It was already dawn…
And Ariana was still awake.
The faint light of morning pressed against the edges of her curtains, but inside her room, time hadn't moved.
It was still night for her.
"Ariana! Breakfast's ready, come and get it!"
Kiera's voice rang from downstairs.
No response.
Ariana didn't hear it.
Her eyes were locked onto the board.
"It should be here…"
Her fingers dragged across the surface, connecting one pin to another.
"No!.. I think I'm still missing something…"
Threads crossed. Notes overlapped. Patterns twisted.
Her breathing had grown uneven.
She hadn't slept.
She hadn't rested.
She hadn't even blinked properly.
—DOWNSTAIRS, THE HOUSE WAS ALREADY ALIVE—
"Evelyn! Don't drop that!"
"I didn't drop it! It slipped!"
*Clink!*
"That's the third time this week!"
"Maybe it doesn't like me…"
"It's a plate, not a person."
Lyra walked in, yawning loudly.
"…Why does morning even exist…"
"Because the world doesn't revolve around your sleep schedule." Selene replied calmly.
"It should."
Kiera placed plates on the table.
"Where's Ariana?"
Silence.
"…Still in her room?" Lyra guessed.
Selene frowned slightly.
"I called her earlier." -Kiera reported.
Evelyn leaned in, whispering dramatically—
"…What if she didn't sleep at all?"
Kiera paused.
"…I'll call her again."
"Ariana! Breakfast's ready!"
Still—
nothing.
"Let me check on her myself!. This girl..." -Selene was mad.
—UPSTAIRS—
"It doesn't repeat…"
Ariana muttered.
Her fingers tapped the board.
"If it appears once… it won't appear there again…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"…which means it follows me."
That realization lingered.
Cold.
Heavy.
*Thud… thud…*
Selene walked up the stairs.
She stopped in front of Ariana's door.
*Tuk… tuk…*
"Ariana come down for breakfast, what are you doing in your room? Still not ready? Kiera called you, didn't you hear her?"
Silence.
Selene sighed.
"…You're really something."
She slowly pushed the door open.
*Creak…*
—and froze.
"Huh?. What are you doing Ariana?!"
Selene's voice broke in.
"One… Two… Three…"
Sweats are leaking from the body.
Ariana continued calmly.
Then stopped.
"Oh! Sorry!"
She stood up quickly.
"I was so into exercise that I completely forgot Kiera called me. I did hear her but I thought I should do more push-ups… haha…"
A slight, awkward laugh.
Selene blinked.
"…Exercise?"
Ariana scratched her cheek lightly.
"…Yeah… discipline?"
A pause.
Selene narrowed her eyes for just a second.
"…O-okay."
Then turned.
"Now if you could come downstairs, we can head to the agency early today."
"Sure! Let me dry up first…"
*Thud… thud…*
*Creak… SHUT*
The door closed.
—MEANWHILE SELENE —
Selene paused.
"…What the…"
She muttered under her breath.
"How could someone forget because of… exercise? Really?"
A small sigh.
"Never mind… gotta go."
But the doubt didn't fully leave her.
—INSIDE THE ROOM AGAIN—
*Thud!*
Ariana fell onto her bed.
"Thank goodness!… That was quick?"
—FLASHBACK—
Just seconds earlier—
*Thud...thud..*
Ariana snapped. She felt the presence of something's coming near her. Closer...
"Oh shoot!. Someone's coming!."
Ariana's eyes widened.
"…Too much."
The board—
too detailed.
Too revealing.
Anyone who saw it—
would know.
Her instincts snapped.
Snap! Threads pulled away.
Rip! Notes torn down.
Flip! The board turned.
Her hands moved fast—
not messy—
precise.
Trained.
Wipe! Marks erased.
Slide! Papers shoved into drawers.
Pins vanished into her palm.
Everything disappeared.
In seconds.
She dropped to the floor.
Push-up position.
"One… Two… Three…"
—BACK TO PRESENT—
She covered her eyes.
"If I didn't cleared up time..."
"… I would've been caught…"
A small breath escaped her lips.
"…doing something creepy investigation… or more like… stalking?"
She paused.
Then shook her head.
"No… it's not stalking."
Her gaze shifted slightly—
"…it's the thread."
Silence.
Then she sat up again.
"Never mind. Clean this mess first… then change into my agency suit…"
She looked toward the drawer.
"…or things will go bizarre."
A faint smirk appeared.
"…who would believe someone forgot breakfast because of exercise?"
She stood up.
"Absurd excuse."
A pause.
"But...it worked?."
—DINING TABLE SCENE —
Everyone was already eating. All were:
Talking.
Moving.
Alive.
Ariana joined them—
but her mind didn't.
Her eyes drifted toward the window.
*Peeking…*
"Huh?.. Why didn't the thread show up yet?"
Her fingers tapped lightly.
"Was I wrong…? No… no… no…"
Her eyes narrowed.
"I think the thread shows up in different locations where I'm present… not the same place twice…"
Her thoughts deepened.
"…If it appears once… it won't repeat…"
She was so lost—
she didn't hear anything.
"Ariana what do you think about this idea!. Do you mind giving any opinions to it?"
Evelyn asked.
Ariana snapped instantly.
"What idea? What opinion?"
*Slam!*
Lyra hit the table.
Ariana didn't even blink, like it wasn't first time experiencing it but several times...
"Huh?! Didn't you hear what we were discussing the whole time?!"
"What are you doing Lyra?! Are you going to break the table?!" Kiera snapped.
"Ah! Oh sorry! It became a habit! I usually slam my desk in office!"
Ariana raised her hand slightly.
"Actually guys… can you repeat? I couldn't sleep last night because of the new ability I recently mastered. You know… new things come with great responsibility?"
A clean lie.
Smooth enough to made them believe.
"Oh! That hac—"
"Shhh."
Selene cut Lyra off instantly.
"We can't say this loudly. We don't know who might be watching us. Even in our own house… we aren't safe."
Evelyn shivered dramatically.
"Yeah! What if someone is behind us staring right now…!"
Kiera sighed...
"Evelyn… why would that 'someone' waste time watching us eat?"
Ariana, still in thought—
"…It's possible."
Her voice was quiet.
Almost lost.
"They could be watching… without us knowing."
A brief silence fell.
Then—
"Oh guys! I know okay!" Lyra shouted. "You don't need to explain one by one!"
When they were doing this drama then-
It was already 8:00 AM.
Selene gasped.
"Oh no! We're going to be late! Look—it's already eight! And we need to be there by 8:15!. Today's a special event is being organised by the head!."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Evelyn chimed.
They rushed.
Quick.
Messy. Yet awesome!.
Chaotic.
But so much alive. That one person would be so stunned by their energy!.
They reached.
Barely on time.
"Okay guys! We're not that late! Let's head inside!" Selene commanded.
"Aye! Aye! Captain!"
Lyra, Evelyn, and Kiera shouted together.
Ariana stood still.
"…Yes…"
They walked toward the gate.
Then suddenly—
*Whoosh~*
A soft wind brushed Ariana's neck.
Cold.
Unnatural.
"F..o..ll..o..w… m..e…"
Her body froze.
Her eyes widened.
She turned—
Nothing.
"I… I can feel your presence…"
Her voice dropped.
"…even if I can't see you…"
AHEAD—
everyone had already reached the gate.
Ariana remained—
standing alone.
"Ariana! What are you standing there for?!"
Lyra shouted.
Ariana snapped.
"Huh?! O-Oh!"
"I apologise, I'm coming!"
*Thud… thud…*
(Dash)
She ran quickly towards her.
Lyra grabbed her lightly.
"What were you doing? Everyone's already inside! I couldn't see you so I came looking—"
She paused.
"…and you're just standing here zoned out?"
"Thanks for looking for me."
Ariana smiled faintly.
Lyra looked away, slightly flustered.
"Yeah… yeah… now come on! Don't delay us!"
They walked in together.
Ariana chuckled softly.
"What are you laughing at?!" Lyra snapped.
"Nothing! Ha… ha…"
Lyra puffed up in anger. "Humph!"
But Ariana—
wasn't really laughing.
*Whoosh…*
The wind returned.
Faint.
Lingering.
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"…Not now."
A pause.
"…It's not the right time."
Her fingers tightened slowly.
"…but I'll come to you."
—TO BE CONTINUED —
[Came back early, then I thought?]