Time Within Darkness

1 During an escape room game, my boyfriend and my best friend left me locked inside a coffin. They promised it would only be ten minutes. They said they would solve the final puzzle and come right back to let me out. But I ended up counting fifty blocks of ten minutes. Over eight hours in the dark. When the heavy wooden lid finally creaked open, it wasn't Marcus or Ella waiting outside. It was a panicked, apologetic employee. Night had fallen by the time I stepped out of the venue. I called Marcus, and his voice on the other end was breezy, utterly unbothered. "Honestly, it slipped my mind." "Nora, you’re so dense. If we didn't show up, you should’ve just climbed out yourself." Yet, on Ella's Instagram, a photo of her and Marcus at Disneyland told a completely different story. Underneath their bright, smiling faces, the caption read: Ditched the scaredy-cat. Best day ever! In the bottom corner of the image, two annual passes peeked out of her purse. During my three years with Marcus, both he and Ella, who absolutely loved adrenaline rushes, had never ridden a single roller coaster or watched a single horror movie. They always claimed it was to protect my weak heart. I used to think it was a beautiful sacrifice, a testament to their love and care. Now, I realized it was just a quiet resentment they had wrapped up in a pretty bow. I stared at the Live Photo on my screen, watching the two of them scream with pure thrill as the coaster dropped. Then, I opened my email inbox and pulled up an old message: an offer from a prestigious research institute in London. They wouldn't have to hold themselves back for me anymore. Sitting on a bench outside the escape room venue, I stared at Ella's post. A mutual friend had commented: You guys go like a dozen times a year and still aren't sick of it? I had never seen a single one of those trips on my feed. They had blocked me from seeing their stories for years. Marcus and Ella finally called me back, claiming they had received a last-minute job interview invite and completely lost track of time. "Nora, go wait for us at the diner next door," Marcus urged. "We're on our way now." That "now" took another two hours. When they finally burst through the diner doors, panting and offering hurried apologies, they blamed the traffic. I kept my eyes on my lap. I had checked the navigation maps minutes ago; the roads were entirely clear. Two hours was exactly enough time for them to squeeze in one last ride before leaving the theme park. At the table, they ordered a massive spread of my favorite mild, healthy dishes. But neither of them touched a single bite. They hated bland food. Halfway through the meal, they exchanged a quick look. "Your heart might be acting up from the scare earlier, Nora," Marcus said, standing up. "I'll run to the pharmacy and grab your meds." Ella stood up right after him. "And I drank way too much water. I need to use the restroom." I watched them disappear around the corner, heading straight for the hot wing joint next door. When they returned ten minutes later, Ella's lips were swollen and bright red. Marcus's nose was flushed from the heat. I waved down our waiter. "Could we get two cans of ice-cold Coke, please?" They both froze. I pushed the cans toward them, my voice completely flat. "On the house. The restaurant gave them to us because we hit the minimum spend." Only then did their shoulders drop, their expressions relaxing. On the drive home, Marcus checked the health data synced from my smartwatch. When he saw my heart rate had spiked to 180 beats per minute inside the coffin, his brow furrowed in annoyance. He turned to Ella, his voice sharp with blame. "This is on you. Why did you insist on bringing Nora to an escape room?" "You're the one who agreed to it!" Ella shot back. "Stop," I whispered. "I won't go again." Only then did they quiet down. The truth was, I had begged them for months to let me join them just this once. Usually, they spent days planning our outings, filtering out anything even remotely risky. No hiking near steep cliffs, no horror movies, and strict dietary checks. Everything exciting was a forbidden zone. Whenever I told them they didn't need to baby me, they would say in unison: "No way! We're a team, everyone has to have fun." I had believed them. Now I realized I was just a chore they had to manage. Back at our shared apartment, Ella's tote bag was slumped on the sofa. A furry blue monster headband peeked out of the half-open zipper. It was a character from a popular animated movie. It suddenly clicked. A few days ago, Marcus had tried on a goofy, matching blue monster hoodie, checking himself out in the mirror and asking me if he looked handsome. He was usually so serious, yet he had posed in that childish hoodie for twenty minutes. It matched Ella's headband perfectly. Leaving me behind hadn't been a sudden mistake. It was a carefully orchestrated date. I told Marcus to make sure Ella got home safely and went straight to my room. But Marcus didn't even wait a minute before slipping in after me. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, his touch familiar and suffocating. As he did, his phone screen lit up on the nightstand. A notification popped up: Your booking for the tandem skydiving experience is confirmed. See you soon! The date was our fifth anniversary. The next second, Marcus whispered into my hair, "Nora, I have to head back to my hometown on our anniversary. Family stuff." "What a coincidence," I said softly. "I have plans that day too." "We'll make up for it later, okay?" I didn't answer. My plans for that day involved going to the consulate to secure my visa. There would be no "later" for us. The next afternoon, feeling guilty, they suggested a movie night at home to keep me company. They chose a slow, artsy drama. Twenty minutes in, Marcus was yawning continuously, and Ella was scrolling through her phone. Every now and then, they would lean in close, whispering and giggling at something on her screen. When I got up to get a glass of water, I heard Ella whisper, "This movie is agonizing." "Just hang in there," Marcus murmured, rubbing her shoulder. "You know Nora can't handle anything intense. Next month, we'll do the skydiving trip. Did you watch the video I sent you?" Ella nodded eagerly. "Yes! It looks insane. We should sneak away for it the next time we take her hiking." Hiking. Over the years, we had gone to parks and nature trails. But every single time, the two of them would fall behind. Marcus would claim he was looking for a beautiful leaf to give me. Ella would say she was chasing away bugs. I had always slowed my pace, waiting for them to catch up, only for them to return empty-handed and breathless. They had been using every spare second to slip away and chase the cheap thrills they denied themselves around me. I walked back into the living room and said, "I'm feeling a bit tired. I think I'll head to bed. Why don't you guys put on something you actually like?" Marcus's face instantly cleared. Within minutes, the low, creepy soundtrack of a bloody slasher film echoed through the apartment. I shut my bedroom door, blocking out their laughter, and opened my laptop. I pulled up the email from the London research institute. I typed a quick reply to the HR coordinator: Hello, my visa appointment is booked. I look forward to joining the team as soon as possible. They replied almost instantly, confirming my start date. A knock sounded on my door. Marcus walked in carrying a mug of warm herbal tea, perfectly brewed. He was always so attentive. But my eyes drifted past him to the living room table. There sat a massive pitcher of rum and coke alongside boxes of blazing hot takeout, dripping with spicy red oil. Bold, fiery, and exciting. Meanwhile, my tea was tepid, bland, and safe. "I know you don't like spicy food, so I didn't ask," Marcus said, noticing my gaze. "It's fine," I murmured. He squeezed my hand. "Let's go hiking this weekend. Didn't you want to visit the historic chapel on the mountain to draw a fortune slip?" I had wanted to go for months. With graduation approaching, I wanted to pray for their career success, to pray that the three of us would never grow apart. But they had always claimed they were too busy with job interviews, pretending to be stressed out and exhausted. Now, they suddenly had time. I knew why. The mountain had recently opened a new cliffside rappelling course. Looking at his gentle smile, I said, "Okay." Only this time, the wish wouldn't be for them. On Saturday, we drove to the mountain. Marcus packed everything with his usual meticulous care: bug spray, rain ponchos, and snacks. He handed me an insulated bag with four sandwiches he had made. "Keep these in here. They'll last a couple of days." "I thought we'd be back by noon?" I asked. Marcus stiffened slightly, then recovered with a quick laugh. "Just in case you want to feed the stray dogs on the trail." When Ella arrived, she twirled me around. "Nora! You look beautiful in that pastel pink set I bought you!" It was a soft, pale pink. She had told me it matched my gentle personality and that we had matching sister outfits. But Ella wasn't wearing hers today. She was dressed in bright, neon orange. When Marcus walked out of his room, he was wearing the exact same shade of vibrant orange. Ella playfully punched his arm. "Copycat! Why are you wearing orange? You look ridiculous." "You're the one who looks like a neon traffic cone," Marcus joked back. Same brand, same glaring color. I looked at them. "Do you guys not like the shirts I bought you? I've never seen you wear them." Their laughter died instantly. "They're in the wash," Marcus stammered. "They're too nice to ruin on a dusty hike," Ella chimed in. The same old excuses. I used to think it was just bad timing. Now I knew they simply hated my taste, yet they had pretended to love the gifts anyway. Before I could think further, they pulled me out the door. The front passenger seat had always been my spot. It had the soft, light-colored seat covers I liked and the plush toys Marcus had won for me. He had even started the AC before we got in. It was perfect care, but it felt hollow. In the back seat, Ella cracked open a cold beer and popped some spicy chips. She gasped from the heat, complaining, "Your driving is awful today, Marcus." "Still better than yours," Marcus snapped. "Remember last time when we..." He stopped abruptly. The car fell dead silent. Another "last time" I was never told about. I stared out the window. Soon, a massive billboard for the mountain rappelling course flashed by. "They opened rappelling up there," I murmured. "Do you guys want to try?" They answered almost in unison. "No way," Marcus said, squeezing my hand. "It's too dangerous. Your heart couldn't handle it." "We're here for you today, Nora," Ella added, leaning forward. "Don't worry about us." But as we started up the trail, their minds were clearly elsewhere. Their eyes kept darting to the directional signs for the rappelling ledge. Halfway up, Marcus used his usual routine. "There might be snakes ahead. I'll go scout the trail." Ella immediately chimed in. "I'm parched. I'll run back down to the trail shop and grab us some water." They vanished down the side path with practiced ease. This time, I didn't stand there waiting. I turned and walked up toward the chapel alone. By the time I came out of the chapel, a torrential downpour had started. I pulled on the rain poncho Marcus had packed, but the wind was too strong, and within minutes, I was soaked to the bone. The mountain path became a muddy slide, and my foot slipped, twisting my ankle with a sharp crack of pain. Limping, I made my way down to the mid-mountain medical station. Near the rappelling platform, I saw two figures in bright orange suits, locked in a tight, joyous embrace before leaping off the ledge together. Their wild laughter echoed through the rain. They looked so light, so free. And I felt so heavy. Why couldn't they just tell me the truth? Why did they have to construct an elaborate cage of lies just to spare my feelings? A rushed tourist accidentally collided with me, knocking the fortune card I had drawn from my hand. It fell into a puddle, turning into a soggy mess of paper. I knelt in the mud, desperately trying to piece the fragments back together, my tears mixing with the rain. My eyes burned far worse than my swollen ankle. Suddenly, a hand gripped my shoulder. I looked up to see Marcus and Ella. Marcus scooped me up, his voice trembling. "Why did you wander off? We told you to wait!" Ella held a bottle of juice, her clothes caked in mud. "Nora, we went back and you were gone! You scared us to death!" Her eyes were red, spilling over with real tears. But as I looked past them, I saw the two people in orange walking down from the rappelling landing zone. They were complete strangers. Marcus hoisted me onto his back. "Forget the ruined card. I'll carry you back up to get a new one." He began trudging back up the muddy trail, Ella hovering close by, her eyes glued to me. Inside the smoky, quiet chapel, my hands shook as Marcus handed me the wooden canister of wishing sticks. I closed my eyes, gave it a gentle shake, and a single slip fell to the floor. It was the worst possible omen. I didn't ask the monk to translate it. I slipped it into my pocket and walked out to find Marcus and Ella, who were whispering near the courtyard. "Nora has been acting strange lately," Ella whispered. "She even asked about the rappelling. I knew she'd come looking for us." "Thank god we took the cable car down right after we finished," Marcus replied, sounding relieved. "Otherwise, she would have caught us red-handed." "Paying those two strangers to wear our orange gear was genius," Ella giggled quietly. "Now she'll just think she's being paranoid. She won't doubt us again." My fingernails dug deep into my palms. I said nothing, turning back toward the main hall. When they caught up with me, they eagerly asked what my fortune said. I pulled out the slip and handed it to them. A shared path cannot stretch a thousand miles; this lifetime is destined for an early parting. Their faces went pale. "This is garbage!" Marcus hissed, crumpling the paper into a tight ball. Ella hugged me tightly, her voice shaking. "Nora, I'm never letting you go." I only murmured, "Let's head down. We need to pack for the move." They had both signed with the same company in San Diego. They claimed they had turned down prestigious offers in Boston just so I could live in a milder, warmer climate. I had told them they didn't have to, but they had ignored me, already planning out our lives. They discussed which neighborhood we'd live in, what style of furniture to buy, and which local spots to visit. They had even chosen a job for me: a braindead, dead-end desk job at a tiny local firm. "We'll take care of you," Marcus had said, ruffling my hair with patronizing affection. "You don't need to stress yourself out." They seemed to forget that I had graduated at the top of my class, winning the university's highest honors. Multiple top-tier firms had fought to recruit me. On moving day, they insisted I rest and handle none of the heavy lifting. They packed my things with extreme care and loaded them into the truck. But when they slammed the truck doors shut and drove off, they didn't even notice I wasn't in the car. It wasn't until they were halfway down the highway that Marcus realized. His call came through, frantic. "Nora! Where are you?" "At the airport," I said. I heard both of them sigh with immense relief over the speaker. Marcus chuckled. "Well, flying is much easier on your heart anyway. Glad you didn't have to suffer through a long drive." Staring at my boarding pass for a flight to London, I said nothing. This time, I was flying in the opposite direction.