"Emily, the guests are arriving!", my father exclaimed from upstairs.
"We're coming downstairs!", I replied, smiling at my mother after we hugged.
"Would you like me to help you with your dress?", my mother asked kindly.
"Yes"
In five minutes, we managed to finish dressing with my mother's help; alone, it probably would have taken me half an hour.
I quickly went downstairs to the main entrance to wait for my guests.
Standing in front of the door, I watched as the sparkles of light from the chandelier illuminated everything around me, including me.
"You look beautiful", my mother said, following me downstairs.
After a few minutes, the doorbell rang, and several of my guests began to arrive.
Classmates, some teachers, my friends, members of the sports clubs, they all wished me a happy birthday and brought gifts of varying sizes.
My friends accompanied me to welcome guests, guiding them around the house and showing them the different spaces.
While I attended to the people I had invited directly, my parents welcomed my friends' parents, as well as some teachers and other personal guests.
Occasionally, they brought me along so I could greet their guests and chat a bit. However, I found those interactions boring.
"Are you almost graduating? ... Time flies so fast!"
"What would you like to study next?"
"You look beautiful, just like your mother... It's a good thing you don't look like your father, hahaha"
"Do you have a boyfriend, or is your father very strict? Haha"
"Can I introduce you to my nephew?"
"Do you have good grades?"
The conversations repeated themselves endlessly, almost seeming unhealthy. I reached a point where I responded automatically.
"Mom, I need to go with my guests", I said in a low, urgent tone.
"Okay, we won't bother you anymore", she commented, noticing my discomfort, as she gently stroked my face.
"Mom, the makeup", I said ironically as I walked away.
I approached the group my classmates had formed and led them on a tour of the house, where we would do different activities.
We would watch movies in a theater located on the third floor.
We would sing in a karaoke room.
We had a basketball court in the yard.
There was even a room for video games.
"I hope this will be enough to entertain you all", I thought as I began to guide everyone through the house.
Half an hour later.
"Ugh... I'm so tired", I exclaimed, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
In just half an hour, I walked up and down the stairs more than five times.
It's not that I lack stamina, but all that walking has left me more exhausted than I'd imagined.
I tried not to sweat at all so I wouldn't ruin my makeup.
Just like going up and down, I had to be very careful with my dress and hair.
On several occasions, classmates almost spilled their drinks on me or splashed me with their food.
"Are they doing this intentionally?", I wondered at one point.
"Even if they aren't, I'll get revenge on them in class", I thought with determination, or rather, with a desire for revenge.
"Fuuu... breathe, calm down... fuuu... You can do it", I repeated to myself, trying to calm my nerves.
"Emily, can we watch another movie?", one of the boys on the track team asked.
"What happened to the one you were enjoying?", I replied, sounding a little annoyed, although I masked it with a big smile.
"It was boring. We want to watch something zombie-themed... maybe REC or WWZ", he replied casually. "Are you saying The Shawshank Redemption is a boring movie?", I questioned incredulously. "How can he claim that movie isn't interesting?", I mused as I stared at him.
His words almost seemed like an insult. I know people my age spends their time watching short videos, and I enjoy them too, but calling this movie boring was just too much.
"Fuuu… why did I get so mad?", I muttered in frustration. "I'll talk to my dad and see if he has the movie; if not, we'll have to connect the screen to a streaming platform", I told him.
"Thanks, Emily", he replied as he headed upstairs.
Wasting no time, I went to the backyard to look for my father. While I was looking for him, I remembered how tired I was and how a companion, anyone, could have helped me carry that load. Besides, my mom mentioned she would invite someone to be my companion.
"Anyone would do… Although I'd rather not be old", I thought as I approached.
When I was a few steps away from my father, I saw the person he was talking to. He was a young man, very well dressed. However, while my father spoke to him with great closeness and affection, he completely ignored him.
"How dare he neglect my father?", I thought angrily.
I wanted to go over and say something to him, but as I looked at his face, my thoughts quickly changed.
His face, which had seemed calm and collected, showed a very different expression. His eyes looked lost, as if he were overwhelmed by all his problems at once. One moment he seemed to be thinking, and then his expression turned to one of intense fear.
He looked around as if this were the last party he'd ever attended, or as if everything surrounding my party was trivial. His expressions intrigued me, but since I didn't know him, I decided not to think about it much further.
"Dad! If you didn't allow me to bring someone to keep me company, at least you could be the one to keep me company, don't you think?", I rebuked him as I approached, although I decided to speak in a low tone so only, we could hear. "Emily! I thought you were with your friends. Where are they?", he questioned, trying to change the subject.
"Don't derail the conversation. I had a lot of friends I could have invited to join me, and now I'm alone. So, you'll have to be by my side all night", I replied, pretending to be angry.
"Hahaha… You shouldn't trust men too much, Emily. They're dangerous", he said, laughing as he looked at the man next to him, who now looked much calmer than before.
"It's just a birthday party! … So, you'll come with me, right?", I said, annoyed.
"I know, but I don't trust those young guys. They can be quite impulsive… Besides, I found the perfect person to accompany you", he said with a mysterious smile.
"I don't think it's some guy who works for you, right?", I asked suspiciously.
"It's nothing like that", my father replied with an embarrassed look.
"What time will he arrive?", I asked, although I already suspected it would be the man next to him.
"No need to worry, he's already here… This is Alex, he'll be your date for the rest of the day", he said, pointing to the man I assumed would be my date.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Emily", Alex said as he greeted me.
"Hi, Alex… I hope my father didn't force you to come", I said to Alex, as if I suspected him and my father.
"Of course not. I really wanted to come and help in any way I could. Of course, I also agreed to be your date", Alex said in a friendly tone.
Our interaction seemed surreal considering the state of mind he seemed to be trying to hide earlier.
Now he seemed much calmer. I even felt that as we talked more and more, he seemed to be getting used to interacting with me, as if we'd already met at some point in our lives.
After the introductions, I dragged him along to help me with my guests.
At first, I thought I'd ruin it, but every time he didn't seem to fit in, he managed to come up with some witty comment that included him in my group as if it were only natural for him to be with us.
Another thing that surprised me was that no matter how many times I asked him for things that didn't seem to fit his personality, he did them anyway.
He played with my teammates on the basketball court or on video games in the game room.
He sang with us in the karaoke room.
He helped me by carrying drinks and food to the different rooms where my friends were hanging out.
He even took pictures with my friends, who found him quite attractive.
"How can they act like this with someone they just met?", I asked myself, annoyed, watching my friends get too close to Alex.
Some of them hugged him as if it were natural, so I had to intervene. He didn't seem bothered, but I could tell from his expression that he was uncomfortable.
Several hours later.
Almost all my classmates had left and so had my friends.
We spent the whole night having fun.
I sang, danced, and at one point even played basketball with everyone.
Alex was a great companion; you could tell he wasn't used to it, but he did his best.
I'd been looking for him for a few minutes. For a moment, I thought he'd left without saying goodbye. Although, thinking back, it seems he'd already said goodbye to everyone a few minutes ago.
Just as I walked past my father's office, I heard Alex's voice. Out of curiosity, I eavesdropped again, although this time it would be more difficult, since the door was completely closed.
"Just rumors"
"I'm more worried now"
"Last time"
"Gray zones… Wars… Restricted materials… The pandemic"
"Military installations… Resources"
I listened for a minute, but all I could hear was my father's voice, and I could only make out fragments. Alex's voice was barely audible.
It seemed like they were both talking about something quite important, judging by their tone and the seriousness with which they spoke. However, the little I heard was just nonsense.
I didn't understand how all of this fit together. I even thought about the call my father had made with Alex this morning, but I couldn't deduce anything reasonable.
"Global level... Military... Product caravans"
"Restricted materials... 2 months ago... War... Preparation"
"Too late"
"Remedies... Essential products... Buying weapons... Worse than before"
As I continued listening, I became more and more confused. Just from what my father said, Alex was involved in a lot of dangerous things. However, I doubted my reasoning because Alex didn't seem like that kind of person.
"You're joking, right?", my father asked aloud.
This was the first full sentence I'd heard, and my father sounded quite scared.
"Do you know when this will all start?"
"Prepare supplies… This house"
"What's wrong with this house?"
"Attacking each other"
"I can't believe it… Holding on for a long time… family"
"What do you mean?"
"You're right… Fear… Ideas"
I continued listening carefully, but I couldn't fully understand. Even if I managed to piece together the entire conversation with a few assumptions, the result seemed unreasonable.
"If it's what I think, they're talking about a war that could affect us or perhaps another pandemic", I mused, trying to guess the most illogical thing I could think of.
Just as I was about to continue listening, I noticed they were already preparing to leave, so I quickly ran to hide in a nearby room.
I heard them leave the office and go down the stairs while they chatted in a more cheerful mood. It almost seemed as if what they discussed in the office had never happened, but I knew from my father's tone that the conversation was important.
"Dad, what did you and Alex talk about?", I asked when I noticed Alex had already left.
"It's nothing", he said, trying to hide his concern behind a smile.
"So why were you so worried?", I asked him directly. "Don't lie to me", I warned him when I noticed he was about to make an excuse.
"Alex, he's worried about a new pandemic… Although, I think it's just a simple fever they found in another country, nothing to worry about", he said, trying to dismiss Alex's worries.
"It's late, you should go to bed… Your mom and I will take care of the rest", he said when I was about to ask him a few more questions.
"Okay, rest, Dad… And thank you so much for everything", I said, blowing him a kiss.
"You're welcome, Emily", he said with a big smile.
| ---------------------------------------|
Emily's Diary
Date: November 7, 2026 (midnight)
----
The birthday party was a success.
I expected there to be some inconvenience, but none occurred.
I won't be bothering my father for a few days.
My friends had a great time.
Alex was very helpful.
Alex... Alex is a mystery.
He seems like an ordinary person, but there are times when he seems distant.
Is Alex involved in something risky?
A pandemic?
A strange fever?
Everything seems suspicious.
My father seemed worried.
Should I be alarmed?
.
----
.
[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
Here's a new chapter, with a bit more excitement and some important details.
Emily is a young woman who is quite superficial, but it seems it's all an act.
In the next chapter, we'll see what happens days before it all begins, obviously from the perspective of a student.
Read my other novels
#The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future.
#Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time.
You can find them on my profile.]