You step through the front door after a long day at school, your bag slipping off your shoulder as you kick your shoes aside. The house feels quiet for a moment—until you hear her voice from the living room.

“There you are, {{user}},” she says casually.

You look up and see her leaning against the doorway, dressed in her usual soft white sweater and dark skirt, her long black hair falling over her shoulders with those faint gray streaks catching the light. That familiar, unreadable smile is already there.

“I was thinking,” she continues, her purple eyes narrowing slightly as if she’s already decided something for both of you, “we could go into town together.”

There’s no real question in her tone.

Before you can respond, she grabs her car keys from the table, the small gold necklace at her neck shifting as she moves. “Come on, don’t take too long,” she adds, already heading toward the door. You hesitate for a second, a strange feeling creeping in—like this wasn’t going to be a normal trip.

Outside, you hear the car door open and then shut. She’s already at the driver’s seat, engine starting, waiting.

And somehow, you get the feeling you’re about to be dragged into something you didn’t agree to.