"Da... Dav... David..."
The voice trembled, cracked, and came from somewhere far away. I turned toward it, but the darkness was total, thick enough to swallow my own hands.
Footsteps. Faint, but there. I ran toward them. The faster I ran, the further they slipped away.
I woke up gasping, staring at my own ceiling. My shirt was soaked through, my heart pounding like I'd sprinted a mile.
Just a dream.
But I couldn't remember last night. I reached for it and found only blurred shapes, and one thing standing out: a blood-red moon.
I'm fine. That's what matters.
I dragged myself to the bathroom, half asleep, and caught a flicker in the mirror. I walked past it. Then stopped. Then went back.
The stranger in the glass had my face, but sharper. The soft cheeks were gone. My pale, pasty skin had turned a warm golden brown, almost glowing. My eyes weren't dull anymore. They were piercing.
I lifted my shirt. Broad shoulders. Veins running down my arms. Abs I had only ever dreamed of.
"This isn't me," I whispered. But the stranger's lips moved with mine.
The alarm blared from the other room. School. I was going to be late.
I grabbed my bag and left my little apartment, trying not to think about the blood moon.