Bound by the Moon, Torn by Time

Chapter 1: My Invisible Life

The office buzzed with the same monotony as every other day. Fingers clacked against keyboards, phones rang in the distance, and the hum of the air conditioning filled the otherwise lifeless silence of the cubicles. Evangeline Sinclair sat at her desk, scrolling through emails with the same detached focus she had mastered over the past two years.

No one noticed her.

It wasn't that they were rude. It was just that she had perfected the art of blending in. If her coworkers weren't directly working with her, they probably didn't even realize she existed. That was fine. That was safe.

Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for her coffee, the warmth soothing her frayed nerves. She had already rehearsed every conversation she would need to have today. A brief response to her manager's request, a polite nod to the receptionist, and a quick 'thank you' if someone handed her paperwork. Minimal interaction, maximum efficiency.

Her inbox was filled with deadlines, reminders, and company memos she barely skimmed through. She didn't mind the work. It was the people, the expectations, the unspoken pressure to be social that made her chest tighten.

"Morning, Evangeline."

She looked up sharply, startled by the voice. It was Mark from the finance team. He rarely spoke to her, and for a moment, she thought he must have mistaken her for someone else.

"Uh, morning," she replied hesitantly.

Mark hesitated, then gave her a small smile before walking away.

Weird.

She exhaled slowly, her fingers gripping the edges of her desk. One unexpected interaction and her brain was already overanalyzing. Was she supposed to say more? Did she sound awkward? Did he think she was rude?

Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus. It didn't matter. Soon, the day would end, and she could go home, lock the door, and exist in peace.

_________________________________

The evening air was crisp as she stepped onto the rooftop of her office building. She often came up here to breathe, to be alone. The city stretched out below her, its lights flickering like a sea of stars.

She leaned against the railing, pulling her blazer tighter around herself. The weight of the day settled on her shoulders, pressing down like an invisible force.

Maybe she should call her mother.

She sighed. No. That would just end in another argument.

She closed her eyes, savoring the quiet-

Then, suddenly, a hand shoved her from behind.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stumbled forward.

For a split second, she was suspended in air.

Then she was falling.

Falling.

Falling.

The city lights blurred, swallowed by darkness. The rush of wind roared in her ears, and then-

Pain.

She crashed through something-branches, thick and unyielding, slapping against her body, scraping her arms, tearing at her clothes. The impact sent shockwaves through her bones, twisting her midair as she hit one thing after another.

Her back smacked against a thick branch, forcing the air from her lungs. Then another struck her thigh, sending sharp pain up her leg. She barely had time to process the sensation before she broke through the last tangle of leaves and plummeted onto the forest floor with a heavy thud.

Silence.

She groaned, rolling onto her side, her body aching in protest. Every inch of her felt bruised, but nothing seemed broken. Scrapes and cuts burned along her skin, and she was sure her head would be throbbing for days.

A jungle.

The air was thick, damp with the scent of wet earth and something unfamiliar. Towering trees loomed above her, their gnarled branches reaching like skeletal fingers toward the sky. It was impossibly dark, the only light filtering in from the scattered breaks in the canopy.

No voices. No distant hum of cars. No city.

Just crickets. And the slow rustling of leaves in the wind.

Then-

A lone howl.

Deep, guttural, and too close.

A chill ran down her spine.

Where the hell was she?