The sound of birds chirping woke Natalya up. She groggily blinked against the soft morning light filtering through the cabin windows, her body still heavy with exhaustion. For a moment, she lay there, staring at the wooden ceiling, trying to shake off the lingering haze of sleep.

Then it hit her.

The crazy events of yesterday. This isolated yet a cabin full of her pictures. The message. The way that rabbit had scared her.

Natalya sat up slowly, rubbing her temples as the weight of it all settled on her shoulders.

The uneasy feeling from the night before hadn't left her. It lingered, coiling in the pit of her stomach like a quiet warning.

Her eyes flicked toward the table where she had left her phone.

The screen was dark, but the memory of what she had seen. Or maybe what she thought she had seen was fresh.

With hesitant fingers, she reached for the device, pressing the power button.

The screen lit up.

But there were no notifications. Just her plain wallpaper staring back at her like last night.

She took a deep breath in and kept her phone again on the table and pulled herself up from the cushion.

As soon as she stood up, her muscles protested, a dull ache settling into her limbs.

A reminder of how tense she had been last night and also what was she thinking by sleeping in the cushion?.

She stretched slightly, rolling her shoulders, but the discomfort didn't fully leave her.

Her gaze drifted around the cabin, taking in the familiar yet unsettling sight.

Wooden cream walls, new furniture, and the most disturbing part.

Her own pictures scattered across the place. Some framed, some just loosely pinned to the walls. It made her skin crawl.

Who had put them there? And why? Who took these pictures of her?

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to shake off the creeping unease. Maybe she had been too exhausted yesterday to fully process it, but now, in the light of day, the weight of it settled deep in her chest.

She needed to leave.

But where would she even go? Go back and what about the answers? She needed answers for her questions. 

Her stomach twisted, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since yesterday. Food. That was her first priority.

She vaguely remembered passing a bakery on the way to the cabin. Small, tucked between larger buildings, but open.

That would be her first stop. From there, she could take a taxi into the city and deal with her phone. Maybe the missing message had been a glitch, or maybe.

She didn't even want to consider the alternative.

Grabbing her phone and slipping it into her pocket, she moved toward the door and that's when she remembered that she hasn't showered yet.

With a sigh, she turned away from the door and headed to upstairs. Maybe a hot shower would help clear her head, make her feel a little more in control.

Her hand lingered on the doorknob of the room which had pictures of her. She took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

In broad daylight it looked even more beautiful. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting soft, golden beams across the floor, making the space feel warmer than it had the night before. But the moment she stepped inside, the weight of the room settled over her again.

Pictures. Everywhere. 

The walls were lined with frames, each one capturing a moment of her life. There were photos of her as a child, photos of her in different clothes, in different rooms.

She moved closer to the first picture, her reflection staring back at her from a photo she didn't remember posing for. It was a candid shot, her expression caught mid-laugh. But her smile seemed forced, almost hollow.

Her fingers hovered over the edge of the frame, not quite touching it. She scanned the room more carefully now, looking at each photo as if they held the answers she needed. Her heart beat faster, a cold sweat starting to form on her brow.

Natalya swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Who had done this? Why?

She backed away from the wall, bumping into the dresser. The room was suffocating now, the air thick with questions.

She quickly grabbed a pink tee, undergarments and a pair of jeans from the cupboard and hurried to the bathroom, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the room.

As soon as she was inside she looked the door and sank down. Her breaths came out in gasps and she kept her hand on her chest to calm herself down. She closed her eyes and counted in her head from one to ten and then back again from ten to one.

After a few minutes of counting she opened her eyes and looked around the bathroom.

It had white tiles and there was a rack with different bottles of shampoos, conditioners, soaps and lotions, all neatly arranged in a line. The faint scent of lavender lingered in the air, a sharp contrast to the tension that still gripped Natalya's chest.

Slowly, she rose to her feet and stepped toward the sink, running her fingers lightly along the cool marble countertop. As she lifted her gaze, her reflection stared back at her. 

Dark brown waves framed her face, just barely brushing past her shoulders. Her brown eyes were wide, her soft pink lips slightly parted, and her pale complexion. There were faint shadows under her eyes, remnants of exhaustion and unease.

She barely recognized herself. She looked nothing like the picture on her ID.

Her gaze traveled lower, catching sight of a small scratch on her collarbone. One she didn't remember getting. A thin, red line. Not deep, but fresh.

Her stomach twisted.

Had she scratched herself in her sleep? Or... had someone else? But I bolted the door last night and what if... someone had a key?

The thought sent a chill down her spine.

She yanked her gaze away from the mirror, suddenly unable to stand the sight of her own reflection. Her fingers fumbled with the hem of her sweater before she peeled it off, dropping it to the floor. The room was cold against her bare skin, goosebumps prickling along her arms.

She turned the shower knob, and warm water cascaded from the showerhead filling the bathtub. Steam began to rise, filling the small space.

Stepping inside, she let the water soak her hair, drenching every strand, hoping it would wash away the unease coiling inside her. She reached for a bottle of shampoo, hesitated for a second, then squeezed some into her palm.

As she massaged the floral-scented lather into her scalp, she tried to clear her mind, to focus on something. But it wasn't any use.

After showering, she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped onto the cool tiles. The steam clung to the air, curling around the edges of the mirror, obscuring her reflection.

She ran a hand through her damp hair, exhaling slowly.

The hot water had loosened the tension in her muscles, but it hadn't washed away the unease knotting her stomach.

With a sigh, she grabbed her clothes and changed quickly, ignoring the way her hands trembled as she buttoned her jeans.

She needed to leave. Eat. Then figure out what the hell was going on and what she should do.

Word Count- 1202