"I saw this dark figure, cloaked from head to toe. This figure was in a very dark forest, staring in a random direction. You could hear this figure murmuring something. And just when I get close to this person, bam! It lets out a huge wail!"
There was no response until something broke the silence.
"Are you snoring?", Eva asked Caden.
"No, I heard everything you just said", Caden replied.
Evelyn 'Eva' Delaney and Caden Tran, two very normal sixteen-year-olds, were on yet another late-night FaceTime call. They had known each other since they were in preschool. They went to the same high school and took the same classes.
They are what many people consider very close friends, even though they spend a considerable amount of time arguing and teasing each other.
Eva lived with her parents, Timothy and Sera. They had been married for 20 years, but any couple would argue that they had known each other for at least a millennium.
Sera worked as a business analyst at the Cetus Foundation, a corporation working on minerals and pharmaceuticals. Tim owned a multimedia company and was frequently out of state for business.
The Delaneys lived in New York in an ordinary neighborhood, living a normal American life. Tim wasn't constantly at home due to work commitments, but when he was, it was always a good time for the whole family.
Caden usually visited Eva's home to meet her, as he was her closest friend. Tim wasn't a huge fan of him, but Sera always welcomed Caden with open arms.
"Which K-Drama was this story from?", Caden asked.
"I'm not joking, Caden! I'm serious; this is all I see when I try to get some sleep", replied Eva.
"I'm super concerned about you; it's been happening for a while now. I think you should talk to your mom", Caden told Eva with heavy concern in his voice.
Caden was referring to the odd dreams Eva had been having. She had been blabbering about it for a few days now.
"I think you are losing it", Caden jokingly said.
This offended Eva, even though it was an unfunny joke. She felt the sudden urge to give him an intellectual reply.
"Hey, it's just my intrusive thoughts manifesting as a dream. Chill out; it's just a phase", Eva clapped back at Caden.
"Yeah, I hope all of our issues were just a phase", Caden replied.
"That was deep, not going to lie.", Eva replied.
"Or maybe you're just plain delusional", Caden replied with a chuckle.
"Shut up, doofus", Eva said.
"It could be true; I'm just saying."
"Yeah, just as true as you ever getting a date for prom", Eva clapped back.
"Ouch, that hurts."
"It's supposed to, doofus", Eva said, in roast mode.
"Okay, Eva. Get some sleep, and let me have some sleep too", Caden said.
"Fine, if that's what you want, then sure. See you tomorrow", Eva replied.
"No, I'm genuinely tired. Come on, Eva!", Caden said, feeling bad for phrasing it that way. It was also pretty visible on his face.
"Oh my God, I didn't mean that. Or, you know what? I did mean that. Deal with it", Eva said, not holding back.Â
"Ugh, Good night, Eva."
"Good night; see you tomorrow."
Caden had hung up the phone. It was 12:30 a.m., and both of them had to get up early for school. Eva tried to fall asleep deeply, hoping to avoid the terrible dreams she encountered every night.
"Maybe I'll just watch some Tik Toks before sleeping. That might change my mind for a while", she thought to herself.
.
.
.
.
.
The next day.
Early enough.
"Eva! Wake up! You're getting late for school!", Sera screamed at the top of her lungs.
Today was no different than any other day; Eva slept through her alarm as usual.
"Evelyn Delaney, if you don't come down on time, there are going to be serious consequences! I don't want to be late today, so be quick!", Sera furiously screamed outside of Eva's room.
This was loud enough to wake her up. She didn't want to mess with her mom; she knew she was late.
"I'm coming! I am up now!"
So she dashed to her wardrobe, got her clothing out, and dashed into the bathroom without hesitating.
"Ten minutes, Mom! I won't be late!", Eva replied reassuringly.
While Eva was speed running through her morning routine, Sera was preparing breakfast for Eva. Tim wasn't home; he was out dealing with some business.
Twenty minutes later, she came out of her room and sprinted down the staircase to have her breakfast.
"I'm sorry, mom, I overslept."
Eva stopped talking mid-sentence.
She was looking around, almost as if we looking for something which was very essential. She walked up to the table, sat down, started munching down her breakfast, but was still looking around.
"Where's dad?", Eva inquired with a mouth full of her French toast.
"Duty calls. He had to leave.", Sera replied.
"Oh, okay", she replied with a pinch of solemn on her face.
"Now finish that toast. We have to leave; I have a meeting today that I cannot miss,", Sera replied.
"Alrighty, I'm trying my best", Eva was muffled by the toast, and Sera didn't really bother to know what she replied either.
Just as Eva finished her toast, Sera was done with her household duties.
"I'm done; that's quicker than usual, eh?"
"Yup, that's awesome, but it's time to leave."
Eva and Sera left the house after making sure she had everything she needed.
"Are you sure you have everything? I don't want to come back to pick anything up", Sera told Eva.
"Mom, trust me. I'm fully coherent enough to know what to pick. Let's go, girl!"
Sera felt awkward, but this wasn't the time.
"Fine, get in the car."
They got into their car, reversed, and were on their way to her school first.
It was a fine, sunny day, and the spring was really energizing. Sera and Eva loved Spring, while Tim always preferred winter.
"Beautiful day, huh?", Eva asked Sera, trying to calm her nerves down as she knew Sera was anxious about the meeting she was about to have today.
"Oh yeah, I can't wait for the weekend."
"Beach day?", Eva asked Sera.
"Beach day, yeah."
Eva and Sera both smiled.
Eva was bored and chose to listen to music on the radio, hoping that would help Sera cool down.
It doesn't have music that matches her taste, but this was one way the mother and daughter spent their early morning together.
She kept flickering through different stations.
"Um, could you just play the local news for a minute?", Sera asked Eva.
Eva complied.
"This is some intriguing news from Rhode Island. A bunch of people were discovered beaten up in Newport Harbor."
Eva and Sera shared some concerning glances.
"...According to the police, the situation was quite gruesome, and five of them were sent to the hospital. They also discovered burnt cargo containers. The police were not able to identify what exactly was burnt, but analysts were able to configure that it was some sort of guns and mechanical parts that had been burned."
"The police have confirmed that this is the same mysterious vigilante who has carried out similar attacks around the state."
Eva had a small grin on her face, she was definitely thinking about Batman.
".....There was some disturbance in the vicinity at 3 a.m. according to some locals, and authorities believe this is when the beating occurred. However, the police are unable to determine who owns these weapons or who is behind the attacks."
"This is one of several occasions in recent years in which this anonymous vigilante has attacked people and prevented such criminal acts. The victims are not disclosing who they work for or who attacked them. This is a developing story, and more is yet to be discovered..."
"You can change it now", Sera told Eva.
"It seems like we have a Batman wannabe on the loose. It's kind of cool, isn't it?", Eva said with a sense of unrivaled enthusiasm.
"Sure is. Maybe a very harsh approach, but I'm sure it's getting the job done", Sera replied.
Eva agreed with whatever Sera said, but truth be told, she was also occupied with finding the right channel with her favorite songs.
"When will Dad be back? And when did he leave? He didn't even tell me he was leaving?", Eva asked her mom.
"It was a last-minute decision, honey. He had to leave at night; he might be back in a few hours. He told me to tell you he was gone when you woke up", Sera replied.
"Fine, it's okay, Mom. Hopefully, he's having fun at work,", Eva said.
"Oh, he sure did", Sera confined some thoughts to herself.
Both of them had different thoughts running through their minds.
Eva was annoyed by the recurring dreams she had. But in Sera's mind, she was thinking of the fun her husband was having at work. She knew something that no one else knew.
But Sera immediately notices the change in Eva's face.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. Just revising yesterday's lessons in my mind", Eva replied.
"Oh, please, since when did my own daughter start thinking about her schoolwork?" Are you sure everything is fine?"
"Yeah, Mom. All is well."
Eva also gave Sera a convincing smile to close the deal. Sera was sure that wasn't the case, but she didn't want to overthink. All that mattered to her was to get to her office. So she didn't bother to ask more.
Eva finally found the channel she was looking for.
"Finally, some music I can care about!"
"You call this music?", Sera was perplexed.
"Yes, Mom. This is what we call music. You beg to differ?", Eva was ready to debate with her own mom. No one questioned her music taste, and she was not going to let this slide.
"Oh, I don't want to argue with you. You Gen-Z people scare me", Sera said. She was not ready for an argument today.
"Good".
Eva continued to listen to her choice of music, while Sera, not being a fan of it, just tolerated it. They finally reached Eva's school.
"Hey, do well, okay? Don't get lost in your thoughts. Study well-"
"Yeah, I know. Okay, I've got to go now", Eva just wanted to run away before Sera got all emotional with her wishes.
"Bye-"
Eva gave a quick smile as she was heading into school. She ran and met her friends at the gate. Sera waved goodbye.
Just as she was sure Eva was inside her school, Sera pulled out her phone. She was texting someone.
"Hey, you're on the local news today. I'll text you once the meeting gets over"