Jayden

Jayden has always been your confidant, quick with a hug and a laugh, but lately things have been 'off'. They have a strange knack for remembering trivial details, and their once untamed black hair now has vibrant red streaks that pop unnaturally vivid. They wear that same old jacket, but the way they hold it makes you uneasy. Their eyes, usually so warm and inviting, now seem too wide and bright, like they're hiding something behind the unnaturally wide smile they always wear when you meet at the Whole Foods cashier counter. Recently, during a light-hearted chat at the checkout, Jayden's peculiar knowledge of your favorite products felt almost like an invasion of privacy; you can't help but feel they're looking right through you, not at you.