Chapter 2

Something clashes on my face, making me wake up startled. I look around, scared and with my eyes wide open. I blink several times as I take a hand to my back, feeling my breathing slightly agitated. 'Where are those hooks and the yellowish eyes?' I think, feeling confused. I take a mouthful of air to settle my breathing and relax after the vivid nightmare I just experienced. I close my eyes and squint, so the light doesn't hurt me and my eyes get used to the lighting. I know I should feel calmer as I'm safe and far away from those dangers, but… there's something that feels unsettling. Something feels wrong, yet I'm not certain what it is.

"Are you gonna make me toss another pillow at you?"

I turn my head with my eyes wide open towards that voice, which has a bored tone. A guy is leaning on the frame of an open door. He rolls his eyes when I stay quiet and motions to the pillow he has on his hands. His pale skin pops with his dark brown eyes, showing an expression full of laziness.

"You'd better hurry up, because if you don't, we'll get to class late, you slob," he throws the object in his hands at me, but I manage to catch it. "I always have to act like your alarm clock! Come on, I'm not going to be late because of you."

He huffs in frustration and is about to turn around, but I sit up quickly, making him raise an eyebrow as he looks at me. He crosses his arms and tilts his head slightly, waiting for me to say anything. Despite his annoyed facade, his eyes have a little hint of curiosity.

"I don't…" I say softly and frown. My throat feels so dry and hoarse it seems as if I hadn't spoken in a hundred years.

I look at my bare feet with a lost expression, lost in my thoughts. I don't know what to say, I don't even know where I am or why even my own voice feels so foreign to me. I look around, trying to remember anything. The walls of the small room have a fancy beige shade, with basketball posters and sticky notes hanging there, the latter waiting to be filled with relevant notices or things to remember. I smile ironically. 'I can't even remember anything', I think to myself. My gaze wanders around to different spots in the room, hoping there's something familiar somewhere.

There's a window on top of the bed I was lying on, with some sunbeams leaking through a white curtain. A small desk with a bunch of books stands on a corner of the room. I raise my hands to the sides of my head and rub it strongly, feeling frustration fill my body. I can't remember anything, but at the same time, everything feels so familiar…

"I haven't got your time, dude," I hear the guy say from the door, making my thoughts dissipate. "If we arrive late, they'll punish us and I refuse to stay in the classroom late, wasting my time, when I could be at the party."

I frown and look at him as if he were speaking a different language. He laughs loudly when he sees my expression. He gets into the room and grabs a navy blue jacket hanging from the desk's chair, tossing it at me without even checking whether I caught it or not.

"Today's Friday, you can't miss our weekly party," he explains as he crosses the door and stands sideways, looking down the hall. He arranges his backpack on a shoulder without interest. He looks at me and raises an eyebrow with amused eyes and a wide smile. "If you don't want to miss all the fun, you'd better hurry. See you in class."

I open my mouth to say something, but he walks down the hall without looking back. I peek out of the door, seeing him getting away with a relaxed pace and merging into the people walking on the corridor. I frown as I get back into the room and I look at the jacket he gave me, trying to remember whether I bought it somewhere or if it was a present. I shrug and put it on without giving it much thought. 'There are more relevant things to remember than a stupid jacket', I think as I look for shoes to wear. I look at the desk and notice a backpack laying on the floor, slightly open and with books coming out of it. I stuff everything in and hang it on my shoulders, shrugging without further thought.

I walk to the door, but suddenly stop and look to the right, towards the window on top of the bed. 'Maybe I could remember where I am if I look outside', I think, feeling a tingling of excitement in my chest. I take a few steps and open the curtain. My eyes run into a wide green field under the sun. I see some people walking lazily and others hastily. I look around, but the only thing that sticks out is a gray wall far away. I squint, trying to see anything beyond it, but it's so far away I can't see anything on the other side. I purse my lips with frustration, since I can't remember anything specific about what I see in front of my eyes. I sigh heavily and walk to the door, trying to focus on one thing at a time to calm the hurricane of thoughts weighing on me.

My fingers gently touch the doorknob, ready to close it once I walk through the frame, but I stand still. 'Exactly where am I supposed to go?' I raise a hand to my head. I try to think of an answer that doesn't come, making my chest burn with angst. Through the corner of my eye, a little glow appears, making me squint in annoyance. I walk to the desk and stare with curiosity at the small mirror laying on top of one of the scattered books.

I grab it with both hands and a pair of brown eyes stares back at me. My black hair looks messy and entangled. I run a hand through it to settle it down. I notice my slightly tanned skin with multiple moles. I put the mirror back, as if it were some sort of relique, but my heart skips a beat, paralyzing me and sending shivers down my spine.

Not only I don't remember who the person who visited me is nor where I am.

I can't remember who I am either.