In the modern first world, we take for granted what others dream of daily. Peace, food, water, shelter. Companionship, love, health, entertainment. Still, I feel like I lack happiness. Walking down the bustling school hallway to gym, I’m just drifting through life. That’s an ungrateful attitude, I understand. But what I feel is what I feel. I don’t even know what I’m going to do for the rest of my life yet. I've thought about it a bit. I'm physically fit and sub in for the baseball team, so sports seems to be in my future.

  The hallway echoed with chatter, the squeak of sneakers, the slam of lockers shutting as students laughed and called to one another in waves. A couple of taller kids jostled past, their bags swinging wide. My own footsteps were in rhythm with a tune I wasn't quite hearing, lost in thought.

  Someone bumped into my shoulder.

  "Hey, you!", a feminine voice called. Behind me. I recognized that voice immediately. Her long flowing black hair swung with her head turn, smiling as she asked, "Going to gym? Hideyuki-sensei says you don't have to." Her uniform was slightly rumpled in the way that said she didn’t care what people thought, yet still had a strange elegance to it.

  I placed my hands in my pockets, letting my fingers curl around the inner fabric for warmth or maybe comfort, "Just because I don't have to doesn't mean I won't. It's fun for me."

  Yuri sighed, walking back first in tandem, keeping pace. She tilted her head a little, her expression teasing but curious. "What do you do it for? Your ego?"

  I looked forward, spotting someone bustling through others with papers in his hands. He looked like a frantic TA or maybe a cramming junior—disheveled, head down, in a rush. He continued, with no regard for safety.

  I stretched my arm out and pulled Yuri in. Not too close to where she'd touch my chest, but past personal space. Close enough to protect her from a potential collision.

  She gasped softly, surprised by the sudden motion, her steps halting as she realized what had just happened. The person kept moving past, entirely unaware.

  I answered, "For my happiness."

  Twenty minutes later..

  "Get him!", Ruri yelled from the sidelines. You can't, though. I'm too fast. Today was a special day. Because I'm a third year, one thing this school does is allow seniors to choose a game to play in the gymnasium as a send-off. I chose chase tag. Of course, we don't have the amazing setup like those guys do, but we set up some obstacles. The gym lights reflected off the polished wood floor. Folded bleachers lined the walls, and mats, boxes, cones, and bars were scattered across the room in controlled chaos. Some underclassmen stood by, watching, laughing, and occasionally cheering when the action heated up.

  I spotted someone rise up to challenge me. So Jace is trying to come at me first. Alright, I'll accept you!

  Jace leapt over the first jump box swiftly, his feet tucked neatly beneath him. He can't jump over this hoop on the ground, as it's meant to represent a corner—a boundary you can't cross. He stared at me intensely, running forward, his brows furrowed with focus. He's determined.

  I looked up at the time. Fifteen seconds left.

  He turned, a few feet away from me now. I leapt off over this small black metal bar. My shoes thudded lightly as I landed. I ran forward, pushing it to the other side of the gym. The cold gym air brushed against my skin as adrenaline surged. He stood where I once was, sliding under where I jumped. His movement was sharp. I made it all the way to the other wall, and he was right behind me.

  He's gotten even faster since his first year. I'm proud of him.

  He reached out from behind, and I could sense his fingertips a few inches away from me—like the breath of wind before a storm.

  I raised my right leg and planted my heel on the wall, using the friction and my momentum to pivot. Jace followed my movements. I leapt off over him, backflipping onto another jump box. My feet hit the top with a dull thud as my arms flared out for balance.

  One second left.

  He swiped at my thigh, which was eye level with him. His fingers grazed the air. I jumped, and he missed.

  The timer rang, and I won.

  A chorus of cheers and groans echoed through the gym. I won again.

  Hideyuki-sensei stared where I leapt off. My shoe created a large imprint—a dusty, smeared outline of my heel on the once clean wall padding.

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  I said, "I'll clean it up before I leave, I promise. I'm sorry." He tapped his pen on the box, accepting my apology with a curt nod, "Very good."

  Two hours later..

  School had ended for the day, and I was stuck cleaning a dirty wall. At least I had my friends, who sat on some chairs they brought in. The gym had mostly emptied out, leaving behind nothing.

  Yuri twiddled her thumbs, watching the wet sponge drag across the smear. "Can you believe we're about to go to university in a few months?" Her voice had a dreamy edge to it. The thought was both exciting and scary.

  Jackie laid against the wall, one leg bent and resting on the other, watching me clean with half-lidded eyes. "I say keep it going. Time has always moved slow for me, so I'm glad I can finally move on." I squeezed the sponge, the water dripping down in slow trails. "Won't you miss it here?"

  Jackie crossed his arms, glancing up at the ceiling as if he hadn’t considered it until now. "Yeah, of course." His voice was quiet that time—less sure, more nostalgic.

  Yuri looked up, her gaze distant now. "I wonder what's in store for us."

  Jackie agape his mouth, jolting the tone upward, "That reminds me! You need to check this out!" He sat up straighter, already pulling out his phone. I dropped the sponge in the water bucket. I’m done.

  Jackie pulled up YouTube, tapping on a video saved in his playlist. While the thumbnail loaded—pixelated and buffering—Yuri moved alongside me.

  She asked, "What is it?"

  Jackie explained, "Let it load for a second."

  The video finally loaded. Fifteen seconds long. It was grainy footage of a white tower in the middle of some city square, adjourned with gold symbols. The surrounding landscape was destroyed—cars overturned, glass shattered, streets cracked like an earthquake had struck. Is this a helicopter recording?

  The view rotated, the camera tracing a half-circle around the tower’s sheer surface. Then the video cut. Abruptly.

  I scratched my head, still processing. "Is that it?"

  Jackie scoffed, giving me a look like I’d just missed something monumental. "Is that it? Are you joking? A white tower with symbols as large as the Burj Khalifa appears, displacing hundreds is nothing to you?!"

  Woah, woah. I raised my hands, trying to calm him down. "Calm down for a minute. You serious?"

  He nodded eagerly, eyes wide with something close to excitement. "It's not CGI or faked. The weird thing is, according to reports, nobody died. They were just... moved outside a small radius."

  Yuri, ever astute, her brow furrowed with concern, asked, "What's the symbols mean?"

  Jackie answered while putting his phone back in his jacket pocket, "Nobody knows. I have a friend in London, however. People near the tower when it appeared heard a disembodied voice say twelve humans will be chosen to climb it. Whatever that means."

  I feel bad for those people.

  I grasped the bucket, the water sloshing a little with the motion. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow, Jackie."

  He looked disappointed, his lips tightening. As if I should be more interested. Trust me, I am, but I can't handle the repercussions if everything is true.

  I made it home. I opened the door, to be greeted by nobody. It is late—dad's out working, and mom's probably out shopping. The silence was thick, interrupted only by the creak of the door closing behind me. I took off my shoes, letting them clatter loosely by the wall, and walked into the kitchen. What should I have?

  Hold on, what even is there?

  I walked over to the pantry and opened the door. Rows of boxed goods and cans greeted me in dim light. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. My body flinched slightly. It's not mom or dad—they wouldn’t ring. I closed the pantry door, my fingers slightly trembling as they met the wood, and walked over. As I did, I could hear the distinct noise of birds. Chirping. Clear and sharp. It's March. There aren't any birds around. Certainly not loud enough for me to hear through the thick walls of my house.

  Just ignore it. I must be on edge from that video.

  I grasped the handle, pulse ticking in my ears, and I could still hear it. A soft, melodic chirping that didn’t match the moment.

  Someone’s hand pushed the door open.

  Yuri?

  She looked distraught, strands of hair clinging to her face, still with her backpack in hand like she’d run straight here. Her breathing was uneven, and her eyes were wide.

  She asked, "Did you get that message too?"

  I blinked. "What message?"

  She stomped her foot, frustration breaking through the panic. "That message! You have been chosen!"

  Is she okay?

  I offered, voice soft, “Come inside, I’ll help you—"

  Schlick.

  A sound like air being sucked through silk.

  A dimensional hole appeared directly under Yuri—white, clean, and completely see-through like glass that cut into nothingness. She immediately dropped.

  My instinct kicked in, and I grasped her hand. Her weight pulled against mine.

  She yelled, “Help me!” Her voice cracked. I have to save her!

  I pulled up, but the hole followed her, gliding beneath like it was tethered to her. My front foot slipped and fell in.

  Then...!

  I began to adjust my grip, ready to throw.

  I'll take her place!

  I couldn’t even think about how crazy this was. There wasn’t time. I threw her up. She was stationary in the air for a moment—frozen by shock and momentum. She looked down, tearing up, eyes trembling.

  I used my arm to hold her up as I fell. I smiled, “Remember me.”

  Thump!

  I dropped a few feet onto my butt, landing on something soft—moss? Grass? It cushioned the fall, but my head still spun.

  My eyes adjusted from the pure white glow I’d seen just before. Everything was bright, then slowly, color returned. I blinked rapidly, breath caught in my throat. There was a forest in front of me, endless trees, dark and deep. Mountains loomed far in the distance, like silent sentinels keeping watch. I couldn’t see the end of it. I stuck out my hand instinctively, fingertips brushing the tall grass around me.

  "Where… am I?"