Chapter 2: The Boy Who Never Existed
1082 Words
Maria Santos didn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the words glowing across Jake's drawing.
"THE SEVENTH FRACTURE BEGINS TOMORROW."
"WE FINALLY FOUND YOU."
The messages had appeared. She knew they had.
Yet every logical part of her mind fought against the memory.
Drawings didn't write messages. Classrooms didn't vanish. Shadows didn't speak.
By three in the morning, she convinced herself it was stress. By four, she blamed exhaustion. By five, she gave up trying to explain it.
When dawn finally broke, pale sunlight filtered through her apartment window. Unable to stay inside any longer, Maria grabbed her bag and headed out.
The city was waking beneath the first light of dawn. A cool breeze drifted through the streets, carrying the scent of rain-soaked pavement and freshly brewed coffee from nearby cafés. For a few precious minutes, the ordinary morning calmed the storm inside her.
Then her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen and smiled despite herself.
Joshua.
"You're awake early," she said as she answered.
A familiar laugh greeted her. "That's rich coming from you."
Somehow, hearing his voice eased the tightness in her chest.
Joshua had been part of her life for years. He was the kind of person who always seemed to know when something was wrong, even when she insisted otherwise.
"Rough night?" he asked.
Maria hesitated.
"Something like that."
"You sound tired."
"I am tired."
Silence settled between them, comfortable and familiar.
"You want to talk about it?" Joshua asked gently.
Maria almost laughed.
How was she supposed to explain any of it?
That a dragon drawing had blinked?
That her classroom had transformed into something impossible?
That a shadow had spoken directly to her?
Instead, she stared at the brightening horizon and said, "I had a strange day at school."
Joshua chuckled. "Teacher problems?"
"If only."
His voice softened. "Whatever it is, don't carry it alone."
The words settled deep inside her.
"Thanks."
"I'll pray for you."
A warmth spread through her heart.
Not magic. Not anything supernatural.
Just comfort.
Joshua always said that. And somehow, he always meant it.
"Thanks," she repeated, smiling for the first time in hours.
"Talk later?"
"Always."
The call ended.
For the first time since yesterday, Maria felt like she could breathe.
Room 214 looked perfectly normal.
That was what unsettled her the most.
The desks stood neatly arranged in rows. The whiteboard was clean. The clock ticked steadily above the classroom door.
Nothing suggested reality had nearly torn itself apart the day before.
Yet the unease remained.
Students trickled into the room one by one.
Almost immediately, Maria noticed something strange.
A feeling of absence.
An empty space near the windows.
Not an empty desk exactly.
Something deeper than that.
Something missing.
Jake arrived first, his sketchbook clutched tightly against his chest. The moment he stepped inside, his eyes shifted toward the same corner.
His expression changed instantly.
Tyler entered a few minutes later. For once, he wasn't joking or showing off.
His gaze drifted toward the space, too.
Then the bell rang.
Class began.
Maria forced herself to focus on routine. She picked up her attendance sheet and started reading names.
Halfway through the list, she froze.
A name surfaced in her mind without warning.
As if someone had whispered it directly into her ear.
"Ethan."
The classroom fell silent.
Several students exchanged confused glances.
Maria frowned and looked down at the sheet.
"Ethan Cruz."
No one answered.
Caleb slowly raised his hand.
"Who's Ethan?"
Maria blinked.
"What?"
"Who's Ethan?" Caleb repeated.
A knot tightened in her stomach.
"He sits over there."
She pointed toward the space near the windows.
The class stared at her blankly.
Nobody reacted.
Nobody except Jake and Tyler.
Jake's face drained of color.
Tyler sat upright so suddenly that his chair squeaked against the floor.
"No way."
Maria turned toward him.
"What?"
Tyler pointed toward the corner.
"The soccer kid."
Jake swallowed hard.
"He was here yesterday."
A chill swept through the room.
Maria quickly opened the class roster.
Twenty-seven names.
No Ethan.
She checked the seating chart.
No Ethan.
Yesterday's attendance record.
No Ethan.
Nothing.
Not a single trace.
It was as if he had never existed.
The lesson that followed was a blur.
Her thoughts kept circling back to the missing name.
The missing student.
The impossible absence.
By lunchtime, she had searched every school record she could access.
Nothing.
No enrollment forms.
No grades.
No photographs.
No mention of Ethan Cruz anywhere.
Fear settled heavily inside her chest.
Because impossible things were no longer staying in drawings.
They were becoming real.
That evening, Maria visited her parents.
Friday dinners had been a family tradition for as long as she could remember.
The familiar aroma of adobo and freshly cooked rice filled the house. Normally, it would have brought immediate comfort.
Tonight, her thoughts remained elsewhere.
Her mother noticed almost instantly.
"Maria."
She looked up.
"What?"
"You're somewhere else."
Her father nodded in agreement.
"You haven't touched your food."
Maria forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
Neither of them looked convinced.
After a moment, her mother reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand.
"Whatever you're facing, remember you're not facing it alone."
Maria lowered her eyes.
Joshua had said almost the same thing that morning.
Her father cleared his throat.
"Can we pray?"
Everyone joined hands.
The prayer was simple.
Gratitude.
Guidance.
Protection.
Peace.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing extraordinary.
Yet as her father's voice filled the room, Maria felt something unexpected.
The fear that had followed her all day loosened its grip.
Not completely.
Just enough.
Like darkness retreating before a distant light.
When the prayer ended, her mother smiled.
"Better?"
Maria considered the question.
Then she nodded.
"A little."
For the first time all day, she meant it.
That night, Jake sat alone in his bedroom.
Rain tapped softly against the window.
His sketchbook rested on the desk in front of him.
He didn't remember opening it.
He didn't remember drawing anything.
Yet when he turned the page, his breath caught in his throat.
A new illustration filled the paper.
A smiling boy wearing a soccer jersey.
Ethan Cruz.
Jake stared.
His pulse hammered in his ears.
Then words began to appear beneath the portrait.
Letter by letter.
As if an invisible hand was writing them.
"FIRST FRACTURE COMPLETE."
Jake's hands trembled.
More words slowly formed.
"THE FORGOTTEN ARE WAKING."
A cold dread settled over him.
Because somehow he knew this was only the beginning.
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