Chapter 1: The First Message
681 Words
~NOVA~
The first text arrives at 6:17 a.m.
At first, I think I'm dreaming.
My phone buzzes against my nightstand, dragging me out of sleep. I groan and reach for it, squinting at the bright screen through half-open eyes.
Unknown Number.
I almost ignore it.
Almost.
Then I read the message.
DON'T TAKE BUS 14 TODAY.
I stare at the screen.
"What?"
The message is still there.
Five words.
No explanation.
No greeting.
No emoji.
Just a warning.
A strange chill runs down my spine.
I check the number again, but I don't recognize it.
Maybe someone sent it to the wrong person.
Maybe it's a prank.
Rolling my eyes, I lock my phone and toss it back onto my bed.
People do weird things for fun.
I'm not about to spend my morning worrying about a random text.
---
By the time I leave for school, I've completely forgotten about it.
The town is covered in gray clouds, and the air smells like rain.
Mom is already rushing around the kitchen when I come downstairs.
"You're going to be late," she says.
"I'm always late."
"That's not something to be proud of."
I grin and grab a piece of toast.
"Yet somehow I survive."
She points toward the door.
"Go."
"Love you too."
I hear her laughing as I leave.
---
School is exactly as boring as usual.
Classes.
Notes.
Teachers talking about assignments I forgot existed.
At lunch, I sit with my best friend, Lily.
She's talking about some drama involving two seniors, but I'm barely listening.
My mind keeps drifting.
Not to the text.
To the history presentation I have after lunch.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail it.
"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" Lily asks.
I blink.
"Nope."
She throws a fry at me.
"Rude."
I laugh.
For a moment, everything feels normal.
---
It doesn't stay that way.
The final bell rings.
Students flood the hallways.
I'm grabbing books from my locker when I hear someone scream.
Not a playful scream.
A terrified one.
The hallway immediately falls silent.
A second later, everyone starts moving.
Students rush toward the front entrance.
My stomach twists.
Something feels wrong.
Very wrong.
I follow the crowd.
People are staring at their phones.
Some look shocked.
Others look pale.
A girl near me covers her mouth.
"Oh my God..."
"What happened?" I ask.
She looks up at me.
"There was an accident."
A cold feeling creeps into my chest.
"What kind of accident?"
"The school bus."
I freeze.
"What bus?"
The girl swallows.
"Bus 14."
Everything around me goes quiet.
The voices.
The hallway.
The movement.
All of it disappears.
Bus 14.
My heart skips a beat.
No.
No way.
My hands start shaking.
Slowly, I pull out my phone.
The message is still there.
DON'T TAKE BUS 14 TODAY.
I stare at the timestamp.
6:17 a.m.
Hours before the accident.
My pulse pounds in my ears.
Someone knew.
Before it happened.
---
That night, I can't sleep.
Every news station is talking about the crash.
The bus lost control on a wet road.
Several students were injured.
Thankfully, nobody died.
But that doesn't make me feel any better.
I sit on my bed with my phone in my hand.
The message glows on the screen.
Who sent it?
How did they know?
Was it luck?
A coincidence?
Or something worse?
Hours pass.
The questions never stop.
Eventually, exhaustion begins pulling me toward sleep.
Then—
Buzz.
I nearly drop my phone.
A new message appears.
Same number.
My heart immediately starts racing.
Slowly, I open it.
The message contains four words.
YOUR BEST FRIEND LIES TOMORROW.
A chill shoots down my spine.
I stare at the screen.
Lily?
Why Lily?
Before I can think, I type a reply.
Who are you?
The message sends.
For several seconds, nothing happens.
Then the typing bubble appears.
Disappears.
Appears again.
My breathing stops.
A reply arrives.
I read it once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
My blood turns to ice.
YOU ASK ME THAT EVERY DAY.
- Writer
