Two Faces in the Dark

"Ms. Parker!" I couldn't take it anymore, so I interrupted her. "Don't say things like that in the middle of the night."

Knowing that she had run her mouth, Emily laughed wryly and left after telling us to sleep early. The room quieted down after she left. Queenie and Madison were so scared that they hid under their blanket and refused to peek their heads out.

Leah was scared out of her wits. She crawled to my bedside and shook my arm. "Julia, c-can I sleep with you? I'm scared."

Seeing how pale she was, I couldn't bring myself to refuse. I couldn't abandon her in a situation like this.

"Fine. Get in." I rolled my eyes and made space for her.

Leah looked at me like I had given her the world. I could feel how cold her limbs were when she crawled into my bed.

I didn't know if it was because I was sharing a bed with another person, but I couldn't sleep. After some time, I felt something moving beside me while I was half-conscious.

It was Leah. She was gently patting me down as if searching for something. Her cold fingers brushed my neck and arms before stopping at my face.

Her touch annoyed me, so I instinctively pushed her face away. But when my hand touched her face, I immediately jolted awake.

What I touched wasn't a lady's smooth skin, but a rough, uneven thing that felt like a centipede above her eye! It felt like a wound that had been ripped open after it had healed. It was also wet.

I shrieked, pushed her away, and fell out of my bed. It shocked everyone awake.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you okay, Julia?"

Madison and Queenie quickly turned on their phones' flashlights. The light illuminated the room.

Still shaken, I slowly looked up and saw Leah sitting on my bed innocently. She looked at me with bleary eyes.

"What's the matter, Julia?" she asked worriedly and yawned.

Stunned, I stared at her eye. "Y-Your face…" I pointed at her and said, my voice trembling.

"What's wrong with my face?" Confused, Leah touched her face.

Queenie jumped out of bed to help me up. She grumbled, "Julia, did you have a nightmare? If I get one more jumpscare tonight, my soul is going to leave my body."

Was it a nightmare? But it felt so real!

Leah also got out of bed. She patted my back gently.

"It's okay now. It must've been a nightmare. How about I go back to sleeping in my own bed so you won't get another scare?"

Seeing the sincere and innocent look on her face, I started to doubt my perception for once. Was I hallucinating because I was too restless?