Elara awoke with a gasp, her heart hammering in her chest. She was drenched in cold sweat, her sheets twisted around her limbs like vines trying to keep her in place. The room was silent except for her uneven breathing, but something felt... off.

She sat up slowly, the air heavy around her. When she swung her legs over the side of the bed, a chill ran up her spine. The floor beneath her feet was damp.

Her breath caught. She looked down.

Mud. Dark, wet earth clung to her toes, staining the wooden floor beneath her. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she yanked her feet up onto the bed. This wasn't possible. She had gone to sleep in her bed, in her room. Hadn't she?

She reached for her phone, needing some proof that she was really here. The screen glowed as she checked the time—5:47 AM. The familiar sight of her lock screen should have reassured her, but her hands still shook.

With a deep breath, she forced herself to move. She peeled off the covers, careful to avoid the mud, and stumbled toward the bathroom. The cold tile under her feet steadied her, but when she turned on the light and looked into the mirror, she almost screamed.

Leaves were tangled in her hair. Small twigs clung to the strands like they had been carried on the wind. But the worst part was the faint smudge of dirt streaked across her cheek. It was real. Real.

Her hands trembled as she gripped the sink. "It's just my mind playing tricks on me," she whispered. "Just another dream."

But deep down, she knew better.

The feeling followed her to school.

As she walked down the hallway, a strange sensation crept over her—like she was stepping through mist, even though the air was clear. The scent of damp earth and pine clung to her, despite the perfume she had doused herself in that morning.

She blinked hard, shaking her head. You're fine. You're awake.

But then, as she passed a row of lockers, her vision flickered. The sterile school walls blurred, shifting into towering trees. The ceiling vanished into an endless stretch of foggy sky.

Elara's breath hitched as the scent of the forest became overwhelming—so strong she could almost taste it.

Someone bumped into her.

"Elara?"

She jolted, the world snapping back to normal. The lockers were just lockers again. The air smelled like cheap cafeteria food and pencil shavings.

Lila frowned at her. "Are you okay? You look kinda... out of it."

Elara forced a nod. "Did you... see anything just now?"

Lila raised an eyebrow. "What, besides you staring at a locker like it's gonna eat you?" She smirked but then softened. "Seriously, are you good?"

Elara hesitated. She wanted to tell her. To say I think I'm losing my mind. I woke up with mud on my feet and I can still smell the dream. But the words stuck in her throat.

"I'm fine," she muttered instead. "Just tired."

Lila didn't look convinced, but the bell rang before she could pry further.

The rest of the day was a blur of near-misses.

In math class, she glanced at her notebook and nearly dropped her pencil.

Find the truth.

The words were scrawled in her own handwriting across the page. But she didn't remember writing them.

In history, when she reached for her textbook, the smooth cover morphed beneath her fingers. For a split second, she felt rough bark instead. Her stomach twisted as she yanked her hand back, and when she looked again, it was just a book.

By the time lunch rolled around, her nerves were stretched so thin she barely touched her food. Every shadow in the cafeteria felt wrong, like they weren't just tricks of the light but something else. Something watching.

Then, in the middle of the noisy cafeteria, the world shifted again.

The hum of voices faded, replaced by the eerie stillness of the forest. The lights overhead blurred into swirling gray mist. The chatter of students became the whisper of wind through leaves.

Elara's pulse skyrocketed.

She was still sitting at the lunch table, but suddenly, she wasn't in the cafeteria anymore. She was in the forest.

"Elara."

The voice was behind her.

She turned slowly, her breath shallow.

Alistair stood just a few feet away, his storm-gray eyes unreadable. He looked more solid than before, more real. Like he had finally crossed fully into her world.

Her heart pounded. "This isn't real," she whispered. "This isn't real."

Alistair's gaze didn't waver. "Find the truth before it's too late."

The fog thickened, curling around his form, and then—

"Elara?"

The world snapped back. She was back in the cafeteria, back in her seat. Lila was staring at her, concerned. "You okay? You kinda zoned out."

Elara's breath came in short gasps. The forest was gone. Alistair was gone. But the scent of pine still clung to her clothes.

She wasn't imagining it. The dream was bleeding into reality. And she was running out of time to figure out why.

Because if the dream was invading her world... what if one day, she didn't wake up?