The mist clung to the world like a secret.
A figure stood still in it—no face, no name, no breath. The air was thick with silence, yet somehow he spoke.
"Where did it all go wrong? Where did it start...? Ha... Haha… hahahahaha! Right. It started then, didn't it?"
The fog swallowed his laughter, but not the memory.
The sun was too bright.
I squinted through the school gates, shielding my eyes with one hand, the other still loosely holding my phone. I didn't even realize I had stopped walking. Everything looked the same—same blue sky, same brown gate, same slightly chipped sign that read: Star Moon Kids School. But something felt off.
It was me. I was off.
Spring break had come and gone. For everyone else, it was probably full of festivals, social posts, late-night games. For me, it was two months of silence. No social media, no texts, no late-night calls. Just an old house, a stricter-than-ever grandfather, and a phone that never left my pocket but never got touched.
"Hey, Sin! Still alive after staring at your phone all vacation?"
Zushi's voice snapped me out of it.
I turned, barely able to react before Roawn shoved his phone into my face.
"Look! See this?! I sent you 76 messages. Seventy-six, Sin! You ignored me for seventy-six messages!"
I blinked. "I was at my grandparents'. My grandpa nearly broke my fingers when I tried to check my phone."
"That's abuse."
"No, that's parenting," I muttered.
Behind them came Sunj, built like a bear in uniform. "Yo, zombie." His voice rumbled like a tank. "You're lucky you didn't die without giving me your Pokémon saves."
I raised my hands. "Fine, fine. I'll back it up later."
As always, they teased. As always, I ran.
Literally.
I bolted, and three seconds later, I was caught. Sunj hugged me from behind. Bones crunched. I gasped.
"Still fragile, huh?" he grinned.
"Let me go or I'm haunting you in the next life," I wheezed.
Roawn clicked his tongue. "Drama queen."
We laughed.
In that moment, it felt like nothing had changed. The four of us—me,Roawn , the genius with the physical strength of soggy paper; Zushi, the clown who carried sunshine in his pocket; and Sunj, the human tank who'd flatten anyone who messed with us.
Together since kindergarten.
"Hey, Sunj."
Her voice made all of us turn.
Shera. Captain of the cheer squad. Kind, smart, effortlessly beautiful. Sunj's dream girl.
She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "The club teacher was asking about you."
"Oh, uh—really?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I said I'd find you. You coming?"
Sunj's face went full tomato. "Y-yeah! Coming! Guys, I'll see you after school!"
"Don't forget us when you're famous," Zushi called.
The rest of us waved him off. We knew what this was. Sunj had it bad. But he also had a chance.
"Let's head in?" I offered.
They nodded.
We went to class, automatically claiming the middle seats—our seats. It wasn't official, but it was a code. In every year, in every class, we took the middle. Where we could always see each other. Where no one got left behind.
Then teacher entered with a smile and welcomed us for a new year. Then started taking attendance like every year, I put my phone on silent and focused.
Attendance began.
"Roll number 1.....2.....3....."
"Roll number 11?"
"Yes, sir," a soft voice replied.
I looked up.
A girl was sitting three seats to the left. Her long black hair shimmered in the light. Her back straight, her voice confident but gentle. I hadn't seen her come in. I hadn't even noticed anyone that morning except my friends.
"Ayidas Yizana," she said during the introductions. "I'm from the capital. I hope we all get along."
The class murmured approval. Some boys tried not to drool. The girls exchanged glances that meant new competition.
But I… I froze.
She hadn't looked at me. She hadn't even seen me. But I was gone.
"Sin! Your turn!" Zushi whispered.
I stood, barely aware of my legs.
"I—I'm Sinzil Desiyn. Uh. I'm from here. Hope we all have a good year…"
I sat down quickly.
Zushi snorted. "Smooth."
I didn't care. My heart was beating too fast. Too loud. My ears rang with just one name.
Ayidas.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur. The teachers spoke in ancient languages. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. My eyes were stuck on her. Her posture. Her pen. Her faint smile when she read something in her notebook.
She hadn't even looked my way once. But she was already living in my mind rent-free.
When lunch came, I lied to the guys.
"Go ahead, I'll catch up. Need to use the restroom."
I walked the hall like a stalker, searching every classroom, until I saw her.
Outside. In the courtyard.
A crowd was forming.
Someone was standing in front of her.
No. Him. The student council president. Perfect scores. Perfect hair. Perfect everything. And he was holding out a letter.
"I fell for you at first sight. Please go out with me."
Gasps. Murmurs.
I held my breath.
She smiled. "Sorry. I already have a boyfriend."
The president stood frozen. A beat. Two. Then nodded and walked away. The crowd broke like a wave.
I turned to leave—my chest hollow, my throat tight.
"You lied."
The words stopped me.
A group of girls had surrounded her.
"Don't you already have a boyfriend?" one asked.
She laughed. "No, I panicked! I didn't know what else to say. I just wanted to get out of there."
The girls joined her in laughter.
My heart, already broken, cracked a little further… but then…
Hope.
That stupid, golden, idiotic emotion.
A spark.
Maybe… maybe I had a chance.
I stood there too long. The break ended.
Roawn smacked the back of my head. "Come on, zombie. Food won't eat itself."
"Sorry. Got distracted."
"By what? Air?" Zushi grinned.
"Let's just go."
The rest of the day passed like a dream I couldn't wake up from. That night, I couldn't sleep. I just stared at the ceiling.
Ayidas.
She was in my class. In my world. In my reach…
…maybe.
And that's where it all began.
That was the first fall of my life.
And I hadn't even started falling yet.