The Next Day
"Elena! You won't be late to school, will you?"
Her mother's voice suddenly came from the living room.
Elena groaned and rolled over, dragging her pillow over her ears. "Stop talking…"
A loud scoff followed, and the door burst open without warning. "Listen to me, young lady," her mother said as she stepped inside. "You have five minutes!"
Elena let out a long sigh and slowly sat up, moving like someone forced out of a deep grave, her hair was messy and her mind was still lost in sleep.
She reached out blindly for her glasses on the bedside table and put them on.
Then she blinked. Everything was blurry, not the usual blur she was used to… this one felt worse, like the world had been smeared into nothing.
She frowned and pulled the glasses off, rubbing them with her shirt before placing them back on her face.
The same thing happened!!
Still blurrr…
"Are you still on that bed?!!!" Her mother's voice came again, louder this time.
"No… but—" Elena muttered, pulling the glasses off again.
She looked toward the door and was surprised that her vision was clearer than it had ever been.
Her brows furrowed as she slowly moved her head, her eyes scanned the room, she could see every corner, every object, every tiny detail she wouldn't see even if she had cat eyes.
Elena sighed, she had worn glasses for as long as she could remember.
And in that moment, she could see perfectly.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stood up immediately, almost stumbling over her own feet as she turned in a slow circle, taking everything in.
"This…" she whispered and smiled happily, without thinking, she rushed out of her room and into the living room.
And then she stopped.
On the table sat a small pink cake, simple but beautiful, with two candles standing on top, 1 and 9.
Elena's expression softened, her heart warmed in a way she didn't expect as she walked closer, her steps slowing down, she knelt in front of the table, her gaze fixed on the cake.
"Nineteen…" she murmured.
For a moment, everything felt normal and peaceful, until she closed her eyes, clasping her hands together as she made a quiet wish, something she didn't dare to say out loud.
Then she leaned forward and blew out the candles, she smiled and opened her eyes.
"Ahhh—!" she screamed in horror before she could stop it.
Right in front of her, a huge beast stood over the table.
Its body was massive, its form twisted and unnatural, thick saliva dripped from its mouth as it sniffed the cake, breathing heavily.
Elena's body froze, her heart beat violently against her chest the moment the beast suddenly turned.
Its eyes locked onto hers for some seconds before everything stopped.
The living room returned to normal, and even the grey atmosphere changed back to its colourful and lively state!
In fact, nothing was out of place.
Elena remained where she was, her body stiff, afraid to breathe as her eyes stayed fixed on the spot where the beast had been.
Her hands trembled. "No…" she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "What just happened?"
Her chest rose and fell rapidly in fear, it wasn't a dream or a vision… it looked like the reality of the life they were living.
At that moment, her mother walked in, smiling as if nothing had happened.
"There you are," she said, her voice warm, she moved toward the couch—the same place where the beast had stood.
"Wait! Don't—!" Elena said with fear, stretching her hand.
Her mother stopped mid-step, startled. "What is it?"
Elena stood frozen, her eyes locked on the couch in confusion, but there was nothing there, no sign of the beast, she looked around, and the atmosphere wasn't grey.
Elena sighed deeply and looked at her mom. "Hummm…"
"Are you okay?" her mother asked, worried. "What happened?"
Maybe she had imagined it… Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her. "Nothing," she said and shook her head.
Her mother studied her for a moment, then giggled softly and waved it off. "You scared me for a second."
She sat down anyway.
Right there!
Elena clenched her fists as her eyes stayed glued on the couch and the surroundings, but everything remained normal.
Her mother reached for the knife and turned toward the cake with a bright smile. "Happy birthday to you, my dear."
Elena tried to smile back, but it didn't feel right.
Something in the room had changed, the air felt heavier, colder, like something unseen was pressing in from every corner.
She watched in silence as her mother cut the cake, humming softly, completely unaware of the unease settling around them.
A slice was placed on a plate and held out to her. "Eat, birthday girl."
Elena took the plate, the smell of the cake hit her, sweet and familiar, but instead of comfort, a strange wave of disgust rose in her stomach, her fingers tightened around the plate as she stared at it, her appetite gone.
She didn't understand why, she was still trying to figure it out when…
Clang!
The sound came from the kitchen, loud enough to make her flinch.
Elena's head snapped in the direction immediately.
"What was that?" her mother asked, frowning.
Elena didn't answer, she had already set the plate down and was moving toward the kitchen, her steps cautious, her heart picking up speed again.
But the kitchen was empty, there was no sign of strange animals, but she saw a pot lying on the floor.
Elena frowned as she stepped closer, her eyes fixed on it, she crouched slightly, her mind racing as she stared at the object.
She hadn't left it there, she had placed it inside the cabinet the night before.
She sighed nervously as she lifted her head and looked around the kitchen again, her eyes scanning every corner, every shadow.
Nothing… and yet… something didn't feel right.
"Elena! You are three minutes late for school!!"
Her mother's voice broke through the silence, Elena straightened, her eyes lingering on the fallen pot for one last second before she turned away.
But as she walked out of the kitchen, the uneasy feeling followed her.