Ting ting ting Tut...
The alarm blared incessantly, jolting me from the comfort of sleep. Groaning, I reached over and fumbled to silence it. Yawning, I stretched lazily and muttered, "7:30 already? Time really flies. I wish I could sleep a little longer."
Just then, a familiar voice called out from downstairs, breaking through my grogginess.
"Ais! Hurry up and eat your breakfast, or you'll be late for school!"
"Coming, Mom! Let me brush my teeth first," I replied, my voice still thick with sleep.
Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed, throwing on a pair of casual clothes without much thought. My legs carried me downstairs to the bathroom on autopilot. As I brushed my teeth, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. My short black hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, and my dark eyes stared back at me from beneath tired lids. My pale skin looked even paler in the harsh bathroom light.
"Damn, I look good," I muttered to myself, striking a couple of exaggerated poses for good measure.
I was midway through admiring myself when a voice behind me snapped me out of it.
"Are you done yet?"
Startled, I turned to see my younger sister standing there, her arms crossed and an impatient look on her face.
"You should knock before barging in!" I snapped, trying to cover my embarrassment.
"And you should lock the door before doing something so cringeworthy," she shot back with a smirk.
"Tch. I forgot, okay?" I muttered under my breath, stepping aside to let her grab her toothbrush.
She squeezed past me, and for a moment, we stood side by side, brushing our teeth in silence.
After a while, she broke the quiet. "So, how's it going with Miya?"
I nearly choked on my toothpaste. "Where the hell did that come from?" I spluttered, giving her a bewildered look.
"Just answer the question," she said, her expression unreadable.
I hesitated before replying, "I don't know… I think we're just friends. Honestly, I don't think she's interested in me like that."
My sister sighed in exasperation, shaking her head. "You're unbelievable. You know that, right?"
"Wait, wait! Before you call me an idiot or dense, don't," I said, raising my hands defensively. "I thought she liked me at first, okay? I gave her so many hints that I was into her, but she never said or did anything. After a while, I just… figured it was all in my head. A stupid dream."
She looked at me, her frustration softening into pity. "Listen, Ais. I'm her friend. She talks about you all the time, and trust me—she's into you. She's just as clueless as you are. You need to stop overthinking and just tell her how you feel. She's waiting for you to make the first move."
"Really?" I asked, still skeptical.
"Yes," she said firmly. "So, do it today. Confess to her at school. If you don't, someone else might steal her away. You know how popular she is. She turns down every other guy, but she's always waiting for you."
"I… I'll do it! I'll confess today!" I declared, striking a dramatic pose with one hand in the air.
She stared at me, unimpressed. "Yeah, good luck with that," she said flatly before walking out of the bathroom.
---
After breakfast, I ran over my plan one last time as I got ready for school.
(Alright, here's how it'll go. I'll invite her to watch a movie. Then we'll head to a café, and finally, the park. That's where I'll give her the flowers and confess: Miya, I love you. Please go out with me.)
A grin spread across my face as I imagined the perfect scenario. "Heh. No girl can say no to that," I muttered, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves bubbling inside me.
Heading downstairs, I spotted my mom sitting in the living room, eyes glued to the TV.
"Mom, where's Iliya?" I asked.
"She left already. Her friends were waiting for her," she replied without looking up.
"Oh, okay. Bye, Mom."
"Be careful on the road," she said absently.
I stepped out the front door, the morning air crisp and cool against my skin. My heart pounded with a mix of excitement and anxiety.
But as I walked down the familiar streets, an uneasy feeling crept over me.
"Huh? What was that?" I muttered, pausing for a moment. Something felt… wrong. I tried to shake it off, but the unease lingered.
Five minutes later, I realized what it was. The streets were quieter than usual—eerily so. And then I saw it.
A house, half-destroyed, with debris scattered everywhere.
"Wait… isn't this Linda's place?" I whispered in shock. Just yesterday, everything had been normal. How could this happen overnight?
Panic began to take root in my chest. I quickened my pace, determined to get to school and figure out what was going on. But before I could make it far, the ground beneath me started to tremble violently.
A deafening crack split the earth, and from the chasm, a clawed, green hand emerged.
"What the hell?" I gasped, frozen in place.
The hand was massive, followed by an arm, then a grotesque, towering body. The creature pulled itself from the ground—a monstrous being with sickly green skin, three glowing eyes, and a gaping mouth full of jagged teeth.
It scanned the area with its glowing eyes before one locked onto me.
My breath hitched. "No way… this can't be real," I whispered, taking a shaky step back.
The creature's lips curled into a sinister grin, its teeth glinting in the dim light. It began to lumber toward me, each step sending tremors through the ground.
"Run, Ais. Run!" my mind screamed.
Adrenaline surged through me, and I bolted, my heart pounding like a drum. Behind me, the creature let out a guttural roar, and I glanced back in time to see it raise a clawed hand.
Something sharp shot through the air—a nail-like projectile. I barely dodged it as it smashed into a house, obliterating it in an instant.
"Holy shit!" I gasped, my relief short-lived.
A sharp, searing pain erupted in my side. Stumbling, I looked down to see blood soaking through my shirt. The nail had grazed me, leaving a deep wound.
"No, no, no," I whispered, my vision blurring as the pain threatened to overwhelm me.
I staggered forward, clutching my side, the monstrous creature closing in behind me.