THE GIRL WHO RECEIVED A TEXT FROM HER FUTURE SELF CHAPTER TWO

Elaris barely slept that night.Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the photograph again.Her older self.Daniel beside her.The newspaper.And those four terrifying words:YOU HAVE ONE WEEK.At exactly 6:30 a.m., Elaris's alarm went off.She reached for her phone.No new messages.For a moment, she wondered if everything that happened during the night had been a dream.Then her phone rang.MUM.Elaris froze.The first call.Her future self had predicted it.She answered.“Good morning, Mum.”“Good morning, sweetheart. Are you awake?”“Yes.”“Get ready for school. And don't forget your lunch.”Elaris smiled nervously.“Okay.”Her mother hung up.Elaris stared at the phone.The first prediction had come true.But there was still the second call.She waited.Five minutes passed.Then ten.Nothing.“Maybe she won't call again,” Elaris whispered.Her phone rang.MUM.Her stomach dropped.The warning suddenly echoed in her mind.DON'T ANSWER THE SECOND CALL.Elaris watched the phone vibrate on the bed.Once.Twice.Three times.She didn't touch it.Eventually, the ringing stopped.A few seconds later, a text appeared.But it wasn't from her mother.UNKNOWN NUMBER“Good. You listened.”Elaris's hands went cold.She quickly typed:“Why shouldn't I go to school?”The reply came almost instantly.“Because someone at that school is going to hurt you.”Elaris stopped breathing for a second.She typed again.“Who?”The typing bubble appeared.It stayed there for several seconds.Then disappeared.No answer.Elaris tried again.“Who is going to hurt me?”Still nothing.Suddenly, someone knocked on her bedroom door.“Elaris?” her mother called.She quickly locked her phone.“Yes?”“Why aren't you dressed yet?”Elaris looked toward her school uniform hanging beside the wardrobe.“I don't feel well.”There was silence.Then her mother said something that made Elaris's blood run cold.“That's strange.”Elaris opened the door slightly.“What?”Her mother's expression had changed.She looked frightened.“You haven't been feeling sick lately, have you?”“No. Why?”Her mother stared at her for a moment.Then she whispered,“Because five years ago, you said exactly the same thing.”Elaris's eyes widened.“What do you mean?”But her mother had already turned away.“Forget I said anything.”She walked downstairs.Elaris stood frozen in the doorway.Five years ago?What happened five years ago?Before she could think about it, another message appeared.This time, it contained only a picture.Elaris opened it.It was a photograph of her school hallway.Empty.Dark.And written across the wall in red paint were three words:DON'T TRUST HIM.Elaris zoomed in.At the end of the hallway stood someone.She couldn't see the person's face.But she recognized the clothes.A black hoodie.The same hoodie Daniel had been wearing yesterday.Elaris's phone slipped from her hand.For the first time, she wondered if her future self wasn't trying to save her from Daniel.Maybe she was trying to save her from what Daniel was going to do.TO BE CONTINUED…

Other insights from Aishat Lukman

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons