Shadow Escape, the sequence(Book 2)

Chapter 4

✦Tyler✦

Loud chirping noises was what I heard when my eyes opened. The birds were always there to wake me up and I remembered having the most insane dream ever last night. But was it a dream? It was almost too surreal to be one. My hand ached a bit from holding Konaru's hand. Konaru. I also realized that I was wearing the same clothes from the escape rooms and they still smelt like sewer water. I stuck my tongue out in disgust.

It was just a dream and you're imagining the smell of sewer water...

Groaning and tossing my bed covers, I got up from my bed trying to forget it, but the love I felt for that beautiful girl felt so real...if it was a dream. The black raven hair, those honey-suckle eyes and her hands softer than feathers. My eyes started watering for some reason because I thought she was the one. I thought it was real and I got tricked.

"Tyler! For the tenth time, wake up and get ready for school! You're going to be late!"

I almost tripped over my feet when I heard my mom's yell and what she said made me freeze. I had school today?! What day was it? Oh my god, that dream really brought me to a whole new dimension.

As I rushed over to grab my bag and books laying harsardly on my bedroom floor, I felt something tug at the back of my pocket. I patted and snatched it up thinking it was a spider. The thing is... It wasn't a spider, it was a small notebook which didn't belong to me. It felt damp too. My hands were trembling once I did the math.

I stood there, gaping for a second.

Of course! This book belonged to Mike! I was almost jumping with excitement. So this wasn't a dream! Realization dawned on me. Oh... Mike isn't here. Or was he? Was he ever here? I had so many questions.

"Tyler! What's got you all so jumpy and excited? Get ready for school!" My mom yelled. She must have heard the floorboards creak under my excitement.

"...But mom! I-"

"No! You've been in your room for two days straight! You've never once said hello to me and it's as if you were never here!"

It's as if I were never here. Those words barely registered through my brain because I was out through my bedroom door in an instant and running. I also decided to leave Mike's notebook because I didn't want anyone questioning it. I wondered what was written inside, but that felt somewhat nosy. Regardless, I left it behind.

Sighing, I ran until I reached the car parked around the curb. With all these clues, I felt so overwhelmed. Maybe Seth didn't really erase our memories? Was there some kind of mistake? I could question all these possibilities as soon as I got the chance to.

I pushed the dream to the back of my mind when I entered the car and my mom's worried expression came into view, but I just sat there staring at my slightly bruised hands knowing she was going to question my absence and odd behavior.

"Are you okay? I got home the other day, knocked on your bedroom door and you weren't there. I thought we were done talking about parties, Tyler."

"Well guess what mom? I was trapped in a friggin escape room with other teenagers and forced to do these stupid escape rooms by this psycho dude!!!"

I contemplated telling her that, but the words just wouldn't come. They remained stuck at the back of my throat. I knew she would throw a fit or she might not even believe me in the first place. She would obviously think that I was imagining things, or worse, drunk. Neither of those options pleased me, so I decided to go with the typical study excuse.

"I was-err...studying. A lot! Really hard for my upcoming tests mom! I have this history test this week..."

She didn't take her eyes off the road and I sensed her disbelief. "Well you better not let those straight A's slip or else you'll be studying back in the kitchen." My blood froze. Oh no, not the kitchen. That's where I spent most of my time crying, doing math with dad. To add to my list of worries, I knew we had a physics test today which I didn't study for. It was hard not to grunt out loud especially with my mom, the scariest person ever — she even surpassed Seth — sitting no more than 3 feet away from me.

We got to school on time, which I hated. I was seriously hoping I would be late so I could use it as an excuse to miss my test. I mentally laughed because usually, it was the opposite. I was always happy to see my friends and teachers at school. Yup, I was that nerd. Just like Mike. The one who always got excited for school.

Walking through the crowds of people piled up at the entrance, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. When I peered behind, I ignored my friends who were waving at me. They were the last things I wanted to be with and I wouldn't be able to explain my sudden awkwardness. I finally unlocked my locker to look for...nothing at all. Eesh. Why was I even here? I felt so lonely at the moment and closed my eyes for a split second. Only Konaru's gentle face appeared, her essence calming me down.

Twak. Ouch. A paper airplane hit me in the head.

So was this what it felt like being a loner? Getting constantly bullied?

Turning around ready to confront whomever through the airplane, everything in my world ground to a halt. It was like time froze for a second as my brain tried to process who it was.

Was I still dreaming or was she really there? Her light brown eyes locked onto mine and she still gave me the same feeling she gave me back in the maze. The feeling of her lips brushing against mine made me feel some type of way I couldn't describe.

Suddenly, the bell rang and she broke the connection by turning around and rushed through the crowd. All of that happened in a millisecond, but it felt like more than that. Her black hair disappeared in the throng of students, leaving me standing in front of my locker with my mouth hanging wide open.