The alarm buzzed with a persistence that felt almost personal, like it was determined to drag aria out of the dream world and into the reality she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to face.
"Ughhh, mondays," she groaned, pulling the blanket tighter around herself mondays had this heavy seriousness about them, like the entire world suddenly decided to get its act together at the exact same time she didn't hate them, exactly, but she hated how monday mornings always seemed to carry that sharp reminder: life doesn't wait.
Still, she pushed herself out of bed, wobbling a little as her bare feet touched the cool tiled floor.
Her small apartment was quiet..too quiet, really for someone living in a city that never seemed to shut up, mornings like this felt off. Usually, she could hear distant honks, the chatter of her neighbors, or the occasional stray dog barking in the alley below,but this morning, the silence pressed in around her like a thick blanket.
Maybe everyone's just… running late today, she muttered, dragging herself toward the bathroom.
The fluorescent light flickered once, then steadied as she turned it on,she reached for her shampoo and sighed.
Oh, great,of course it's empty,she gave the bottle a good shake, squeezing the last remnants into her palm guess I'm going shopping after work add that to the already-long list.
As the water warmed against her skin, she hummed softly, some random tune she wasn't even aware she knew showers always cleared her head, gave her a brief moment of peace before diving into the chaos of work.
But when she stepped out and reached for her towel, she froze.
Her reflection in the foggy mirror was a second too slow.
It wasn't dramatic,It wasn't something out of a horror movie where her reflection grinned when she didn't,It was just… late. A half-second delay, like a bad video call with bad internet she blinked, rubbed her eyes, leaned forward.
Okay… maybe I'm just tired,she forced out a laugh definitely just tired.
Still, she lingered longer than necessary, staring at herself as if daring her reflection to mess up again,when it didn't, she quickly dried off and hurried out.
Back in her room, she flopped onto the chair in front of her dresser, ready to face the second-most stressful part of her mornings: picking an outfit.
Hmm,she murmured, sliding hangers back and forth. "Navy blue dress? Or maybe the cream blouse and black skirt?"
Her fingers paused on the navy blue knee-length, long sleeves, little floral embroidery near the chest,classy but not too serious. She pulled it out and slipped into it, nodding at her reflection in the mirror.
Yeah, this works.
Her hair straightener refused to heat up, making her groan.Seriously? You too?she tossed it aside and grabbed a simple clip instead,she paired the dress with black heels, threw her essentials into her favorite handbag, and stood back.
Oh my God, Aria, she said to herself with a little grin, tilting her head" You look sweet."
The grin faded quickly when her stomach growled loud enough to echo,right breakfast except… there wasn't much left to cook she had promised herself she'd go grocery shopping all weekend, but between exhaustion and procrastination, she hadn't done it.
Coffee,coffee will do,she muttered, filling her travel mug.
Fifteen minutes later, she was locking her door and heading for the bus stop the morning air carried a faint chill, and she sipped her coffee while scrolling through her phone.
That's when it happened again.
Her shadow stretched along the pavement beside her..ordinary enough at first but as she stepped forward, she caught it out of the corner of her eye,It lagged. Not much, just the tiniest stutter, like an old film reel skipping a frame.
Her breath caught she stopped walking.
The shadow stopped too, perfectly aligned now, perfectly still.
Okay…She forced her legs to move again, deliberately keeping her eyes straight ahead,Not gonna freak out,Not gonna freak out shadows do… weird things, right? Lighting, angles, whatever that's all it is.
Her heart didn't believe her, though. It pounded all the way to the bus stop, and even once she was seated, staring out the window, she couldn't shake the unease curling in her stomach.
Work had its own way of swallowing her whole.
The office was alive with the usual chorus of keyboards clicking, phones ringing, and snippets of conversation bouncing off the walls. Aria tried to lose herself in the rhythm of it all, settling into her desk.
Good morning, gorgeous! a cheerful voice sang out.
She looked up to see Lena leaning on the edge of her desk, holding a steaming cup of coffee,her colleague's eyes sparkled mischievously as she gave aria a once-over.
Wow,someone decided to dress up today,who's the lucky guy?
Aria rolled her eyes, laughing despite herself,oh please can't I just look nice for myself?
Sure, sure, lena teased, sliding the coffee toward her but if it happens to catch our boss's attention… I wouldn't blame you the man's basically a walking GQ cover."
Aria groaned dramatically don't start. I can't afford gossip like that.
Lena winked relax,your secret's safe with me,besides, I'm rooting for you.
Before aria could reply, a stack of papers dropped onto her desk with a loud thud she looked up into the stern, unamused face of trisha, one of her colleagues.
Finish this before you leave today,Trisha said flatly I don't know why the boss hasn't fired you already.
Aria blinked, taken aback trisha had never exactly been her best friend, but she'd never been openly hostile either.
Um… good morning to you too? Aria muttered under her breath once trisha walked away.
Lena leaned closer, lowering her voice Ignore her she's just bitter because the boss didn't chew you out when you missed those days and… well, rumor has it she has a little crush on him.
Aria's jaw dropped. What? Seriously?
Lena nodded, smirking yep so yeah, she's salty don't let it get to you.
Aria sighed, looking down at the mountain of paperwork it's easier said than done guess today's gonna be a long one.
It was.
Hours slipped by in a blur of typing, scanning, stapling, and double-checking figures,by the time aria glanced up, the office had thinned out lena had disappeared at some point, though she returned a little while later carrying food.
Thought you might've forgotten to eat,lena said, setting down a takeout container and a bottle of water.
Aria's eyes lit up oh my God, you're a lifesaver I completely forgot about food.
Lena laughed,I knew it now eat and don't argue.
Grateful, aria dug in, the warm food instantly reviving her energy,together, the two of them tackled the paperwork, chatting casually in between bursts of focused silence.
By the time they finished, the sky outside had already darkened into deep indigo, the office mostly empty except for the hum of the lights.
Aria stretched, groaning wow. If you hadn't helped me, I'd probably still be here tomorrow morning.
See? Lena grinned what would you do without me?
Probably starve and drown in paper,Aria admitted, smiling I owe you big time.
They walked out together, their laughter echoing in the quiet hallway for a brief moment, the weight that had been pressing on aria all day lifted.
But then, as she stepped outside into the cool night air, she caught sight of her shadow again.
And this time, she swore it hesitated.
Just half a second,just long enough for her stomach to twist before she forced herself to look away.
She said nothing to lena,she just smiled, said goodnight, and headed home.
By the time she collapsed onto her bed later, too exhausted to even order groceries, she convinced herself it was nothing,just tricks of the light,just her imagination.
But deep down, she knew something was wrong.
And it was following her.