"Ben" played another classic black-and-white film. It's a Marilyn Monroe comedy I've never seen before. Ben actually fell asleep while watching the movie.

When it was over, I turned off the TV. Benn rested his elbows on the armrests, his hands on his head. I've always hated people who are awake, so I let him sleep.

Wrapped in a blanket, I walked down the hall to my bedroom. I went to bed and fell asleep in a daze.

With a bang, my eyes snapped open. I saw my sister Marcy shuffling her feet across the kitchen floor. He wore a blue robe wrapped around his body, his jet-black hair was disheveled around his head, and he wore slippers on his feet. She yawned as she opened the fridge. The door separated the two of us.

"Marcy," I said.

She bent down and picked up the jar of orange juice. She turned around and picked up her cup and closed the counter.

"Marcy, look at me," I said.

She poured herself a glass of juice. She turned to look out the window above the sink. I looked down at myself and saw that I was in my pajamas.

Someone took a deep breath and I looked up. My mom shuffled into the kitchen. She ran her hand through her short hair. She wears a voluminous sweater and a pair of jeans.

"Good morning, Marcy," she said.

She pulled out a chair and sat down at the small table in our kitchen.

Marcy turned, and she leaned against the counter.

"You look tired," Marcy said.

"Since Diana came back from the hospital, I couldn't sleep," she said. "I've been worried."

"Mom, she's going to learn to adapt."

"I heard her get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. The poor kid was running around. ”

I gasped for air, my chest was hot. My muscles felt like they were tightening and I was having trouble breathing.

Mom cried and buried her head in her hands. Marcy put down her glass and put her arms around her mother. I tried to get closer, but I got stuck on the floor.

"I miss my daughter," the mother cried. Marcy stroked her back. Marcy's tears ran down her cheeks. She bit her lip with her teeth and tried to control herself.

A thud came from above my head, and I heard uneven footsteps walking around the house.

"We need to stop," Marcy said. "Diana didn't know we were crying all the time. She's already upset about it. ”

Mom pulled away. She sniffed as she wiped away her tears. Marcy went back to drink her glass of orange juice. I tried to lift my feet off the floor but they got stuck?

As I watched my mom's lips tremble, I wanted to hold her in my arms. She held back her tears and closed her eyes.

"Good morning, Dee," Marcy said.

I looked at myself

Stand in the door frame. I was wearing my favorite concert shirt with my hair tied back at the back of my head. When I tried to enter the kitchen, my hand reached in front of me. My eyes are now replaced by two hollows. My eyes seemed to be gouging out, leaving only two black holes. The blackness in my eyes spread like vines to my face. Darkness entered my temples and ran down my chin.

I grabbed my feet again and tried to free them. I glanced down, and then I felt my heart fall in my chest. The veins in my arms blackened and crawled along all fours.

I opened my mouth to scream.

I woke up in a cold sweat. My clothes were soaking wet. I sat panting for air. The blanket twisted and wound around the bed. I looked around. Even though there are no windows to let the moonlight in, the silhouette of the furniture is clearly visible. I ran to the switch and turned on the light.

I hurried to the mirror. The eyes are still in my skull. The black veins from my dreams no longer spread over my skin. I leaned over to get a better view of my new green iris.

The large vertical slit in my pupils made me look like a stranger looking back at me.

What happens if I leave here? Will I go blind? And my family will have to take care of me. There are many blind people who can live a normal life!

The guilt of selfishness weighed on my heart. I really don't want to live like that!

What happens if I keep these eyes? I'd be a freak. I'm going to have to hide behind my sunglasses every day. Maybe you have to take medicine every day?!

I grabbed the knitted blanket from the bed and threw it on the mirror. I fixed it until it covered every piece of glass. I don't want to look at my own reflection. I don't want to see that stranger. I wanted to avoid the nightmare I was stuck into.

I'll turn off the lights and go to bed again. Pull the sheet over my head and curl up into a ball beside me. I want to fall back asleep,

But this is not possible. When I think about my future, I have a dull pain in my chest. Ben has been here for three years, so how long am I going to be here? If Vinnie hadn't been accepted into this club, he would have killed me?

I shed burning tears. Glide down my nose, down my cheek, and down to the bed.

How is he going to kill me? He's a doctor, so he must know a lot of methods. Will it be medicine? Will he inject air into my veins? What if he gets so angry at the rejection that he takes out his anger at me? What if he made me feel as much pain as possible? He will know how to keep me and keep me alive while he tortures me.

I don't know how long it took me to fall into deep thought. Footsteps came from the hallway. I took a deep breath and wiped away any tears that remained. I listened to the handle turn and the door creaked open.

"Diana," Winnie said.

I kept hiding under the sheets. He turned on the light, and the light shone through the thin sheets.

"Diana," he said again.

He reached down and pulled down the sheets. I glared at Vinnie. He wore a lab coat over a cardigan and jeans. "I have your good morning pills," he said.

Winnie looked around the room. He stopped when he saw the mirror covered with a blanket. He frowned.

"Why is the mirror obscured?" He asked.

"Take it out of my room," I said. "I don't want it."

"Why?"

"I don't like it."

Winnie grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the edge of the bed. My hands clenched into fists. I waved Winnie, but he grabbed my hand again. I kick. Winnie pulled me out of bed again. He let go of my fist and put his arm around me. I screamed and tried to pry his fingers open. He turned me around. He put one hand around my waist and the other by my throat. He held me tighter as he pushed me forward. My nails were digging deep into Winnie's fingers, but it made him clench tighter. There was only a trace of air entering my lungs, making my chest tense.

Winnie pushed me to the mirror. He let go of my throat and I gasped.

Winnie held me under my chin and forced me to look in the mirror. He forced me to take another step forward. The edge of the dresser dug into my hips.

Our reflection comes into focus. My face flushed and I continued to gasp for air. I didn't realize I was crying, but a few tears ran down my face. My hair fell out of my braids. Winnie held me in place, gritting his teeth. His glasses slipped down his nose. I grabbed his hand and tried to pull him away from my chin.

"Why don't you dare look at yourself?" He asked. "It's disgusting,"

I say. "Let me go!"

"Kitten, why can't you see?"

"You're sick."

"Look how beautiful you are." He clenched his hands. His warm fingers pressed into my flesh. "You should thank me"

I closed my eyes. I couldn't stand it anymore looking at my trembling, crying corpse.

"I hate you!" I called out.

"You're going to change your mind, soon," he said.

I shook my head. Winnie let go of me. I leaned against him, his arms no longer around me, and I collapsed to the floor.

I wanted to stay away from him until my back was pressed against the bed. I clasped my arms to my chest so that he wouldn't try to pull me back. I lifted my legs and pressed my forehead against my knees. I covered my mouth with my hand and tried to stop my sobbing.

Winnie crouched down. He put down a glass of water. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic cup.

"Stretch out your hand," he said. "I have medicine."

I held out a trembling hand. Winnie poured the medicine into my hand. Three pills in the palm of my hand. Just three pills to keep me alive?

The medicine was put in his mouth, and then he took a sip of water. Winnie smiled and stood up.

My eyes followed him as he walked out of the room. When I saw Ben standing in the doorway, my throat choked. He leaned against his chest and crossed his arms. How much did he see?

"It's your medicine, Ben," Winnie said.

Benn nodded, watched him go, and walked over. I quickly wiped the tears from my face. Ben knelt before me. My gaze was fixed on the dark spot on his arm.

He was the only one who knew what I was going through.

Suddenly, my arm wrapped around Ben's neck. His arm slid over my waist and pulled me closer to him. I buried my face in his neck. He peeked out of his collar and stuck the tip of his scales against my cheek. One of Ben's hands ran over my back and into my hair.

"We're never going to be normal," I said.

"I know," Ben said. "We must mourn what you have lost and learn to accept what they have given us. It's the only way to stay safe. ”

"I don't want to be like this."

"Me neither." Ben's grip on me tightened, and I could hear him take a deep breath. "We'll come up with a plan together."

"Escape plan?"

"Escape plan!"