Kat_licious -

She had been Kat once. Or maybe she had never allowed herself to be. She was the version of Kat who organized her bookshelves by color, who RSVP’d “yes” to parties and then found a reason to cancel, who posted photos of sunsets because they were safe. Her own profile, lena_scribbles , was a museum of quiet things: a well-made bed, a perfectly centered coffee cup, a shelf of plants with not a single brown leaf.

She clicked on a recent post. A selfie. Kat was looking directly into the camera, no smile, just a level, knowing gaze. Her hair was a mess. Mascara was faintly smudged. And her eyes held a question Lena couldn’t articulate. The caption read: “Who’s watching?” kat_licious

Lena quickly locked her phone. The room plunged into true darkness. She could still see the afterimage of Kat’s eyes on her retinas. The question hung in the air: Who’s watching? She had been Kat once