Everyone Else Got the Manual - Correction - Part 7

 I didn’t sleep.

Not really.

I closed my eyes.

Turned to one side.

Then the other.

But every time I drifted…

I felt it.

That presence.

Not in the room.

Not outside.

Somewhere closer.

Like it had moved from the book…

Into my life.

Morning came without rest.

My phone buzzed.

A message.

Kavya.

I stared at her name for a few seconds before opening it.

“Let’s meet today. Lunch?”

Simple.

Normal.

Too normal.

After yesterday…

After the office…

After everything—

This felt like a test.

Or worse—

A setup.

I typed slowly.

“Okay.”

No overthinking.

No delay.

Because something told me—

I was already being watched.

We met at our usual place.

Same table.

Same corner.

Kavya was already there.

Smiling.

Perfectly.

“Hey!” she said, waving.

Her voice was right.

Her tone was right.

Everything was right.

And that’s what made it wrong.

I sat down.

Carefully.

“Hi,” I replied.

She didn’t ask how I was.

Didn’t complain about work.

Didn’t scroll her phone.

She just…

Looked at me.

Directly.

Unblinking.

For a second too long.

My chest tightened.

Blend in.

The words from the book echoed in my head.

So I smiled.

Not because I wanted to.

But because I had to.

“So… how’s everything?” I asked.

She tilted her head slightly.

That same movement.

I had seen it before.

In the office.

Before people spoke.

My stomach dropped.

“Everything is good,” she said.

Pause.

Then—

“You should try to keep it that way.”

My fingers froze mid-motion.

That wasn’t casual.

That wasn’t normal.

That was…

A message.

I forced a small laugh.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She didn’t answer immediately.

Her eyes shifted.

Just slightly.

To my bag.

Where the book was.

My heartbeat spiked.

Then she smiled again.

“Nothing,” she said lightly.

“Just… don’t overcomplicate things.”

The same line from yesterday.

Exact words.

Exact tone.

Rehearsed.

Given.

I leaned back slightly.

Trying to breathe.

Trying to stay normal.

But inside—

Something was breaking.

Because this wasn’t just the office.

This wasn’t just coworkers.

This was…

Everywhere.

Everyone.

Or almost everyone.

Kavya picked up her glass of water.

Paused.

Then looked at me again.

And for a split second—

Her smile dropped.

Completely.

No emotion.

No expression.

Just…

Blank.

Like a screen that had gone dark.

Then—

It came back.

Instantly.

“Anyway,” she said cheerfully,

“you should start following things properly.”

I stared at her.

“What things?” I whispered.

She leaned forward slightly.

Lowered her voice.

And said—

“Instructions.”

My blood ran cold.

I hadn’t told her.

I hadn’t shown anyone.

There was no way she should know.

Unless—

I stood up suddenly.

Too fast.

Too obvious.

Her eyes followed me.

Calm.

Unbothered.

“Sit,” she said softly.

Not asking.

Telling.

And for a second—

My body almost obeyed.

I felt it.

That pull.

Like invisible strings tightening around me.

My knees weakened.

My mind blurred.

Sit.

The word echoed.

Not from her.

From somewhere deeper.

I gripped the edge of the table.

Hard.

“No,” I said.

Barely audible.

But enough.

The feeling snapped.

Just like that.

I stepped back.

Kavya’s expression didn’t change.

But something in her eyes did.

A flicker.

Not anger.

Not surprise.

Recognition.

“You’re making this harder,” she said quietly.

Not for herself.

For me.

And that’s when I understood.

This wasn’t punishment.

This wasn’t random.

This was…

Correction.

And it had already begun.

I grabbed my bag.

Turned.

Walked away.

Didn’t look back.

Because I knew—

If I did—

She wouldn’t be the only one watching anymore.

That night—

I didn’t wait.

I took the book out.

Opened it immediately.

The page had changed again.

“Day 2 — Adjustment”

Still there.

But below it—

New text.

“Resistance detected.”

My hands trembled.

I kept reading.

“External intervention initiated.”

My breath hitched.

External.

That meant—

Not just the book.

Not just the office.

People.

Kavya.

Anyone.

Everyone.

The final line appeared slowly.

Slower than before.

Like it wanted to make sure I understood.

“Next stage: Integration.”

I stared at the word.

Integration.

That didn’t sound like control.

That sounded like…

Becoming part of it.

My grip tightened on the book.

Because now—

It wasn’t just about following instructions.

It was about losing something.

Something I wasn’t ready to name yet.

But I could feel it slipping.

Slowly.

Quietly.

Like everything else in this world.

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