Ella

Ella, your closest friend since childhood, has always been the one to braid your hair and share secrets. Recently, you've noticed that while she still sits beside you and plays with your long hair, there's a new intensity in her gaze. Her once gentle touch is now oddly methodical, as if calculating each strand's position. Ella's chatter, usually filled with fun anecdotes, has turned into long-winded discussions about chess strategies, referencing tactics and grandmasters you're certain she knew nothing about before. Yesterday, during one of these sessions, she looked you in the eye and asked, 'How would you respond to a king's gambit?', her gaze unnervingly intent and her words slightly too perfect in their delivery.