2026.
Pretty early in the morning, the sky was dark and gloomy. As rain poured torrentially, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed. A chillness permeated the atmosphere, a direct result of the weather.
"Mmmmmm..."
Nova moaned in satisfaction, clutching her soft blanket tightly. The warmth made her dread the thought of waking. The rhythmic, relentless patter of raindrops on the windowpanes elevated her enjoyment. She swiftly wheeled around, snuggling deeper under her cozy blanket, ready to relish the moment even more. However...
"BEEEEP!!!"
The alarm atop the bedside table rang abruptly.
It was exactly 6:00 AM.
Nova's heart lurched in frustration, annoyance coursing through her veins. Without a second thought, she shot out her arm and smacked the snooze button with a thud. For a moment, the chillness seeped through her flesh, but her hand warmed once she withdrew it under the blanket. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the embrace of heat her body emitted...
"BEEEEP!!!"
"Uuughhhh..."
It was already 6:10 AM, and the alarm clock was buzzing again. Nova felt as though a second had barely elapsed since snoozing it. With each vibration, her mind swelled with fury. She hastily slammed her palm on the snooze button, retreating back to her heavenly comfortable cocoon. With her arms sandwiched between her warm thighs, she let out a soft, contented sigh and surrendered herself to the blissful swaddle of her bed...
"BEEEEP!!!"
"Fuck!" Nova snarled, grabbing the clock tightly with trembling hands. With her nose scrunched up in disgust, she hurled the clock against the wall. "Rot in hell!" The impact made a satisfying "CRACK!" as the alarm fell silent. Smirking, Nova nestled back under the covers, satisfied she had finally conquered the evil device.
Outside, the downpour remained unrelenting, the thunder and lightning persistent. With the pestering noise of the clock dealt with, the victor slumbered profoundly, savoring the fruits of her conquest.
After a while...
"Ding-dong!"
"Ding-dong!"
"Ding-dong!"
The doorbell rang once, twice, three times. At first, Nova heard it only as a distant, muffled buzz, like a mosquito in her ear. But as it rang a third time, the sound grew louder, more insistent, until finally it pierced through the fog of her sleep, rousing her from her slumber.
Her eyes fluttered open, squinting against the bright sun rays that percolated into the room through the windows.
"No way...!" she exclaimed, frantically brushing aside the blanket. Her head instinctively pivoted to the bedside table where her alarm clock usually rested. However, she was greeted by mocking emptiness.
"Damn! Who took the clock?!"
Like a rabbit, she leapt out of bed, scurrying disoriented around the room. Then, as if possessed, she abruptly halted, stroking her fingers through her hair. With her eyebrows knitted, she remained still, desperately racking her brain for a distant memory. Throughout the turmoil, the doorbell's ringing remained unrelenting.
After a moment, Nova wheeled around and headed back to the bed. "Where are you? Where are you?" She carelessly tossed the pillows away, one after another. Beneath the last one, she found what she had been seeking. Her cellphone. She quickly grabbed it, turning it on with familiar dexterity. Her gaze bored onto the screen's single focal point, the center.
'8:45 AM'
"I overslept? Impossible!"
In fifteen minutes, the first period of school was going to start. To make it to school on time, she had to truncate her morning routine to five minutes, using the other ten minutes for bus transport. She was certain it was practically impossible to get all these things done in such a span of time.
What was she even thinking, studying until late at night?
"Ding-dong!"
The jarring sound of the doorbell vibrated through the atmosphere once more, snapping her out of her reverie. Her mind swirled with possibilities of who it might be, but all she could conjure was blankness.
At the moment, she was all alone in the house. Her parents had left quite early for work, even before her alarm clock went off.
The doorbell continued ringing, and she found the sound irritating. Despite not having the slightest idea who it might be, she began walking out of her bedroom. Nothing irked her more than having to deal with strangers at the door.
On her way out, her foot unwittingly hit the clock, and in turn, it rolled down under the bed. She briefly ceased her progress, her eyes darting down across the floor. Yet, she couldn't see the object.
The persistent doorbell rang again, prompting her to storm out of the chamber in a huff.
"I'm not deaf!"
She walked through the hallway and descended the staircase to the living room to confront the caller, disgruntled.