Abyss.

Smoke filled the house,red flames licked the walls,painting the room in chaos.A woman's cries pierced the air. I lay in the floor, helpless,suffocating. I wanted to move, to scream,to escape..but my body refused. Frozen. Trapped.

Then, as if someone heard my silent pleas, I was lifted,carried. The people who had come to help were pulling me from the fire. Our house was burning, I could hear her crying, calling my name as she was thanking the Gods that I was alive. Then the ceiling began to collapse. Muffled screams echoed in the distance. I tried to lift my head,to see,to understand, then…

With a quick jolt, I opened my eyes.

It was a dream. A nightmare that never left.

I sat up, drenched in sweat, my breath ragged.My heartbeat pounded so loud it echoed in the quiet room.

“These fucking nightmares” I muttered, glancing at my cat, who stared at me blankly from the edge of the bed. “Not helping, huh? Of Course not,it's a cat Isabelle.”

I scratched her neck as I usually do. She responded with a soft, “Meow.”

“Yeah girl, I am hungry too.”

I looked over at the TV,casting a pale blue light across the white walls which was playing a toothpaste commercial,annoyingly cheerful.

I grabbed my phone,and the screen blinked 20:00pm.

“En serio?” (seriously?) I groaned. “Guess I'll be up till midnight.”

I'd been asleep since the afternoon. Now it was evening and I hadn't eaten. I shuffled to the kitchen to find the empty shelves,no food.

“Perfecto, I forgot to go shopping. Bravo, Isabelle.” I muttered under my breath.

Just then,a news anchor's voice caught my ear.

“The business world mourns the loss of the legendary CEO, Mr. Eduardo Banderas, founder of Banderas Étoile. The global luxury jewelry empire.”

I grabbed a glass of water and moved to the sofa,remote in hand, turning up the volume.

“Mr Banderas, aged 70, passes away peacefully this afternoon after a private battle with pancreatic cancer.”

The screen switched to a somber press room. Behind a marble podium stood Giovanni Banderas,tall and composed in a sharp black suit, facing the camera.His deep brown eyes,usually unreadable, glisten with restrained emotions.

“My father built Banderas Étoile with his bare hands and relentless position.He wasn't just a businessman,he was-”

Click. click-click, camera shutters begin snapping like soft rain,relentless.

“He was a visionary who turned raw diamonds into legacy.I stand here not to replace him,but to honor everything he was.”

Click. click-click

“And I promise in my life that his vision will not die with him.”

He lowered his gaze. The room fell silent. The world holds its breath.

“That must be hard..” I murmured softly.

“And I am so hungry.” I added,dragging myself off the couch. The emotional moment dissolved into the very human reality of starvation. I reached for my phone, deciding food would fix atleast one of my problems.

Ding.ding ding.

Notifications erupted on my screen like an angry swarm.I'd been offline for almost two days straight. Well,depression will