekunle could answer, every light in Room 17 switched on.
The walls were covered with photographs.
Hundreds of them.
Every photograph showed Amara.
Different ages.
Different clothes.
Different lives.
But one thing remained the same.
In every photograph, Daniel was standing somewhere behind her.
Amara picked up the nearest picture.
Written underneath it were the words:
TIMELINE 1 — FAILED.
She picked up another.
TIMELINE 7 — FAILED.
Then another.
TIMELINE 23 — FAILED.
Amara’s hands trembled.
“How many times has this happened?”
Mrs. Adekunle whispered:
“Thirty-nine.”
Amara looked at her.
“Thirty-nine what?”
Mrs. Adekunle didn’t answer.
Then the door slammed shut.
A new photograph slowly slid from beneath the desk.
Amara picked it up.
It showed her standing in Room 17.
Beside her was a person whose face had been completely scratched out.
On the back were four words:
THIS TIME, IT’S YOU.
⸻
CHAPTER SIX — THIRTY-NINE AMARAS
Amara couldn’t breathe.
“Thirty-nine versions of me?”
Mrs. Adekunle nodded.
“Each one made a different choice.”
“What happened to them?”
“Some disappeared.”
“Some?”
Mrs. Adekunle looked away.
“Some became trapped in their own timelines.”
Daniel stepped toward the photographs.
“Then why am I in every one?”
“That is what we need to discover.”
Suddenly, one photograph fell.
Daniel picked it up.
His face became pale.
“Amara…”
She took it.
In the picture, Daniel wasn’t a teenager.
He was an adult.
Standing beside an older Amara.
And they were holding a baby.
Amara stared at the photograph.
“What is this?”
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel noticed something written behind it.
TIMELINE 39 — THE ONLY ONE THAT SURVIVED.
The lights went out.
When they came back on, Daniel was gone.
⸻
CHAPTER SEVEN — THE MISSING HOUR
Amara ran through the corridor.
“Daniel!”
Nothing.
She checked her phone.
The time was 5:12 p.m.
She froze.
She remembered entering Room 17 at 3:42.
Only minutes had passed.
Yet her phone said almost two hours had disappeared.
Mrs. Adekunle looked terrified.
“That’s impossible.”
“What happened?”
“The room took the time.”
“What does that mean?”
Before she could answer, Amara’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A girl’s voice whispered:
“Don’t trust Mrs. Adekunle.”
Amara’s eyes widened.
“Who are you?”
“I’ve been trying to reach you for years.”
“Where are you?”
A pause.
Then:
“I’m inside Room 17.”
The call ended.
Amara slowly turned toward the classroom.
The door was open.
And someone was standing inside.
It looked exactly like her.
⸻
CHAPTER EIGHT — ANOTHER AMARA
The girl stepped into the light.
She looked seventeen.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Same scar on her left eyebrow.
Amara whispered:
“Who are you?”
The girl smiled sadly.
“I’m you.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“From which year?”
The girl looked at the clock.
“That’s the problem.”
She reached into her pocket.
“Every time you ask that question, another timeline begins.”
Amara stepped back.
“What happened to Daniel?”
The other Amara’s expression changed.
“He hasn’t disappeared.”
“Then where is he?”
“He’s trying to stop you.”
“From what?”
The girl opened her hand.
Inside was a small silver key.
“From opening the final door.”
Amara stared at it.
“What happens if I open it?”
The other Amara whispered:
“You remember who killed your mother.”
Then she vanished.
The silver key remained on the floor.
⸻
CHAPTER NINE — THE KEY
Amara picked up the key.
Mrs. Adekunle immediately shouted:
“DROP IT!”
Amara didn’t.
“Why?”
“Because that key doesn’t belong to this timeline.”
“Then where did it come from?”
Mrs. Adekunle hesitated.
“Your mother.”
Amara stared at her.
“You knew she was alive?”
“No.”
“Then how do you have her key?”
Mrs. Adekunle’s eyes filled with tears.
“She gave it to me the night she disappeared.”
Amara’s voice shook.
“What did she tell you?”
Mrs. Adekunle whispered:
“Tell Amara I never left her.”
Then something crashed upstairs.
All three looked toward the ceiling.
Daniel’s voice came from above.
“AMARA!”
She ran toward the staircase.
But before she reached it, another voice called her name.
Her mother’s voice.
“Amara…”
⸻
CHAPTER TEN — MOTHER
Amara stopped.
She hadn’t heard that voice in years.
“Mom?”
Mrs. Adekunle grabbed her.
“Don’t go.”
“But that’s my mother!”
“No.”
The voice came again.
“Amara…”
She ran upstairs.
At the end of the corridor stood a woman.
Same eyes.
Same smile.
Her mother.
Amara burst into tears.
“Mom!”
The woman opened her arms.
But before Amara could reach her, Daniel appeared.
“DON’T!”
Amara stopped.
Daniel was crying.
“That isn’t your mother.”
The woman smiled.
Then her face changed.
It became Amara’s face.
Then Daniel’s.
Then Mrs. Adekunle’s.
Finally, it became a completely unfamiliar man’s face.
The man smiled.
“Finally.”
Amara stepped backward.
“Who are you?”
He answered:
“The reason your mother disappeared.”
⸻
CHAPTER ELEVEN — THE MAN IN THE ROOM
The stranger introduced himself as Elias.
He claimed he had been studying Room 17 before Amara was born.
He said the room wasn’t dangerous.
People were.
“You’re lying,” Amara said.
Elias smiled.
“Your mother said the same thing.”
“Where is she?”
“Alive.”
Amara’s heart jumped.
“Where?”
Elias pointed toward the locked door.
“Behind it.”
Daniel grabbed Amara’s arm.
“Don’t listen to him.”
Elias laughed.
“You still don’t understand, Daniel.”
Daniel went silent.
Elias continued:
“You weren’t supposed to survive.”
Daniel looked terrified.
Amara turned to him.
“What does he mean?”
Daniel whispered:
“I don’t know.”
Elias smiled.
“He knows exactly what happened.”
Then the clock struck midnight.
And every photograph in Room 17 changed.
⸻
CHAPTER TWELVE — THE FUTURE BURNS
The photographs now showed fire.
The school.
The city.
Their homes.
Everything burning.
Amara stared in horror.
“Is that the future?”
Elias nodded.
“It’s one possible future.”
“How do we stop it?”
“You can’t.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“She’s not listening to you.”
Elias looked at him.
“You have no right to speak.”
Daniel suddenly collapsed.
Amara ran toward him.
His body flickered like a television signal.
“Daniel!”
Elias whispered:
“He’s disappearing.”
Amara looked up.
“Why?”
“Because this timeline has no place for him.”
Daniel opened his eyes.
“Amara…”
He pointed at the clock.
“Before 1:00 a.m.”
“Before what?”
His voice faded.
“Find the girl…”
Then he vanished.
⸻
CHAPTER THIRTEEN — THE GIRL IN THE RED DRESS
Amara searched every room.
Finally, she found a red dress hanging inside an abandoned classroom.
Beside it was a photograph.
A girl stood wearing the dress.
She looked familiar.
Too familiar.
Amara turned the photograph over.
HER NAME IS LINA.
Underneath:
SHE KNOWS WHERE DANIEL IS.
Suddenly, someone touched Amara’s shoulder.
She screamed.
A girl wearing the same red dress stood behind her.
“Looking for me?”
⸻
CHAPTER FOURTEEN — LINA
Lina claimed she had been trapped in Room 17 for eleven years.
“But you don’t look older.”
“Time doesn’t work normally here.”
“Where is Daniel?”
Lina pointed toward the floor.
“Below us.”
Amara stared.
“There’s another floor?”
Lina nodded.
“But there’s something you need to know.”
“What?”
“Daniel isn’t the person you think he is.”
Amara frowned.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
Lina smiled.
“Because it’s true.”
She handed Amara an old school badge.
Daniel’s name was engraved on it.
But beneath his name was another identity.
PROJECT 17 — SUBJECT 004
TODAY.
She opened it.
Dear Amara,
If you are reading this, you finally found Room 17.
You have spent your entire life believing that your mother abandoned you. She didn’t.
She entered this room to protect you.
The scene ends here.”