The room felt safe Or at least that’s what I told myself I had lived here for years same walls, same furniture, same familiar creaks in the wooden floor But tonight something was different It was subtle the kind of thing you wouldn’t notice unless you were paying attention The air felt heavier, like the room was holding its breath The mirror by the dresser caught my eye At first, I didn’t know why Nothing looked strange My reflection was right where it should be moving exactly as I did But something in the back of my mind whispered that something was off, I frowned, stepping closer, watching myself Maybe I was just tired, I had been working late, barely sleeping My mind could be playing tricks on me, I ran a hand through my hair, watching my reflection do the same Normal Everything was fine But then I turned away just for a second. And that was when I saw it, My reflection didn’t turn immediately There was a delay, a flicker of something unnatural, like an old screen glitching for a second too long, Slowly, I turned back expecting to see something wrong But no there I was perfectly normal staring back at me, My own face, My own expression I let out a shaky breath Maybe I had imagined it, The room was silent The lamp cast a warm glow, the curtains barely shifted from the wind outside Everything was just as it had always been Nothing was wrong I convinced myself of that as I climbed my bed, pulling the blanket up to my shoulders.
