"Have a wonderful day!" With a cheerful tone, Natalie hung up the phone. She stopped counting months ago how many times a day she had to repeat the same information, the same greetings, and stare at the same monitor. "At least that was the last one..."

She whispered, stretching on her chair and groaning as her joints popped. With a practiced motion, she took a mirror from a beige purse on her desk and examined her reflection. She adjusted her short, brown hair with her hands and searched for any imperfection on her makeup.

"Perfect."

The woman smiled and stored the mirror again in the purse. After powering off her computer, she stood up with it in hand. One last check to be sure her clothes weren't a mess, and finally, time to go home. Her high heels clacked through the hallway as the lights turned on one by one, and her attention was grabbed by which album to listen to while in traffic.

"Good evening, Miss Natalie." A male voice rang out, startling her a little. "Finally done for the night?"

"Yes, Jeffrey." She said with a smile, not too bothered by the earlier blunder. It was the building's security guard, a joyful, pot-bellied man. After rummaging through her purse, she handed him her ID. "I hope the night isn't too cold today."

"Eh..." The man sighed with defeat, already wearing a thick jacket and a muffler. "Already smells like rain."

"My condolences in that case." She sighed, dreading the trek home under the pouring rain. "See you tomorrow."

"Same to you, Miss." The man tipped his hat and handed her back the card, then opened the crystal door outside.

The woman adjusted her Jacket as a chill breeze passed under her skirt. With a sigh, she put on a pair of earbuds and played an mp3 for a Lo-fi video. As the slow and soothing music began to play, she made her way to the train station.

The sun began to set over the horizon and the high buildings surrounding her. The noise from cars sometimes drowned her music, and the smell from some food carts assaulted her nose almost immediately. It was a bit disorienting but oddly familiar to her after all these months of doing the same routine. She took a facemask out of her purse and carefully wore it.

After paying for her ticket, she ascended to the elevated tram to wait for the next train. She checked the messages on her phone but was stunned by the condolences and similar messages. With a small check, it suddenly hit her.

May 19th.

"It was today..."

She whispered, feeling a knot forming in her throat over the memories. But it wasn't either the place or time. With a deep breath, she calmed her nerves and kept her composure. She pocketed the phone and waited, trying to distract herself with music and staring at the clouds that covered the darkening sky. When the train finally arrived, she was back in her mojo. She picked the furthest wagon, sat on an empty seat, and closed her eyes.

"Natalie..."

A distant whisper startled her. She looked at the rest of the passengers, but none were paying her any attention. With a sigh, she stored the earbuds and massaged her temples.

"Natalie...did you forget me?..."

This time the whisper was closer. The tone sounded very familiar, too familiar...

"Natalie..."

This time it was as if someone was talking directly beside her, but that would be impossible. She turned towards the window, and all color drained from her face as the reflection of someone very similar to her stared back. Same brown hair, same eyes, same skin tone, but much, much younger than her.

"Amelia..."

It was the only word that came out of her mouth. Her heart began to race, cold sweat permeated her back, her lips dry, and she began to breathe too fast. Amelia's hand drew near, phasing through the mirror as if it wasn't there.

"I'm here, Natalie..."

Her voice sounded clear, and her soft hands streaking her cheeks felt the same as back when she died 23 years ago. That warm smile was the same one she remembered from her older sister.

"I'm sorry, Amelia...I..."

Natalie only noticed she was crying after Amelia's hand began to dry her tears. The rush of emotion, fear, panic, joy...her head was a mess. A gentle embrace from her sister managed to reign them in, bringing a sense of peace to her heart.

"It's ok...it wasn't your fault."

Just as her heart and soul felt a sense of comfort and warmth, her touch began to fade away. Natalie snapped her head to see her visage slowly melting like snow. She reached for Amelia with frantic motions, trying to grab her again.

"AMELIA!"

"MISS!"

She jumped a bit on her seat, noticing several people surrounding her. Her heart wanted to leap out of her chest and she felt out of breath. Her eyes darted from person to person, trying to make sense of what was happening. She finally noticed the one that broke her out of her stupor.

"Alright, people, give her space!" A young man wearing a bright orange vest motioned the crowd to step back. She recognized it as the one the station's emergency personnel wore. "Are you ok, Miss?"

Natalie finally took in her situation. She fell asleep while thinking of her sister and made a scene. Feeling her face heating up, she nodded and took out her mirror to tidy up her appearance.

"Well, if you need..."

"No, I'm fine." Natalie interrupted, voice quivering ever so slightly. She pocketed the mirror with a grimace and addressed the man. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry." The man smiled at her warmly. "And i won't have a good night's sleep if i leave you alone after that. Let me help you." He took a bottle of water from his vest and handed it to her.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

She was about to reject the offer once more. But she couldn't pronounce those words. Something about that man was soothing, similar to Amelia's image in that dream. Seeing him in his deep purple eyes didn't make her panic, it was reassuring. With a deep sigh, Natalie nodded. She took the bottle and drank a mouthful of it before giving it back.

"Alright, people! I'll take care of this from here." The man clapped a couple of times. "Thanks for trying to help, but miss..." He gave her a side glance.

"Natalie." She answered.

"Natalie is feeling better."

The people slowly returned to their seats or vacated the wagon. Natalie watched a bit absentminded as everything else returned to normal. When the doors finally closed, she took out her makeup kit and began to reapply it. At one point, that young man sat beside her. Saying that he wanted to be sure everything would be ok. She just nodded and continued staring at the mirror.

"Thanks for the help." She whispered after pocketing it. "I don't know what happened to me back there..."

"It's fine." The man waved his hand dismissively. "I'm used to dealing with this kind of thing in this line of work. You see everything in a train station."

"Oh yeah?" She mused non-committedly. "Still, thank you..."

"Jason." He extended his hand towards her. She shook it with a bit of hesitation.

She finally took a proper look a the man. He looked several years younger than her, probably 25. He had short, red hair, a freckled face, and piercing blue eyes. With a more sober mind, she finally internalized the...disaster that happened. Natalie could only hope that none of this would be viral, or she could have some trouble with work. She didn't want to miss some days because a concerned boss sent her to the psychiatrist.

She won't return to one anytime soon.

"Everything ok?" Jason asked, concern written on his face.

"Yes, just...Thinking." Natalie sighed for the nth time and looked outside the window. "Have a lot on my mind lately."

"Would you mind if i escort you to your house? I'm a bit worried." He put his hand on hers. She was about to slap it away, yet she didn't feel the need to. She was safe. Jason was trustworthy. "What do you say?"

"I don't want to impose on you. You're still working." She looked him in his eyes, mesmerized by their purple coloration.

"Don't worry. It's going to be fine." Jason said, clasping her hand tightly. Natalie could swear she saw a twinkle in his eyes. But she dismissed the thought.

After reaching her station, Natalie and Jason got out after he handed one of his coworkers his vest. They chatted on the way about work, family, and the chilly weather. They even made a detour and went to a coffee shop. It had been a while since Natalie felt a connection so deep with someone, and even if it wasn't the best first impression she gave there, she hoped it lasted.

When they finally reached her house, Jason excused himself. He left her his number and some suggestions about meditation. According to him, it would help with getting better sleep and feeling more at peace with her situation. She thanked him profusely and tried to insist that he stayed a bit longer, but he had a prior commitment. With a wave, they separated, and she entered her home.

It was a small, red house in the outer part of the city. A relatively quiet and peaceful neighborhood, with the occasional band of hooligans that disturbed the night. Nothing to worry about in the grand scheme of things. Inside was minimalist: family photos, a couch, a spheric clay statue, and her tv. She turned it on to have some background noise and began making dinner. 30 minutes later, she served herself a burger, some chips, and a glass of water.

While eating it, she fondly remembered when Amelia was still alive. When their parents were working the eldest cooked, and the youngest swept the floor. They sometimes fought about trivial stuff, one thing she particularly remembered was that she hated onions, but Amelia always made her burgers with extra onion. The ensuing conversation almost always devolved into a shouting match, but after a while, they acted as if nothing happened.

"It's been so long already..." Natalie whispered to herself, wiping her tears.

Flashes of the past often haunted her while she was alone. Memories, good and bad, resurfaced, reminding her of what she lost that day. Guilt always came after that, thinking of the "what if" scenarios. What if she wasn't a brat that day? or didn't pester Amelia to go out in the first place? What if she was never born?

"Shit, this is getting to me today." She stood up and threw the half burger in the trash can.

She went to the bathroom and stared at the sink. Her hands trembled as she turned on the faucet and washed them. Images of that day flashed in front of her. The scent of blood and sweat drifted to her nose. The siren of that damn ambulance in the background. And that vivid image of Amelia's corpse in front of her.

With a forceful grip, she stopped. Her hands were red and aching from the excessive rubbing, and more tears clouded her eyes. She recalled Jason's advice, slowing her breaths and repeating a mantra he taught her to keep her mind occupied.

The world around her slowly faded away as she repeated it. The noise snuffed out. The lights dimmed. The smell of disinfectant and soap dulled and disappeared. She was alone with her thoughts, but strangely enough, she felt comfortable. Darkness wrapped her like a warm blanket in the winter. Soothing whispers drifted to her ears. For the first time in years, she felt fine.

She felt at peace.

"Do you want to see your sister again?" A voice suddenly took her out of her stupor, startling her.

"Who are you?" However, she didn't feel repulsion about it. Quite the contrary, it was as if she was talking to a long-time friend.

"Do you want to see Amelia again?" The voice asked again, ignoring her question.

"Yes. Yes, i am." Natalie answered instinctively.

A figure materialized in front of her: A mass of eyes, tentacles, limbs, and serrated teeth. It was bigger than anything she ever saw, reaching the sky by her estimates. Like before, she didn't feel negative about it, just a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart. It extended a tendril towards her, quickly morphing into a human hand.

"I can take you to where she is." The voice sounded again. "Just take my hand."

"Yes..."

As she was reaching out to grasp it, a scream came from the creature. That finally took her out of the trance and made her process what was happening. Her panic began to rise as she stared at the mass of flesh slowly being pushed back by what seemed to be a mote of light. She heard the wind whistling around her and saw chunks of the monster dropping to the ground.

"wh-"

Before she could do anything, a figure dropped by her side. She wore torn clothes, grasped a rusty sword, and had a scowl on her face. The figure spared her a glance and muttered curses about something called Voidgod. With a sigh, she jumped again and returned to the fray, brown hair dancing wildly.

"Amelia?..."

Natalie whispered to herself in disbelief. The image of her long-dead sister fighting something out of her worst nightmares felt so surreal yet so real at the same time.

"That coffee was drugged...Jason, you bastard." She buried her face in her hands.

The fight was short but intense. Purple energy jumped around the air, and Natalie constantly heard thunder cracking, but nothing came near her. With a last slash, "Amelia" finally made the flesh monster retreat back through a crack in the dark space. She looked back at Natalie and stared at her for a second.

"Did you shake his hand?" She asked dryly.

"N-no." Natalie stammered out.

"Good. Don't do that again, don't even think about him." Amelia nodded sagely and jumped through the closing crack.

"Wait! Amelia!" Natalie tried to scream, but the crack closed and her world returned to normal.

She gasped for air as she finally saw herself back in her bathroom. She checked herself, time, or for any other symptom that indicated that Jason was a criminal. When she failed to find anything noteworthy, she looked at herself in the mirror one more time. With a small sigh, she took off her clothes and took a shower. The fact that she didn't bring her towel first didn't deter her.

As the warm water washed away her nervousness, she finally relaxed. She recalled that surreal experience, but couldn't explain what exactly happened. She wasn't sure if she really got drugged, since she just "snapped out of it" pretty quickly. Or that her condition was worsening ant it was a mental breakdown.

Hopefully the first.

In the end, she couldn't conclude anything, and she was tired of everything. Just as she contemplated how to get a towel without making too much of a mess, a loud DING! reverberated in her ears.

"What the-"

And a blue screen flashed in front of her eyes.

[INITIATING INTEGRATION INTO THE SYSTEM…]