TiRiriNg TiriNg—
I took in the sight before me.
My same old bedroom. A small desk sat tucked in the corner, just enough space for a tablet and a few half-finished papers that never seemed to ask to be finished. Across from it was my bed... meant for two, though after my grandparents drifted into sleep they never woke from… I had it all to myself.
This dream felt softer than the others. Like a memory that forgot how to hurt.
It had the taste of a horror film, uneasy, and dark. But while looking around, it somehow felt like ■?■•.
Even though my body ached like the weight of days hadn't left, I forced myself to sit up.
I was already used to this. My body moved out of habit.
Still, I allowed myself a small breath of relief. A school break was near. Not that it mattered much anymore.
Our school followed a strange rhythm: two days on, one day off. Like a heartbeat skipping every third beat. Even weekends had stopped feeling like something to look forward to.
Nothing really did.
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My eyes drifted to the doorknob.
I reached for it slowly, the metal cool against my palm, and stepped out into the hallway. The wooden floor creaked as I made my way down to the bathroom, the sound almost shy in the quiet.
Creaaak.
Before bathing, I stopped at the mirror.
It caught only half my body...like even the glass couldn't bear to hold all of me.
I reached out, brushing my fingers across the surface. It was cold, almost like it had been holding its breath, waiting for me to arrive.
[ Elle ]
That's what they used to call her.
She had wide eyes, always on the edge of closing. Her body was small for her age, like time had left her behind. Once, they said she was brilliant. A little star. But stars burn out when one stops looking up to them. And slowly, her shine dimmed into something people stepped over.
Now, all she could do was watch the brighter ones pass her by.
She didn't speak much anymore.
She kept her head down, her thoughts quieter than whispers. Her voice, once curious and bright, had shrunk to a flicker.
She reached up, gently touching a small pimple on her cheek. She pinched at it, like trying to erase the part of her that made her feel flawed.
And then—
She stepped into the shower.
The water fell over her like rain through hollow trees.. cold at first, then warm. For a brief moment, it reminded her of her dream… of sinking into that pond, wrapped in silence.
She let out a hum.
A low, quiet tune that barely touched the air.
She didn't know why.
Maybe because, for once, the woods had gone quiet.
And that the thing chasing her had finally stopped.
Or maybe—
Because the dream she had wasn't just a dream.
It was a door she quietly walked through.
And this... was what it felt like to be on the other side.
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[ Stephanie's ] POV
Contrary to [ Elle's ] thoughts about her, she had just finished eating breakfast.
She was already wearing a white uniform, though she hadn't changed into a skirt yet... just some simple pants for now.
Her mom, who had just finished cooking rice, asked her to buy some food from the nearby vendors.
They usually set up their stalls along the main road, so it wouldn't take too long.
"Yeah, I'll take care of it, Ma,"
I said before she could even finish her sentence.
Without waiting for her reply, I stepped out of the house.
The air outside was cold and clean, the kind of morning air that still held onto the breath of night. The sun was out, but faint. It hadn't erased the moon's glow just yet.
The street under my feet was rough concrete, scattered with broken bits of glass and a few dried leaves– leftovers from a world that didn't bother cleaning up after itself.
The houses here were spaced out well. You could fit four groups of people walking side by side and still not bump into anyone. There was something nice about that kind of space.
But food wasn't the only reason I went out today.
I was really hoping to see that stray black cat again.
I always looked for it.
I loved cats...really did. But my parents never let me adopt one. Said it was too much trouble.
Still, I kept checking that alley. That same spot where I usually saw the black cat crouched between the bins.
But today?
...Nothing.
Just silence.
'Maybe I was too early…'
I wasn't exactly a morning person, so maybe the cat wasn't either.
"...."
'I'll just get the pork and eggs first… then come back and check again.'
It was a small disappointment, but I didn't let it stop me.
I kept walking. My eyes followed the familiar row of houses as I passed them by. And I couldn't help but admit—
The scenery was... dull.
Nothing stood out. Nothing ever did.
Maybe seeing the same streets every day made them feel empty. Like they'd forgotten how to be interesting.
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[ A few minutes passed. ]
I was already on my way back, holding onto my small bags of food.
Trying to push away the lingering feeling of worry.
'The cat must be there by now… right?'
"...."
For a second, the air felt different.
Like something had shifted.
And then...I saw it.
But it wasn't the one I came looking for.
It was the white cat.
The one that lived without fear.
Not like the black cat, who always crept through shadows, who flinched at every sound like it expected the world to hurt her.
No...this one had always been different.
Its fur once glowed like untouched snow, walking with quiet confidence, tail high, like it knew the world would never bite.
But now?
....Now its leg was bruised.
It dragged itself out of the house I always thought was its home...its haven.
Its once-flawless coat was matted and torn, stained with something more than just dirt.
It looked like it had been… broken.
It didn't even look at me.
Its head stayed low, as if the weight of something invisible was pushing it down.
The kind of weight that doesn't come from injury alone.
Like whatever it faced… had reached somewhere no wound could touch.
'Oh… how the tables turned.'
It was the same cat. But it wasn't.
And seeing it like this?
It made something in me ache.
It looked so… pitiful.
So small.
Too small for something that used to walk like it owned the street.
'But… what happened?'
I knew pain could change a person [ Or a creature ] In just one day.
You didn't need years.... Just the right moment. The right kind of break.
One wrong turn and even the brightest star could fall.
But what pain did this one go through?
What happened behind closed doors.. inside that so-called "home"?
I didn't have time to figure it out.
Even if my mind wanted to piece the mystery together, my heart was somewhere else.
With the black cat.
The one who lived out in the cold.
The one who never had a shelter to begin with.
No safety to lose....No illusion to shatter.
Its wounds were visible on the outside...
But somehow, that made it easier to endure.
It expected the world to hurt her.
Unlike the white one…
Who believed it wouldn't.
And as I walked further down the road…
That's when I noticed—
It was—
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Unlocked information:
■?■•
Term for: Owner
( Most of the story is played on symbolism, meaning the white and the black cat is telling a tale. )
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Author's note:
Hey! Didn't expect I'd take quite a long break.
I lost the motivation to keep going for a while… not just with this story, but with everything. That foggy kind of burnout, I guess.
During that time, I tried to slow down. I even picked up a few books to read..something I barely did before starting this story. And maybe, without realizing it, gave me just enough motivation to finish what I started.
Some of that inspiration made its way here. I ended up adding more layers, more perspectives. (Originally, I was planning to introduce them around Chapter 7… but maybe my pacing was quite slow.)
I was quite happy with my small improvement, so..thank you for reading this far onto the story.