The Three Who Chose Me

Josie

I was dreaming again.

Only this time, it wasn’t the usual blur of faceless memories or the falling sensation that always left me breathless. No—this was sharp, vivid, cruel.

My mother’s eyes—wide, frantic—stared into mine like I was some kind of demon. Her lips moved too fast, words tumbling out like shattered glass.

"You should never have been born."

And then my father, heavy footsteps shaking the floorboards as he stepped into view, gripping a hammer in his fist like it was the key to saving his soul. Or destroying mine.

I tried to run, but my legs didn’t work. I was frozen, stuck in place, screaming silently while the hammer raised—

And fell.

***********

I woke up gasping, hair glued to my forehead, my heart slamming against my ribcage like it was trying to escape.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.