Chapter 2 — The Girl Without a Shadow

We have been classmates for so long; if I have ever done anything to offend you, could you please just tell me? Being isolated by everyone like this is truly unbearable for me.

As I spoke, my eyes grew red. Ho Tuyet Huong cast a fleeting glance at me. It was evident that her resolve was wavering, and she felt a flicker of sympathy.

Huong, among all of us in the dormitory, you and I have always been the closest. I do not understand why you suddenly stopped taking my calls and replying to my messages. We were perfectly fine just the other day... does this have something to do with that girl?

The moment I uttered those three words, that girl, their expressions shifted in unison.

Can you please tell me what on earth is going on? I do not want to be the only one left in the dark. I am begging you!

My pleading gaze swept over each of them, finally settling on Ho Tuyet Huong. She looked deeply conflicted, her brows furrowed tightly, her lips pressing together repeatedly.

Huong, I only want to know the truth.

I lowered my voice to a mere whisper. A look of genuine pity flickered across Ho Tuyet Huong's face. She gritted her teeth, as if she had finally gathered the courage to commit to her words.

On Tam, do you know what I saw that night when I followed you?

Ho Tuyet Huong told me that she had pursued me and seen me with her own eyes that evening.

It was not someone else, not someone who just looked like you; it was you.

I called your name, and you answered me clearly and brightly.

I said, "On Tam, you liar! How could you claim you were asleep in the dormitory? Do you take me for a fool?"

You apologized to me, saying you did not want others to discover you were dating the school’s heartthrob, and you begged me to keep it a secret for you.

We have been best friends for so long, and we have lived together for years. I know your manner of speaking, your little habits, and even the clothes you prefer to wear. I know all of it.

I am one hundred percent certain that it was you!

But just as I was talking to you, I received a phone call... from you.

You were calling me from inside the dormitory.

So, who was it standing right in front of me?

I was frozen in terror. I dared not say another word and scrambled to find an excuse to leave.

Ho Tuyet Huong clenched her fists tightly, as if only through that physical effort could she find the strength to speak. She looked unwell; even after just a few short sentences, her forehead was beaded with cold sweat. I had entertained many theories. Initially, I thought perhaps it was just a lookalike, someone who had entered into a conflict with Ho Tuyet Huong. But looking at her reaction... I knew her, and she was not a coward. Her response was too authentic—so authentic that I could not help but wonder: could there really be another version of me in this world?

I fought to suppress the rising tide of panic within my heart, reached out to cover her clenched hand, and tried to help her emerge from the trauma of that memory. Her body trembled slightly as she looked at me. I gave her a reassuring look. Her expression softened, and she let out a slow, steady breath.

At that moment, Lac Minh Tam, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

I used to wonder if I was losing my mind, too. After Vuong Nha Chi moved out, there was one night, just before the dormitory doors were locked.

I had gotten up to use the restroom, and as I stepped out, I saw you.

She looked directly at me, signifying that the "you" she referred to was, indeed, me.

You were fully dressed, ready to head out.

I was startled and asked, "It is so late; where are you going?"

You said you had a date and needed to step out for a while.

I reminded you that the dorms were closing and that you might not be able to get back in.

You told me not to worry, saying you had a way.

After you left, I was truly worried and could not fall asleep.

The dormitory doors locked at eleven-thirty. I kept track of the time, thinking that if you returned before eleven-thirty, it would be fine, but you never returned. I assumed you must have stayed at a hotel, yet the next morning, I saw you crawl out of your own bed.

I asked you where you had gone last night.

You told me that you never left the room at all...

It was as if you had no recollection of our conversation.

I felt something was wrong with you, so I began to watch you in secret. I discovered that nearly every night, you would sneak out of the dormitory without waking anyone. Yet, the next morning, you would wake up in your bed right on time.

I was always puzzled: how did you manage to get back in? The doors were clearly locked hours ago.

That night, I heard snoring coming from your bed. Curiously, I climbed up to look, and I saw you fast asleep.

And yet, just a minute prior, I had seen you with my own eyes leaving the dormitory.

Lac Minh Tam’s words made my skin crawl. Only then did I realize that the "me" they had seen was sleeping in the very same bed as I was! She had been so close to me, and I had been completely oblivious. Panic surged through me, a cold realization that, without my knowledge, another version of me had quietly seeped into every corner of my life.

I asked in a trembling voice, "What exactly is that thing that looks like me?"

In the corner of my eye, I saw someone's body shudder violently.