With the stuffed animal in her hands, Thana stared at the ceiling above her. Her old bed was much smaller than she remembered, and the glow-in-the-dark stickers on her wall kept her awake. She hadn't bothered to change yet; she wouldn't be able to sleep right away anyway. It had been less than twenty-four hours since she had stayed up late talking with Izara. Thana had cursed herself the next morning when she began the long journey back, but she had no regrets. Now, she lay with the stuffed animal in her arms, a small dragon whose wings seemed to flap when you moved it. The eyes were black beads that seemed to stare at her. However, her own eyes were tracing the spots on her ceiling; how many times had she stared at them in the past? Thana didn't know. She turned onto her side and looked at her nightstand where her clock stood. Slowly but surely, the big hand approached the twelve, which was half chipped off.

Too awake to sleep, Thana pushed herself upright and reached for the book she had received earlier that day. By placing it on her nightstand, it might not disappear into her closet like all the other gifts she had done nothing with. If she wasn't mistaken, the pieces of that statuette were still scattered there too. The book was both old and new, she thought. It had the appearance of being old, but all the pages were brand new, and the spine wasn't broken. If she had to believe her aunt, she had found it in a special shop that sold stories. Thana found it odd but also typical of her aunt. A story shop wasn't just a bookstore, she had said, but also a place for objects that could create stories. The man indeed hadn't been clear-headed, she concluded.

On the other hand, she didn't have much else to do, so she decided to open the book. Sleep was only eluding her. Carefully, she pried her finger between the two pages that had stuck together and gently separated them. Yet she felt her concentration waning. She read the same sentence over and over multiple times. She read the same sentence over and over multiple times. She read the same sentence over and over multiple times, but it still felt like it wasn't sinking in. Slowly but surely, she noticed her eyes starting to droop, and she lost the battle against sleep.

***

The floor creaked softly. The door squeaked, her father still hadn't oiled the hinges. The book lay fallen on Thana's stomach as she slept with her mouth open. It wasn't the soft footsteps that woke her. It was something else, a sort of instinct she had. Slowly, she opened one eye. Her gut told her something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She decided to sit up and close the book. She hadn't gotten far and, to be honest, couldn't remember what she had read. With a sigh, she looked at the clothes she was still wearing; she should change if she didn't want to get in trouble in a few hours when she had to wake up. She rubbed her eyes briefly as the wooden floor creaked again. Startled, Thana perked up her ears, but there was nothing more to hear.

Still, it felt like a cold shiver ran down her spine—was that why she had woken up? It felt safer to stay in bed, but she knew she couldn't. Thana wasn't exactly the bravest at home, but an angry mother sounded much worse than any trick her mind was playing on her. She had to stop imagining the worst, she told herself as she scooted to the edge of her bed. The wooden floor was cold under her bare feet and creaked slightly. See, she told herself, it was probably just a mouse that had taken up residence in the attic. She placed the book back on her nightstand. A few summers ago, she had once fallen asleep with a book on her stomach, and it had tanned into her skin. Thana chuckled softly at the thought; she was really sleep-deprived.

The laughter quickly left Thana when her door was flung open with a loud bang. The plan to stay quiet vanished, and she began to scream in terror. It wasn't one of her parents storming in angrily, although that would have been enough reason to scream in her opinion. No, she didn't recognize the figure before her at all, and it was definitely not someone she wanted to see in her bedroom in the middle of the night. Her breathing quickened, and in a reflex, she grabbed the closest thing to her, which was the book she had been reading. She threw it at the strange figure, who, to her astonishment, didn't even duck. No, to her great surprise, the figure caught the thrown book without any trouble and seemed to look at it before approaching her.

Thana had to correct herself—the being didn't walk but seemed to float above the ground. Where feet should have been, shadows took their place. The hood over the being's head hid all facial features, and the hand that had caught her book was gloved. Thana scooted backward on her bed until her back hit the wall. "MOM! DAD!" she yelled, surely someone had heard her scream? Why had she chosen now to charge her phone instead of keeping it on her nightstand? "Go away! I'll call the police!" she shouted at the being, which kept floating toward her. Where its eyes should have been under the hood, they seemed to be looking more at the book it had caught.

The thing opened the book, making Thana even more confused about what to do. Was it really going to read the book? She didn't understand any of this. Still, the being turned a page faster than she could have. Although her heart was still racing in her throat, Thana decided to use this strange occurrence as a chance to get away. Shouting didn't help, but soon her parents would be here and call the police. Carefully, she slid to the side so she could run past the being to the door. If she could reach it before the being, she'd be safe, right? Her phone was still downstairs, but her brother had his with him and had to be awake by now. Where were her parents? Thana reconsidered—could she make it to her bedroom door first? She didn't know how fast the being was.

Another page turned, and Thana decided she didn't have long to think. So she did the first thing that came to mind—she jumped. Thana jumped straight at the being, hoping to pull the hood off its head. That way, she could see who was underneath, and with a bit of luck, it was just her brother playing a prank on her. Thana had wished it was just her brother, but deep down, she knew it was impossible. She leaped at the being and reached for its hood.

Where the face should have been, there was nothing. The being turned to her, making her hand seem to disappear into the darkness the hood concealed. It felt as though a hundred bees were stinging her hand simultaneously. A tingling sensation followed her nerves, paralyzing her arm as she started screaming and fell backward. She hit her head hard on the edge of her bed. Another jolt of pain echoed in her head, but it was the least of her worries. Her hand was covered in a sort of rash, turning all kinds of different colors. It hurt, but now she truly had the monster's attention. A growl, eerily deep and otherworldly, came from the being, and once more, it felt like Thana's heart skipped a beat.

All she had nearby was a pillow, but if her book hadn't worked, a pillow surely wouldn't either. Besides, the being was now truly angry; she didn't need facial expressions to deduce that. A low hiss, like a gas stove left on too long, echoed deeply in Thana's head as the being floated toward her again. She reached into her pocket, but the only thing there was the necklace she had received with the book. Surprised, she pulled it out, thinking maybe she could put it in its hand. The low hiss turned into a shrill scream the moment the being noticed the necklace. Hoping to protect her eardrums a bit, Thana quickly covered her ears.

The thing lunged at her, and it felt as if the light was literally disappearing before her eyes. Darkness grasped at her, seeming to want to engulf her. Through her ears, nose, and mouth, it seemed to invade, causing her lungs to scream for oxygen. Like thick syrup, it seemed to take hold of her, her injured hand screaming for attention. Thana felt like she was going to pass out, her blood turning into a stream of lava setting her body ablaze. Darkness claimed her vision as she tried to fight it off. In her uninjured hand, she clutched the necklace tightly.