No sound from humans, no sounds from technology, no sound from nature. The whole world is silent... Why? ◆ ◆ ◆ Imagine you wake one morning and find that everyone in your house is still asleep, and won't wake up. Only it's not just your house; it's the whole world. You then decided to hop online and see if anyone else is awake. You send out a post, titled "Anyone Else Awake?" Within five minutes it has three comments. Well, this is reality for Haileè Aitken. RECOMMENDED TO AGES FOURTEEN AND ABOVE || SLIGHT COARSE LANGUAGE The image for the cover was found on Pinterest // Graphics by me DISCLAIMER: all pictures found on Pinterest RANKINGS: #48 in Adventure - 28/01/2018 #860 in Adventure - 13/02/2021 #12 in Illusions - 13/02/2021 #107 in opennovellacontest - 13/02/2021 Long listed in the 2018 Open Novella Contest. © elmaloney 2018 | all rights reserved by elmaloney

"What the hell?" I took a step closer to the mirror, staring at my reflection in disbelief. The person looking back was still me, but at the same time it wasn't. I had the same thick, dark, curly hair. The same hazel eyes. The same olive skin with a light dusting of freckles (ugh) scattered across the bridge of my nose. But my curls were now streaked with highlights. And not the subtle, golden-brown ones that sometimes appeared during the summer. No, these were an aggressive, dazzling blond that went from the roots of my hair all the way to the tips. It looked like I had spent a full day getting my hair done in some upscale salon. Never mind that I had never set foot in such a place since the day I was born. My eyes appeared somehow wider and more luminous. The colour brighter, my eyelashes darker up against them. And, when I looked closely, my pupils seemed to be slitted almost like a cat. I looked down at my body. My skinny arms-which had always refused to gain any definition no matter how hard I exercised-were lined with flat, wiry muscles. My bony shoulders were now curved and smooth. My scrawny legs were toned like a dancer. I reached down and lifted my shirt, revealing two subtle lines running vertically down my perfectly flat stomach, hinting at the rock-hard abs underneath. My whole body was rippling with strength. Like liquid steel.