Chapter 1
"RIYA! ARE U AWAKE OR STILL SNOOZING THROUGH THE ALARMS "my mom yelled from downstairs. I groaned and woke up and rubbed my eyes while yawning as I force myself to sleep . Just when I was about to lie back down again , the same thundering voice from downstairs echoed "WAKE UP! BEFORE I COME AND CHECK MYSELF". My eyes flew open wide – yeah no trace of sleep left now. I slipped on my slippers and trudged towards bathroom. While taking bath and brushing my teeth, I completely lost the track of time – because of course, I was having my mini imaginary concert too.
After coming out of the bathroom and realising how late I was , I transformed into a real superfast train. I threw on my uniform, stuffed books into my bag and then froze — my tie ? ..where is my tie?..where is it ? Clothes flying, pages scattered, my whole closet turned into a warzone and there it was — my tie, hiding like it was part of some secret mission but yes finally found it.
Downstairs, mom was waiting – comb in one hand, a frown on her face. I smiled nervously and took my seat. She started combing my hairs while I tried to focus on eating breakfast, pretending not to feel her frustration – though her super ninja grip on my scalp said otherwise. "You're a student and about to go to college ! When on earth will u learn time management? When I was your age –" "Yeah, yeah" i interrupted " You crossed galaxies to reach your school and did every household chore known to mankind ". Her grip tightened, and I immediately got the message – silence was my best option from there on.
After somehow surviving the morning chaos, I still managed to reach the bus stop just in time — a miracle in itself.
As I stared out the bus window, a weird gut feeling whispered that something was off. I tried to ignore it; you can’t just believe a random feeling without any logic… right?
The bus finally rolled into the school premises, and I was greeted with the usual sugar-coated “good mornings” and perfectly practiced fake smiles — which, honestly, I returned just as perfectly.
Classes began, teachers came and went, and I fought heroically to stay awake and not embarrass myself by dozing off.
After what felt like an eternity, the final bell rang. I grabbed my bag and headed straight for the bus, already dreaming about my cozy bed waiting at home.
I spent the whole ride daydreaming about sinking into my cozy bed after this exhausting day.
When I finally reached home, Mom was in the kitchen, busy with a new recipe.
“Hi, Mom. I’m tired—gonna take some rest,” I said.
She just nodded, flipping pancakes like a pro, and I rushed to my room. I changed into my comfy clothes and collapsed on the bed with a satisfied smile.
Sleep hit me fast.
When I woke up a while later, I felt refreshed and decided to wash my face. But the moment I stepped into the bathroom, the door shut itself.
I froze. My head snapped toward it at lightning speed. The door was closed—completely. I stood there, motionless, my brain still trying to make sense of what just happened.
I grabbed the knob and tried to twist it, but it wouldn’t budge. I tried harder—nothing.
Panic kicked in. I banged on the door. “MOM! Mom, the door’s locked! Can you come here?”
No reply.
“MOM? MOM! WHERE ARE YOU? I’M LOCKED IN HERE!”
Silence.
Pure, chilling silence.
My heart pounded so hard I could hear it echo. My hands trembled as fear crawled up my spine. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse—
Yeah, God had other plans.
Because when I looked in the mirror… my eyes were red.
Not brown. Red.
I leaned closer, blinking fast, hoping I was imagining it—but no, they were definitely red.
And then all the color drained from my face when I noticed something even worse.
I was panicking… but my reflection wasn’t. It was calm. Still.
And then—
It smiled.
