In the morning I woke up with a heavy head and a feeling that the night's sleep had not quite left me. The sun's rays streamed in through the curtains, spilling across the floor like golden stains. I slowly climbed out from under the covers, dragging myself sluggishly. I had slept for maybe two hours.
Mom was already waiting in the kitchen. A bowl of steaming oatmeal and a glass of orange juice stood at the table. Mom, dressed in a gray sweater, stood at the counter cutting an apple into pieces.
- Get up faster, Maja," she said, not even looking at me. - You're about to be late for school.
- I'm already here," I replied, taking a seat at the table.
Mom glanced at me, wrinkling her eyebrows.
- You look tired. Did you sleep well?
I didn't know what to answer. I thought about the strange dream, but I let it go. I didn't want to worry her.
- Yes, fine," I lied, taking care of the oatmeal.
- Remember to do your homework after school before you go outside," Mom added, returning to cutting the apple. - And don't forget that trip card you have to give me to sign.
I nodded, though my thoughts were far away. I stared at the plate, thoughtful. Dad wasn't there - I was already used to it. I can no longer remember the last time we were all together three. Now he had a new family, a new wife, a new baby.... And me, I was somewhere in between.
- Okay, I'm going," I chuckled before my mother had time to ask another question. I grabbed my backpack, slipped on my shoes and left the apartment.
Outside, the air was cool and crisp, with remnants of the morning dew still settling on the grass. The streets of Szklarska Poreba were quiet, only the whirring of cars could be heard somewhere in the distance. I moved toward the school, trying to play off disturbing thoughts.
On the way I met Nadia. She was standing on a street corner, leaning against a lamppost. Her red hair was disheveled, as if she had just gotten up, and in her hands she held a book she was reading as she walked.
- Maja! - she called out when she spotted me. She smiled broadly and ran up. - Why are you dragging yourself around so much?
- I'm not dragging," I burbled. - I just don't want to go to school today.
- And this is something new," laughed Nadia. - You said you wanted to be in history. Today we have a presentation on myths.
I made a face as if I had forgotten about it, although I really didn't care at all.
- Maybe," I answered evasively.
We walked together towards school, talking about everything and nothing. Nadia talked about her cat knocking over the flower pot again, and I nodded, not really listening. I still felt strange, as if the dream from the night was still following me.
At one point Nadia stopped and looked at me carefully.
- Is something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost.
- Nothing," I said quickly. - I just ... I didn't get enough sleep.
- Maybe it's because of the full moon? - She asked, looking up at the sky, which was already bright. - You know, people say that that's when you have strange dreams.
A shudder ran through me. I didn't know why, but her words alarmed me. I looked back, as if expecting to see something or someone. But the street was empty.
- Let's go now," I said quietly. - I don't want to be late.
We moved on, and her words kept rumbling in my head. The shadow from the dream refused to leave me.
The school was, as usual, noisy and full of chaos. As soon as I entered the hallway, I was greeted by the bustle of kids. Some were running around, others were playing Brawl Stars, and still others were standing in groups, laughing at the edits on their phones.
- Hey, look, there goes Maja! - called out Kamil, one of those guys who always had something to say. He was standing with a group of his buddies and was clearly looking for a hitch. - What's up, skibidi-warrior?
A few people giggled. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore them, but Kamil, like Kamil, didn't let up.
- Hey, what's so serious? Do you think you are a sigma? - he called out behind me. - Oy, no no, look at her, FR!
I pressed my lips together and moved faster towards the hall. Nadia walked beside me and tried to cheer me up.
- Don't worry about them," she said, poking me with her elbow. - Kamil is a moron who thinks that if he has watched three TikToks, he is an expert on everything.
I wanted to answer something, but at that moment Kamil and his pack walked past us, faking strange dance moves.
- Skibidi toilet! - they sang in chorus, laughing.
- Do you have something to say, broken man? - chuckled Nadia, turning to him.
Kamil shrugged his shoulders, smiling mischievously.
- Not to you, ymyn! Hey, Majka, why don't you show us how to make a sigma face?
Everyone burst out laughing, and I could feel my face turning red. Nadia took my hand and pulled me toward the classroom.
- Don't worry about them," she said quietly. - They are a bunch of faggots. Lately they've been stabbing each other in the ass with brush sticks.
The classroom was relatively quiet. Our teacher, Mrs. Corinthia, was already waiting at her desk, reviewing the diary. On the blackboard were written lesson topics.... All the usual stuff.
I tried to concentrate on my lessons, but somewhere in my head I kept hearing the laughter of that asshole Kamil and his buddies. Thoughts tangled in my head, and the dream from the previous night came back to me at the strangest moments.
In between lessons, Nadia approached me with a sandwich in her hand.
- Do you know what's best on the likes of Kamil? - She asked, smiling deviously.
- What? - I asked, unsure of what she had come up with.
- That they have a little one. That's why you have to ignore them. They live on the fact that someone cares. If you stop reacting, they get bored.
I wanted to believe it, but it was easier said than done. Especially since I could feel Kamil and his pack still throwing me surreptitious glances from the other end of the classroom.
- You know, sometimes I think it would be better if I could disappear," I muttered.
Nadia looked at me surprised.
- What are you talking about? Don't talk crap. You are cool, the best bestie I have.
I wanted to say something, but I felt my heart freeze. In the corner of the classroom, by the window, I noticed a shadow. It was something elusive, like a figure that was barely visible in the glare of the sun coming through the glass. I blinked, but there was nothing there.
- Dude, what's up? - Nadia asked, noticing that I had turned pale.
- Nothing," I lied quickly. - I think I must have missed something.
Nadia shrugged her shoulders and went back to her sandwich, but I still felt a strange weight on me. As if something... someone.... was watching me.
Lessons dragged on endlessly. Math, Polish, history - everything blended into one tangle of words that I could no longer make out. All the time I had the feeling that something was wrong. That shadow... What was that? Maybe I was really just being predicted?
During breaks Nadia tried to cheer me up. She made up all sorts of silly jokes and drew funny faces and little dicks of boys on my notebook, but I couldn't stop thinking about what I saw. Was it just a shadow cast by the tree branches outside the window? Or... something more?
When classes were over, Nadia offered to walk me home a piece.
- You know that I can be your bodyguard," she joked. - If Kamil starts saying something again, I'll just put him out with one sentence.
- Thanks, but I'll manage somehow," I said, although I wasn't sure at all.
We walked in silence through the park that separated the school from my house. Nadia plucked a leaf from a tree and started tossing it into the air.
- You know, sometimes I think that this park is like from another world," she said suddenly.
- What do you mean," I asked, looking at her.
- Well, you know... Sometimes, when I'm here alone, I feel like something is watching me. Like the trees have eyes or... - She stopped for a moment and looked into the thicket. - It's like someone is there.
A shudder went through me.
- Don't scare me, Old," I muttered, pretending to laugh.
- I'm not threatening. I'm just saying what I feel," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. - But you know, it's not a bad thing. Sometimes I imagine that these trees protect me, like guardians. Like in fantasy movies.
I looked at Nadia obliquely. She had such a carefree way of being, as if she wasn't afraid of anything. She was always brave, even if she sometimes said things that seemed strange.
As we approached the intersection where our paths diverged, Nadia stopped and looked at me seriously.
- Remember, if something ... well, something was wrong, you can tell me. About everything.
I nodded, though I wasn't sure exactly what she meant.
- Thanks," I said quietly.
She smiled broadly and waved goodbye to me.
When I entered the house, my mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
- How was school? - She asked with a smile, not taking her eyes off the sliced vegetables.
- Well," I lied.
- That's cool. Someday we need to talk about the interview, because Mrs. Corinth called....
I didn't listen to her until the end. In my mind I kept going back to what had happened today. To that shadow in the classroom, to Nadia's words in the park. Something was wrong. I felt it with my whole self.
The day passed very quickly. In the evening, lying in bed, I looked at the moon again. It was almost full and cast a bright light on my desk and school books. The shadows outside the window moved slightly in the wind, and I had the impression that I could see silhouettes in them that should never have existed.
I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. It's just imagination. It's not a big deal. But deep down I felt that something I didn't understand was approaching me every moment. Something that will change everything.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that Lina was sitting on the windowsill, staring at the moon. The bright light was coating her pale face, and her hands placed on her lap looked as if they merged with the surrounding light.
- Couldn't you sleep? - I asked, raising myself up on my elbows.
Lina turned around slowly, with a gentle smile on her lips.
- The moon is so beautiful today, isn't it? - she said quietly, as if she was afraid that someone would hear us.
I nodded my head. In the moonlight, Lina seemed almost unreal. Her light hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her gaze had something strange about it - as if she was looking at something more than just me.
- You know, sometimes I feel like the moon is watching us," she said, turning her gaze back to the window. - It's like it knows everything that's going on. About our every move.
- Stop, you're scaring me," I muttered, trying to laugh, but the sound of my voice seemed strangely hollow.
Lina looked at me out of the corner of her eye.
- Do you sometimes get the feeling that.... something is following us?
I froze.
- What do you mean? - I asked, feeling my heart begin to beat faster.
Lina did not answer right away. Instead, she jumped off the windowsill and came closer until I could see every detail of her face.
- What you saw in the classroom," she said quietly. - That shadow... He was there, wasn't he?
I felt the blood drain from my face.
- From where... How do you know about the shadow? - I whispered.
Lina smiled mysteriously, as if she knew the answer to a question I couldn't ask myself.
- Because I saw him before you noticed him," she replied. - He's always there. Only sometimes he manages to hide.
I got out of bed, trying to calm my breathing.
- That's impossible," I said, shaking my head. - It must have been just the shadow of a tree.
- And if not? - Lina asked, taking a step toward me. Her eyes seemed to glow in the twilight. - If it's something more?
I felt that I couldn't stand it any longer. I ran to the window and looked at the yard. Everything looked as it always did - the trees swayed in the wind, the streetlights cast warm light on the sidewalk. But in the corner, where the shadow was deepest, I noticed something that made me hold my breath.
Silhouette. Barely visible, barely outlined. As if it had been standing there forever, waiting for me to notice it.
- Can you see him now? - whispered Lina, standing next to me.
I couldn't respond. I could only watch.
My heart was pounding like crazy. The silhouette in the shadows stood still, as if it knew I was watching it. Lina put her hand on my shoulder, but her touch brought no relief.
- What is it? - I whispered, trying to keep my voice at a level that wouldn't betray my horror.
- I don't know," replied Lina, just as quietly. - But I feel that ... He's waiting for something.
Waits. That one word sent waves of fear through me. Waiting for what? For me? For us?
At this moment, the shadow moved. Slightly, but enough to notice how its contours became clearer. The silhouette began to resemble that of a human being, although something about it was wrong - the arms too elongated, the head too unnaturally shaped.
- Close the window," Lina said suddenly, her voice firmer than ever before.
With trembling hands, I reached for the handle and slammed the window shut. I quickly lowered the blind, separating us from the view of the backyard.
- It won't help," muttered Lina. Her voice was like a shadow of itself, quiet and shrill.
I turned to her, shocked.
- What do you have in mind?
Lina lowered her head and her hair fell over her face, hiding an expression I couldn't see.
- He is already here.
I felt cold, as if someone suddenly opened the door and let in an icy wind.
- What does that mean? - I asked, feeling my legs begin to yield.
- This thing... it has always been close," said Lina, slowly raising her gaze to me. Her eyes looked different, as if they were too bright in this twilight. - It was waiting. It had been watching. But now it had begun to act.
Suddenly I felt my throat being squeezed by an invisible hand of fear.
- Lina... - I started, but was interrupted by the sound of a creaking floor.
We both turned our heads toward the door. They stood slightly ajar, though I was sure I had locked them earlier. Through a crack in the door we could see the corridor, but it was plunged into darkness.
- Maja... - whispered Lina, and in her voice I heard something that resembled.... a warning.
A shadow from the corridor began to move slowly toward the room. I could not see any figure, only movement - a darkness that seemed to have a life of its own.
- What is this! - I shouted, grabbing Lina's hand.
- Don't let him come in," said Lina, her voice trembling, but at the same time full of determination. - Don't let him find us.
At that moment, a sound came from the corridor - as if someone was knocking quietly, almost softly.
The door opened slowly, and I jumped back as if scalded, grabbing Lina's hand. In the light coming in from the hallway, I saw a familiar silhouette.
- What's going on here? - Mom asked, standing in the threshold. Her tired eyes wandered around the room. - Maya, why are you still awake?
I let out the air that I had unconsciously held back. My heart was beating like a hammer, but I tried to calm down.
- I had a ... nightmare," I lied, avoiding her gaze.
Mom sighed, stepping closer. Her bathrobe was barely clinging to her shoulders, and there were traces of a pillow on her face.
- I heard a noise. Did you smash something?
I shook my head.
- No, mom. It's just me.
Her gaze rested on the closed window and lowered blinds.
- Why is the window closed? After all, you always like to sleep with it ajar.
I tightened my hands on the quilt, feeling Lina lightly squeeze my shoulder.
- It got cold," I said quickly. - Besides... I heard something in the yard.
Mom furrowed her brow, but her face softened as she sat on the edge of the bed.
- May, there is nothing there. Just wind and branches. You know that sometimes imagination plays tricks.
I looked at Lina, who was sitting quietly next to me. Her gaze was fixed on my mother, as if she was trying to see right through her.
- Maybe," I muttered. - But it was really weird, Mom.
Mom stroked my hair, her touch was warm and soothing.
- Try to get some sleep, okay? Tomorrow will be better.
I nodded, but I knew that sleep would not come so easily.
Mom got up and moved toward the door.
- Good night, my love. And try to calm down.
As she closed the door behind her, the room was once again plunged into semi-darkness.
- You didn't tell her," Lina spoke up, looking at me reproachfully.
- What was I supposed to say? - I replied, trying not to raise my voice. - That something strange is happening outside the window? That I am afraid of the shadows?
- Yes," she said, her voice calm but firm. - Because this was no ordinary shadow.
I shook my head, clasping my hands on the quilt.
- Maybe mom is right. Maybe it's just the wind...
- It wasn't the wind," Lina interrupted me. - And you know very well that you can't ignore it.
I did not respond. I stared at the place where I had seen the shadow just a moment ago. My room again seemed the same as it always had, but something about it had changed. It was as if it was no longer my safe place.
Lina was silent, and I felt my hands trembling. I didn't know what was real and what was just imagination. But one thing was certain - something was here. And it wasn't going to leave at all.
- Let's sleep together," I whispered before I had time to think.
Lina looked at me with raised eyebrows, but immediately nodded her head as if it was something completely natural.
- Good," she replied quietly. - Maybe it will be safer this way.
I moved over, making room for her on the bed. Lina gracefully slipped under the quilt and lay down next to me. Her body was chilly, as if she had been standing in a cold wind the whole time, but that didn't bother me. In fact, her presence was soothing, although I couldn't quite understand it.
- Do you think this thing will come back? - I asked in a whisper, looking at the ceiling.
Lina was silent for a moment, as if weighing the words.
- I don't know," she finally replied. - But if he comes back, we can manage together.
I felt her small hand grasp mine. The hug was gentle but firm, as if she wanted to show me that she was really here with me.
- What if it wasn't a shadow? - I asked, clenching my eyelids. - If it's something... something more?
- Maybe," Lina admitted, and her voice was almost melodious. - But you don't have to be alone with it.
The silence that fell was strange. It was as if the room suddenly held its breath. In the darkness, all I could hear was my own heartbeat and Lina's calm breathing.
- Tell me something," I asked, wanting to drown out the thoughts that were beginning to overwhelm me.
- What do you want to hear?
- I don't know... something to reassure me.
Lina mused for a moment, and then began to speak:
- When I was young, I was also afraid of shadows. I thought they were inhabited by monsters. You know, those big, black beasts with glowing eyes. But then I realized that they are not evil. Just... lost.
- Lost? - I repeated, turning to face her.
Lina looked at me with her bright eyes, in which the moonlight was reflected.
- Yes. They are looking for the light. But sometimes they don't know how to find it.
Her words were strange, but somehow they calmed me down.
- Do you think this shadow is also lost?
- Maybe," replied Lina, and a slight smile appeared on her face. - But shadows don't like to be feared. So don't be afraid, okay?
I didn't answer, as I felt fatigue begin to overtake me. Lina still held my hand, and her presence was like a shield against everything that lurked in the darkness.
- Thank you," I whispered, before sleep finally overcame me.
I didn't know if Lina had also fallen asleep. But when I woke up in the morning, the bed next to me was empty. As it always is.