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snow-flake-writes · 1 month ago

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YAHHH SHES BACK LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!

Welcome back!! Congrats on becoming a licensed nurse!! That’s so awesome and you deserve it! Also, your writing is amazing, as usual!!

The Words We've Always Known

Tanjiro Kamado x reader

Summary: After a long mission, Tanjiro and the reader find themselves walking home together. There’s something unspoken between them—something that’s always been there, waiting to be said.

Warnings: None!

Note: Hi guys! I always apologize for my MIA moments. Two bits of good news: I am officially a licensed nurse! Also, I got engaged! Wedding planning has took up a LOT of my time. I'm coming back, I promise :)

The quiet hum of the night settled over the small village as you and Tanjiro walked side by side, your fingers brushing but never quite interlocking. The mission had ended successfully, and while exhaustion weighed on both of you, neither wanted the night to end just yet.

The streets were empty, the paper lanterns casting a golden glow over Tanjiro’s face. He looked peaceful, yet deep in thought, his usual bright eyes carrying a weight he hadn’t spoken about.

“Are you okay?” you asked softly, tilting your head to look at him.

Tanjiro blinked, startled out of his thoughts, and turned to you with a small, sheepish smile. “Yeah… I guess I just realized how much I cherish moments like this.”

You slowed your steps, watching him carefully. “Like what?”

“Being with you.”

Your heart did that familiar, rapid stutter in your chest—the one that always seemed to happen when Tanjiro spoke so earnestly. He never held back his feelings, always wore his heart on his sleeve, but tonight… tonight there was something different in his voice.

He suddenly stopped walking, and you turned to face him. The village lanterns flickered in his eyes, but it was something deeper, something only for you, that made your breath hitch.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck in that endearing way of his. “Every time we fight side by side, every time we laugh, every time you look at me with that determined look in your eyes—I realize more and more how much you mean to me.” He swallowed thickly, gathering his courage. “And I don’t want to wait anymore to say it.”

The air between you was still, save for the soft rustling of the wind.

“I love you, Y/N.”

The words sent warmth flooding through you, melting into your bones like the first rays of sunlight after a bitter winter. It was something you had known deep down, something unspoken between you both, but hearing it—hearing him say it—made it real in a way you hadn’t imagined.

A laugh, half-disbelieving, half-overwhelmed, bubbled from your lips. Tanjiro’s eyes widened slightly, as if worried you’d reject him, but you reached forward, taking his calloused hands in yours.

“Tanjiro,” you breathed, stepping closer. “I love you too.”

Relief washed over his features, and then pure, unfiltered joy. He let out a small laugh, squeezing your hands like he never wanted to let go. “Really?”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Of course, really! Did you think I wouldn't?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “I guess I just needed to hear it.”

With a grin, you leaned up, pressing a feather-light kiss to his cheek. His breath hitched, and when you pulled back, his face was glowing red.

“I’ll tell you as many times as you need, Tanjiro,” you murmured. “I love you.”

Tanjiro let out a breathy chuckle, resting his forehead against yours. “Then I’ll tell you just as much. I love you, Y/N. Always.”

The words, now spoken, lingered between you like an unbreakable promise. And as Tanjiro pulled you into a gentle, warm embrace, you knew—without a doubt—that you had always belonged to each other.

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snow-flake-writes · 2 months ago

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touching grass or something

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snow-flake-writes · 2 months ago

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Title: Change For The Better

Fandom: The Walking Dead

Relationship: Daryl Dixon x OC

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, child abuse, young Daryl and Merle, Flashbacks, loneliness, Katelyn’s kind of a creep, Daryl is a jerk

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Summary: The apocalypse was like a nightmare come true. No one had expected it to really come into reality, until the day the dead started walking around, feasting on human flesh. It was a sight no one could forget. And, frankly, it doesn’t seem to end.

It’s been two years since the virus took over the world, taking about half of the world's population along with it. Katelyn Davidson has been on her own practically the whole time. Due to past experiences, she is unable to bring herself into being in a survival group once more. However, that all seems to change when she runs into her childhood friend, Daryl Dixon.

Past trauma, memories, and conflict comes back to the surface between the two friends. Despite the world changing for the worse, maybe Katelyn and Daryl can change for the better.

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Note: so….i have never dealt with or met someone who has experienced abuse. I apologize if there is anything wrong related to that. No, there will not be any explicit abuse scenes…well, from her childhood anyway. Typical TWD violence will be in the story. I’m kind of just going off of things I’ve learned from movies, and might be looking things up here and there.

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Master list | …

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Chapter 1

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Katelyn stepped into the forest, the familiar crunch of leaves underfoot bringing her a sense of calm. At just ten years old, she often sought refuge among the tall trees, escaping the chaos at home. With each stride, the world's weight faded away, and the forest welcomed her like an old friend. She had wandered these trails before—sometimes as a retreat, to dream—and today, she was eager to discover the hidden wonders just beyond the next bend. This was her secret world, and adventure awaited her.

The nature around her was loud. The branches snapping under her feet, leaves crunching into pieces from her weight, birds chirping in the trees, and the branches groaning above her as the wind makes them dance. This was her peace. The home she had always wanted.

Katelyn always kept herself busy in the forest near her home. She was always by herself, making up games she could play, and running around the trees to entertain herself. It was calm and peaceful, and there was nothing to bother her.

As many times as she has been out here, she has never seen anyone else. Maybe a few animals here and there, such as squirrels or rabbits. Seeing the creatures was joyful for her. She enjoyed chasing them around, seeing if she could pet it or at least get a better look at it.

Today was a lucky day for her, she believes. While she hopped over logs with a big grin, her expression brightens when she catches sight of a white rabbit a few feet away from her. A breathy giggle leaves her lips as she hops down from the log she was standing on, trying to be as quiet as she could while approaching the small creature.

However, the rabbit perks up, noticing her coming close. In a panicked reaction, it quickly runs off, finding shelter to hide. Katelyn doesn’t let this get past her, though, and she chases right after it.

The trees are winding as she runs through them, jumping over roots and logs to not trip and avoiding branches that hang low. She hadn’t run far from the spot she noticed the rabbit. The creature was quick, but she managed to keep her eye on it, following it through the quiet forest.

As soon as she ducks a branch to follow it further, she suddenly stops. Her happy grin falls at the sight before her, a tall boy standing there. He had wild brown hair that stuck up in all sorts of directions, with cautious blue eyes staring back at her. Katelyn shifts from one foot to the other, completely forgetting about the white rabbit that most likely got away, and begins to fidget with her hands. She has never met this boy before. He’s a little taller than her, maybe a little older. His clothes consist of a brown and black flannel, unbuttoned to show a stained dark grey shirt underneath. His jeans were loose, dirty and unkempt.

She didn’t know what to do. She doesn’t talk to people much, especially ones around her age. At school, she often keeps to herself, and her classmates like to keep their distance with her. “….Hi…” she finally murmurs, trying to gather as much courage as she could to speak to the boy.

The boy, however, looks rather annoyed by her presence. She hadn’t noticed before, but he had a couple sticks and a bundle of wire in his hands. “Who the hell are you?” He grumbles, his glare full of curiosity and caution.

Katelyn instinctively blinks at the curse word, remembering how often her parents use them around her in a fit of rage. She didn’t visibly flinch, but it certainly made her uncomfortable. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs, hanging her head. Is he mad at her? Did she do anything to make him feel that way?

A scoff leaves his lips as he takes a step back, half turning away to leave. “Go home. Ain’t nothin’ ‘round here for yah.”

She doesn’t say anything as she looks up, watching him walk away, deeper into the forest. His shabby shoes shuffled through the dead leaves, causing small sticks to snap under his weight in his path.

The one thing Katelyn knew, at this very moment, is that she didn’t want to go home. Not now, anyway. She still had time before her parents would even notice she’s gone. So, she takes it upon herself to follow the boy. She kept her distance, but she was too curious not to keep him in her sights. Why was he there, in the forest? Did he live nearby? She has never seen him in this area before, nor anyone, for that matter. What was he up to?

Katelyn seemed to have gotten away with following him for a little bit longer. He never looked back to see if she was there, assuming he doesn’t even know she’s following. Soon enough, the boy stops walking, putting one knee on the ground as he looks around the area. She watches as he grabs a sapling tree near him. He begins to pull on the tree, making it bend down to where he can tie some of the wire at the end.

She was perplexed by what he was doing. She has never seen anything like it, quite curious to what he was making. When he stands back up, some sort of contraption is made. The tree is bent downwards against its will, held in that place by a wire that was attached to two carved sticks in the ground. The wire soon ends in a large loop, resting on the ground.

Katelyn doesn’t notice he has a knife until he stuffs it in his back pocket. A pocket knife, Katelyn could guess. Just as she’s ready to follow him some more, The boy turns around, his eyes meeting hers. This time, his expression holds more irritation than annoyance. “What the hell are yah doin’, huh? I said go home!” He snaps, flicking his wrist at her to point somewhere behind her, a gesture for her to leave. “Quit followin’ me ‘round…” he then murmurs under his breath, turning back around to leave.

Before he can leave, though, they hear a set of heavy footsteps coming their way. “Alright, little brother,” a raspy voice with a heavy southern accent grabs their attention. Katelyn could see a figure approaching, a taller man in about the same kind of clothing as the boy. He’s skinny and looks to be in his late teens. “Got some snares up an’ runnin’?” He asks, stopping his tracks once he’s by the boy.

The boy doesn’t respond, simply looking up at his older brother, as if that was enough to get him to notice the girl following him. His brother doesn’t seem to notice. He looks around, seeing the snare that was set up, but his eyes soon move up to the small figure behind it. A girl.

“Now would you look at that,” he grins, looking down at his little brother as he pats him on the shoulder. “Found yerself a little girlfriend, huh?” He snickers.

The boy visibly grimaces at that, and shakes his head. “Shut up, Merle! Ran into her earlier, an’ she’s been followin’ me ‘round since.” He practically scowls at her when he looks her way.

“Ah, don’ get yer panties in a twist,” Merle chuckles, stepping around his brother to approach the girl. “You lost there, girl?”

Katelyn cautiously steps back as he approaches, a memory of her father stepping up to her like that, angry, flashes in her mind.

“Now, now,” Merle starts, noticing her rising fear. He slows his steps, eventually kneeling down to her height about two feet away. “I ain’t gonna hurt yah.” He sits there for a moment, seeing as she hasn’t run off yet. “You from ‘round here?”

Her green orbs study him, taking a moment to answer his question. She soon nods, a little too shy to speak.

Merle nods, satisfied that she answered. “Why don’t you run on home now, huh?” A friendly grin quirks up. “An’ keep what yah saw to yerself.”

She fidgets, her fingers playing with the end of her shirt. Once again, she nods, keeping his words to heart as she turns and runs off to where she came.

“She’s gonna tell someone,” Daryl says once the girl was out of their sight, giving his older brother a worried look.

Merle huffs as he pushes himself off of the ground, turning back to the boy. “She ain’t gonna tell no one,” he reassures, patting Daryl’s back a little more roughly then he intended as he walks by. “Now come on. Got a couple more snares to put up.”

The fact of meeting a new person was intriguing to Katelyn. Maybe it’s because she’s always alone, but either way, she couldn’t help but to follow the two males she met in the forest. The day after she met them, she had returned to the cover of trees to see if they were there. She ran all over, seeing if she could see anything that wasn’t just foliage and animals. When she did run into the younger boy again, this time, she was more cautious. She stayed a distance away, simply following him around as he undid all of the snares he and his brother put up.

Katelyn told herself that following him was just wrong. It didn’t look right, and it might even make them suspicious of her. However, she couldn’t bring herself to greet the boy or speak up. She was….scared. She has always had trouble making friends.

Her constant following went on for a few weeks. She would run to the same forest whenever she could to look for them, see what they were up to. And everyday, she always wondered if she’ll get to finally speak up to them.

However…she never could. Katelyn always got too scared, too nervous to make the move to make a friend. Over the few weeks, she had heard the brothers talk. She had always wondered why the older one told her to keep quiet about what they were doing, or that they were there. It’s because they don’t live in this area, and were illegally hunting on private property. The good thing to do was to go tell her parents, but….she knew her parents wouldn’t believe a word she says. Despite that, she was intrigued by them, and didn’t want them to go.

The sun beating down on the forest gave the dense forest life. Katelyn found the sun shining through the trees to be a beautiful sight. She’d often sit on a log, hold her rabbit stuffed animal, and watch the forest before her. She’d watch it move, come to life. The wind makes the trees and grass dance and the animals pass by on their journey of survival.

Today, however, Katelyn wasn’t admiring nature. Instead, she was following the younger brother from a distance, as usual. Everytime she came out here, she’d tell herself she’d finally go up to him, which she found out his name is Daryl, And talk to him. She wanted to be friends. She wanted to learn what he’s doing.

When Katelyn started following Daryl around the forest, she noticed he was alone again. His older brother was probably off doing his own routine or something. As she followed him, she noticed he’s a pretty quiet kid. He hardly ever spoke, unless spoken to. Although, sometimes, he’d speak out about his opinions to his brother when needed.

Before Katelyn could continue to scold herself for not making a move, Daryl suddenly runs off. His steps were hurried, and she practically jumped at his quick action. Why did he run? Did he see something scary? Did something spook him? The action must have been contagious, as Katelyn finds herself chasing right after him. She didn’t want to lose sight of him, scared that if there was something chasing them, she’d have him there to protect her…right?

Just as she rounds a tree, where she last saw Daryl disappear behind, her path is abruptly stopped. Katelyn hadn’t processed the impact her body received from whatever she ran into, and she yelps in pain when she falls back onto the dirty ground.

Katelyn lets out gasps of air from her overworked lungs, craning her head back to see what she ran into. To her surprise, it was the boy she has been following for the past few weeks.

Oh no, he saw her! What kind of excuse could she make?

She doesn’t get a chance to speak, though, when she notices Daryl’s harsh snarl. “I told yah to stop followin’ me!” He yells at her, teeth bared and shoulders stiff. “Yer such a creep! You think I didn’t notice?”

Katelyn’s breaths instinctively quicken, watching as he steps closer, his hand moving around as he points at her angrily. She could feel her cheeks burn in embarrassment, and her eyes beginning to sting as tears unwillingly well up.

“Yah got nothin’ better to do? Go to yer parents! Play with them, huh? You got friends, don’tcha?” He continues, each word being spat out with such irritation and force, she could feel the spit sprinkle on her skin. “Quit botherin’ me! It ain’t any of yer business what we do here—“ Daryl’s rant comes to a stop before he could finish, suddenly noticing what the girl before her was doing. He hadn’t noticed as he was trying to scare her off, but now, he does. Her body shook, trembled, as she had her knees up to her chest and her arms covering her head.

“P-Please don’t hurt me,” she hiccups, sobbing in fear.

Daryl didn’t have to ask why the hell she was so freaked out. He knows this. He knows, just by looking at her, what this meant.

She’s been abused.

He now realizes that his harsh words and threatening movements must have been a trigger to her trauma, and she freaked out, thinking he’ll hurt her. That thought alone makes his hands clench into tight fists, feeling his nails dig into his skin.

Daryl knows exactly what she’s been through. And although he won’t say it out loud, seeing her so scared of him makes him feel…guilty. “I’m not…” He starts awkwardly, now more calm. He reminds himself to take a step back, give her space. “I’m not gonna hurt you…” he mutters. He had no idea how to comfort someone like her, how to comfort anyone in general.

When she doesn’t respond, still too in her head as she cries into her knees, Daryl huffs. He wasn’t any good at this. He knows his brother isn’t either. Daryl eventually lets out a sigh, hesitating before he moves. He cautiously steps up to her, slowly lowering himself to sit beside her. He wasn’t touching her, but he figured that sitting there, beside her, would be enough to show he wasn’t a threat.

He wasn’t sure how long it took, but her cries had slowly quietened into soft sniffles. She slowly lifts up her head, her eyes puffy and red, nose runny. Daryl quickly looks away, not wanting her to catch him staring.

“You’re…not going to hurt me…?” She finally speaks, her words soft and fragile.

Daryl furrows his brows, a bit offended she’d think he would. “Nah,” he shakes his head, looking down at the ground he's sitting on. “‘Course not.”

The silence between them is stifling, almost suffocating. He hates awkward situations. The only person he’s actually comfortable with is his brother. He has no other friends. “I didn’t mean to scare yah…” Daryl says. He wasn’t necessarily apologizing, but it was good enough.

Katelyn sniffles loudly, rubbing her nose before she speaks. “I’m sorry…”

“For what?”

“For…um…” she hides her face in her arms that rested on her knees, too embarrassed to look at him. “For following you…?”

He snorts, the corner of his lips quirking up into a tiny smile of amusement. “Yeah? Why were yah doin’ it anyway?”

“I just…I was curious…”

“Curious about what?” He was starting to get a little irritated. The girl was slow, quiet, and beat around the bush.

“I don’t know,” she replies instantly in defense. “I’ve never had friends, okay? I…I wanted to ask if we could be friends…”

That was enough to make him officially look at her, giving her a raised brow in question. Be friends? Why in the world would she want to be friends with him? He’s anything but a normal kid, to say the least. Obviously she’s a little younger than him, but still…he doesn’t get it. What does she see in him?

“Friends?” He echoes incredulously. “We’re strangers. Yah know nothin’ ’bout me.” The only response she gives him is a simple shrug of her shoulders, shutting down on him. He stares at her for a moment, studying her now stoic expression.

Although the thought of being friends with her repulsed him, he felt that he couldn’t just leave her like this. She’s going through the same thing as him. He has his brother, who is hardly there half of the time. He doesn’t know who she has, but…clearly she would’ve been with them if she did have someone, instead of being out here in the forest all of the time by herself.

Daryl grunts as he pushes himself off of the ground, sticks and leaves sticking to his jeans, but he didn’t bother to brush them off. “Come on,” he huffs, walking in a certain direction.

Katelyn perks up, “Where are we going?” She asks, curious. To her dismay, he doesn’t respond, continuing to walk further in the forest. She scrambles off of the ground, running to catch up to him.

For once in a long time, she’s smiling. Because, no matter how hard it is to read him, she feels that he has accepted her.

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snow-flake-writes · 2 months ago

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꒰ ✎┊If there are any links that do not work, please let me know! ꒱

✦.˖ My Own ˖.✦

𓆩♡𓆪 Change For The Better

↳ Chapter 1,

#the walking dead #TWD

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snow-flake-writes · 2 months ago

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snow-flake-writes · 2 months ago

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just something silly about jayce growing a mustache

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snow-flake-writes · 2 months ago

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more High Hawk Season fanart because i think about it a lot

#the Zaun squat #WHEEZE #that’s fucking funny

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snow-flake-writes · 3 months ago

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Author’s Note: so uh…this is an original story, from me of course :D it’s based off of a prompt I found on Pinterest. Feel free to take a read and give me some feedback! There’s really no intention of continuing it, unless people really want it lol. It’s a short story, most like a one-shot. I won’t say much, but it’s full of mystery and some creepy vibes. Enjoy!

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL OR RE-POST ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. Thanks.

Prompt: You wake up one morning and check your phone. You have one text saying “It’s not real. None of it. Trust no one. Escape.” You dismiss it and leave your room to find your family lined up facing you, each with a slight frown. “You didn’t see anything strange this morning, did you?” Asks your mom.

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All But A Dream

She remembers it vividly. People in her home, smiling and being friendly. Her family. Her parents telling her dinner is ready, and her siblings eager to explain their day as everyone sat around the table. It was normal. It was fun and familiar. But…why couldn’t she see their faces?

Sophia’s body begins its wake, all of her senses slowly coming back to her as she peels her heavy eyelids open. Her bedroom was bright, covered in the morning glow of the sun through the open window. A dream. That’s all it was. Sophia usually can’t remember her dreams when she wakes up. Sometimes she does, and this one in particular she certainly does. It was weird, however. Everyone in her dream were so familiar and so comfortable, yet she couldn’t see their faces. Just blank canvases, ready to be painted.

With brows furrowed in confusion, Sophia sits up in her bed. Her gaze roams around her room, nothing in particular to look at as she thinks about her dream. It didn’t make sense, yet it did at the same time.

She’s read about this before, if she recalls. The internet explaining certain dreams people can have. Such as the fact every stranger you see in your dream is actually someone you have met before. Or, that feeling of falling in your dream, only for your body to jolt back awake, just so it can make sure your brain is working correctly to keep you alive. She’s never read anything about blank faces in dreams, though. Maybe she’ll look it up later.

Sophia jumps back to reality when she hears a loud knock on her door, almost sounding like an impatient bang. “Hey! Wake up, Soph!” The voice says on the other side, and she realizes it’s her sister, Jessica. “If you need the bathroom, use it already. I need to take a shower.”

“Okay! I’ll be there in a minute!” she calls back, letting out an irritated groan from the obscene knock on her door.

Sophia pushes the blankets off of her body, bringing her legs over to hang off the side of her bed. The first thing she does when waking up is to check her phone, making sure none of her friends have messaged her. Unplugging her phone from the charger, she picks up the device that laid on her bedside table, watching as the screen lights up in acknowledgement. She scrolls on the lock screen, curious to see what notifications she had received throughout the night. One, in particular, caught her attention. An unknown number in bold letters on her screen, that has been sent barely a minute ago.

The roll of her eyes was expected. Sophia receives spam messages or calls almost daily. Something she has asked her mom multiple times to stop the annoying interruption of her day. And as much as they have tried, it seems that everyone with a device gets them. With a sigh, she logs into her phone and heads straight to her message app, ready to delete the unknown number and report it. However, just as she’s about to do that very task, the words written under the number are certainly…not normal.

UNKNOWN NUMBER

“IT’S NOT REAL. NONE OF IT. TRUST NO ONE. ESCAPE.”

A chill runs down her spine as she reads the creepy message. Was this some kind of joke? A prank her friends decided to pull on her? They’ve never done something like this to freak her out, and it’s not even close to Halloween.

“Sophia, come on!” A whine comes from the other side of her door, practically startling her.

She lets out a breath to calm her racing heart, turning her gaze to her closed door. “I got it! I’m coming!” She calls, shutting her phone off and setting it back on her bedside table, before leaving her bedroom to the main floor of the house.

The smell of bacon wafts in the air instantly, bringing a smile to Sophia’s face. It was a good morning, she could tell, just by the fact that her mom is making them breakfast. However, just as she steps into the living room to see what everyone was up to, she pauses.

There, in the middle of the room, stood her family. All of them in a perfect line, facing her. Sophia’s smile falls at the unnerving sight, confusion quickly replacing it. Her parents, her little brother, and her sister all held a small frown, standing completely straight and calm. Like robots.

“You didn’t see anything strange this morning, did you?” Her mom then asks, a hint of sternnes in her tone.

Sophia hesitates. What did she mean by that? Not once has she ever heard or seen her family act this way. Was she in another dream? “U-Um…” a mere sound leaves her lips. Her mind spiraling on what to say. And for some reason, she felt that mentioning the text message was not a good idea. “No…? Is there…something wrong?” If theres one thing Sophia is good at, it’s lying. She never thought that being in a drama club in her school would come in handy.

Her whole family seems to relax, letting out breaths of air as if they were relieved. “Oh, good. We were just worried, honey,” her mom says, pressing her hand to her chest as if to calm her racing heart. “Jess said you were in there for a while, and we didn’t know what to think.”

A lie, she could tell. Sophia hasn’t read many books, but this whole situation just didn’t feel right. The unnerving question her mom asked earlier didn’t really make sense to what she’s saying now. It’s as if…they knew Sophia had received that creepy message earlier.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, to come back to reality, Sophia turns and heads back to her bedroom. She closes the door behind her, grabbing her phone faster then she can think. That creepy message from the unknown number was a spam, she originally thought. But now…now she isn’t so sure.

Sophia’s thumbs trembled as she returned to her messages app, looking for that unknown number to respond to it. To ask questions, understand what was going on. However, as soon as she clicks into the app…the unknown number is gone. She doesn’t see it anywhere, no matter how many times she scrolls to the very bottom of the list, and checks through the options on the side.

This has to be a prank.

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The bell rang for the tenth time that day. It was an exaggeration, but it sure felt like it. Sophia feels that, even when she graduates high school, she’ll hear the school bell for the rest of her life. Sometimes, she wonders if the other students in her school felt that way, but its not something she’d bother to ask.

Sophia steps into the busy cafeteria, smelling the different aroma’s of the foods the cafeteria is providing, or the the lunches the kids bring themselves. Her gaze roams over the large room, eventually finding the certain people she was looking for.

“Hey,” Sam nods at Sophia in a casual greeting, grabbing some napkins from a nearby food stand to add to his tray of food. “‘Bout time you made it.”

The tease was light, gentle, and familiar. He often thinks he’s funny, and Sophia tends to not burst his bubble. However, she does roll her eyes in response. “My class is on the other side of the school,” she complains, which is a fact her friends already know about.

“Well, you’re lucky I grabbed an extra cupcake for yah,” Cassy grins, who was standing beside Sam the entire time with her own tray of food.

Sophia’s expression brightens at that, and she takes the cupcake from her trey far quicker then she intended. “I didn’t know they were doing cupcakes today!” She beams. “You’re the best, Cassy.”

Cassy takes the praise to heart, as always, and flips her hair over her shoulder dramatically. “Always, girl.”

Sam, on the other hand, shakes his head. “You didn’t watch the morning announcements?”

“She never does, Sam. She’s always on her phone,” Cassy retorts.

Sophia is quick to pout, following her friends to an empty table nearby. “I do, too! Sometimes…”

Sophia and her friends soon fall into a comfortable conversation between eachother, full of jokes, laughter, and familiarity. The buzz of students around them seems to zone out, as if they were in their own little world. Sophia loved this part of her life. Talking to her friends, enjoying time as if they had no worries, unless homework deadlines are brought up.

In the midst of their conversation, Sophia feels her phone vibrate, indicating a notification. Curious, she grabs her phone from the table top and looks it over, seemingly zoning out her friends for a moment.

Another uncomfortable chill runs down her spine at what she sees, her gaze quickly glancing to her friends to see if they noticed, before turning back to her phone. The unknown number was back.

UNKNOWN NUMBER

“THE TREE ON THE LEFT.”

The tree on the left? What in the world could that even mean? Sophia couldn’t help but to bring her blue irises up to roam over the room. She looks around, confused and unnerved by everything that’s been going on today. Her gaze eventually lands on the large windows in the cafiteria, the school back yard on the other side.

A few students were sprawled out on the grass, either on the ground or on tables to eat their lunches. Sophia’s brows furrow in even more confusion, not really getting what the message was telling her. Then, she sees it. In the distance, there was one lone tree on the left of the property. No one was really that far from the school. In fact, she’s never seen anyone go back that way…

“Hey, are you listening, Soph?”

Sophia whips her head to face her friends so fast, she felt dizzy. She felt like she was caught doing something she shouldn’t have, instinctively turning her phone to where they couldn’t see the screen. “Huh?”

Cassy raises a brow, curious and rather annoyed her friend hasn’t been listening to her yap. “Were you even listening?”

“Oh…uh, sorry,” Sophia gives her friends an apologetic smile, knowing she couldn’t really lie that she was listening. They’ve already caught her, so why try?

“Geez. Got a boyfriend or something? That who you’re texting?” Sam then asks, stuffing a cold fry into his mouth.

Sophia grimaces at the thought, never particularly interested in being in a relationship, unlike Cassy. “What? No.”

“Then whats so interesting on your phone?” Cassy asks, leaning over slowly to peak at her screen.

“Nothing,” Sophia responds rather too quickly as she keeps her friends from seeing the screen. “Sorry, it’s just…my mom texted me, is all.”

“Oh.”

“Oh, makes sense.”

They both shrug, seemingly going back to their conversation. Sophia lets out a sigh she didn’t realize she was holding, her gaze falling on her phone screen once more. Lunch was almost over, so, she decided to make this quick.

SOPHIA

“WHO ARE YOU? YOU’RE FREAKING ME OUT.”

UNKNOWN NUMBER

“GO TO THE TREE.”

The unknown number responded so fast, Sophia could barely process her own message. She blinks, furrowing her brows at the screen. This was starting to get frustrating, to say the least. An unknown number is really starting to creep her out. Just as she looks back out the windows, to the lone tree in the distance, the bell for lunch to be over echoes in the room.

Sophia bites her lip in worry, the nerves prickling her skin the longer she thinks about this. Half of her brain is giving her alarm bells, telling her to ignore the message and go back to her normal life. The oither half is telling her to do as the unknown number says. To seek truth and meaning behind them. And what do most people do in horror movies? Make the wrong decision.

“I’ll see you guys later.” Sophia tells her friends, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulders, rushing to get out of her seat. The crowd of students was starting to get suffocating as they all clean up and head to class.

“What? Oh, uh…sure,” Cassy gives her friend a curious yet worrying expression, watching as Sophia disappears into the sea of students.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

Once again, no matter how many times she checks her messages, the unknown number is gone. It disappeared from her inventory, and she just doesn’t understand why. How is it even doing that, when she’s not the one deleting it?

The walk to the tree only took a couple minutes, and she couldn’t help but to constantly look over her shoulder. She felt like she was doing something terrible. As of she’d get arrested for it if she got caught. Obviously, she’s overthinking the possibilities, but she is skipping class. No, she’ll just be late. She’s just going to check this tree out, then head back.

The thoughts running through her mind slowly dissipate the closer she got to the tree. Well, for some reason, it looks as if the tree was getting farther and farther away. Sophia freezes in her tracks, tilting her head to the side a little as she stares at the tree. Is it just her, or is the distance between her and the tree not changing at all?

UNKNOWN NUMBER

“KEEP GOING.”

The vibration from her phone startles her, a gasp escaping her lips. She lets out a relieved sigh when she realizes its just her phone, and checks the message. A frown falls on her face as she reads the demand, ultimately getting irritated with this unknown number.

This situation was only confusing her more and more, as time passes. Maybe the unmoving distance between her and the tree is just her mind playing tricks on her. Maybe the tree is genuinely farther then she thought? If she kept going, she might end up missing the rest of the school day, and her parents would be pissed at her for skipping classes.

Honestly, she should have ignored the messages from the start. What if she gets in trouble? Or, maybe this person who’s messaging her is trying to kidnap her? Panic rises in her system with that last question, and she looks over her surroundings in worry. Shit, is this what this is? Is she going to get kidnapped?

The longer she stands there, though, the more she realizes she’s simply just going crazy. And instead of doing the right thing, which is turning around and heading back to her school, she angrily taps her thumbs against the digital keyboard on her phone.

SOPHIA

“I CAN’T, THE TREE ISN’T GETTING ANY CLOSER.”

SOPHIA

“I DON’T GET IT. WHATS HAPPENING?”

With no response, even after waiting a little while longer, she lets out a groan and begins to stomp forward. “I swear. If this is just a big waste of my time…” her words trail off, a warning to whoever could somehow hear her.

It only took a few steps before she involuntarily hits something. Sophia yelps in pain as her face slams into something hard, and she falls back. She’s quick to bring her hand up and rub her sore nose, tears welling up in her eyes as discomfort erupts in her face. “What the hell was that?!” She barks out in irritation.

However, when she looks up, the tree is no longer so far away. In fact, its right in front of her. Now she was way more confused then earlier, and the more she looks at the tree, the more she notices something else. The tree is flat. The tree, the sky…it was hard to tell, but she can see it. The way it ends at the ground, an outline of…a wall?

Sophia scrambles to get on her feet, her hand hesitantly touching the ‘tree’. But her hand gets pressed up against something solid, flat…not a tree. It looked like a painted wall, as if the sky and tree, and whatever else thats in the distance, is fake. It was slightly warm to the touch. A texture of noise on the wall. It looked a lot like a computer or a TV. A screen?

UNKNOWN NUMBER

“OPEN THE DOOR. BE QUICK.”

“A door? What door–” her words cut short when her eyes land on a dark line on the wall. She follows it, watching it form into a rectangle. Her blue orbs follow the line to the top, and then back down to the bottom. There, she sees a handle.

It takes her a moment to really process what the hell was going on, but she involuntarily reaches out, grabbing the handle and pushing it down. A click sounds, and the wall moves. A door opening towards her as she pulls on it.

Light floods into the darkness behind the door, and she’s froze in shock. What’s behind the door is a hallway, with concrete floors and heavy metal walls. Tubes, pipes, and other electrical things align the walls. She couldn’t see where it lead off to, since it eventually ends at a corner, from what she can tell.

Sophia couldn’t believe it. This wall, from what she has always believed to be trees, mountains, and land all these years…it’s all fake? And, somehow, this unknown number knows about it. Are they in this place with her? Or somewhere else? What is this place? Was anything real? Is…she real?

Once again, Sophia can’t find the words for whats going on. She can’t even think on what to do. Go back. Ask her parents about this. Ask anyone about this. Or…

Go inside, and never look back.

And that’s exactly what she does, the door shutting behind her as she enters the dark hallway.

TO BE CONTINUED…?

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