Every five minutes or so, Stéphanie checked her phone with growing impatience, hoping to see something other than a black screen. But each time, disappointment awaited her. Her phone remained frustratingly off. She couldn't chat with her friend Morgane, check social media updates, or even listen to music. The Lemoine household was shrouded in silence and darkness since the sun had set.

Because she had never paid attention to the sun's cycle, she couldn't estimate the time, even roughly. All she knew was that as the days passed, they grew longer. It could be nine or ten in the evening.

Although her bedroom shutters weren't electric, she hadn't closed them to soak in the daylight until the last moment. In the absence of artificial lighting, she noticed a strange phenomenon in the night sky, something she had never seen before, as it was supposed to occur only near the poles. Indeed, she could see beautiful auroras! From her bed, she could admire the faint glimmers dancing in the sky, illuminating the urban landscape.

Thanks to these glimmers, she could fairly clearly make out her cluttered desk with books, loose papers, and various gadgets. Opposite her bed, on the right side of the room against the wall separating her room from her parents', stood a massive wardrobe overflowing with clothes she hadn't worn in a long time.

Lying in bed for what felt like an eternity with nothing to do but watch the starry sky through her window, the young girl reflected silently.

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It's beautiful. Truly very beautiful. But shouldn't it be brighter than this?

That was the only positive aspect she could see in this situation she didn't understand. None of this was normal. She felt trapped in a nightmare. In the distance outside, she could hear unsettling noises. She didn't panic, as it was commonplace in the neighborhood. Any excuse was good for some people to go out, shoot fireworks, set fire to garbage cans, and so on.

The murmurs of her parents in the next room tore her from her thoughts. The few words she managed to catch didn't please her at all. It was about chaos, violence, war, invasion, and survival. This dark and worrying reality sharply contrasted with the fascinating spectacle unfolding outside her window.

Tss! Can't they be a bit more cheerful?! They're too depressing! I wonder what it's like elsewhere... At the bottom, what do we know? Nothing! And the government? What are they doing? Nothing, I bet! If everything doesn't return to normal by tomorrow, I'll make a scene!

Frustrated by her parents' and her own powerlessness, Stéphanie felt a sense of emptiness settle within her after her anger subsided. The teenager was used to staying up very late into the night with the light of her phone. Most of the time, it was because she got lost on YouTube, Twitter, or rather X and Instagram, watching posts and reading the associated comments. She could lose herself for hours watching funny animal videos or strangers doing stupid challenges. Sometimes, she used her phone to watch movies and series on streaming platforms. But now that she had nothing to do, she felt deeply bored.

She felt terribly empty.

Finally, she decided to close her eyes and for the first time in a long while, she fell asleep early.