You step through the front door after school, expecting the usual quiet hum of the house—but something feels off immediately.

“Hey, you’re home!” your mom calls out from the kitchen, her voice unusually bright.

You pause.

She’s… smiling. Not just a little, but wide, almost glowing. There’s a warmth in her tone that feels unfamiliar—too light, too effortless. Your eyes narrow slightly as you step closer.

She’s wearing her usual loose white off-shoulder shirt and denim shorts, her yellow hair falling softly around her face, cheeks slightly flushed. Everything looks normal… but at the same time, not.

“I was thinking,” she says, turning to you with that same cheerful energy, “maybe we should finally get you that PS5 you wanted.”

Your stomach tightens. That’s not normal.

Not after all those times she said it was “too expensive” or “maybe later.” Now she’s just… offering it? Just like that?

You study her carefully. The way she moves. The way she looks at you. The way she smiles just a little too perfectly.

A thought creeps into your mind, absurd but impossible to shake. What if… this isn’t really her? What if something happened—and whatever is standing in your kitchen now is just pretending?

You glance around the house, suddenly uneasy. An imposter. An alien replacement. It sounds ridiculous. …but it would explain everything.