FOR THE PAST few days, Brooklyn Moon felt like she was disappearing. Something was changing in her life, and it wasn't for the better.

She sat in the counselor's office, her legs trembling as Ms. Kelly spoke—asking about her grades, her family, her sleep. Brooklyn wanted to answer, but the words wouldn't come.

She took a deep breath, staring at Ms. Kelly's desk instead of meeting her eyes.

"Are you still having nightmares?" Ms. Kelly asked gently.

Brooklyn lowered her gaze. "No," she mumbled, though in her mind, the memory played again.

"No! No! Mom!"

A younger Brooklyn screamed as her mother lay motionless on the ground, blood pooling around her head. She clapped a hand over her mouth, the crushing guilt sinking in.

But it wasn't her fault.

A man had done this—white-haired, old. Dr. Brenner. He killed her mother because she had been hiding Brooklyn. And he didn't like that.

"Brooklyn?" Ms. Kelly's voice pulled her out of the memory.

Brooklyn blinked. "Sorry, uh... what did you say?"

"Are you still having nightmares?" Ms. Kelly repeated, offering a gentle smile.

"Oh... uh, no," Brooklyn said, this time a little louder.

After leaving the office, she made her way to the bathroom, needing a moment to breathe. Standing by the sink, she reached into her bag, pulling out a small bottle of Advil.

She swallowed three pills dry, wiped her forehead, then sealed the bottle and tucked it away.

Looking up, she met her own reflection—tears slipping down her cheeks.

The door opened. Someone walked in, setting their bag down next to hers.

"Oh... Brooklyn, right?" a familiar redhead asked, glancing at her tear-streaked face.

"Yeah, that's me," Brooklyn said, forcing a small chuckle.

Max hesitated. "Are you... doing okay?"

Brooklyn nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, I guess so."

She recognized Max Mayfield now—a girl from her grade. Brooklyn liked her. She seemed kind. But making friends wasn't easy anymore.

It used to be. One conversation, and she'd have a new friend. But then everything changed.

She started feeling... unreal.

After searching it up, she found a word for it: Derealization.
    •    Feeling like she was watching her life from outside her body? Check.
    •    Seeing the world as flat, two-dimensional, empty? Check.
    •    Objects looking blurred, distant, strange? Double check.
    •    Feeling disconnected from people and their emotions? Definitely.
    •    Like she was stuck in a movie or a video game? Every single day.

She knew she was depressed. The sleepless nights, constant headaches, bloody noses, and nightmares—everything pointed to it.

Brooklyn Moon was a lot to handle, even for herself. She could feel herself falling apart, and she hated it.

She watched as Max left, offering a quick "bye" before she disappeared through the door.

Brooklyn sighed, grabbing her backpack and glancing at her watch. Without another thought, she left the bathroom and headed back to class.

"Yeah, sure, because this is definitely going to turn out fine. That's how it always goes, right?" Harper Lane said, giving Max a look.

Max let out a deep sigh and shrugged. "Look, I know what I saw. It's just like what happened in middle school!" She thought back to the day of Lucas Sinclair's basketball game.

The game had been just a few days after she met Brooklyn Moon, and after that, Brooklyn was gone. Her father told Max that Brooklyn had slipped into a coma the day after.

"I never saw Brooklyn again after that," Max said, her tone serious. "It's not just a coincidence, especially when someone's running from what looks like a murder scene." She shot Harper a sharp, sarcastic look.

"So, you're saying Eddie Munson is a murder suspect?" Harper asked, eyeing Max like she was out of her mind.

Max nodded, just as Morganna walked up, wrapping her arm around Harper's shoulder.

"Hey guys! How's it going?" Morganna asked, her voice full of energy.

Max shrugged, letting out a sigh.

"Pretty good, I guess. Nothing new," she replied, glancing over at her.

"Ah, I see. Just the usual, huh? Plain old simple lives. Just how I like it!" Morganna smirked, noticing Max's lie.

Max nodded, zoning out. All she could think about was Haven. She was still waiting for the right moment to ask Haven out, knowing just how she wanted to do it.

She imagined having a quiet, peaceful moment with Haven—just the two of them, the world slowing down. And then, Max would finally tell Haven how much she loved her.

A grin spread across Max's face as she thought about it, hoping they could have that peaceful moment.

They made it to class—History, to be exact. Max was happy to see that Haven was in the same class, which made attending more enjoyable.

Max sat next to Haven, but she felt like someone was watching her. She looked around and noticed Brayden Griffen staring at her strangely.

There was something off about Brayden. Ever since he and the others went searching for Brooklyn in the woods that night, he had seemed different. Like something—or someone—was taking over him.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ VERA SPEAKS !

yay!! i uploaded ♡︎ how has everyone been? if anyone needs to rant at all, please do! i'm here to listen to anyone! i love you guys! i hope you all had a wonderful valentine's day yesterday.  ✧˖°