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Click!

The front door swung shut with a quiet snap. The girl slipped off her shoes and stepped into the kitchen, just a few feet from the entrance.

She set her wallet on the counter, her eyes catching the memo resting on the table. After a quick glance, she moved to the fridge, pulling out a carton of apple juice with aloe vera.

Memo: Honey, I won't be coming home again tonight. I've transferred some money to your account, so please make sure you eat. I'm sorry, again.

(You don't have to apologize, she thought bitterly. You won't be home tomorrow either...) The girl murmured under her breath.

Her mother was the only family she had left in the world, and as much as she wanted to ask her to stay, she knew she couldn't be selfish. Her mother's work was important.

With a soft sigh, she climbed the stairs to her room, collapsing onto her queen-sized bed, surrounded by fluffy teddy bears and pillows.

"Hmm... where should I go next?" she whispered to herself, closing her eyes.

Tap tap tap.

The rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed, each step measured and precise, like a model striding confidently down a runway.

Tap tap tap.

She approached the floating cubes that drifted lazily around the room.

The space was vast, blank, as though she were the only living soul in an endless void. Her right hand reached out, fingertips brushing lightly against one of the cubes. With a single swipe-

Hundreds of images burst into view, holograms floating in the air like fragments of distant memories.

She scanned the scenes, her gaze wandering from one to another, until her attention was drawn to a single video suspended not far from where she stood.

"This is it," she whispered. "I've never tried this mission before."

Her hand hovered over the hologram.

As her index finger made contact with the screen, a blinding white light erupted, pulling her in, as though the screen itself was swallowing her whole.

Her body floated weightlessly, slowly dissolving into the image, until there was nothing left of her.

All that remained was the screen, flickering softly in the stillness, before the space plunged into darkness.