The book felt warm in her hands, like it had been waiting just for her. Mira slipped it into her backpack before anyone else could see, her fingers trembling. The hallway outside the library was bright, filled with the hum of students moving between classes, but it felt wrong now—like every face was part of a stage play, their laughter too loud, their eyes too empty.
She walked quickly, trying not to look at them. Trying not to listen to the voice whispering at the edge of her thoughts.
*"You can't fix this."*
She didn't recognize the voice. It wasn't Rion. It wasn't hers. But it felt real. Too real.
Mira ducked into the nearest bathroom, locking the stall behind her. She opened her backpack and pulled out the book. The pages fluttered as if alive, stopping on a new sentence she hadn't seen before.
*"You're being watched."*
She snapped the book shut, hugging it to her chest. Her breath came in quick, shallow bursts.
*"Who are you?"* she whispered into the empty air.
Silence.
Then a soft rustling, like paper turning itself.
Mira held her breath, waiting. But no one answered.
She checked her phone again—no new messages. Nothing but the ghost of that earlier text, still glowing on the screen: *"Stop looking for what you're not supposed to find."*
She thought of Rion, of his smile, of the way he'd held her hand in the hallway before everything changed. The way his name was disappearing from the world, one person at a time.
She wouldn't let that happen. Even if she had to tear through the pages of the world itself.
Mira wiped her tears and stood.
Outside, the bell rang again.
Another scene was starting.
But this time, she wasn't going to play the part they'd written for her.