It was a sunny afternoon when Everlynn's family gathered in their backyard, adorned with colorful balloons and streamers. The air was filled with laughter and excitement as friends and relatives arrived, bearing gifts and well wishes for the young girl's eighth birthday. Everlynn, with her bright smile and innocent eyes, couldn't contain her joy as she eagerly awaited the moment when she would blow out the candles on her cake.

As the clock struck three, the crowd hushed, and Everlynn's mother brought out the cake, adorned with eight flickering candles. The room erupted into a chorus of "Happy Birthday," and Everlynn closed her eyes, making a wish before blowing out the candles. But as she opened her eyes, a sudden wave of déjà vu washed over her. She felt a shiver crawl up her spine, as if she had experienced this exact moment before.

Confusion clouded her mind as she tried to shake off the strange feeling. She glanced around, noticing the familiar faces of her loved ones, but something felt off. Their smiles seemed forced, their eyes hollow. Everlynn's heart raced, and a sense of unease settled deep within her.

As the party continued, Everlynn's mind raced with fragments of memories that didn't quite fit together. She recalled a birthday party from years ago, where the candle flames had danced dangerously close to her hair. Panic surged through her veins as she realized that she had died that day, consumed by the flames that engulfed her. But how was she here now, celebrating her eighth birthday once again?

A chilling realization struck Everlynn like a bolt of lightning. The monster she had seen not long ago, lurking in the shadows, was not a figment of her imagination. It was her reflection, distorted and grotesque, a haunting reminder of her charred and disfigured form. The monster had been her all along, a ghostly apparition trapped in a never-ending loop of her own demise.

Terror gripped Everlynn's heart as she looked around at the smiling faces of her family and friends. Their laughter turned into sinister cackles, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. The truth dawned on her like a nightmare come to life. They were not her loved ones; they were demons, masquerading as the people she once held dear.

In a desperate attempt to escape this twisted reality, Everlynn ran, her heart pounding in her chest. But no matter how fast she ran, the backyard seemed to stretch endlessly, the demons closing in on her with each passing moment. Their laughter echoed in her ears, driving her to the brink of madness.

As Everlynn stumbled and fell to the ground, her body trembling with fear, the demons closed in, their grotesque forms towering over her. She closed her eyes, ready to face her fate once again, but instead, she found herself waking up in her bed, drenched in sweat.

Was it all just a nightmare? Everlynn couldn't be sure. But as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but notice a faint burn mark on her cheek, a chilling reminder of the horrors she had endured. And deep down, she knew that the nightmare would continue, year after year, as she relived her eighth birthday, trapped in a never-ending cycle of death and demons.