I opened my eyes. As I looked around, a sense of disorientation washed over me, my body felt light, I was here but I felt as if I could fade away at any moment. My surroundings were roaring with the excitement of the other students. The noise overwhelmed me but soon a sense of familiarity hit me and I joined the others in their exhilaration. At that moment I knew where I was and why I was there, although I’ve never been here before, my past still felt fuzzy but that didn’t particularly bother me.

I was at school, my school, I was a new student here. Even though I had never been here before, I felt a strange sense of belonging, deja vu, as if I had always been a part of this place. I couldn't quite remember my past but I was here now, and that was all that mattered. My chest filled with pride as I remembered that I was a part of the few to make it into this prestigious institution. I took a minute to examine my surroundings, I was looking for something specific but I couldn't quite tell what. Wait? School? If I’m at school then my sister should be here too, I forgot I had a sister, it had completely slipped my mind. Anxiety began to flood my thoughts as I desperately looked for my younger sister. The fear of not knowing where she was was unsettling. The more I thought of unpleasant circumstances it felt as if I was calling them into action. I wandered around the room with urgency while I tried to push back the unwelcome negativity that plagued my subconscious. 

The gym was suffocatingly hot. As students bustled together forming energetic groups around the gymnasium intense heat radiated off their bodies, creating a sauna that pressured the oxygen out of the room. This discomfort made it difficult to push past them and I could no longer stand being in the room anymore. I’d say excuse me but the students would just ignore me and keep on talking. I'm not good with crowded places like this, that's why I need to find Azlyn as soon as possible. After managing to wedge myself through another ignorant crowd, I spotted 2 garage doors. 

I found myself outside, I don't recall walking myself over here but I suppressed the oddity of the situation since I was happy to be out of that hellish gym.  The air was pleasantly refreshing, I took a moment to bask in the cool breeze and catch my breath, refreshing myself. As I looked around I was startled by how empty the surrounding area was. The bland concrete and empty space stretched out for miles, there appeared to be prison-like fences in the distance. I was only able to see them because they towered high and aside from the school building they were the only other structure in the vicinity. Something was telling me that this wasn’t normal. No one else seemed alarmed so I assumed it was and that I was just the weird one. Questions started to dance around in the air and each question drew my eyes to different locations outside and within the school. With each glance my consciousness magnified each section that caught my eye, giving me a clear picture of everywhere I looked no matter where. The clear absence of teachers made me uncomfortable, the whole time I’ve been here I haven't seen a single authoritarian figure? Now that I think about it, the gym was filled with students of various age groups, how was that possible? Why was I looking for my sister if we were in different grades? Why is this place so unsettling? And most importantly why don’t I remember how I got here?

I decided to explore the area a bit more, hoping to find some answers. As I walked around the back, this place became so abnormal I couldn't ignore my anxiety anymore. The sky was overcast, but it didn't feel like a typical cloudy day. Although there was wind that was the only noise I could make out, no birds chirping, or leaves rustling, no signs of life outside of the school. It was as if the world had stopped moving, and the school was the only place that existed.

I was already here so I decided it was better for me to put my worries aside for now and carry on with looking for Azlyn. The dread I've been suppressing continued to creep on from behind me, it pursued me like a lion stalking its prey waiting for the perfect moment to swallow me whole.