The First Fragment
934 Words
Elara didn’t know how much time passed before she realized she was crying.
She sat on the floor of her room, back pressed against the bed, knees pulled tightly to her chest. The message on her phone stayed lit, glowing softly in the darkness like it was watching her.
*Because you were never supposed to exist.*
Those words replayed over and over in her head.
“If I don’t exist,” she whispered hoarsely, “then why does this hurt?”
She wiped her tears angrily. Crying felt pointless when the world itself was erasing her, but stopping felt impossible.
She needed answers.
And the only one who seemed to have them was the person texting her.
---
The next morning, Elara didn’t bother fixing her hair.
It wasn’t vanity—it was exhaustion. What was the point of looking presentable if no one could truly see her?
She walked to school anyway.
Part of her hoped the message was wrong. That people would still remember her face. That maybe this nightmare had limits.
She was wrong.
At the school gate, the guard stopped her.
“Student ID?” he asked.
“I’ve never needed one before,” Elara said.
He squinted at her, then looked behind her, confused. “Who are you talking to?”
Her stomach dropped.
“I’m right here,” she said louder.
The guard shook his head slowly. “Miss, if you’re trying to sneak in, you need to stop.”
Elara stepped back, heart pounding.
She walked past him anyway.
He didn’t stop her.
It was as if she passed through unnoticed—like a shadow slipping through a c***k.
---
Inside the school, Elara moved carefully.
She watched people now, studying their faces, their reactions. Or rather, the lack of them.
No glances.
No stares.
No acknowledgment.
She reached her classroom and took her seat.
A boy walked in a few seconds later and stopped abruptly.
He looked straight at her.
Directly at her.
Elara’s breath caught.
The boy frowned slightly, as if trying to understand something impossible. Then, slowly, he walked closer.
“You’re… sitting in my seat,” he said.
Elara stared at him.
“You can see me,” she whispered.
The boy blinked. “Of course I can see you.”
Her chest tightened. “You can hear me too?”
“Yeah,” he said cautiously. “Are you okay?”
Elara stood up so fast her chair scraped loudly against the floor.
“You see me,” she repeated, almost laughing. “You actually see me.”
A few students turned toward the noise—but their eyes passed right through her.
The boy noticed.
His expression changed.
“They didn’t look at you,” he said slowly.
Elara shook her head. “They never do.”
The boy swallowed. “What’s your name?”
“Elara,” she said. “Elara Vale.”
He nodded as if grounding himself. “I’m Kieran.”
For the first time in two days, Elara felt real.
---
They didn’t speak much during class.
But Kieran kept glancing at her, as if afraid she might disappear if he looked away too long.
After the bell rang, Elara hesitated.
“Can you… walk with me?” she asked softly.
Kieran didn’t question it. “Yeah.”
As they walked down the hallway, something strange happened.
People moved around them.
Around **him**.
But not her.
Elara noticed how close she had to walk to Kieran just to feel like she was part of the world. When she stepped too far away, people passed right through her space.
“It’s like you’re anchoring me,” she said quietly.
Kieran slowed. “I don’t understand any of this,” he admitted. “But I don’t think you’re supposed to be invisible.”
She laughed bitterly. “Someone disagrees.”
---
They sat outside under a tree near the school’s edge.
Elara told him everything.
The messages.
The photos.
Her aunt forgetting her name.
Kieran listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he said, “You don’t feel fake.”
She looked at him. “What?”
“My mom used to say,” he continued slowly, “that fake things feel hollow. Like they don’t echo when you speak to them.”
He tapped his chest. “You echo.”
Elara’s throat tightened.
Her phone buzzed again.
She showed him the screen.
**Unknown:**
*He shouldn’t be able to see you.*
Kieran frowned. “That’s about me, isn’t it?”
Before Elara could reply, another message appeared.
**Unknown:**
*If he keeps remembering you, the system will correct itself.*
Elara’s heart raced.
**Elara:** *What does that mean?*
The reply took longer this time.
Too long.
**Unknown:**
*It means one of you won’t last.*
Kieran read it too.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, he said, “If remembering you is dangerous…”
Elara shook her head violently. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
Kieran looked at her, eyes steady. “I won’t forget you.”
Tears welled up again, but this time they weren’t from fear.
They were from hope.
---
That night, Elara stood in front of the mirror again.
She was still there.
Faint—but there.
Her phone buzzed one last time.
**Unknown:**
*You were erased once before.*
Elara’s hands trembled.
**Elara:** *What do you mean—once before?*
The reply app
eared slowly.
**Unknown:**
*And the boy helped bring you back.*
Elara stared at the screen, heart pounding.
Outside, the stars flickered—as if some of them were quietly going out
### 🌒 End of episode 3
- Writer
