Marina was seventeen when her life stopped being normal.
It began on a rainy afternoon, after her stepfather's angry words cut deeper than any knife. She ran—eyes blurry with tears, lungs burning—without caring where her feet took her. Somewhere along the way, she found herself standing before something she had never seen before… a forest.
The trees loomed like silent guards, their tangled branches blotting out the sky. It was strange—she had lived in this town her whole life, yet she'd never heard of a forest here. Still shaking, she stepped inside…
Two hours later, she stumbled upon a small, crooked house, its roof sagging and windows dark. Before she could turn away, the door creaked open. An old woman stepped out—gray hair matted, eyes sharp as knives. Marina froze.
"What… who are you?" Marina stammered.
The woman didn't answer. She simply stared until Marina's knees buckled and the world went black.
When Marina woke, the woman's face was only inches away. "Ah, you're awake," the old voice croaked.
Marina screamed. She fainted again.
The second time she opened her eyes, she shot upright. "Who are you? Where am I? What am I doing here? How did I get here—?"
"Too many questions for one little mouth," the woman said, shoving a small glass of purple liquid toward her.
"What is this?" Marina demanded.
"Just drink it, you nuthead," the woman snapped.
Marina narrowed her eyes, but her throat was dry and her head ached. She drank it.
The world tilted, her vision blurred, and darkness swallowed her again.
When she woke, she was back in her room. Her school bag was at her side, homework half-finished on the desk.
"Was it… a dream?" she whispered.
The rest of the evening passed quietly—schoolwork, dinner, her part-time shift at the café. She went to bed early, trying to forget the forest.
But the next morning, she awoke to something far worse.
A man stood at the foot of her bed—skin pale, a deep gash across his cheek, dressed in white. His mouth twisted into a smile that didn't reach his dead, empty eyes.
"Finally," the ghost whispered...