By Alexa Riseman, TIWP Student

The light shined brighter then ever as Fay stared, mesmerized. “What are you?” she whispered. “What do you want with me?”

It had all started three days ago. After a long and exhausting day, 14-year-old Fay Johnson wanted nothing but to curl up in her bed and fall asleep. She checked the time – 11:17 p.m. – took a sip of water, and turned off the lights. A minute passed, then two. Fay bit her lip. Her drowsiness had disappeared. In fact, she felt more awake than ever. She sat up. Something was wrong. Fay could sense it, feel it in the air. She stood and looked around. Nothing seemed off, but she knew something was.

Suddenly, far away, music started playing. It glided through the air like a bird, finally landing in Fay’s room. It was slow and calming, with a hint of mystery. She had never heard anything like it before. As if in a trance, Fay laid down on her bed and fell asleep.

That night, Fay dreamt of the music. In her dream, it came from a dark cave. She walked in and saw a bright light deep inside. The closer Fay got to the light, the louder the music got. But just before she reached it, she heard a scream echo around the cave, a scream that sounded familiar. “NOOOO!!!” she heard herself yell, just before the darkness faded away into sunlight.