Yesenia hadn't shed a single tear all night. She bottled up every ounce of pain and frustration clawing at her insides. It felt hollow and bleak inside her chest—like she was trapped inside her own disappointment. Every breath was laced with the suffocating weight of helplessness. No tears, no screams—just that bitter taste spreading slowly through her thoughts.
Why me? Why do I have to go through all of this?
The question spun endlessly in her mind. But instead of breaking, she kept following the fox's rules, doing everything she could to suppress the storm within.
The morning began with an unexpected scent that crept into her dreams—pancakes.
She winced, even in sleep, but as her eyes fluttered open, her heart nearly dropped out of her chest.
She wasn't in the camp.
She was home.
Soft light streamed through the familiar floral curtains. Everything looked exactly as she remembered it: her books neatly lined on the shelves, old family photos in their frames, the plush rug gently brushing her bare feet. The room was so painfully real it almost made her believe it.
"No way..." she whispered, reaching out to touch the blanket. It was soft and freshly laundered—just like always.
A voice called from the kitchen.
"Sweetheart, breakfast's ready."
It was her mother's voice.
Her heart raced. A lump rose in her throat, and before she could stop herself, Yesenia jumped out of bed and sprinted down the hall, nearly tearing the door off its hinges.
"Mama... Mom..."
The moment she saw that familiar face, she couldn't hold back anymore. She wrapped her arms around the woman, burying her face in her hair—breathing in that warm, familiar scent.
"What happened?" her mother asked with a soft laugh, setting the frying pan aside. "You decided doors are optional now?"
Yesenia managed a faint smile but didn't let go, afraid that if she did, her mother would vanish like a mirage.
But the joy dissolved in an instant—like morning mist burned away by sunlight—when she noticed the pancakes on the table.
Burnt.
Her stomach turned.
Mom never burns pancakes...
The thought struck her like lightning.
She recoiled as if scalded.
"You're... not my mom," she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief. She stumbled backward, hitting the counter behind her.
"Oh? What gave me away?"
The woman tilted her head with a smug smile tugging at her lips.
"She never burns pancakes."
"Damn," she said with a dramatic sigh, puffing out her cheeks like a child. "You figured it out fast."
Before Yesenia's eyes, her figure melted like smoke—until the one person she hated most stood in her place.
"As you can see, I decided to spice up your boring little life," the fox drawled with a mocking tone. "Touching reunion, wasn't it?"
"Don't you have anything better to do?" she hissed through clenched teeth, fury bubbling up inside her.
"I was bored."
Bored?
She could hear her own thoughts scream. This sick bastard...
He knew how badly she missed her mother—and he used it against her.
"What do you want?" she snapped, making no effort to hide her anger.
YOU ARE READING
Beyond, With a Yokai
FantasyYessenia thought she was in for an ordinary summer at camp. But a single fall changed everything. A blow to the head left the girl hovering between life and death, completely unaware of her true state. Convinced nothing was seriously wrong, she simp...
