Chapter 17
Changes
It is under the most peculiar circumstances that Ettie and | firste face to
It''s in my first week of working part-time at a convenience store. The night shift. is my preferred choice for work as it attracts a
diverse range of customers, including an elderly man with a thirst for alcohol and teenagers seeking to purchase condoms. Most
of the time, | don’t really care because my only focus is getting only focus is getting through my shift and finally getting some
sleep.
The first day passes without any unusual urrences, leading me to believe the week will end just as uneventfully. However, |
am sorely mistaken.
On a Monday, there are five customers at the convenience store. Two of them. arrive together, inebriated and seeking snacks.
There is an olddy in search of an umbre. A man in histe fifties wants to purchase a cigarette. The fifth person is wearing a
large hoodie and a face mask. Initially, | don’t pay much attention to them, but | recently notice they always purchase the same
item.
Apill to help you sleep.
It seems contradictory to me that they would purchase a sleeping pill in the dead of night. If they had bought it in the afternoon,
they could have enjoyed at peaceful night’s rest..
Nevertheless, being someone who simply sells things, | don’t feelpelled to question the reason for it. Small talk doesn’t
interest me at the moment. My motto is clear: | have no intention of making friends; | am solely focused on earning enough
money to pay the bills.
Each day, from Tuesday to Thursday, feels like a repetitive loop.
| have a steady stream of regr customers, each with unique and unpredictable requests. Right before closing the store,
without fail, someone wearing a hoodie and mask knocks on the door and Inquires about sleeping pills.
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It is on a Friday when the seemingly endless loop finally ceases. Just as | have anticipated, customers steadily arrive throughout
the night. The sound of the door opening with a ding catches my attention, and | turn to see if the person in the hoodie will buy
the sleeping pill once more. Just as | am about to grab the pre-packed sleeping pill, | lift my head and notice the absence of
anyone wearing a
hoodie or a mask.
However, my gaze is drawn to a breathtakingly beautiful girl, her face etched with a frown of irritation. Bags under her eyes
reveal her exhaustion, while her entire aura emanates with anger. For some reason, even if it is the first time | see her face, there
is a sense of familiarity that washes over me. | can’t take my eyes off her as she stops right in front of me and confidently ces
a paper bill on the
counter.
| don’t know why | don’t just give her the medicine.
| don’t know why | actually speak..
“What happened to your hoodie?”
She seems taken aback by my question, perhaps because it is unexpected for someone to approach her. | can tell she is going
to ignore me by the way she casually shrugs. With an awkward nod, | reluctantly ept her money and pass her the sleeping
pill. Right before | can hand her the change, she surprises me by finally opening her mouth.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.
“You''re in a talkative mood today, huh?”
Immediately, my cheeks turn red with embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“No worries, it’s all good.” She tells me, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she chuckles. She really is pretty. “I just
can’t handle this heat.”
“Hmm.”
And | think that will be the end of it, but | am wrong. She makes a point to ditch. her hoodie whenever she goes to the
convenience store after that day. Instead, she enters the store wearing rumpled pajamas and a deep frown, urgently requesting
a
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sleeping pill.
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It takes me about three weeks to build up the courage to ask her about it, after she has bought it.
“Are you having a hard time sleeping?”
Her snort of contempt is followed by sharp, cutting remarks, but they bounce off me without leaving a mark. “Tell me, smarty
pants, what do you think?”
“| think maybe the sleeping pills you keep buying don’t actually work.” | tell her nonchntly, shrugging as | slide the sleeping pill
into a paper bag and hand her back her change. “Maybe you should try doing something else to help you sleep.”
“Got any suggestions?”
| tilt my head to the side, deep in thought.
“What do you think about going for a run?”
She gives me a bewildered look, as if | have lost my mind. She quickly sn atches the paper bag and heads towards the store’s
exit. | shrug, turning my attention to the shelves, only to realize that the door hasn’t mmed shut, suggesting that she is still
there. As confusion washes over me, | quickly nce behind me, only to find her gaze fixed upon me, mirroring my own
befuddlement.
“My name’s Ettie.”
As she tells me, | can’t help but notice how her name rolls off the tongue, just as lovely as she is. It is undeniably unfair how
some individuals are blessed with both physical attractiveness and names that exude charm.
“I''m not really into running, but if it gets the job done, then why not? When are we going to go for a jog?”
When | suggest going for a run, what | really mean is for her to do it alone. The girl introduces herself to me, but | remain
completely oblivious to her identity. We barely know each other, and she, a customer, and me, a mere part-time worker at
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the convenience store.
Agreeing and going with her would bepletely crazy.
But that’s what | do. Surprising myself, the words spill out of my mouth, and | tell her:
“Im almost done with my shift. Nothingpares to a morning jog. If you wait for me, I’m down to run with you.”
“Cool.”
Ettie nods, her hand reaching out to grasp the doorknob. With her hand firmly on the handle and one foot already outside, | can’t
resist speaking up once more. In an instant, she freezes, her gaze fixed ahead, deliberately avoiding any eye contact with me.
“You can call me Alina.”
“Alina.”
She softly whispers my name under her breath, as if trying to etch it into her
memory.
“Your name is really pretty.”
| know Ettie like | know myself.
We are inseparable, always doing everything together.
It might be strange how our paths cross, and even now, | still can’t fathom why she struggles with sleep. She ims that it’s
solely her character, but deep down, | remain skeptical. It sounds bad, as friends have to trust each other, but sometimes | just
sense that Ettie is keeping secrets from me.
Despite everything, when my eyes meet hers, and | witness the blood dripping
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from her mouth and hands, I’m filled with uncertainty about how well | truly know
her.
From my vantage point high up in the tree sanctuary, | watch with anticipation as Ettie and her group pass below. The moonlight
filters through the leaves, creating eerie patterns of shadow on the forest floor. With every step they take, my heart pounds in my
chest, creating a symphony of pulsating beats.
Ettie, my best friend, the person with whom I share countless secrets andughter, walks with the group, her once familiar
presence now distant and unfamiliar. Her silhouette is barely visible, camouged in the darkness, causing me to narrow my
eyes in concentration. Every time she moves, a predatory grace apanies her, creating a malevolent aura that sends shivers
down my spine.
“on 2025
The forest used to be so peaceful, but now it’s like a maze of dangerous stuff. Ettie’s gaze,
mid of warmth and filled with an ominous intensity, uncovers a
hidden darkness lurking within her. As the moonlight hits her eyes, they seem to shimmer like stars in the night sky.
I can hear the group’s voices floating up to me, fragments ofughter and conversation that give me an unsettling sensation. The
contrast between their camaraderie and the twisted reality of the Mating Run makes the scene super
surreal.
As Ettie walks, an unsettling sensation washes over me, as if I’m witnessing a predator in its element. As she surveys the
surroundings, her eyes darting with cold determination, it’s like looking at a reflection of the hunter that attacked me earlier. My
mind races, trying to reconcile the familiar Ettie | knew with this chilling. transformation, like two puzzle pieces that no longer fit
together.
My forehead is covered in a thin veil of sweat as | tightly grip the branch beneath me. As the leaves rustle in response, | freeze,
my heart pounding in my chest, hoping | haven’t given away my hidden vantage point. The fear of discovery hangs heavy in the
air, mixing with the overwhelming dread of witnessing my best friend’s inexplicable descent.
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As | grasp the hilt of my knife, | feel its cool metal against my palm, causing my fingers to tighten. It''s as if the space separating
us is simultaneously vast and excruciatingly tight. Ettie’sughter, once aforting melody, now sends an eerie shiver down
the spine when it rings hollow in the night.
As they move away, the forest exhales a collective breath, the cool breeze brushing against my skin. | keep my gaze fixed on
Ettie’s figure until it gradually blends into the darkness. I’m freaked out — the hunter and Ettie, tied together by something really
bad, a darkness that’s impossible to understand.
Coming down from the tree is like a choreographed dance, with limbs moving in sync with the shadows. Every sound is
amplified, as if my senses are on high alert, capturing the faintest echoes ofughter in the forest. Every step | take is haunted
by the long, chilling shadow of Ettie’s transformation, urging me to move faster.
As my boots meet the forest floor, the earthy scent of moss and fallen leaves. fills my nostrils as | break into a sprint. The path to
the cave calls out like a lifeline, promising refuge from the sinister presence that taints the darkness. The branches above allow
slivers of moonlight to dance across the uneven ground below. Driven by urgency, | push myself forward, desperate to reach
Zeke and escape the encroaching darkness.
As | hurry through the forest, the branches reach out to snag my clothing.
As | hurry, the sound of twigs snapping beneath my feet echoes through the oppressively silent air, creating a symphony of
trepidation. As | follow the path, it unfolds like a twisted ribbon, beckoning me to return to the cave and the feverish
Zeke.
Ettie’s group’sughter fades into the distance, drowned out by the haunting orchestra of the night. As | draw closer to Zeke, my
breaths be more ragged, reflecting the mounting anticipation. My vision is toyed with by shifting shadows, twisting the path
into a perplexing maze.
And then, a glimmer of hope catches my eye a patch of ripe, juicy berries.
Like sca ttered jewels, the small, vibrant orbs call out for attention on the forest floor. A glimmer of reliéf flickers inside me,
offering a momentary break from the
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overwhelming sense of dread. Perhaps, just perhaps, nature has provided a momentary reprieve with the gift of sustenance.
I skid to a stop, feeling my heart pounding in my chest, and quickly kneel beside the juicy berries. Bathed in moonlight, they
appear innocent, yet there is an underlying sinister aura to this forest. A moment of hesitation flickers within me, torn between the
cautious voice in my head and the growling hunger in my stomach.
Ignoring my fear, | give in to the gnawing hunger and start picking the berries. with fervent determination.
As | pick, the soft petals brush against my fingertips, offering a tactile semnce of normalcy. As | walk, the rhythmic rustling of
leaves acts as a calming symphony, counteracting the haunting memories that linger within me.
Perhaps this is the action | should take right from the beginning.
| should just ignore everything and let my instinct take over.
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