As I reached the porch, I opened the door only to be greeted by a massive ball of fluff that almost tackled me to the ground. "ARTIE! Down girl, down!" I giggled, trying to get the dog off me. Suddenly, my mom rushed to the door, apologizing, "Sorry sweetie, she has been hyper all day and I can't do anything about it! Here, Artemis, come!" She held up a dog bone, and Artie quickly got off me and trotted over to her, panting and drooling. She dropped the bone at her feet, and Artie happily picked it up and made her way to the kitchen with it in her mouth. 

My mom looked after her and then turned to me, asking, "Anyway, how was your day, sweetheart?" "Alright," I replied, cutting the conversation short as she never pushed me any further. "Good, now can you help your dad with laundry? He has been doing chores all day and he needs a break," she said. "Why don't you help him?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "Because I need to make money for the family and make our meals!" I sighed. "Yes, okay, let me wash my face first." 

I headed to my room and set my bag on my bed before proceeding to my bathroom to wash my face. As the water ran, I looked in the mirror and noticed a bruise forming on my cheek. Of course, Mom did not notice it. She never did. I took off my makeup, revealing a scar on my nose. Suddenly, a flash of memory struck me: kids laughing, a sharp pain, a gleaming metal, and then a scream. Tears began to roll down my cheeks. I couldn't go back there. I had to stop remembering. This happened too often. Kids would bully me, physically and mentally. They called me weak because I wouldn't climb trees. They called me dumb because I forgot simple things. They called me ugly because they told me the truth. 

I lost control and punched the mirror, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. The sound of tinkling and bouncing glass filled the room like a wind chime. Suddenly, I heard someone yell from downstairs, "ARE YOU OK?" It was my mom. "I'm fine Mom!" I replied. I knew I was so stupid for doing that. I had to clean up the mess. I grabbed a dustpan and broom from the closet outside the bathroom and began sweeping up the glass. What was I going to do about the mirror? I didn't have a replacement. Maybe I could say I saw a bug and tried to hit it. I thought. 

I then proceeded downstairs, and as expected, my mom had earbuds in with music blasting so she did not notice me. When I reached the laundry room, I saw my dad closing the dryer. "Oh hey, Musume (daughter)! I just finished the laundry! Thanks for coming anyway!" My dad smiled at me. "Oh, alright," I replied. Before he could walk away, I said, "Um, Dad?" "Yes?" he replied. "I may have, um, broken the mirror..." "What?! How?! Are you okay?" He turned and rushed over to me. 

"I saw a bug that startled me, then I tried to whack it and broke it..." "Let me see your hand." He said. I then showed him my hand that I used to 'swat the bug,' only to realize that there was glass embedded in my skin near my knuckles and fingers. "Oh, Musume..." he gently rotated my hand and said, "Let me get the first aid." Then he rushed off to the kitchen. Without waiting for my dad, I went to my bathroom. He knew I would be there. I pulled myself onto the cold, smooth counter and waited. 

After a minute, my dad arrived bearing a first aid kit. After he treated my hand, he asked, "Better now?" "Much, thanks Dad," I smiled at him. "No problem Ohimesama (princess)." With that, he started to walk out, then turned around and said, "Also, don't worry about the mirror, I got it." He smiled and then left my room. I sighed mentally. Why did I let myself do that? I was so stupid. Now, he had to clean up my mess. 

I had to get out. I had to stop being a burden to my family. I planned my escape. I would wait until midnight. Unfortunately, our house had an alarm that would go off if you opened a door or window, but an easy way to fix that was to take the batteries out of the control panels. I began packing, grabbing some food I had stored in my in-room pantry, some water, some band-aids, a pocket knife, and a kitchen knife. Don't ask why those were in my room. Then, I grabbed a flashlight, ready to make my escape.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That night, I followed my customary routine of preparing for bed after dinner. Once my father bid me goodnight and departed, I lay awake anxiously, waiting for what felt like an eternity. As the clock struck midnight, I dressed with care and silently tiptoed past my parents' room before descending the stairs to reach the control panel. With utmost precision, I extracted the batteries and removed the cover to render it inoperative. Thereafter, I exited the house through the front door, ensuring to close it without creating any noise. As I began to run with all my might, suddenly, I lost consciousness. (FINISHED, MAY EDIT LATER)

As I take a deep breath, I realize the air is musty and stale. Moving around the room is difficult, and I can barely make out any details. I sense a looming shape lurking in the shadows, and I proceed cautiously, slowly moving toward it. When I finally reach it, I cautiously greet it with a simple "Hello?" but there is no response. I repeat myself, lengthening the vowel sound, and as I do so, I hear a clicking noise from behind me.

Without hesitation, I quickly turn around, and I notice a glimmer of light in the distance. It's a door! It's hard to see anything else, but I can sense that it's my way out of this dark and eerie room. I move towards the light, my heart pounding with fear and anticipation. As I get closer to the door, I realize that it's slightly ajar. I push it open and step out into a lit room, relieved to be out of the claustrophobic room.

As I glanced up, I noticed streams of light pouring into the room from windows situated far above my head. My surroundings immediately struck me as more spacious than the previous area. A quick scan around the room revealed that it was fully occupied by bunk beds, some of which had ropes tied to the railings and blood stains on the bedding. As I trod with caution down the dimly lit hallway, my eyes caught sight of a partially open door. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a thick rope tied tightly around the doorknob and something else on the opposite end, barring entry.

I began rummaging through the room for a tool to cut the rope. After a thorough search of all the top and bottom bunks, I eventually stumbled upon a knife with sinister-looking bloodstains on it. Despite the unsettling discovery, I deemed it sharp enough to get the job done and proceeded to cut the rope. As I opened the door, my heart skipped a beat as I caught a brief glimpse of something or someone walking down the corridor before suddenly vanishing into thin air.

As I stood there, my mind struggled to comprehend what had just happened. "What on earth..." I breathed. The scene before me was simply unbelievable. Memories of ghost stories about an abandoned house, where hapless souls disappeared into oblivion and were forever trapped within its walls, came rushing back with a vengeance. Fear and apprehension gripped me, as I wondered if I had unwittingly stumbled upon that fabled house of horrors.

As they moved from room to room, you followed them with your eyes, never once taking them off of the screen. You knew their routines, their habits, their likes and dislikes. You knew them better than they knew themselves.

But as the night wore on, your obsession with watching them grew stronger. You felt a sense of excitement as they moved closer and closer to the camera as if they could sense your presence. Eventually, they walked away. You kept following them, making sure they were not up to anything. To you, it looked like they were trying to find ways to escape. So you press a button, letting the beast free.

I knew that I needed to act quickly. I gathered my necessary belongings and started exploring my new surroundings. However, as I moved through the unfamiliar space, I noticed something strange. The place seemed much larger than it had before, and I couldn't find any windows. It was as if I had been transported to a basement or some other hidden space. As I continued to explore, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I was alone, in a strange new place, and I had no idea how I had gotten there.