Venice
Los Angeles, USA
10:55 am
In the radiant glow of sunset, Maplewood High's homecoming dance pulsed with life. Glittering lights cascaded across the gymnasium, casting a kaleidoscope of colors over the dance floor. Laughter mingled with the beats of the music, and the air buzzed with excitement.
At the heart of it all was Madison Hayes—captivating, charismatic, and the undisputed queen of Maplewood. With her infectious smile and effortless charm, she glided through the crowd, a vision in a shimmering gown that seemed to capture every spotlight in the room. Heads turned as she passed, and whispers of admiration trailed in her wake.
For Madison, life had never felt more vibrant. She was at the peak of her high school experience—top of her class, captain of the cheerleading squad, and adored by peers and teachers alike. Every day seemed to unfold like a dream, and tonight's dance was the pinnacle of her euphoria.
As the evening wove its magic, Madison danced with friends, laughed at inside jokes, and reveled in the jubilant atmosphere. Time seemed suspended in a perfect moment, and she couldn't have imagined anything more enchanting.
With the last dance fading into the night, Madison returned home, her heart still racing with the echoes of the evening. The clock ticked past midnight as she drifted into a contented slumber, blissfully unaware of the cruel twist awaiting her.
The sun rose, casting its golden hues through the window, signaling the start of a new day. But for Madison, the world had changed. As consciousness tiptoed into her morning, she was met with an impenetrable darkness.
Panic surged like a tidal wave. She bolted upright, clawing at the abyss that surrounded her. The vibrant colors of her room had vanished, replaced by an endless void. Tears welled in her eyes, and she screamed—a raw, gut-wrenching cry that shattered the tranquility of her home.
"Mom! Dad!" Her voice wavered, ricocheting off the walls. But there was no answer, only the suffocating silence of her newfound reality.
Her parents were already gone for the day.
Her hands trembled as she fumbled for her phone, hoping against hope that this was just a nightmare. "Hey Siri!"
Siri replied with her usual unbothered tone "Hmm?" and Madison wished to toss the phone away to express her anger. Instead she said "Call Mom."
"Calling Mom." Siri the AI on the latest limited Iphone dialed her mother's number.
Minutes later, the call connected and she yelled "Mom, something's wrong. I can't see... I can't see anything!" Her words quivered with fear, desperation lacing every syllable.
A hush fell over the line before her mother's soothing voice finally broke through, a mixture of concern and disbelief.
"Madison, honey, it's going to be okay. We'll figure this out. Stay right there, don't move. We're coming home."
But in that moment, as Madison clutched her phone, surrounded by the chilling void of blindness, the once-glistening world she knew shattered into a million fractured pieces.
The girl who had danced under the dazzling lights of high school fame now found herself in a shadowy labyrinth, her screams echoing the shattered fragments of her once-perfect life.