𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 || 𝐉𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐌

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟺

The oven beeped, and I took the cookies out. We sat on the couch and ate them while watching Stranger Things. "I'm tired," I whined, "it's getting late."

"Oh, come on. It's only one in the morning." y/f/n responded.

"Well, I don't want to look like a walking corpse in the morning! I'm going to bed." My friend pouted but followed me upstairs anyway. We took turns using the bathroom to get changed (and brush our teeth, don't worry) and cozied up once done. I was out as soon as my head hit my pillow. I got a solid two hours of sleep before I was shaken awake.

"Geez, chill. What do you want?" I groggily asked.

"I can't sleep. We should totally visit that orphanage. It's only two and a half miles from here!" y/f/n whispered excitedly.

"Dude. You're insane. I have a life to live. Dying is not on my agenda tonight. Just scroll through TikTok or something." I said as I rolled back onto my stomach.

"I'm not taking no for an answer. We can head out the basement door so we don't wake your parents. Let's go." my friend said as she climbed over me and out of bed.

Wonderful! I rubbed my eyes and got up. Why can't we just sleep? I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and tiptoed to the basement. "Would you like to do the honors?" y/f/n asked - a stupid smirk on her face. She dramatically turned the lock of the door.

"Gladly." I responded with as much sarcasm as possible. I turned the knob and slipped outside. Y/f/n followed behind me.

The temperature outside was perfect. Not too chilly, but not too hot. The sound of crickets chirping and frogs croaking resounded around us. It reminded me of my childhood. I reached out to catch a firefly and cupped it in my hands. 'Cute,' I thought and released it.

"So how'd you find out where this orphanage is, anyway?" I asked.

"Snapmap."

I looked at her and raised my brows. Unbelievable. We turned on our flashlights and strolled toward the woods. An intense wave of deja vu suddenly rushed over me. Have I done this before? Maybe I dreamt of it. I never ventured this far out as a kid, did I? My parents had strict rules - I was told to never stray too far from home. Then it hit me.

"Pause." I said. Y/f/n turned around to look at me.