Nightfall Woods

4★ changed

Alex stood in front of the mirror, his heart pounding as he stared at the reflection that seemed to mock him. He leaned in closer, squinting as if that would somehow change what he saw. The pale skin, the sharp canines—it was all too surreal. "This can't be real," he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm not...this is some kind of joke."

He stepped back, his mind racing with questions. How could this be happening? He felt a wave of confusion wash over him, as if he were trapped in a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. "No way... I must be seeing things," he murmured, running a hand through his hair still full of gel. The reflection remained unchanged, taunting him with its stark reality.

Then, his thoughts drifted back to the night before. The party—the music, the laughter, the energy. He remembered dancing, feeling invincible, but then it all went blank.
"What happened after I fell asleep?" he murmured, trying to piece together the fragments of his memory. The more he focused, the more elusive those moments became. Panic set in again as he realized he needed to remember; he had to uncover what had changed him into this. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, willing the memories to resurface, desperate for answers.

Alex grabbed his phone, his hands trembling slightly as he searched for Henry's number. He hit dial, the ringing echoing in his ears, each tone amplifying his anxiety. "Come on, pick up," he muttered under his breath, feeling the weight of uncertainty pressing down on him.

Finally, he heard Henry's voice on the other end. "Hey, man! What's up?"

"Henry, it's me. I... I need your help," Alex stammered, trying to keep his voice steady. "Do you remember last night at the party? Something weird happened to me, and I can't piece it together. I-I think I might have...changed."

There was a pause on the other end, and Alex could almost hear Henry processing the information. "Changed? What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to explain it. Just... can you tell me what you saw? Anything?" Alex pressed, his heart racing as he waited for Henry's response, hoping he might hold the key to unraveling the mystery of that night.

Henry's voice came back, laced with confusion. "Dude, I didn't see anything weird. I just remember you lying on the couch, totally passed out. Everyone else was still partying hard, but you were out cold."

Alex felt a wave of frustration wash over him. "That's it? You didn't see anyone near me? No strange behavior or anything?"

"No, man. It was just a regular party. You were tired, I guess. Maybe you just had too much to drink?" Henry suggested, but his tone hinted at concern.

"Yeah, maybe," Alex replied, but deep down, he knew it was more than that. He needed to dig deeper, to find out what had really happened before he lost himself completely in this new reality.

He then said bye to Henry, dialing Iris's number, but she told him the same story. He didn't bother calling the twins since he knew they'd be sleeping, and same for Ella. But then he dialed Olivia's number. She picked up unnervingly quick.

"I knew you'd call." she said, her voice unsettlingly calm.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, his heart racing.

"Did something happen to you last night?" she pressed, the concern in her tone feeling more like a warning.

"I don't understand. What happened to me after I fell asleep? How do you know this?" he replied, a chill creeping over him.

Olivia hesitated for a moment before responding, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I saw you, Alex. I saw you waking up and walking out of the house. It was like you were in a trance or something. And before that, I noticed Sebastian lurking around, watching you."