Anne's alarm rang, slicing through the silence like a blade. She groaned, her body heavy as she dragged herself from the warmth of her blankets. Another day. Another chance to mess up. She squinted at the clock—7:30 AM. "Of course," she muttered to herself, "I'm late again."
She stumbled into the bathroom, her reflection in the mirror a tired, disheveled version of herself. The dark circles under her eyes were a reminder of the sleepless nights, and the dull ache in her chest seemed to echo every morning. She stared at her reflection, forcing a half-smile. "Well, today's going to be great," she said to herself, the sarcasm thick in her voice. "Just like every other day."
She shuffled to her room to get dressed, but the mess of clothes scattered across the floor only made her mood worse. How hard is it to keep your room clean? her uncle's voice echoed in her head, followed by his usual grumbling. "Anne! Your clothes are everywhere! I've told you a hundred times!"
Anne froze, her stomach twisting with an all-too-familiar sense of dread. The anger in her uncle's voice wasn't just a normal morning complaint—it was something heavier. She could hear him pacing outside her door, the sound of his footsteps growing louder, like a drumbeat that mirrored the increasing pressure in her chest.
"Anne!" he shouted again, the door to her room creaking open. "This is the third time this week I've had to clean up after you! I'm sick of this sloppiness!" His eyes, cold and sharp, locked onto the mess around her. "You think I'm your maid? You think I don't have anything better to do than pick up after you? Get it together, or you'll be doing more than just cleaning your room!"
Anne winced at his words, the sting of his frustration lashing at her like a whip. Her hands trembled as she forced herself to look him in the eye, but all she wanted to do was shrink away from the sharpness of his tone. "It's just clothes, Uncle," she muttered under her breath. "I'll clean it later."
"Later?!" He stepped closer, towering over her, his voice low but intense, like a storm gathering strength. "You're always 'later.' You're always too much of everything—too messy, too forgetful, too… whatever. I don't have the patience for this anymore."
Anne nodded, her throat tight with the words she couldn't say. She didn't want to argue; it never changed anything. Instead, she grabbed a few clothes from the pile and shoved them into her bag, trying to block out the suffocating feeling that threatened to swallow her whole. When he stormed out of her room, Anne stood there for a moment, the weight of his anger pressing down on her, as though she couldn't breathe.
Why do I feel like I'm failing before I even get started? she wondered, but there was no answer. There never was.
She dressed quickly, the tightness in her chest making it hard to breathe. Why do I always feel like I'm drowning before I even leave the house? Her mind was already fogged with frustration, but she managed to throw on whatever she could find. She didn't have time to care. She grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and rushed out the door, barely catching a glimpse of the clock—7:50 AM.
She ran to the bus stop, hoping against hope that she wouldn't be late. But of course, the bus wasn't there yet. Just one more thing to go wrong, she thought, leaning against the pole, staring at the ground.
Finally, the bus pulled up, and Anne climbed on, finding a seat by the window. The ride to school felt endless, the same rhythm of stop-and-go traffic, each moment dragging on as she lost herself in her thoughts. By the time she arrived at school, she was already mentally drained, and the day hadn't even started yet.
She met Lilly and Grace by the gates, their bright smiles a sharp contrast to her mood. "Hey, you okay?" Lilly asked, tilting her head as she noticed the cloud hanging over Anne's head.
Anne sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Just one of those mornings. Woke up late, Uncle yelled at me again, clothes everywhere…" She trailed off, feeling the weight of it all catch up to her.
Grace grinned, nudging her playfully. "Uncle yelling, huh? Classic. At least he hasn't started looking for your socks in his drawers yet."
Anne chuckled half-heartedly. "Not yet, but it feels like he's getting there."
Lilly laughed. "Well, at least you got us to make it better. We'll be your personal comedy relief for the day."
"Yeah," Grace added, "we'll get you through it. After all, we survived that time I accidentally spilled soda on the principal."
Anne's lips curved up at the memory. "Oh god, that was a mess."
"And you were the one who helped me clean it up. Hero of the day," Grace said with a wink.
Anne couldn't help but laugh. Her friends had a way of making her feel a little lighter, even when everything else felt like it was crashing down. But then, as they walked toward the school building, Anne saw him.
Asher.
He appeared through the crowd of students like a dream made flesh, stepping out of the blur of bodies and noise with an almost surreal grace. The way the sunlight caught his dark curly hair and how the world seemed to slow down around him made Anne's heart skip a beat. It was like the universe itself had decided to pause for him—each step deliberate, every movement an effortless reminder of who he was and who Anne once thought she would always be with.
Her breath caught, and for a brief moment, she couldn't move. He was real. He was here, and the very sight of him dragged her back in time, to moments she had buried beneath layers of forgotten promises. The breakup, still fresh in her mind despite the months that had passed, felt like it had just happened. She wished for nothing more than to run to him, to pull him back, but she knew it was hopeless. He chose to walk away, she reminded herself, pushing the thought aside.
Grace was the first to notice. She raised an eyebrow, glancing between Anne and Asher. "Oh, I see what's going on here," she said with a teasing grin. "You're still not over the guy, huh?"
Anne snapped out of her trance, forcing a smile. "I'm fine," she said, but the words felt like they were stuck in her throat. "I just... I'm going to head to class." She turned to walk away, trying to ignore the whirl of emotions crashing through her.
Lilly snickered. "Oh come on, Anne, you don't have to be so upset about that egg head, I'm sure that chicken will come clucking after you in no time."
Grace snorted. "Yeah, give him a few days, he'll surely come back to his senses."
Anne groaned, rubbing her temples. "It's been months, I don't think he wants what we had before anymore, I mean he barely locks eyes with me. He acts as if I'm a stranger."
"You know," Grace said with a warm smile, "I'm sure deep down he misses you a lot, I mean I'm sure the reason he's acting all sigma is surely because of your mother."
Lilly chimed in, ""I mean, your mom did straight-up tell him, 'Stay away from my kid, or I'll turn your life into a one-way ticket to nowhere.' And just to make sure he really got the message, she literally pounced on his personal history narrowing his score from hero to zero within a fraction of seconds." She laughed, " lesson of the day never mess with moms especially Annes mom who is a lion in tigers clothing, both are bad."
"I'm sure the poor little dog is just a little scared." Grace said.
Anne couldn't help but laugh, even though it wasn't exactly funny. "Yeah, right."
"But don't you worry," Grace said with a smile. "You're gonna get back together. I'm telling you, it's fate. You two were practically inseparable before."
Lilly grinned. "You know, when it does happen, we're all gonna be there. Front row seats for the show."
Anne shook her head, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "You guys are ridiculous."
"But it's true," Grace teased. "I'll even buy popcorn for the whole thing."
Anne took a deep breath. "You guys should stop. I'm not… I'm not still in love with him."
Lilly snorted. "Yeah, sure. And I'm the Queen of England."
Anne let out a soft laugh despite herself. "You know, you're both way too much."
Grace grinned. "But that's why you love us. Now go on, get to class. We'll be there for the drama when it all unfolds."
Anne smiled softly as she walked away from her friends. She didn't need to hear it. Deep down, she knew the truth—she still wasn't over Asher. she knew there was a part of her that wished, more than anything, that he would walk back into her life, even if it was only for a second.
Her entry into the classroom wasn't much fun either; it was almost as if her morning was cursed in every way imaginable. Inside, there was Asher, surrounded by his usual gang—Lucia, Ibrahim, and Jack—all wrapped up in their own little world, laughing together like they had no care in the world. Anne's eyes locked onto the scene instantly, and her chest tightened. But it was Lucia, sitting so close to Asher, her hand casually brushing against his as they leaned in to share a joke, that made Anne's stomach churn with jealousy.
How could he be so happy? How could he laugh like that, looking at her with the same warmth he used to look at me with? The pain of it was suffocating, a sharp, insistent ache that clawed at her insides. Anne couldn't help but wonder: Does he even miss me? Does he think about us at all? The thought twisted inside her like a knife. He seemed so at ease, so effortlessly happy—while Anne, still reeling from the breakup, was stuck in the past, trapped in a world where he no longer existed beside her.
And there was Lucia, her radiant smile, her effortless charm, as if she had always been the perfect fit for him. Anne's heart squeezed with a bitter sting, the reality of it almost unbearable. It was like she was being replaced, shoved aside for someone new, someone who didn't carry the weight of memories that Anne couldn't seem to escape.
Lilly must have sensed Anne's discomfort because her voice dropped to a low whisper. "You know, Lucia's always been quick to swoop in whenever there's any attention on Asher. She has this way of being all sweet and innocent, but trust me—she knows exactly what she's doing. It's like she's playing a game, and everyone else is just a pawn."
Anne tried to brush it off, but Lilly's words planted seeds of doubt that took root almost immediately. Her mind swirled, the jealousy growing deeper as her eyes flicked from Lucia to Asher, wondering if he saw her the same way he once saw Anne. Did he even care? The thought gnawed at her, and the laughter around her only made the knot in her stomach tighten. She wanted to leave, to escape the suffocating reality of it all. Instead, she stood there, frozen in place, as Asher's laughter rang in her ears, and Lucia's smile seemed to grow brighter with every passing second.
Anne couldn't help but let her eyes linger on Asher for a moment too long. His dark, curly hair fell in soft, untamed waves that framed his face perfectly, as if he'd stepped out of some romantic daydream. His eyes, almond-shaped and endlessly deep, held a quiet intensity that she had always adored—eyes that once looked at her like she was the center of his world. And then there was his smile, warm and bright, like the first rays of sunshine after a storm. It filled the entire room, drawing everyone in like moths to a flame. That smile had been hers once. Hers to wake up to, hers to laugh with, hers to fall in love with.
She swallowed hard, her heart aching as she watched him. How could something so familiar now feel so distant? She wished, more than anything, that he was still hers. That he'd look at her the way he used to, with that boyish grin that melted her defenses and made her feel like she was the only person who mattered. But now, all she could do was watch from a distance as that same smile was aimed at someone else.
Anne clenched her fists, a mix of determination and desperation bubbling inside her. If she couldn't escape this feeling, she'd face it head-on. Turning to Grace, who was chatting idly beside her, Anne forced a calmness into her voice. "Grace," she said, trying to sound nonchalant, "why don't you call Lucia over? You two are friends, right?"
Grace raised an eyebrow, sensing the shift in Anne's mood. "Lucia? Why? You planning to size her up or something?" she teased with a grin.
Anne rolled her eyes, though her pulse quickened. "No, I just want to talk. Is that so weird?"
Grace smirked knowingly. "Alright, if you say so." She waved in Lucia's direction, her voice carrying across the room. "Hey, Lucia! Come over here for a sec!"
Anne's stomach flipped as she watched Lucia glance up, her bright, curious eyes locking onto them. Anne wasn't sure if this was a good idea or a terrible one, but either way, there was no turning back now.
Lucia walked over with her signature bright smile, the kind that could light up even the gloomiest of rooms. She greeted them cheerfully, her energy effortlessly pulling Grace and Lilly into lighthearted chatter about school gossip, weekend plans, and random jokes. Anne, despite the ache gnawing at her chest, forced herself to join in. She laughed when she was supposed to, nodded along with the stories, and acted like she wasn't silently battling the bitterness and longing bubbling beneath the surface.
When the conversation naturally shifted to classmates and mutual friends, Anne took a deep breath, steeling herself. "So… Asher seems to be doing well," she said, trying to keep her tone casual. "It's good to see him happy, I guess."
Lucia glanced at her, her ever-present smile softening into something more empathetic. "Yeah, he's been hanging out with us a lot lately," she said, her tone kind but careful.
Anne hesitated, then decided to speak her truth. "I miss him," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "We haven't talked since… everything. It still feels so unfinished. Like, I don't even know what went wrong."
Lucia's smile faded, replaced by a look of hesitation. She glanced at Grace and Lilly before focusing back on Anne. "I actually asked him about you once," she said slowly. "I mean, you two were so close—it was hard not to wonder."
Anne's pulse quickened. "You did? What did he say?"
Lucia sighed, her tone growing gentler. "He said he still has feelings for you. Like, part of him still cares… but he's scared. He thinks he's not good enough for you. He mentioned how he's struggling with his grades and worrying about the future—how he wouldn't be able to take care of you the way he thinks you deserve."
Anne's chest tightened, her heart caught between a faint flicker of hope and the weight of his words. "That's so like him," she said softly. "Always overthinking, always trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders."
Lucia hesitated, then added quietly, "He also said he's scared of your mom. He's worried she'll catch him again and tell his parents this time."
Anne froze, her stomach sinking at the memory. It was the incident that had spiraled everything out of control. Her mom had caught them sexting late at night, and the fallout had been catastrophic. Her mother's anger had been fierce, and she'd threatened to inform Asher's parents if anything like that ever happened again. That night had changed everything—it had broken the fragile trust between her and her mother, and it had left Asher shaken, retreating into himself out of fear and guilt.
"He's scared of me," Anne whispered, the realization settling like a stone in her chest. "Or, not me, but what could happen if my mom found out again. And he's right. If she ever told his parents…"
Lucia placed a comforting hand on Anne's arm. "It's not your fault, Anne. He's just scared of the situation. I think he cares about you so much that the idea of something going wrong again terrifies him."
Anne shook her head, her eyes stinging. "No, it is my fault. If I'd been more careful… If I'd stopped him, none of it would've happened. My mom wouldn't have caught us, and we wouldn't have spiraled like this." Her voice broke slightly, the weight of regret pressing hard on her chest. "I ruined everything."
Grace and Lilly exchanged worried glances, their usual teasing replaced by quiet concern. Lucia's voice was soft but steady. "You didn't ruin anything, Anne. Things just… got complicated. Maybe he's scared now, but that doesn't mean it's over forever. You never know what could happen."
Anne nodded faintly, her heart still heavy. Whether it was hope or heartbreak, she couldn't quite tell, but one thing was clear—her feelings for Asher weren't going anywhere anytime soon.
The bell rang, breaking the flow of their conversation. Lucia, Asher, and Ibrahim gathered their things and headed back to their class, their laughter trailing behind them as they left. Anne settled into her seat with Grace and Lilly. While her friends chattered away about weekend plans and the latest school gossip, Anne remained quiet, lost in her thoughts. Her mind drifted back to the days when she and Asher were inseparable, back in the carefree bubble of 10th grade.
Those days had felt like the best part of her life, when everything made sense—when she had woken up every morning knowing that Asher would be there. Their bond had been undeniable, unshakable, and it felt like the world was theirs to conquer. They had laughed, loved, and made promises that felt permanent. But now, those promises were just echoes of a past that felt painfully out of reach. The thought of them together, smiling under the same sky, made Anne's heart ache in a way she couldn't explain. They had been so perfect—like everything had been aligned in the universe to keep them together. But now, it was all shattered.
Those memories felt like a cruel joke. Asher had walked away, leaving her with nothing but fragments of their perfect past. Nothing could have prepared her for the loss of him, and every time she thought about those days, the pain was fresh, raw, like it had just happened. The memories, the love, all of it had slipped through her fingers, and now, she could only watch from afar as he laughed with Lucia, his eyes brighter than she ever remembered.
Time passed in a blur, and the lunch bell rang, pulling Anne back to the present. The class erupted into a frenzy as students spilled out of their seats. Moments later, Lucia and Ibrahim entered the room with Asher, Mateo, and a few others in tow. Jack, who shared the class with Anne, waved them over. Lucia, accompanied by her friend Zara, skipped up to Anne's gang with her usual exuberance.
Lucia leaned down, pinching Anne's cheek with a mock pout. "Oh, come on, Anne! What's with the long face? Cheer up! Forget about that jerk!" she teased, her voice light but filled with genuine concern.
Anne tried to smile but failed miserably. "Easier said than done," she muttered.
Lucia plopped down next to her and grinned. "Okay, then. Let's brainstorm ways to forget about him. How about you delete all his pictures and block him on everything? Or… we could set a voodoo doll on fire. Zara's pretty good with crafts!"
Grace snorted. "Or we could just make Anne start dating someone else. Maybe Mateo? He's cute, right?" she added with a mischievous wink.
Anne groaned. "Thanks, but no thanks."
They laughed, tossing out increasingly ridiculous suggestions—everything from "move to a different country" to "invent a memory-erasing machine." For a brief moment, Anne felt a little lighter, their jokes and camaraderie pulling her out of her funk.
And then, without warning, the ground trembled. At first, it was so subtle that Anne thought she might have imagined it—just a tiny vibration underfoot. But then, the tremor grew, slowly, steadily, and the room seemed to hum with a deep, low sound that rattled in her bones. Her heart skipped a beat. Was this… an earthquake?
"Whoa…" Lilly muttered, looking around at the others. The low rumble was deepening, a vibration that seemed to pulse through the floor, like something below them was shifting and moving.
"What is happening? Is this an earthquake?" Grace asked, wide-eyed, clutching the edge of the table as the vibrations grew stronger.
"I don't know," Anne said, her voice tight. She stood up, instinctively bracing herself against the desk. The tremor felt like it was building, as if the earth itself was stretching and cracking under the weight of something unseen. The windows rattled violently, and the overhead lights flickered, casting erratic shadows in the room.
The entire room seemed to hold its breath. Then, with a horrifying crack, the floor suddenly lurched, sending everyone off balance. Anne stumbled, her hands reaching out to steady herself as the ground began to split. The entire building groaned as if it was coming apart at the seams.
"WHAT THE—?!" Grace screamed, her eyes wide with panic. "Is this a freaking earthquake or what?"
"I've never felt anything like this," Lilly said, her voice shaking as she grabbed onto the edge of the desk.
"The building's going to collapse!" Zara cried out, her voice tinged with fear, her eyes wide in terror.
"Guys, it's just a tremor! Stay calm!" Lucia shouted, but even her voice had a hint of uncertainty as she looked around, her usual confidence faltering.
"I—I can't feel my feet," Grace said, her face pale. "This isn't normal, this is… it's too strong!"
The floor beneath them cracked open again, deeper this time. Desks and chairs jolted violently, the screech of metal and wood filling the air. Anne's heart hammered in her chest as the ground continued to shake, the walls creaking as if the entire building was about to collapse.
"Anne, what do we do?!" Lilly cried, her hands gripping Anne's arm.
Before Anne could even respond, there was a blinding flash of light from across the room. Her eyes darted toward the source, her stomach lurching. From the back of the classroom, a group of students—Noah, James, Liam, and a few others—stood, their eyes glowing with a strange, unnatural brightness. The light seemed to pulse with energy, almost as if it was alive.
"What the hell is that?!" Zara gasped, her voice barely a whisper, her eyes fixed on the brilliant, eerie glow.
Lucia's face paled. "That's not… normal," she muttered, her voice trembling. "This doesn't feel like any earthquake I've ever felt."
Then, as if in slow motion, the bright light seemed to explode outward, blinding everyone for a second. The kids in that group screamed in agony, clutching their faces as their eyes popped out, rolling down their cheeks like marbles, their screams muffled and horrifying. The floor gave way beneath them, and the entire class, all 27 of them, began to fall.
Anne barely had time to register what was happening before she felt herself plummeting, her heart racing. "OH MY GOD!" Grace screamed beside her, her arms flailing wildly as they fell together. The walls around them cracked, pieces of the ceiling crumbling away, and the ground disappeared beneath their feet.
"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" Grace screamed, her voice shrill and desperate. "IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!"
"NO, WE'RE NOT!" Anne shouted back, her voice barely audible over the chaos. "We're fine, we're fine!"
"HOW DO YOU KNOW?!" Grace screamed in her ear, causing Anne to flinch. "DO YOU NOT SEE THE FLOOR CRUMBLING?! WE'RE FALLING! FALLING!"
Anne couldn't help herself—she burst out laughing. The absurdity of it all was too much. "It's like one of those action movie scenes, right? You know, with the whole falling-through-the-floor thing. Except... this is real life!" she yelled over the screaming, trying her best to keep the panic at bay.
"We're falling! We're literally falling!" Grace screamed, her face contorted with terror.
"We're going to be okay, Grace! It's not that bad!" Anne called out, laughing harder, even as her stomach flipped with fear. "Maybe if we scream loud enough, we'll float!"
"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!" Grace screeched. "I'M NOT READY TO DIE! NOT LIKE THIS!"
"Grace, I think it's too late for that, we're already dying!" Anne shouted, barely able to keep her voice steady.
"I CAN'T BREATHE!" Lilly cried, clutching her chest. "I CAN'T BREATHE AND WE'RE FALLING!"
"Okay, but are we sure we're really falling? This could be like one of those rollercoaster rides, where the floor just disappears and we land in a foam pit!" Anne said, her voice rising as she tried to make light of the madness, her laughter bubbling up in spite of herself.
Zara, who was falling beside them, screamed in disbelief, "This is not a theme park, Anne! I CAN'T EVEN!"
Lucia, ever the drama queen, threw her hands in the air. "Guys, seriously, can't we all just enjoy this ride? I mean, who needs gravity anyway?" she yelled, her tone sarcastic, but there was a flicker of genuine fear in her eyes.
Lilly laughed despite herself. "If I die here, I'm so coming back as a ghost and haunting all of you for making me fall into a void!"
"Just... keep screaming!" Grace howled, her voice shrill, and for a split second, Anne couldn't stop herself from laughing again, the absurdity of their situation just too much.
As the chaos of the fall continued, Anne's body was weightless, suspended in mid-air for what felt like an eternity. The world around her twisted and spiraled as if time itself had stopped, and yet, the sensation of falling never ceased. Screams echoed in her ears—a cacophony of fear, panic, and disbelief—as her friends' voices melded into a blur. But through it all, Anne felt strangely detached, as though she were watching from a distance, a silent observer to her own nightmare. The frantic rush of air around her, the twisting of her stomach, the panic in her chest—it all seemed so far away.
Everything was a whirlwind of light and sound, a frantic blur of emotions, but it felt like she was drifting in slow motion. Her limbs stretched out as if the universe had pressed the pause button on her reality. The earth beneath her feet seemed miles away, and yet, the ground loomed closer, terrifyingly so. Her heart thundered in her chest, but the pounding was muffled, distant. Her mind screamed, Please, just let this end.
Suddenly, the light in the distance grew brighter. Not just brighter—blinding. A streak of white flashed across her vision, overwhelming, consuming, and then, in that singular, horrifying moment, the world around her seemed to shift and slow down even more. The noise, the falling, the fear, all of it, began to fade into a muffled hum.
What is happening?
Anne fought against the dizzying light that clawed at her vision, her body betraying her, growing heavy with exhaustion. She couldn't focus, couldn't breathe. The light seemed to stretch out, pulling her in, draining her of her will to hold on.
Her eyelids fluttered, once, twice. The air around her turned cold, as if she were sinking into the very depths of a dark, silent ocean. The screams of her friends faded to a whisper, and then... silence. Complete, suffocating silence.
Her breath hitched as her vision blurred, the edges of reality slipping away. Her body felt like it was slowly, agonizingly, falling apart. The weight of the silence pressed down on her chest, making it harder to breathe, harder to think. I need to stay awake, she thought, fighting against the pull of unconsciousness.
But her eyelids were too heavy. They fluttered once more, and then the world around her, the noise, the chaos, the terror—all of it vanished.
Everything went still.
The sensation of falling ceased.
The moment was frozen in time.
And then, just when Anne thought she might drift into nothingness, a sudden flash of light pierced through the black void. Her eyes snapped open, wide in shock, but she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. The light was blinding, harsh, and she squeezed her eyes shut instinctively, but it forced its way through the cracks in her vision. It was as if the light was calling her back—pulling her from the abyss.
Slowly, her eyelids cracked open again, the light softer now, dimming to a dull glow.
She found herself lying on cold stone, her body aching from the fall. Her arms were bound, cold iron chains digging into her skin, their weight almost unbearable. She could hear nothing but the eerie silence, ringing in her ears. For a moment, she simply lay there, her breath shallow, her mind disoriented. The walls around her were dark, oppressive, jagged stone that loomed like a prison, sealing her in.
Her eyes darted around in a panic, heart racing. She wanted to scream, but nothing came out.
She wasn't alone.
The rest of her classmates lay unconscious around her, their bodies splayed out in awkward positions, their faces pale and drawn. But what really made Anne's heart stop was the sight of the cold chains wrapped around their wrists, binding them as they lay motionless, just like her.
She was the only one awake.
A wave of dread washed over her, creeping up from the pit of her stomach, the overwhelming realization that this place... wasn't a mistake. It wasn't some nightmare.
She was trapped. They were all trapped.
Her breath caught in her throat as she turned her head slowly, her eyes wide, scanning the room in desperation. The flickering light above her provided no comfort, casting long, trembling shadows across the stone floor. The silence was deafening. Her pulse thudded in her ears.
She was alone in the dark with her friends—somewhere that wasn't their world, somewhere that she couldn't understand.
Where am I? What is this place?
Her chest tightened, but before she could think another thought, her eyes caught something in the corner of the room—a shadow, a movement. She blinked hard, but it was gone.
Something's wrong.
As Anne struggled against the chains, her heart pounded in her chest, every beat echoing in the silence that enveloped her. The weight of the situation pressed down on her, suffocating her with a grim realization.
She wasn't the only one who had fallen. But she might be the only one left to remember the fall.
Her classmates lay scattered around her, still unconscious, their forms tangled and fragile. The eerie stillness in the room made the air feel thick, like time had frozen. Anne's mind raced, her thoughts spinning wildly as she tried to make sense of it all. Where are we? she thought desperately. Why am I the only one awake?
Her gaze flickered back to her friends, but there was something unsettling about the way they lay there—too still, too silent. She could hear the soft rhythm of their breathing, but it was as if their souls had yet to return from wherever they had been taken.
The chains around her wrists rattled as she tugged against them, the cold metal biting into her skin. I need to get out of here. I need to find a way to wake them up. But every movement only deepened the feeling that something was terribly wrong. She wasn't sure if she was even ready for what might happen next.
Her eyes darted around the room, scanning the shadows, the dark corners of the prison-like space. There was a soft glimmer of something—something just out of her reach, a faint flicker of light. It wasn't the harsh glow of the ceiling, but something deeper, something hidden.
Suddenly, a sound broke the silence. A low, guttural groan, like the earth itself was waking up. Anne froze. It came from her left.
Her breath hitched as she turned, searching for the source.
Then, the faintest movement—a figure, a shadow, stirring among the motionless bodies of her friends. Anne's heart raced. Someone else was awake... but who?
Her eyes widened in disbelief as a shadowed form started to rise from the floor, the faint glint of chains dragging against the stone. It moved with unnatural grace, like a shadow come to life.
Was it one of her friends? Or something else entirely?
Anne's pulse quickened, the eerie feeling that she wasn't alone clawing at her. The room seemed to close in, the walls pressing tighter as the figure stepped forward, closer to her, but the light above flickered, casting everything in doubt.
And in that moment, the world went still again.
What is happening? Anne thought, her breath catching in her throat.
Her chains rattled once more, and she closed her eyes, trying to steady her racing heart. When she opened them again, the room had shifted. The shadow was gone.
But she wasn't alone anymore.
Her friends—they were stirring. Slowly, their hands twitched, their feet shifted, and with each small movement, Anne's hope flared. They weren't gone. Not yet.
But the question remained: What happens now?
What was this place? Who was the figure? And could she get them all out before whatever else lurked in the shadows decided to wake up as well?
The silence hung heavy, but for the first time since the fall, Anne wasn't sure if she was safe... or if the nightmare was just beginning.