There was a girl named Jess.
She was normal
— or so she thought.
But on a night when the moon was almost full and the wind scratched gently at her window, Jess had a dream unlike any other.
She didn't remember falling asleep.
She only remembered waking up — inside the dream.
It felt too real.
Cold tiles under her feet. A heavy silence in the air.
Something
— or someone
— was dragging her by the hand.
Not cruelly. Not kindly either. Just… insistently.
Her bare feet slid down the stairs, her mind foggy.
Down, down, into the kitchen.
There, she stopped.
Everything looked exactly like her real kitchen… but not quite. The fridge hummed louder than it should. The clock ticked backward. The windows showed a night sky filled with green lightning.
Then — a voice.
"You weren't supposed to come here yet."
Jess turned, her heart beating hard.
A shadow stood by the sink
— tall, gentle, ancient.
"Who are you?" Jess asked.
The shadow tilted its head.
"You called me. You just don't remember why."