“Katie! Wake up!”

Cold hands gripped my shoulders as they shook me hard. I jolted awake, my heart thudding against my chest. Disoriented by the room—pitch black, except for a sliver of moonlight cutting through the sheer curtains.

_What the hell?_

My eyes darted around the bedroom before locking on Joy, kneeling on the floor beside me. Her brows creased with concern.

“What’s going on?” I gru...

“What went wrong?” I fiddled with the empty straw wrapper on the table.

Across from me, Ami, my ex childhood best friend sat in silence, her eyes filled with sorrow as we waited for our orders to arrive.

“We were inseparable. We told each other everything. Experienced the challenges of life together…” a tear rolled down my rosy cheek.

Ami and I were more than friends. We were like sisters. ...

Nature is my sanctuary and my inspiration. There’s just something so magical about the way the flowers bloom with vibrance and how animals interact with the Earth. After a long, cold winter, I gathered my gear and eagerly ventured into the wilderness to capture the beauty of nature’s rebirth.

As I prepared to snap my final shot for the day, looking through the lens, something strange caught my e...