The day had been long and exhausting, and by the time you made it to your room after school, all you wanted was a quick nap to recharge. Kicking off your shoes and tossing your bag onto the floor, you flopped onto your bed without even pulling back the covers. “Just thirty minutes,” you told yourself, setting an alarm on your phone before settling in.

The soft hum of the fan and the warmth of the blankets quickly lulled you to sleep. What was supposed to be a short nap turned into a deep, uninterrupted slumber, your body surrendering completely to the fatigue it had been carrying.

When you finally stirred, it wasn’t to the sound of your alarm. Instead, you woke up in total darkness, the glow of the streetlights outside barely illuminating your room. You sat up slowly, your mind clouded and groggy. Reaching for your phone, you squinted at the screen. It was 12:42 a.m.

“Wait… what?” you muttered, staring at the time. Your heart raced as the realization hit you. The quick nap you’d planned had turned into a full eight hours of deep sleep. Your phone’s alarm had been completely ignored—or maybe you’d turned it off in a half-conscious haze.

Disoriented, you rubbed your eyes and looked around your room. Everything felt surreal. Your brain struggled to catch up, still caught somewhere between dreamland and reality. For a brief moment, you weren’t even sure what day it was. Did you sleep through the whole night? Was it still the same day? Panic started to set in as you scrambled for answers.

Your stomach growled loudly, pulling you back to reality. “Right… I never had dinner,” you mumbled, your voice raspy from sleep. You staggered out of bed, your body stiff from lying in the same position for so long. Padding into the kitchen, you flicked on the light and winced at the sudden brightness. The house was eerily quiet, everyone else already asleep.