❛ mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the realest of us all? ❜
in which little aya spector doesn't
recognize herself in the mirror
( COPYRIGHT! - aka - DO NOT STEAL! )
illisius Ⓒ 2022
& , moon knight
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ACT ONE, chapter ii : for everything dies, so does memory
☾
"HELLO! AND WELCOME TO STAYING AWAKE. LET'S START WITH TRYING TO SOLVE A PUZZLE..."
Lying in an unfamiliar bed, Aya Spector counted the tiles on the ceiling — one, two, three, four... Her shaking hands were folded across her flat chest, nail—bitten fingers drumming against her sternum without rhythm. That one rebellious curl, the same one as always, drifted and tickled at her nose. For the third time, she tried to tuck it behind her ear. It sprung free again. Freaking hopeless.
"Solving puzzles is a great way to keep your mind awake. Bored with puzzles? Try a book. Reading can keep your mind alert and focused. Imagine being in the story you're reading. Is there an exciting chapter you'd like to be a part of?"
Her rubix cube sat on the nightstand, solved so many times that the stickers were beginning to curl. Her most recent book on Egyptian mythology was beneath it, pages fanned at their edges from constant use. She was on the chapter about the goddess, Sekhmet. She was kind of a total bada—s. And also totally crazy.
Two concepts Aya was very familiar with.
"Just remember, you'll need about five hours to keep your natural self."
Dizzily trying to track the blades of the fan overhead, her vision blurred and her thoughts turned to slush. Time slowed, turning to syrup as it stretched and slipped. These new pills were making her drowsy. Her entire body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, her neck unable to even support the weight of her head.
Since when did her brain get so heavy?
Aya's big eyes slipped closed beyond her control, lashes brushing against the tops of her cheeks. Her heart slowed. Her mind lagged. She flinched herself back to consciousness when she felt herself fall. Groaning, the girl smacked and patted at her freckled cheeks, trying to force herself to stay awake.
"Hello! And welcome to Staying Awake. Let's start with trying to solve a puzzle. Solving puzzles is a great way to keep your mind awake. Bored with puzzles? Try a book."
Her baba used to read to her, when she was very small. The low rumble of his voice was always enough to put her right to sleep. Aya forced it from her mind now. She couldn't fall asleep. She just couldn't. Sleeping was too dangerous. Too risky. Staying awake constantly was beginning to take a toll; bags hung heavy under her eyes, her thoughts had been slow, her rapidly swinging emotions were giving her motion sickness. But she couldn't sleep. She was terrified of it, because maybe, if she fell asleep, she might never wake up again.
Aya couldn't risk it.
"Hello! Reading..." The girl turned up her earphones, following the words of the meditative app, mouthing the familiar words to herself, "Is there a chapter you'd like to be a part of? ...you'll need about five hours to keep your natural self."
