The Game of Sanity

Chapter 7

All through the day I look in vain for Amber but I never see her. Her name is never called for roll, no one asks where she is and her place next to me at lunch sat empty.

At the end of the day, I am emotionally drained and can't bring myself to do anything else but lay in bed and stare at the ceiling. Eventually, I hear my phone's message notification go off but I can't even bring myself to look.

Amber really never did exist. What have I done to deserve this? He did something to her and carved my neck. Why?

My phone receives another message and I start to cry.

She never did anything! She was like a sister to me and he took her. Why?!

Then my phone starts to ring.

"What do you want?!" I scream into the phone receiver without thinking.

"Honey?" my mother's surprised voice asks over the phone.

I immediately calm down and start to sob and try to speak between hickcupy breaths. "S-sorry Mom. I-I've had a hard d-day at school."

"Oh baby. What happened?"

"I-my friend doesn't exist anymore! Something happened to her! I-I don't know what though!" I can't control what I'm saying at this point and I know I should stop speaking but it feels so good to tell someone about what has happened. "Th-the person who has b-been texting me has killed Amber or erased her from existence or something! I-I'm so scared Mom. I'm so scared." tears run down the sides of my face and into my hair as the silence stretches on from the other side of the phone.

I wait in anticipation for my mother's reaction to my word vomit, my heart racing because I know I shouldn't have said any of that but it felt so fucking good. "Who has been texting you, baby?" She finally asks timidly.

"I think his name is B-Ben."

"Okay baby. I'll be home in an hour. Do you think you're safe for now?"

I nod my head, "Yeah. I think so. Love you. Bye." I end the call and look at my messages.

01000011 01110010 01111001 00100000 01100010 01100001 01100010 01111001: You shouldn't have done that...