Sera Awakens

The morning sun filtered through the blinds' crevices, creating a gentle glow on Sera's face. She was still in her pajamas rolling on her bed She moved, her eyes flickering awake to the harsh reality of the day. The events of yesterday were a haze, a hazy fog that obscured her memories. Her head throbbed with fierce, acute agony, like if a thousand needles had pierced her brain. She winced and clutched her head; the agony was excruciating. "What is this pain?" she said to herself, just above a whisper.

With a heavy sigh, she forced herself out of bed, her legs unsteady and feeble. She staggered out of her room and made her way into the living area. The image before her was all too familiar. Her father was passed out on the couch, still wearing his workplace attire from the day before. His tie was hastily knotted around his head, creating a makeshift bandana. The television was still on, and the flickering images threw an eerie light over his comatose body.

Sera felt a combination of frustration and anxiety. She approached her father, her headache becoming worse with each step. "Daddy, take a bath or something," she replied, her voice full of exasperation. But her protestations fell on deaf ears, as her father continued in his drunken stupor, oblivious to her pleadings.

A feeling of melancholy swept over her as she remembered her mother. Since her mother's death, her father had turned to drinking in an attempt to bury his emotions. The house, which had once been full of laughter and joy, was now a shell of its former self, serving as a continuous reminder of their loss. 

Sera felt a knot in her throat, and she again tells her father "Wake up and take a bath, I will prepare breakfast." She knew it was useless to try waking him up and rolled her eyes before heading to the restroom. She still felt that sharp pain in her head. She starts brushing her teeth her vision is a little blurry due to just waking up from sleep. Using her electric brush she cleans every crevice of her teeth after that, She strips down and takes a long, warm shower, letting the water run down her silky smooth, shoulder-length black hair and fair skin. After taking a bath she stood in front of the mirror, using a hair dryer to dry her hair. As the fog accumulated on the mirror, she wiped it away, her eyes widening in surprise. There was a blond strand 'Is this a blond!!! strand no no no no I'm not a delinquent I can't have a blond strand' She took scissors and cut down her blond strand she is still panting the fear and disgust in her eyes remained 'I will never be a delinquent' She looked into the mirror again there was another blond strand she cut it down another blond strand appeared. Her hair is becoming blonder by the second. Suddenly, memories of yesterday's traumatic experience start flooding back. She panics and exclaims, 'No, no, no! My hair is supposed to be black, not blond. I am not like Nero or those people.' She paused and thought 'Wait! what guys? that dream was real that monster was real it was all real?' 

"Hey, is the breakfast ready?" her father shouted loudly. Sera frantically grabbed a box of black hair color that belonged to her father, mixed it, and started applying it. She yelled back, "Wait a few minutes, I will be out soon." She washes her colored hair. Now, her blonde hair is black again. She starts drying her hair, then puts on her school uniform: a white shirt, tie, and short green skirt. 

She then makes an omelet and toast for breakfast, serving two plates for herself and her father. She yelled, "Hey old man, breakfast is ready," but didn't receive a response. She went to investigate the living room. Her father was now passed out. She gave up on him and went back to the kitchen to eat her breakfast. She took her bag and looked at herself in the mirror. She noticed a few blonde strands and decided to put on a hat. 

Sera walks towards school, uneasy about her blonde hair and a sharp headache. She is sweating profusely, and memories of yesterday's incident are resurfacing as she walks on the road where the incident took place. 'That monster tried to kill me and Mika. The blue-haired guy saved us! Is he dead? Nero saved us!' She kept walking increasing her pace and her heart rate every second she stayed at that route she walked steadily towards her school. She let out a huge sigh of relief. Her breathing and heart rate finally reaching normal she kept fixing her hat 'I can't wear this hat in class! What should I do?' She was puzzled. She removed her hat and put it on again. 'OK, let's see what happens. I will tell the teacher that I had a bad haircut or something. I hope she understands.' As she walks through the school hallway, she feels the unwanted gaze of her classmates. One of her senior male classmates was talking to his friend, and she knew they were talking about her. She ignored everyone and went straight to her classroom. She saw her friend Mika sitting at her desk, waving at her. She rushed to the desk beside Mika still panting and sweating "Mika, do you remember what happened last night?" Mika looked confused. "We stayed at school until evening and then went home." Seras' face turned pink and her cheeks flushed as she squinted her eyes. "Don't you remember anything about Nero, that blonde guy, or that monster attacking us?" Mika smiled at her with a reassuring look and said, "Did you have a nightmare? There's nothing like a monster. And about Nero, just leave him alone. He hasn't come to school today, maybe he's sick. I should visit him after school." Mika had a perplexed expression on her face. "What the hell is going on?" she wondered. Everything around her appeared normal, including the structures and roads, but for some reason, she was the only one who remembered anything. To make things even stranger, her hair was turning blond. Suddenly, the headache she had been experiencing reached its peak, causing her to pass out in her seat.