Different. I'm Noah, he said, offering a small smile. You are new, right? Elara studied him for a second. There was something...safe about him or maybe she just wanted something to be. Elara, she replied. No last name? He teased lightly. She didn't smile. I don't think it matters. For a moment, something flickered in his expression. Surprise? Curiosity? Yeah, he said quietly. Maybe it doesn't.
Glasses blurred together. Teachers avoided her. Students watched her. No one said anything directly. And that was worse. By the time the final bell rang, Elara had one conclusion. This town knew something about her. Something she didn't know about herself. Walk with me? Noah's voice again. Elara hesitated. Then nodded. They walked in silence at first, side by side. The air felt heavier now. Colder. Like the town was changing again. You feel it too, don't you? Noah said suddenly. Elara looked at him. Feel what? He didn't answer immediately. His eyes moved to the sky. Darkening too fast... that this place isn't right. They stopped walking. At the edge of the street, there was a fence. Old. Rushed. And behind it, a forest. Dense. Black. Silent. Elara's breath caught. A sudden, sharp pull hit her chest. Not pain, something else. Recognition. I have been there, she whispered. Noah turned to her quickly. What? She stepped closer to the fence without thinking. I know this place. Her fingers brushed the cold metal and suddenly flash. Screaming. Running. Blood on her hands and eyes, watching her from the dark between the trees. Elara! Noah grabbed her arm, pulling her back. The vision shattered. She gasped, breathing hard. What the hell was that? He asked. But Elara wasn't listening. Her eyes were locked on the forest. Because this time it wasn't empty. Something moved. Slowly. Deliberately. And then, it stepped forward just enough to be seen. A silhouette. Tall. Still. Watching her. Elara's voice came out barely a whisper: it knows me and from deep, a second voice answered. Low. Familiar. Of course I do.
The thing in the forest didn't move. I didn't need to. Elara felt it. Not fear. Not exactly. It was something deeper. Recognition. Of course I do. The voice echoed through the trees, Low and steady. Familiar. Too familiar. Elara took a step forward, Elara, don't. Noah's grip tightened around her wrist. But she barely felt it. Her eyes were locked on the figure. I know you, she whispered. And for a second, the world shifted.
Everything changed. The sky darkened instantly. The air grew Colder. Noah's hand was gone. Elara. She turned. Noah stood behind her. But something was wrong. His eyes empty. His shirt, covered in blood. You chose this, he said quietly. Her heart stopped. What? You always choose wrong. She stumbled back. This isn't real, it could have been. His voice echoed unnaturally. Like multiple versions of him speaking at once. Flash. Another scene. Same place. Same forest. But this time, Elara was the one covered in blood. Standing over Noah's body. Her hands shaking. Her breath uneven. I didn't mean to, you did. The voice again. Everywhere. She screamed. And everything shattered. Elara! Reality shapped back. Noah was in front of her again. Alive. Normal. Holding her shoulders. Hey,hey,look at me! She was shaking violently. Her vision blurred. I saw, her voice broke. I saw you, what did you see? She couldn't answer. Because even now, it still felt real. Too real. Behind the fence, the figure was gone. But something remained. A whisper. Right inside her mind. You are starting to remember.
Elara froze. Because deep down, she knew the truth. That wasn't just a vision. That was a life...she had already lived.