INDIVIDUAL

Chapter 1: Awakened

I woke up this morning. Just like I do every day.

I get out of my comfortable bed and eat some breakfast, I might take a shower if I feel like it. After that, I get dressed and put some makeup on. I put my hair in a bun and take my backpack from the floor. I hurry down the stairs to find my lunch perfectly made and ready to take with me. I put it in my bag and grab my keys before heading out the door.

I get on my bike and cycle fifteen minutes to school. There is a little breeze, but it is warm and peaceful; the sun is shining and there is not a single cloud in the sky. I arrive at school with a smile on my face, I felt that today was going to be a good day.
I opened the big doors and walked up to my tiny locker just around the corner. I open the lock with one of my keys and put my coat and some extra books in there. I turn around and walk up to the big mirror on the side. I check my hair and makeup and fix my clothes a bit. I turn around to walk up to my friends sitting at one of the many tables in the cafeteria. I look up from the floor and look around the place. It is empty.

I check my phone for the time and date, Wednesday, May 14, 10.15 AM. I don't understand, the second hour of school has already passed yet there is no one here. I check my schedule and see that it is a regular school day. I start to slowly walk around the cafeteria to see if there is really no one here. I blink a couple of times to make sure my eyes are not deceiving me. But still, no one.

I stroll around the corridors and look inside every single classroom. Normally they are packed with students, but not today. All the classrooms are empty, same for the library, the lab, even the staff room. I walk around for twenty more minutes but I am unable to find someone else. I head back to my locker and open the lock again. I take my coat and practically run out of the building to race back home. When I get there, the door is unlocked. I am always the first to leave the house and my parents usually lock the door, but not today. I slowly open the door and step inside. It is silent and almost creepy. I walk through the kitchen and make my way upstairs. I still have not heard a sound, except my own footsteps. My breathing gets heavier as I get to the top of the stairs. Instead of going into my own room I put down my bag and open the door that leads to my older brother's room. The door opens with a creak while the light from the large window lights up the room. I do not step in, instead, I look around the corner. My brother is in his bed fast asleep. That does not surprise me at all and I let out a deep breath. I turn around and see my parents' bedroom door. I push the handle down and I opens by itself. They are in bed, sleeping, as well.

I head to my own room and turn on the computer, I open my social media page and see that nothing has been uploaded by anyone since last night. I reload the page and a post pops up.

''Is anyone else awake?''

I want to scroll down but I can't help but look at it again. I click on the person's profile and scroll through his posts. I look at the name, Isaac Price. I think I heard of him before, he probably goes to my school. I go back to the main page and reload again. Nothing new, except three comments under that post from Isaac. 

''Me''

The first one is from a girl by the name Ruth Bellerose.

''Yes''

The second one from a guy named Will Rodgers.

''Me too''

The last one from another girl, Victoria Asher.

There were no more comments and I wondered why someone would post this, it was quite random and the fact that three people answered was even weirder. I looked at the names again and was certain that all these people go to the same school as me, but I have never really spoken to them. Or a lot of other people in school for that matter. I just like to be by myself most of the time. I do have a couple of friends, do not get me wrong but I keep my inner circle small. I took a deep breath and added my own comment, I do not know why but it just felt like the right thing to do. There was something odd about the entire situation and I was eager to find out.