Writers 
THE LAST PERSON IN MY CONTACTS
At exactly 1:13 a.m., seventeen-year-old Nia’s phone began to ring. Half-asleep, she reached for it and froze when she saw the caller ID. It was her own name. Nia. She stared at the screen, wondering if it was some strange glitch. Then she answered. For several seconds, there was nothing but silence. “Hello?” she whispered. Suddenly, she heard her own voice on the other end. “Don’t go to school tomorrow.” The call ended. Nia sat in bed, wide awake. She tried calling the number back, but it immediately went to voicemail. The next morning, she decided the whole thing had probably been some ridiculous prank. She got dressed and went to school anyway. But the moment she entered her classroom, she knew something was wrong. Her best friend, Tasha, wasn't there. “Has anyone heard from Tasha?” Nia asked. Nobody knew anything. Even their teacher simply marked her absent and continued with the lesson. During break, Nia checked her phone and noticed a new contact she hadn't created. Tasha — LAST SEEN: 1:13 A.M. Her hands went cold. She called the number. Tasha answered immediately. “Nia, please don't tell anyone you're talking to me.” “Where are you?” Nia asked. “The old computer room.” Nia rushed there. She found Tasha sitting alone in the dark, looking terrified. “What happened?” Nia asked. Tasha handed her phone over. There was a group chat with only three members: Nia, Tasha, and an unknown number. The unknown account had been sending photographs of them for weeks. There were pictures of Nia walking home, Tasha sitting in class, and both girls laughing together at lunch. But the newest photograph was different. It showed Nia standing inside the computer room. The timestamp said 1:23 p.m. Nia checked the time. It was only 1:14 p.m. “That's impossible,” she whispered. Before Tasha could answer, every computer in the room suddenly switched on. Their screens displayed the same message: YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT WHEN I WARNED YOU. Tasha grabbed Nia's hand. “We need to go.” They rushed to the door, but it wouldn't open. Nia pulled the handle repeatedly. Nothing happened. Then her phone began ringing again. The caller ID said Nia. “Don't answer it,” Tasha whispered. Nia answered anyway. This time, there was no voice. Instead, she heard the sound of someone breathing. Then the caller whispered, “Look behind you.” Nia slowly turned around. Tasha was standing there, but something about her looked different. Her expression was completely blank. “Tasha?” Nia whispered. “Are you okay?” Tasha smiled. “You shouldn't have answered.” The computers suddenly went black. When the lights came back on, Tasha was gone. Nia stood alone in the room, staring at the empty chair where her friend had been sitting. Her phone buzzed. A new message appeared from the unknown number. ONE OF YOU WAS NEVER REAL. Nia's heart raced as she typed, Who are you? The reply came instantly. Check your contacts. Nia opened her contacts and began scrolling. Her parents. Her cousins. Her classmates. Her teachers. Tasha. Then she noticed something strange. Every contact had a profile picture except one. Nia. Her own contact had no picture, no phone number, and no information at all. Just her name. Suddenly, another message appeared. You keep asking who I am. The better question is, who are you? Nia dropped the phone. She remembered her first day at the school. She remembered meeting Tasha. She remembered their jokes, their secrets, their arguments, everything. But when she tried to remember the day before she met Tasha, her mind went completely blank. The computer screens switched on again. This time, a video appeared. It showed Nia entering the school three months earlier. She watched herself walk into the classroom and sit beside Tasha. But something was wrong. Nobody else seemed to notice her. The teacher spoke to the other students but never called her name. Students walked straight past her. Tasha was the only person who ever looked at her. Nia watched the video in disbelief. Then another clip appeared. It showed Tasha sitting alone in the classroom, talking to an empty chair. “They'll never understand,” Tasha said in the video. “They'll think I'm imagining you.” Nia's breathing became shaky. Another message appeared. NOW YOU REMEMBER. Suddenly, the library door opened behind her. Tasha stood there. This time, she looked completely normal. “Nia,” she said softly. “It's time to go home.” Nia stepped backward. “What am I?” Tasha's eyes filled with tears. “You're my best friend.” “That's not what I asked.” Tasha stayed silent. Nia looked down at her phone one final time. The unknown contact had disappeared. So had Tasha's contact. The only name left was hers. NIA. Beneath it was a new status: LAST SEEN: 1:13 A.M. Nia looked at the clock on the wall. It was 1:13 a.m. again. The lights went out. And when they came back on, the computer room was empty. Only one phone remained on the table. It began ringing. The caller ID read Nia. This time, nobody answered.
