The Message From Tomorrow

~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.