The coat was too big. It swallowed Leo whole, the wool heavy and gray as ash. It was a hand-me-down, passed down the line of boys in the dormitory like a curse, or perhaps a blessing, depending on which way the wind blew. Leo stood before the mirror in the common room, pulling the collar up over his chin. The fabric smelled of lavender detergent and stale sweat. It smelled of everyone who had worn it before him. He felt small inside it. He felt invisible.

"Stop fidgeting," said Marcus. Marcus sat on the edge of the bed, his legs swinging. He had a smile that never quite reached his eyes. It was a polite smile. A dangerous smile. "You look like a ghost."

"I look like a boy," Leo said. His voice was high, thin. It cracked on the second word.

"You look like you’re waiting for something bad to happen," Marcus said. He tapped his finger on the mattress. *Tap. Tap. Tap.* A rhythm. A countdown. "We’re going out, Leo. Don’t be a drag."

Leo pulled the coat tighter. The sleeves bunched at his wrists. He looked at his hands in the mirror. They were pale. They were shaking. He had to stop the shaking. He had to be still. If he was still, maybe the world would stop moving. Maybe the time would freeze. He wanted to freeze. He wanted to stay in the dormitory forever, buried under the sheets, safe from the hallway, safe from the staff, safe from the look in Marcus’s eyes.

"Come on," Marcus said. He grabbed Leo’s arm. His grip was tight. His fingers dug into the wool. "Move it."

They walked down the corridor. The floorboards creaked under their feet. The walls were white. The paint was peeling in long strips, like skin. The air was cold. It smelled of floor wax and fear. They passed the office of Mr. Thorne. The door was closed. The blinds were drawn. Leo felt a jolt in his chest. A warning.

"Who’s Thorne?" Leo asked.

"Management," Marcus said. He didn’t look back. "Just walk."

They reached the main gate. It was a heavy iron thing, rusted at the hinges. Beyond it, the town lay in the mist. The mist was thick. It swallowed the buildings. It swallowed the sky. It swallowed everything.

"Is it real?" Leo asked.

"What?"

"The town. The people. Is it real?"

Marcus stopped. He turned around. He looked at Leo. His face was blank. "It’s real enough," he said. "Now get your coat buttoned. You’ll catch a cold."

Leo buttoned the coat. The buttons were cold. They bit into his skin. He felt the weight of the wool again. He felt the weight of the past. He felt the weight of the future. It was all the same thing. It was a loop. A circle. A trap.

They walked into the mist.

The streets were empty. The shops were dark. The windows were black squares. There was no sound. No traffic. No birds. No wind. Just the sound of their footsteps. *Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.* On the gravel.

"Where are we going?" Leo asked.

"To the square," Marcus said.

"Why?"

"To see the show."

"What show?"

Marcus laughed. It was a short, sharp sound. It sounded like a breaking twig. "You’ll see."

They walked for a long time. Or maybe it was only a short time. Time was slippery here. Time was a fluid. It poured over them. It seeped into the wool of the coat. Leo felt wet. He felt cold. He felt afraid.

They reached the square. It was large. It was paved with gray stones. In the center, there was a fountain. The water was still. It was black. It looked like oil.

"Look," Marcus said. He pointed to the edge of the square.

There were people. They were standing in a line. They were wearing coats. Gray coats. The same coat Leo was wearing. They were identical. Their faces were hidden by hoods. They stood perfectly still. They did not breathe. They did not move.

"Who are they?" Leo whispered.

"Us," Marcus said.

Leo stared. He looked closer. He saw the faces. They were pale. They were young. They were Leo. There were hundreds of Leos. Thousands. They stood in the mist. They stood in the silence. They waited.

"This isn't real," Leo said. His voice shook. "This is a dream. I’m dreaming. Wake up."

Marcus put his arm around Leo’s shoulders. He pulled him close. "No, Leo. This is real. This is the truth. You’ve been here before. You’re always here."

"No," Leo said. "I’m new. I just arrived. I don’t know this place."

"You know it," Marcus said. "You just forgot. It’s part of the process. The forgetting is the point."

Leo looked at the Leos in the line. They stared back. Their eyes were empty. Their eyes were full. They were waiting for him. They were waiting for their turn.

"I want to go home," Leo said.

"There is no home," Marcus said. "There is only here."

Leo pulled away from Marcus. He ran. He ran back the way they had come. He ran through the mist. He ran past the shops. He ran to the gate.

The gate was closed.

He pounded on it. "Let me out! Let me out!"

The iron was cold. The iron was hard. It did not move.

"Go back," a voice said.

Leo turned. Mr. Thorne was standing there. He was tall. He was thin. He was wearing a black suit. He had no face. Where his face should have been, there was only smooth skin. Smooth, pale skin. Like a mask.

"Who are you?" Leo asked.

"I am the keeper," Thorne said. His voice was soft. It was like a whisper. It was like a hiss. "I keep the order. I keep the peace."

"I want to leave," Leo said.

"You cannot leave," Thorne said. "You are part of the pattern. You are part of the cycle. If you leave, the cycle breaks. And if the cycle breaks, the world ends."

"I don't care about the world," Leo said. "I care about me."

Thorne tilted his head. It was a strange motion. Mechanical. Precise. "Me?" Thorne said. "There is no me. There is only we. There is only the coat. There is only the line."

Leo looked down at his coat. The wool was darkening. It was turning black. It was turning into the mist. It was turning into the stone. He was becoming part of the square. He was becoming part of the line.

"Help me," Leo said. He looked at Marcus. Marcus was standing behind him. He was smiling. That polite, dangerous smile.

"I can’t help you," Marcus said. "I’m trying to hold the line. I’m trying to keep you here. I’m trying to save you."

"Save me?" Leo asked.

"From the outside," Marcus said. "The outside is worse. The outside is chaos. The outside is pain. Here, it is quiet. Here, it is safe. Here, you are one of us."

Leo looked at the Leos in the line. They were closing in. They were forming a circle. They were surrounding him. Their hands were reaching out. Their fingers were long. Their fingers were cold.

"I don't want to be one of you," Leo said. He screamed. He screamed until his throat bled. He screamed into the mist. He screamed into the silence.

The mist swallowed the sound.

The Leos closed the circle. They touched him. Their touch was cold. It was like ice. It was like death. It was like memory.

Leo felt himself dissolving. He felt his edges blurring. He felt his name fading. Leo. Who was Leo? He was a boy. He was a boy in a gray coat. He was a boy in a line. He was a boy in a mist.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was a gentle hand. It was a kind hand.

"Shh," said a voice. It was his own voice. It was Marcus’s voice. It was Thorne’s voice. It was everyone’s voice. "It’s okay. It’s over. You’re safe now. You’re home."

Leo stopped struggling. He stopped fighting. He let the cold take him. He let the silence take him. He let the memory take him.

He closed his eyes.

He opened them.

He was standing before the mirror in the common room. He was pulling the collar of the gray coat up over his chin.

"Stop fidgeting," said Marcus.

Leo looked at his reflection. He looked at his hands. They were pale. They were still.

"I look like a ghost," Leo said.

"You look like a boy," Marcus said.

Leo smiled. It was a small smile. It was a sad smile. It was a smile that knew the truth.

"Okay," Leo said. "Let’s go."

He turned away from the mirror. He walked to the door. He opened it. He stepped out into the corridor. The floorboards creaked. The air was cold. The walls were white.

He walked down the hall. He walked toward the gate. He walked toward the mist. He walked toward the line.

He walked toward the end.

He walked toward the beginning.

He walked on.