Chapter 6: School Days
Tuesday, 14th November 2023.
5:30 a.m.
The sound of broken glass echoed across Gray's mind for what felt like an eternity.
The eardrum shattering noise reflected and shot within every fragment of glass, creating an hellish echo composed by an ethereal and horrifying storm of sharp sounds.
Horrified, Gray jolted awake, his eyes bloodshot.
He stayed on the side of his bed without blinking, as if an unseen enemy would soon strike.
After a minute, the young man stood up from his bed.
"Ah!"
Gray felt a sharp pain on the sole of his foot.
He soon found a shard of glass sticking inside his flesh, a drop of blood slowly trickling down the floor.
He carefully removed it with great pain and reached for the slippers hidden under his bed.
Once he found them, he finally stood up and turned the light on, seeing the cause of his problems.
The mirror inside his room had completely shattered. The reasons behind this event completely unclear.
'What the fuck?'
Gray shivered.
'Is my house haunted?'
'Was I awake when I heard the strange sound…? Or did my half-asleep mind hallucinate the scary part of it?'
'…And why—why do I keep on having these damned dreams…?'
'What did the statue mean—why was I hidden inside it?'
Gray had to speak with Casanova as soon as he could.
If these bizarre events kept on happening, he might really lose his sanity!
'I should've also asked for his number…'
What if something happened he was unable to contact him?
Gray took the clothes on his floor and threw them on the side of his room.
He then took a broom and started swiping the floor.
…
Since it was still early, he decided to made breakfast for him and Kathy.
All he needed now was to do something–literally anything that would make him stop thinking about what was happening to him.
Gray went inside the bathroom and brushed his teeth, taking five minutes in total.
He then went to the kitchen and started preparing some toasts filled with scrambled eggs and some bacon for his sister.
Gray poured some orange juice for Kathy while he poured himself some milk to pair with cookies.
After some minutes, his sister finally woke up.
He called her and mentioned about their breakfast's readiness.
Hearing her brothers voice at such an hour, she was surprised.
She was the first who knew her brother was someone who never enjoyed waking up early.
In fact, he was a person who preferred sleep over anything.
Kathy ate quickly and rated his breakfast a nine out of ten.
Gray gave a brief smile and kept on eating his food as he used his phone in the meantime.
As soon as he was done eating, he searched for clothes in his wardrobe.
He chose to wear a white t-shirt and a grey hoodie matched with sweatpants of the same color.
And since Gray still had some time before going out for school, he decided to revise a bit of physics.
But…
Something weird happened.
As he was trying to study, he couldn't remember the contents of his book—it was as if he hadn't opened it in years!
He swiped the pages, but it was as if his memories were trapped inside a maze filled with endless shadows!
Gray shook his head, his hands trembling.
'I-It has to be a one-time thing.'
As he opened his biology book, he experienced the same outcome.
...
Gray's library became a mess as he trashed the books and notebooks, trying to find something he could remember.
His confusion turned into worry, and his worry turned into fear.
Everything inside the books that wasn't general knowledge or something that had influenced him deeply…
Had been erased from his mind!
"This can't be possible…." he chewed on his nails.
Kathy said she was going out, but Gray's brain didn't even register her words.
Gray immediately grabbed his phone and searched for answers on the internet, writing down his symptoms with shaky hands.
Gray read that his symptoms were temporary and possibly caused by stress and sleep disturbances.
He was very prone to them, especially now, considering all the bad dreams and experiences he was having.
Regardless, he still decided to tell Casanova about his symptoms, not wanting to risk anything.
He checked his watch and noticed the time—7:30 a.m
Gray was completely unaware of just much time he had spent in 'reading' or rather, 'destroying' the books.
Since he was late, Gray took his things and hastily stepped out.
…
As he walked, he felt the same eerie sensation of having his soul inspected by an unknown creature.
But for every time he turned around, he never found someone behind him.
This feeling kept on irritating him.
Ever since he had those bizarre dreams, he never had a moment of peace.
Even his dear sleep was starting to turn him down!
These events made Gray question his own sanity.
"This situation is too strange—just too strange…!" he clenched his fists.
He walked even faster, and after some minutes, he found Casanova.
Gray briefly saluted the colleagues before calling for Casanova.
"We have to talk."
The man frowned lightly.
Like the day before, he immediately told his subordinates to work without him, going down the roof once more.
As the two walked, Gray began to ramble almost incoherently,
"I had a strange dream again."
"I was inside a void filled with an overwhelming, infinite amount of darkness. There, I traveled for what felt like an eternity. I felt freedom, but I soon found myself to be lonely."
"I asked if someone was there, hidden in the shadows with me."
"A voice heeded my call."
"So I started to seek it out, soon finding the point of origin. It came from behind a place darker than the void itself."
"I used all my strength, and somehow, I was able to move the pulsing, amalgamation of shadows."
"As soon as they unraveled away from my sight, I saw a gigantic statue."
"It sported a crown on its head. His face was cracked, and an endless hole was inside it."
"The bottomless void was calling me and slowly, I found myself be attracted by it."
"At first it was a gentle tug, but then it turned aggressive, calling me with a growing impatience."
"The desire to seek the unknown—the desire to understand the impossible became too much for me, and so, I decided to look inside the void."
"And there I saw myself."
"We looked the same, but he had a strange expression etched upon his face. When I looked inside his eyes I felt a profound, incomprehensible sense of hate hidden within them."
Gray continued,
"I then heard a noise similar yet different to the shattering of glass. The noise kept on repeating and repeating, as if it was looped on multiple, damned speakers!"
"And when I woke up, the mirror inside of my room was completely shattered!"
"I also keep on feeling as if someone is watching me. But when I turn around, I don't see anyone behind me…!"
"And lastly, this morning when I woke up, I noticed I couldn't remember anything that wasn't general knowledge, but that could probably be just from the stress of this situation…right?"
"I just…I just don't know what is happening to me…" he gritted his teeth.
As Casanova heard his story, he wore a complicated expression.
"Are you busy in the evening, just as soon as you finish with school?"
"No, why is that even important?" Gray replied dryly.
The man continued,
"When school is over, turn left and right with random patterns—don't bother thinking too much about where you're going."
"Whenever you end up, you will find the answer. This is my promise."
'…What does this even mean…?' Gray felt a slight hint of anger surge within him.
"A-Alright?"
Casanova turned around and silently walked away without saying anything else.
"Huh…"
Gray checked his watch and noticed that it was 8:25 a.m.
'Shit. I'm late.'
While doing so, he also remembered two important facts.
He had forgotten to speak both about the monolith that stood in his living room, and to ask for Casanova's number!
'Not again. Fuck!'
…
After seeing his school's building, he noticed that the gates were locked.
Doing his best to be sneaky, Gray checked if there was someone walking around him.
Seeing that nobody was there, he climbed the gate.
If he rang the school's doorbell to be let in, the school secretaries would mark him as late.
And if his sister were to find that out, the consequences would be unimaginable for him.
Gray then went up the emergency stairs.
Since he was aware that not many people used those stairs, Gray was not worried to be found by the teachers or staff.
Whenever he needed some time to think or free his mind from the constant noises of the bustling city, he used to go there, listening to music on his earphones.
Finally, he entered inside the building.
Since his class was rather far from the emergency stairs, he had to walk for quite a while.
…
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in." a female voice responded, clearly annoyed.
Once Gray opened the door, over twenty-five students stared at him.
"I can't get used to this…" he silently thought.
Wanting to be polite, he decided to greet the teacher.
"Good morning, mrs…"
"Uh…mrs..."
Gray stuttered, unable to remember her name.
"What's your reason for being late this time?"she inquired passive-aggressively.
Gray scratched his hair and lied shamelessly.
"I was stuck inside the school bathroom…I ate chinese food last night."
The poor boy had to use some self-deprecation to improve his teacher's mood, just so so she would let him get off the hook.
Their english teacher was known to be what could only be described as an asshole, and this was the only method he knew.
She loved to annoy and bother students for the smallest things, finding a great pleasure in doing that.
Knowing his teacher's 'hobby', he formulated a lie that would make her feel good by seeing a student embarrass himself in front of her class.
A few students chuckled, embarrassing him even more.
"Montoya, I didn't ask you for such details." she said.
Her poker face could fool the other students, but it couldn't fool Gray, for he noticed the slight smirk she sported upon hearing his words.
His english teacher's face had a slight deformity; one side of her face was droopier than the other—and it was why he could see the smile on her lips with great clarity.
Gray couldn't help but wonder.
'Isnt a droopy face on one side one of the symptoms someone can retain after a stroke?'
'I think there a syndrome that also caused this. I can't seem to remember...'
Had his memory not been wiped out, he would've been able to know the syndrome he was thinking of.
She then spoke, the side of her lips still smirking.
"Sit down. Stop interrupting the lesson."
After nodding, he walked towards an empty seat on the third row, close to one of his only friends.
He instantly heard a chuckle.
"Chinese food…are you for real?"
The voice came from his best friend, Rowan Vellore.
Gray had known him since childhood—he was the first friend Gray ever had.
Gray never was an extroverted person.
He never liked talking to new people. He instead preferred to immerse himself into novels or any form of entertainment.
His mother's death strengthened the 'shell' he had, turning into a full blown fortress, causing him to avoid the little interactions he had.
Luckily, his friend helped Gray in dealing with her passing.
Rowan's blonde hair were buzzed while his eyes were a light blue.
His face was chiseled and that, plus his short hair made his facial features stand out even more, allowing him to be seen as handsome by his female peers.
Since Rowan was way better than Gray at talking and joking with people, he always included him in his conversations, freeing him from the fate of being considered as a social outcast by the whole class.
Sometimes, Gray would also hang out with Rowan's friend group.
He never considered them as his own friends, but was still thankful they weren't against his presence when they were together.
"Why did you skip yesterday?" Rowan questioned.
Gray dismissed his question, saying that he was sick.
He wanted to tell him about his strange dreams, but when he remembered Casanova's warning and his strange object, he feared of what would happen if Casanova were to find out.
…
After two long, boring hours, the bell finally rang.
Since he had nothing better to do, he followed Rowan outdoors.
Rowan then met with his group of friends and began talking with them, leaving Gray to stand awkwardly while they joked and laughed together.
Rowan occasionally asked him questions, wanting to include his friend in their conversation.
But even then, Gray didn't have much to say.
Before he noticed it, the bell rang once more, causing the students to go inside their classes.
…
After an hour, a different class started.
As the door opened, Gray got called by the teacher.
The man sported a 70-30 parted haircut and wore a plain brown coat matched by pants of the same color.
He was completely unrecognizable by Gray.
While most of his english teacher's information was missing, this one was a blank slate.
Was he a substitute teacher?
Gray looked around in confusionz
"What's going on?"
"You have to take your philosophy test. You were missing last week." the teacher replied.
'He joined last week and he already gave my class a test? This is strange…Rowan would have told me about a new teacher.
Gray tried to think about the old philosophy teacher, but when nothing came up, he nodded, taking the paper given to him.
'Since I can't remember…he could possibly be my previous teacher.'
'Are my memories so clouded that they unable me to even remember anything about him?'
Gray looked at the first question.
1. Who was René Descartes? (there are many options)
A. A mathematician.
B. A musician.
C. A king.
D. A philosopher.
E. A homeless person.
'I'm sure he was a philosopher…but I can't remember well if he was a mathematician.'
'I'll just choose both.'
Gray chose the answers A and D, moving forward with the test.
When was he born?
A. 25th December 0 d.c
B. 16th November 1551 d.c
C. 31st March 1596 d.c
D. 3rd February 1492 d.c
'I can't remember it…I'll just choose at random.'
He chose the 2nd answer and began to look at the other question.
Explain what Descartes had meant from his famous quote "Cogito ergo sum."
Gray thought for a moment and started writing, pleased to see that he could remember the most important points in the topic.
"Descartes' objective is finding the indubitable truth. So, like the famous quote by Socrates: "I know that I know nothing." He starts doubting everything that he can't be certain about, so that he can find the fundamental things about everything that surrounds him. He doubts whatever can't be determined by science or by his senses."
"But after some time, he starts to doubt them too."
"When you're dreaming, you aren't aware that everything you see is just a figment of your mind. Just like the famous chinese philosopher who dreamed of being a butterfly and asked himself if he could have been a butterfly that dreamt of being a man."
"He then starts doubting even math itself. He asks himself if there's an evil demon, a trickster who wants him see reality as he sees fit."
"Just then, he starts to acknowledge his inability of being sure about anything, for the evil demon might trick him into believing anything, even the things he's completely sure about—even logic itself."
"Ultimately, he realizes that the only thing he can be sure about is that he's doubting, and the fact he's doubting makes him conclude that 'someone' is doubting."
"Therefore, this act proves that he is thinking. To be deceived by the evil demon, he has to think. If there's no thought, then it means that there is nothing to be deceived."
"If I doubt then I think."
"Cogito ergo sum, I think, therefore I am."
'This is all I can remember…' Gray sighed.
'I'm surprised I could write this much. Still, I did well by studying this topic from mother's library.'
'I really wanted to impress Kathy those days...' Gray chuckled.
…
Gray handed his paper to the teacher.
Instead of going out, he choose to stay in class without following Rowan, waiting for the bell to ring.
When he heard the sound, he went inside the school's gymnasium.
After having physical education with his class, he packed his stuff and left school.
The sun shone brightly on the courtyard.
Many students left school with their friends or parents, creating a lively picture.
Taking a deep breath, Gray exclaimed inside his mind,
"Let's see where I'm going to end up!"