Something's wrong.
I didn't exactly know what was wrong. But I could feel it. Or Maybe it was the fact that I woke before my alarm.
Which rarely happens.
Or I don't know, maybe I fell asleep too early yesterday. But that was warranted. Staying awake longer meant simmering in my disappointment and hurt.
I honestly expected any of them to just share a quiet moment with me. But I guess that was too much to ask. Even a single 'Happy birthday' would have sufficed.
I mean I genuinely lost all interest in celebrating my own birthday. After Aunt Rose made the selfish but sound decision to end her life on my birthday.
I seriously can't muster up the joy for it without feeling like throwing up.
But still, it's my important day. My day.
Aren't I meant to feel special and all that bullshit on that particular day?
So, sleeping early it was.
Buuut. I'm also typically not the type of person who works with a 'if I sleep early then I have to wake up early' gimmick. I love my sleep.
And if sometimes I'm doing it a little too much, who cares. Nothing interesting happens anyway while I'm awake. It's all better when I'm asleep.
So imagine how I feel at the moment? Me, a heavy sleeper and sleep lover waking up before their first alarm. You see, I usually wake up after the third.
Here I am, five am in the fucking morning staring blankly at the ceiling. Now, you might be wondering why don't you simply just sleep again?
Believe me, I tried. Like really hard. Meditation and breathing exercises, counting till 500 and more. I tried all those things. But nothing worked.
The second question would be why don't you do something productive with your time then?
I tried reading. But I kept rereading the same page over and over. Sometimes I'd even find myself totally thinking about something else.
You see that right there was the second thing that warned me that something was wrong. When I read I'm in the zone, you know? The outside world stops existing for a moment and I'm only brought back into reality when hunger or sleepiness calls.
The third thing was the uneasy feeling I woke up with.
I felt…. heavy?
No, that doesn't sound right.
I woke up feeling anxious. Which was weird. Anxiety usually starts in the car. But as I stayed up longer the feeling didn't change. It got worse. The hairs on the back of my hand stood ramrod straight and I couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching me.
I already did like three checks of my room and out the window but I obviously found nothing. Except the neighbour, Miss Warren going out for her morning runs. But that wasn't out of the ordinary. Good Lord was that woman obssed with her fitness.
Though I'm not complaining. Catching her in perfect moments like this gave me something good to look at.
"Fuuuck!" I whispered under my breath before sitting up.
Should I give reading a go, again?
I tilted my head to the side and gave the Worm book lying to my left a cursory glance. I wanted to read it again but something kept me from doing it again.
I dropped back onto the bed with a sigh. Taking my phone I considered playing a game or maybe giving Ward a chance.
I keep telling myself that I'd read it eventually but never actually got to it. Was I pissed that Taylor wasn't the main character anymore?
Not really. Okay, maybe a little bit.
"Why are you so boooring?" I muttered absently to my smartphone.
Placing it back where I took it from I slowly went back to staring at the ceiling.
There was nothing exciting about it. I should paint it. Give it some stars. Make it look dreamy and ...
" Oh… Wah-ah-ah-ah.."
My phone suddenly rang. That was the first alarm. Meaning the time was now…..
" Come on….. Get down with the sickness! "
"You know, the name Disturbed for a band doesn't sound crappy anymore. Cause I'm certain that I'm feeling really disturbed right now." I said while turning my alarm off.
Schooool!
Whhyyy?
'School, school why do you have to torture me
Forcing me to get ready for something I hate
Feeding me something I'd shouldn't eat
Why do you sometimes feel like jail?
You really make me want to weil
I curse the person who made you
For forcing me to all the things I do
School, school why do you have to torture me?'
"Hey, maybe I should become a poet," I mentioned while getting up and doing my bed. "But on the other hand knowing my parents. I'm sure they'd disagree. After all, according to them, most things in art aren't 'real jobs'."
What makes a real job anyway?
"And done." I said looking at the masterpiece that was my rarely made bed.
Let's summarise up all the things that tell me that today's going to crap: 1. Woke up before my alarm. 2. I couldn't read when I wanted to. 3. The uneasy feeling I'm still feeling. 4. I'm breaking habit.
"Don't come to school tomorrow." A small voice in the back of my head mentioned bringing with it the memory of yesterday.
Kimberly's warning.
Fuck her. She has no right barging into my life like that. Then casually dropping something so vague before disappearing again.
"Time to get ready. I guess."
Opening my bedroom door and moving to the bathroom I was greeted by the sight of my mother ascending the stairs.
Her long black hair was a mess. She was still dressed in her green scrubs meaning she just came home. She had noticeable bags under her eyes. If she kept doing whatever she was doing I bet she'd eventually get raccoon eyes.
When she caught sight of me we both froze for a moment. Caught in an unprompted staring match.
I was the first to break the silence. Always am. "What's up, Doc?"
She let a brief snort before her expression broke off into a warm smile. The kind that told me everything would be alright. And when I was younger, I believed it without a second thought.
Now though, the smile didn't mean the same thing anymore. All I saw now was a tired woman working herself to exhaustion.
"Mornin' Ave," My mother's tired voice said. " You're up early."
I sighed quietly then moved towards her and gave her a hug. She tensed at first before relaxing and returning the gesture.
"You good?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.
I couldn't blame her for feeling worried. I really didn't do hugs anymore. So getting one out of the blue like this must have surprised her.
I gave her a final squeeze before letting go. " I'm okay," I muttered. I also tried giving her a reassuring smile so that she wouldn't worry more.
She gave me a look that lasted way longer than I wished it would before she nodded. Finally finding whatever she was looking for on my face.
"Well, let me not hold you ….back. I'm going to …rest for awhile" she mumbled in between yawns.
I simply nodded and watched her go. Once she disappeared on the opposite side of the hallway, I continued to my original destination.
The bathroom.
I've never really been a superstitious person but the first thing I did once I got in was to check the mirror. What happened yesterday was still fresh in my mind.
I waved my hand quickly and did Naruto hand signs while watching my reflection like a hawk. This time there was no lag. No momentary difference.
"Must have seen things, I guess."
I leaned against the sink, letting the cold porcelain ground me for a moment. The reflection staring back didn't feel quite like me yet. At least not fully it was like I was still half caught in some blurry, wrong dimension.
Hair sticking out at odd angles, dark circles under my eyes, the usual too-tired-to-care expression. Perfectly average. Except my gut still twisted like I was waiting for something bad to happen.
Brushing my teeth felt mechanical, like I was moving through a checklist rather than actually cleaning. Rinse, spit, wipe. Repeat. Every motion carried a strange weight.
After that I took a quick sink into the bathtub. Dryed and dressed, I grabbed my hairbrush. My long black strands tangled easily, knots pulling at the roots like tiny alarms. I muttered under my breath as I worked through them. "Relax… it's just hair… just hair…"
Once it was mostly tame, I studied myself again in the mirror. The uneasy feeling hadn't left. It hovered like a shadow behind my eyes.
Maybe I should call it intuition. Or maybe it was just me being paranoid.
I took a deep breath. "One step at a time," I whispered to myself. After putting my lenses on I was ready.
While checking myself once more, my phone, which had been silent and dark, lit up. Then came an unfamiliar tune. Unfamiliar in the way that I didn't set this but familiar cause I heard it before. A church bell rang from my phone. Each dong of the bell rang louder and louder in my ears. And my heart like some twisted marching band followed along. Thumping in line with the toll.
I was so focused on it that I didn't hear the call at the door. When the knocking started, I jumped. Just a little.
" Hey A, you done?" Daniel asked. " I really need to use the bathroom."
" Jus-st..." I cleared my throat. " Just a minute,"
My head whipped back to my phone which had fallen silent like everything that happened before was just in my head. I cautiously tip-toed over and reached for it. Turning it on a notification sat patiently for me.
[ H.E.L.P has been successfully installed!!!
By an Unknown Third party!!🎉 ]
I stood there staring at my phone confused. Was there such an App?
" Averryy," my brother muttered knocking the door again.
" I'm out. I'm out. Okay?" I said, swiping the notification away and slipping my phone into my pocket. Then I shuffled to the door and swung it open. Daniel sat to the side of the door and as it opened stood. He's hair was still flattened on one side and had a hoodie thrown over his pajamas.
He also looked like he'd been awake for a while.
He didn't step in at first. Just stood there holding something small in his hands. Not wrapped.
Just… contained. Protected between his palms like it might escape.
"Can I come in?" he asked. He didn't look at me when he said it.
" Uh... Sure?" I replied, already turning back to the mirror.
He stepped inside. Closed the door carefully behind him.
Silence. Thick. Heavy.
I watched him in the mirror instead of turning around. He was staring at the floor like it had personally wronged him.
"So," he started. "I—uh." He cleared his throat. "I got you something."
" That's… not necessary," I said automatically. It came out too fast. Almost defensive.
"I know," he said quickly. "I mean— I know it's late. I just. I wanted to give it to yesterday. But you were asleep when I came. And I didn't want to wake you. And I had to wait until— "
Dude, breath." I interrupted him. Finally turning to look at him.
He went quiet again.
Then that awkward, suffocating pressure that happens when neither of us knows how to exist in the same emotional space spread throughout the room.
Then he walked closer.
He held out his hand. In his palm was a small necklace. Silver chain. Simple. There was a tiny pendant and a star. Nothing flashy.
Just… simple. But fitting. Like he'd picked it carefully.
"It's stupid," he muttered. "But you like space stuff, right?. ...And I saw it and it wasn't too expensive and — "
"It's not stupid," I said. I reached out before I could think too much about it and took the necklace from his hand. I inspected it like I was evaluating craftsmanship instead of trying very hard not to feel something sharp in my chest.
"It's decent quality," I said, because that's apparently how I process affection. "Chain won't snap easily."
He gave a small, awkward huff. Not quite a laugh.
"Happy birthday," he added, quieter this time.
I swallowed. "Thanks."
I looked at the necklace again. The star caught the early morning light creeping through my window. It shimmered faintly.
"I'll wear it," I said.
His head snapped up. "You don't have to—"
"I said I'll wear it."
I moved before he could argue and lifted my hair. The chain felt cool against my neck as I fastened it. My fingers were steady. Which is impressive, considering something inside me was unraveling thread by thread.
I dropped my hair back into place.There.
Proof.
He stared at it like he couldn't believe I actually did it.
"It looks…" he started. He stopped.
"Yeah," he finished intelligently.
I almost smiled.
Almost.
"Don't get used to this," I said, grabbing my things. "I'm not suddenly sentimental."
"I didn't say you were."
"Want to drive with me to school?" I asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck. " Sure," He nodded once.
Then, awkwardly, he opened his arms a little.
It wasn't a full offer. More like a question.
My entire body stiffened on instinct.
We do not do that.
We don't hug. We don't do heartfelt speeches. We exist in parallel and occasionally exchange sarcasm.
But the necklace was cool against my skin.
And he'd waited. Saved. Knocked.
I sighed like I was being inconvenienced by the world itself and stepped forward. The hug was brief. Stiff. More shoulder than chest.
But he held on for half a second longer than necessary.
So did I.
"I'm going to wait downstairs," I muttered into his hoodie. He just nodded. We pulled away immediately. I left before he could see that my eyes were burning.
—————————
The air outside was cool, sharper than I expected, like the whole neighborhood had been scrubbed too clean overnight. Dew clung to the lawns. The street was empty, too empty, except for the faint hum of a car somewhere blocks away.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and locked the front door behind me. My keys rattled more loudly than they should have. Every sound felt magnified.
"School," I muttered, like saying it would make it less miserable.
" What's wrong with it?" Naive Daniel asked.
I ignored him and slid into the driver's seat, started the engine. The familiar bass thump of the radio filled the silence. My phone rang again but I also ignored it.
But the feeling of ignoring it made me grip the steering wheel tighter. One step at a time, I reminded myself. Drive. Survive. Make it through another day.
But the uneasy weight in my chest only grew heavier the closer I got to school. The morning dragged in that weird foggy way where everything felt tilted. Every hallway I walked through had eyes on me. Not the usual passing glances, but stares that lingered a second too long. Whispers followed me like shadows, lips curling into smirks when I passed.
By third period, the looks had sharpened. Mocking. Amused. Like I was the punchline to some joke I didn't know yet.
It wasn't until lunch that the joke walked up to me.
Valerie. Of course.
She dropped her tray on the table across from mine, smirking with that practiced cruelty she carried like perfume. Her voice was loud, deliberately so, cutting through the cafeteria noise:
"'Some days I think if I disappeared, nobody would notice for a week.'"
Her words caught me off guard and I looked at her in confusion. Her smile spread wider. More malicious.
I blinked. " What?"
She stirred her yoghurt and looked at me amused. " That's dramatic. A bit poetic though."
Again I muttered. "What?"
"Hmm," She tapped her spoon against the plastic lid. " Maybe it was this one then, ' I don't hate them. I just hate how small they make me feel sometimes. ' "
The noise in the cafeteria dulled. My fingers slowly clenched at the edges of the table.
" That's — " I started. " Why are you saying all of this to me?"
She shrugged. " Just something I read."
I forced a laugh. It came out thin. " Eh... What book was it?"
She didn't laugh. Instead she leaned forward slightly. " ' Would it kill him to just do something terrible once,' " she continued, quieter now. Almost a whisper. " ' Why does he have to get it? Why?' "
My throat went dry. " Y-you... H-how... ?"
Her eyes now held my own. Not mocking. Not smug. Just steady.
" One more?" She asked softly.
I didn't answer. But she did so anyway.
" ' I wonder what would happen if she were real? Would she be willing to be my friend? T and A?' "
My stomach dropped. Then silence before the world rushed back in. Laughter, shouting and trays dropping.
That line. I couldn't deny it anymore. That line was mine. Word for word. An asinine thing written out of boredom. Straight from my diary. The blood from my face drained as I stared at her. Her eyes weren't as pretty anymore.
" Where..." I asked. My voice barely audible. Where? When? How...
How? How? HOW?
Laughter from the table nearby caught my attention and my eyes instinctively darted to it. On one person.
Kimberly.
She froze the second I looked at her, guilt flashing across her face before she turned away.
My heart sank. The uneasy feeling I'd had all morning slightly solidified into stone.
Valerie leaned in closer, eyes glinting. "Oh, don't look so shocked, Ave. You should be happy. We all finally know the real you."
The cafeteria had gone quieter, the air charged with waiting.
She tilted her head, feigning sympathy. "You poor little sad, lonely, gay freak. Writing about your crushes, your 'dark thoughts'…"
She dragged out the words with poison sweetness. "No wonder nobody wanted to sit with you. No wonder your mommy works all the time and your daddy can't stand to be home."
Laughter burst from her group. A few others joined in. Some just looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.
Something cracked inside me. And a feeling I've long grown numb to rose.
The noise faded. The cafeteria, the laughter, Valerie's smug face. It all blurred together until the only thing clear was the roaring in my ears and the pressure building in my chest. And that tolling Bell.
I stood without thinking, the legs of my chair screeching against the floor. Valerie's smirk widened like she'd won.
And then I slammed my forehead into hers.
The crunch of bone was sickening, sharp and final. Valerie screamed, stumbling back as blood gushed from her nose. The cafeteria exploded into chaos. Shouts, gasps, trays clattering to the floor.
Valerie staggered back, clutching her bleeding nose, shrieking. Her boyfriend, the asshole, the muscle-for-brains, always tagging along like a loyal dog, lunged toward me.
"Enough!" he barked, grabbing at my arm.
I didn't even hesitate. My knee shot up and my foot connected square with his crotch. He folded instantly, wheezing like a deflated balloon. The cafeteria howled in shock.
My head whipped back to Valerie, rage tunneling my vision. She was screaming something about me being a freak, about how I'd "regret this." I didn't care. My fist crashed into her cheek, once, twice.
Satisfying cracks that sent her reeling.
Then pain seared at my scalp, someone yanked my hair hard enough to snap my head back. Grace. Valerie's shadow, always trying to play queen bee number two.
"Crazy bitch!" she hissed in my ear. My elbow flew backward on instinct. It smashed into her face with a crunch. Grace screamed, stumbling away, hands clutching her mouth. Blood leaked between her fingers.
Another set of arms wrapped around me, pinning mine down. A guy from Valerie's little court. His breath was hot against my ear. "Calm the fuck down!"
Valerie's voice rang out, nasal and broken: "Hold her still! I'll show this dyke what happens when she messes with me!"
She stormed up, her palm cracking across my face in a stinging slap. The cafeteria roared, half-shocked, half-thrilled. School fights were always so interesting.
My jaw ached, but the bite of humiliation burned hotter. I twisted in the guy's grip, teeth sinking into his arm. The taste of iron hit my tongue before he screamed and shoved me off.
Free.
I launched myself at Valerie again, tackling her to the ground. The world narrowed until there was only her face beneath me, pale and terrified and still spitting insults.
My fists came down again and again, knuckles splitting, blood smearing across her skin.
God, you're pretty when you're scared.
Another punch.
I always hated that smile, but your eyes… your eyes look so much better like this.
Another punch.
Finally, finally you're not untouchable. Finally, I get to ruin you the way you ruin everyone else.
Her screams blurred into sobs, and still I kept hitting, my thoughts curdling into twisted admiration.
Perfect little Valerie, bleeding, begging, breaking —
Hands grabbed me from every direction, dragging me off her, but my nails scraped at her arm even as they tore me away.
I was laughing.
And I didn't even realize it until the sound left my throat.
Arms wrapped around me like restraining cables, two teachers dragged me out of the cafeteria. The room was a blur of open mouths and phones, the lingering smell of blood and sweat making my stomach churn.
"Unbelievable! Avery! Look at what you've done!" one of the teachers barked. Her grip was firm, her voice sharp and wet with frustration. "Why can't you just be… more like Daniel? Why is it always—"
I tuned her out immediately. Her words bounced off a wall I had built in my head.
Daniel. Daniel. Perfect, obedient, so fucking boring Daniel. I heard nothing beyond the rhythm of my own heartbeat and the faint ringing in my ears. Ding-ding-ding, it played over and over.
I felt the shuffle of shoes and the brush of bodies, the weight of their disapproval, but it didn't reach me. The world narrowed to the sound of my own breathing and the faint stickiness of blood on my knuckles.
Finally, we reached the principal's office. Mr. Carver. The legend, the man everyone feared more than detention itself. He was already there, standing rigid, face twisted in fury.
I did pummel his daughter. Though I wished it lasted longer.
"You will— " he started, voice booming like a horn.
But I couldn't hear a single word. His mouth moved, veins pulsing at his temple, words tumbling from it, but they sounded like a foreign language mashed into nonsense:
"Blargle fip wharnock… frindle snarp! You..."
I stared at him for a beat too long. The corners of my lips tugged upward.
Then the laughter started. Low, bubbling, impossible to stop. At first just a snicker, then full-blown, echoing cackles that made the man's eyes widen in disbelief.
"What's so funny, Avery?! Do you think this is a joke?!" he bellowed.
I doubled over in the chair, hands pressed against my mouth to try and stop, but it was too late. My laughter was unstoppable. His face redder than a tomato in the sun, trembling with rage, only fueled the fire.
"Ha… ha… ha!" I gasped, tears prickling my eyes. "Blargle… snarp… hahahaha…"
The principal's fist slammed onto the desk. "Do you understand what you've done?!"
I blinked at him. The words were still nonsense, a weird rhythm of sound with no sense behind them. My giggles turned into snorts.
Somewhere deep in my chest, a small, wicked satisfaction curled. He was furious, and I couldn't hear a thing.
Perfect. Everything was so perfect.
The desk shook when he slammed his palm against it again. A stack of papers slid off the edge and scattered across the floor like startled pigeons.
I stared at them. Little white feathers. Little meaningless things.
Mr. Carver's face was a blotchy, furious red now, his jaw clenched tight enough to break teeth. He kept yelling. So annoying.
I could see the spit flying, his hands chopping the air but still, not a single word made sense. It was all muffled nonsense, like someone turned reality to static.
Maybe I broke something in my head. Maybe I liked it.
Behind me, one of the teachers hovered uncertainly, muttering something that probably sounded like "out of control" or "psychotic" or "what were you thinking." The words floated past like bubbles I didn't feel like popping.
Finally, Mr. Carver stopped pacing and pointed at me. His lips moved, slowly this time, deliberate, as if speaking to someone deaf.
Suspended.
That one I caught. I don't know why. Maybe because of how the word landed. Heavy and final. Like a sentence being passed down.
I smiled at him.
And he's fists clenched. I wondered why he wasn't going to check up on his little princess in between yelling sessions.
"You think this is funny, don't you?" he shouted or maybe whispered, I couldn't tell anymore. Nor did I care.
" Do you understand the severity of— "
More gibberish. More nothing.
I tilted my head, watching the words fall out of his mouth like dust. He looked ridiculous, standing there in his expensive tie, all puffed up on authority and outrage.
"Your parents will be called immediately," the teacher beside him added. Her tone was softer, but her eyes were sharp. "You'll be waiting here until they arrive."
I shrugged. "Okay."
It came out small. Quiet. Real words, for the first time in a while.
The silence that followed was thick. Mr. Carver blinked, maybe thrown off by how calm I sounded. He gestured to the chair. "Sit down. Don't move."
I sat. Didn't move.
He and the teacher stepped out, closing the door behind them.
For the first time since the fight, I was alone.
The room was boring. Too clean, too still.
My reflection stared back at me from the dark screen of his computer. There was blood on my lip. Valerie's, maybe.
I pressed a thumb against the split and tasted iron.
Then, softly, almost too quiet to hear, I muttered, "She deserved it."
————————————
The whole car ride home, was silent. Too silent for my liking. I always hated this kind of silence.
My father didn't look at me once since we left the school. The windshield wipers dragged across the dry glass even though it wasn't raining, making a tired, rubbery gasp every few seconds. He forgot to turn them off.
Or maybe he just needed something to make noise.
I watched the houses blur past and waited for the bell that still hadn't left me. It came eventually. Though slower this time.
I pressed my head against the cool window and counted the spaces between each chime. Four seconds. Then five. Then three. Then—
"What were you thinking?" My father's voice landed flat.
" She's fine," I said. My voice didn't feel like mine. It felt like it was coming from the back seat.
"She's going to the hospital,"
"She's fine." I repeated.
Silence swallowed the car again. I wondered if he could hear the bell too. I almost asked. But if he said no, then my situation would be way worse than it was now. I didn't want anymore complications. Just sleep.
When we pulled into the driveway, he turned the engine off but didn't move. The ticking of cooling metal filled the space between us.
For a second, I imagined we might both just stay there forever, fossilized in the car, never having to walk inside.
Then the bell rang.
I opened the door before he could say anything.
The air outside felt too sharp, too real. Gravel crunched under my shoes like breaking bones. I focused on that instead of the way my father was watching me.
My mother wouldn't be home for another hour. Plenty of time for him to try.
He closed the door behind us.
"What happened?" he asked.
I laughed a little. It surprised both of us. " The school already told you. What more do you want me to say?"
"I want to hear it from you."
The bell rang again. Louder now. Closer. Like it was inside the walls.
I shrugged and slipped my shoes off. "I'll wait for Mom," I said. "You two can complain together. Save time."
His jaw tightened. I saw it in my peripheral vision, like a glitch.
"I'm not trying to complain."
"Sure."
He took a step toward me. Not threatening. Just closer. Which was worse. "Why did you do it?"
The bell clanged, sudden and violent. I flinched.
For a second, the hallway stretched too long. The walls leaned inward. My father's face looked far away, like I was seeing him through water.
I blinked.
"I'm tired," I said.
"That's not an answer."
I looked at him then. Really looked. He seemed smaller than I remembered. Older. Like he'd been downgraded somehow.
"I'll be in my room," I said.
He reached out. Not to grab me, just to stop me with a word. "We need to talk about this."
The bell rang again. Over and over now. Heavy. Demanding. Pressing against my head.
"No," I said quietly. "You and Mom can talk about it. You're good at that."
I turned before he could reply.
The hallway felt softer as I walked down it, like stepping through fog. By the time I reached my door, the bell was the only thing I could hear.
I closed myself inside.
The sound kept ringing. I fished out the annoying thing that was my cellphone and flung it. It left my hand so easily. Like it wanted to go.
It hits the corner of my dresser with a sharp, cracking smack. Plastic and glass exploding against wood. The sound is ugly. Real. Final.
And with its fall all the noise vanished. I stared at the broken screen, at the spiderweb fractures crawling over the black screen.
" You're fine," I whispered. Not to sure, to whom I was saying it to. " I'm fine."
Then something within me gave in. I hit the carpet floor way harder than I meant to and the sudden impact shocked me. And with it I couldn't breathe properly anymore.
My hands flew to my face and the sound that came out of me didn't feel human. It was wet and broken and too loud for the size of my body.
" Wh-yy? " I sobbed into the floor.
" Why? ...W-why?.... " The crying turned into shaking as my fingers dug into the carpet.
I lifted my head slowly.
The broken phone lies in the corner. The mirror reflecting a girl on the floor, eyes swollen, hair stuck to her cheeks.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. It looked unfinished. Like something had peeled away from it.
My chest hurt.Not sharp. Just tired.
I swallowed. My throat felt raw. My hands were trembling less now.
"I'm fine," I whispered again. The words felt like a lie told out of habit.
My vision blurred at the edges. Not dramatically. Just… softening. Like someone lowering a dimmer switch. I focused on the ceiling.
There was a small crack near the corner. I'd never noticed it before.
Funny.
————————
The room was still. The broken phone in the corner remained dark. Dust moved lazily through a stripe of afternoon light.
Minutes passed. Then more. The hallway outside creaked as the house settled. The world did not react.
Silence filled the space she had occupied.
The phone screen flickered.
Once. Then twice.
A jagged line of static crawled across the fractured glass. And the display turned pale white.
A distorted shape pulsed at the center. For a split second, something like a cracked eye formed in the glow, then it vanished.
Text appeared. Glitching slightly between frames.
[ Scanning...
Biometric signature: Lost.
Neural activity: Null.
Cardiac activity: Null.
Host status: Deceased.
Timestamp recorded.
Recalibrating system parameters...
Candidate integrity: Preserved.
Emotional threshold: Exceeded.
Selection criteria: Met.
Initiating Protocol 3.
Initiating Protocol 7.
Transfer preparation in progress... ]
The screen flickered harder. The cracks in the glass seemed deeper.
[ Original Host: Terminated.
Consciousness imprint: Recoverable.
Beginning transfer. ]
The cracked eye flashed again.This time it did not vanish immediately. The pupil dilated.
And the screen went black.