One more time, I woke up. I was shaking and covered in sweat, just like last time. But it didn't feel exactly the same as the first time; it was as if I was starting to get used to it. My theory about studying hard had been right, I hoped, and then there was that thing under the school... Oh, so many questions. I needed to know more about this place before going to the three-eyed guy. So today's goal would be to survive until the end of the day.

  And so it started like the previous time, but this time, I prepared for chemistry during all my free time and asked Kate more questions.

  And here we were, in front of the chemistry room door. This time, I thought I knew the answer to her question, but she still wasn't satisfied. Fortunately, the faceless thing didn't appear, so I considered it a victory. The next lessons should be easy and without any tests, so I spent time chatting with Kate.

  "Anny, you are so strange today. So thoughtful and kinder. Did something happen?"

  "No, no. Just thinking that I'm older than I was yesterday. Kate, hypothetically, if you were stuck in a time loop and got killed even before the first day ended because you were a bad girl, what would you do?"

  "One more reason to call you strange today, really. But I think it shouldn't be an issue for you; you've always been a good girl. As for me, I'm not that bad—except when it comes to boys, of course—so I don't think I would have problems in that situation."

  "Yeah, you're right."

  It had always been my mom's demand that I be the best of the best. I thought I should talk to her when I had the opportunity.

  The next lessons were a piece of cake, and I got through them flawlessly. Actually, I just sat there and never answered.

  Now I had a little free time before training. I probably should go there, since a good girl likely would. I decided to explore the city and asked Kate to go with me, but she turned me down; she had a date with her new boy. I didn't even remember his face, which meant he was just a flavor of the month. So I went alone. But first, I needed to pick up my training uniform and eat.

  After I had done that, I went to explore the town. You know, it was so memorable to see all these places as they had been long ago: the slightly outdated cars. I was in a melancholic mood when I noticed a door. Just a door in the corner between two nine-story buildings. But there had never been a door there. It was rusty and old, like on an abandoned ship.

  I approached it but didn't get too close, in case something jumped out. And it happened: the door opened slightly, and a hand reached out from inside. I took two steps back, ready to run away. The next moment, the hand beckoned me inside with a gesture. You think I'm crazy? Really? You think I'd actually follow you? The hand looked horrible: unhealthily skinny, almost white, with long, sharp nails.

  After a while, the hand hid behind the door, and it closed. And at that moment, the door started to melt like my home door had, but this time, there was nothing behind it.

  This place was hiding so many mysterious things, and to find the answers, I would probably have to die more and more times. Oh, I hate dying.

  My walk revealed that everything was pretty much the same, except for the doors. I saw more doors during my exploration. They appeared and disappeared; some were open, some were not, but the hand was only behind the first one. What conclusion could I draw from this? Actually, now I had even more questions.

  Alright, time for training. I realized I didn't have all my gear, so I headed home to pick up my pants - they were drying in the bathroom.

  On the way back, a big black dog blocked my path. When I tried to go around it, the dog started following me. So we walked together all the way to my door. I decided to talk to the dog. Who knows, maybe dogs here could talk.

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  "Hey, Blacky, why are you following me?"

  The dog just wagged its tail. Honestly, I'd never been afraid of dogs; I usually even liked them. But looking at this one - its head was at my belly level, with shaggy fur - I realized it could tear me to pieces. And given my situation, that was a real possibility. But it was just a dog.

  "Okay, Blacky, wait for me, and I'll get you some meat." Yes, I'd named him Blacky. So what? He was black.

  I picked up my training pants, took a piece of beef from the soup pot, put it in a plastic bag, and went back.

  To my surprise, the dog was still there. And he was so happy to see me with the meat - for a moment I thought his tail would fall off from wagging so hard. I'm usually not that kind to dogs, but this time I thought, maybe Blacky wouldn't tear me apart if I fed him. Anyway, I went to training, and the dog came along.

  When I approached the building where my training was held, the dog left me. So, here I was. It had been so long since I'd last done martial arts. Actually, it was last year, in the ninth grade. I was pretty good at it, even winning a regional competition, but I wasn't satisfied back then - in my head, I had to be the best of the best. How all those illusions shattered in the adult world.

  "Hey, Anna, nice to see you!"

  My thoughts were interrupted by him - the star of our training, a tall, handsome boy with a pretty face, a regional champion, and a complete womanizer. He was successful at everything, like the son of my mom's friend. Since I was the oldest girl there and reasonably good-looking, he always tried to hit on me, and I always rejected him. I didn't want to be just another one of his many girlfriends.

  "Hi, Tom. As cheerful as ever."

  "Oh, you're not ignoring me today?"

  Oh, right. I had been ignoring him.

  "Yeah, I'm feeling kind today."

  With that, I walked into the girls' locker room.

  I put on my gi, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and looked in the mirror. There was something about this reflection.

  I entered the training hall. Kids ranging in age from twelve to eighteen were standing and sitting around. I'd been feeling nostalgia so often lately, but this time I also felt regret - how silly and arrogant I'd been back then.

  The training went fine, but I was worse than I remembered. I took a few punches to the core. I was paired up with boys a few years younger than me, and I think they hated me and tried their best against me.

  In the end, I was completely exhausted. These boys... Oh, my ribs hurt. I was sitting on a bench, trying to pull myself together.

  "You're pretty nonchalant today."

  It was Tom again.

  "I guess I am."

  "If you're feeling so kind today, maybe we could walk home together?"

  Oh, a bold move from him. But I was glad - I had a feeling I couldn't survive today, that I'd forgotten something. Taking everything into account, I agreed. Maybe he would try to protect me from the faceless man.

  We were walking and chatting. He was easygoing, and I understood why girls liked him, but he was such a child to me. His world was all black and white. In contrast, mine was mostly shades of gray.

  Sadly, our walk was cut short by the faceless man. The street was empty, and I recognized him at first glance. Why? Had I done something wrong? That feeling I'd had - that I'd forgotten something - this must have been it.

  I stopped and stared at him.

  "Anna, what's wrong?"

  I decided to play dumb.

  "Look, that guy... he doesn't have a face."

  I saw an expression of fear flash across Tom's face.

  As the faceless man moved toward us, Tom grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the street. The faceless man didn't move; he just stood there. Just when I thought I was safe, Tom stopped - the faceless man was now in front of him.

  And then he started to speak with a voice like static from an old radio - absolutely not the voice of a living creature.

  "Get out of the way, boy. I'm here for the girl."

  "Or what?"

  Tom looked confident. He stared at the thing's face, and I could feel he was ready for action: his left leg was slightly forward, his body turned sideways toward the faceless man. In other words, he was ready to fight back.

  "Or I'll kill you like I will her."

  The moment the thing stopped speaking, Tom launched a sharp high kick at its head. The faceless man took the blow as if it were nothing; his head moved just slightly. And in the moment Tom's foot touched the ground, it slapped him.

  It was just like a casual slap, but the effect... Damn. Tom's head snapped like a volleyball, and his whole body flew several meters away.

  A moment later, the faceless man was in front of me. My entire body was paralyzed with fear. But in that moment - as he swung to deliver the same slap he'd given Tom, in that moment when my death seemed unavoidable - I felt a sudden clarity. The fear was gone. All unnecessary feelings were gone. My entire mind focused on a single goal: survival. At the same time, my body felt so light.

  I managed to avoid the deadly slap by bending over slightly; his hand only grazed my hair. I jumped back to increase the distance between us, but at that moment, he kicked me in the belly with his leg. I saw it coming, but there was no way to avoid it.

  So it hit me. The clarity vanished, leaving only pain behind. I felt my ribs stabbing into my lungs, felt something rupture in my belly. I was thrown back and smashed into a wall.

  That was the moment I died one more time.