BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

The alarm buzzed, cutting through the quiet of the early morning. Groggily, I reached over, slapping the snooze button before I even fully registered what was happening. Another day. Another round of routine. I had to get up. I had to go to school. But every part of me just wanted to lie there, to stay curled up in bed where it was safe, where nothing changed.

Sighing, I dragged myself out of bed, my body protesting every movement. I stepped over a pile of clothes, barely registering the familiar mess around me. It wasn't like it mattered anyway. Nothing ever seemed to change. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand, 7:15 AM. That meant I had just enough time to get ready and make it to school.

I shuffled into the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. The reflection that stared back at me in the mirror was the same one I saw every day, tired eyes, messy hair, a face that didn't look all that different from the person I was yesterday. 'Same old me,' I muttered, running my fingers through my hair, trying to tame the wild strands. Why did I even bother?

By the time I grabbed my backpack and checked for the essentials, phone, wallet, keys, it was time to leave.

The streets were quiet as I made my way to school. The same gray pavement, the same familiar buildings, the same groups of kids walking by, heads down, lost in their own worlds. Nothing felt alive. Everything was just... there. I didn't bother with small talk, and no one really bothered with me. School wasn't anything exciting, just a place to pass time until I could go home again.

The day passed like it always did—boring, unremarkable. Teachers droned on, classmates chatted in hushed tones, and I just sat there, listening, observing, existing. What was the point? Why was I even going to school? It was all the same. The same faces, the same lessons, the same feeling of emptiness.

'Why do I even bother?' I whispered under my breath as the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. It was like I was stuck in some endless cycle, and the worst part was that I didn't know how to break free from it.

As I walked home, I passed the same spots, the corner store, the park bench where the old man always sat, the tall streetlights casting long shadows. Everything felt so routine, so unchanging.

I sighed, shoving my hands into my pockets.

When I got home, the house was just as empty as I expected. Mom was probably at work again, doing whatever it was she did that kept her out late most nights. I didn't mind. It wasn't like I ever needed her around anyway. Not anymore. I went into the kitchen, where a plate of food sat on the table. Scrambled eggs, toast, and orange juice, exactly what I expected. A small note was tucked beside it.

'I'll be out for a few days. Take care of the house. -Mom.'

I glanced at the note briefly, feeling the usual pang of loneliness, but it was nothing new. Mom was always gone. It was just how things were.

After a quick dinner, I threw my bag on the couch and sat down, staring at the blank TV screen. I didn't want to watch anything. I didn't want to do anything. Just... exist.

But my thoughts drifted. Lately, there had been something... strange. A feeling that had settled over me, creeping into my every thought. Dreams. They'd started innocently enough, just random images, flashes of unfamiliar places, faces I couldn't place. But now they were becoming more real. Every night, the same strange dreams. Every morning, the feeling that they hadn't been dreams at all, but memories. Something was wrong, something I couldn't understand, and it gnawed at me every time I tried to shake it off.

I thought maybe I was just tired, stressed from school. Or maybe it was something else. But no matter how much I tried to ignore it, the dreams wouldn't let go.

One more day, I thought as I turned in early, hoping to get some rest before tomorrow. It was the same cycle.

The next day, when I woke up, everything felt... off. The alarm blared, just like always, but there was a tightness in my chest that I couldn't shake.

The morning passed in the usual blur. I got dressed, made my way to school, where the hours seemed to drag on endlessly. But something was different. The shadows seemed longer. The air felt heavier.

When I sat down in class, I couldn't focus. The teacher's voice was distant, muffled in my mind, as if it were a radio station fading in and out. I looked at the clock, watching the seconds tick by slowly, but the world around me felt... wrong. Like I was no longer part of it.

The dream came again that night. This time, it was clearer than ever.

The same strange figure, always just out of reach, watching me. It felt like it was pulling me in, like its presence was growing stronger with each passing night.

But tonight, it was different.

In the dream, I felt a presence beside me, something dark and cold. I could feel its hand on my chest, pressing down on my heart.

I struggled to move, but it was like I was frozen in place. The figure, was it human? I couldn't tell, came closer, its face obscured by shadows. I could feel its breath on my neck, its voice whispering in my ear.

And then, just like that, everything stopped.

The pain in my chest intensified. I gasped for air, but it was like I couldn't breathe. Something was crushing my heart, tightening around it until I thought it would break.

I couldn't escape. The world around me was slipping away, and I was helpless to stop it. My vision blurred, and I saw flashes of something, someone reaching out to me. I couldn't understand it, couldn't grasp it, but the more I tried to fight it, the harder it got.

The ground beneath me gave way, and I felt myself falling, my body weightless and spinning in darkness.

And then, as suddenly as it had started, everything went silent.

I woke up gasping for air.

But when I opened my eyes, I wasn't in my bed.

The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, wooden beams crisscrossing overhead. The bed I lay on was firm and covered in rough, patchwork blankets. The room was dim, illuminated by the faint glow of sunlight streaming through a small, lattice window. Stone walls surrounded me, bare except for a small, worn table and a single chair in the corner.

I sat up slowly, the cold air biting at my skin. This wasn't my room. Everything about it screamed a different time, a different place.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, my body feeling oddly different. Taller. Stronger. My hands were larger, my limbs more muscular. The clothes I wore were rough and unfamiliar, a far cry from the simple t-shirt and pajama pants I'd gone to sleep in.

A shiver ran down my spine as I tried to piece it all together. The dreams, the figure, the crushing weight… It had felt so real. But this… this was even more real. Too real.

The sound of footsteps echoed faintly, drawing closer to the room. My heart raced as I turned toward the door, which creaked open slowly. A man stood there, his posture formal, his expression unreadable. He was dressed in a tailored coat, his demeanor composed yet alert.

'You're awake,' he said, his voice calm and measured, as if he had been expecting this moment.

I blinked at him, the weight of confusion and questions pressing down on me. And then, as if to anchor me in this strange, unfolding reality, he spoke again, his words deliberate.

'Lucien.'