I finished packing my luggage and dragged it near the door, taking one last look at my room before leaving. It felt normal… too normal, as if nothing was about to change, even though something inside me kept saying otherwise.
I stepped into the living room.
"Mom… Dad…" I called out, picking up my little brother, Yuze, into my arms. "I don't want to leave him here and go all the way to India."
Yuze giggled softly, his tiny fingers wrapping around mine. I played with his hand, smiling to myself. "How are your hands this small…?"
Mom turned toward me immediately. "Then don't go," she said, completely serious as she walked toward my luggage. "Give me that bag, I'll put it back in your room."
Dad and I both burst out laughing at the same time.
"Mom, wait- wait!" I said quickly, holding the bag away from her. "I think I can survive sixteen days without Yuze… so don't worry about me."
She stopped, then laughed softly, shaking her head. "You better. And listen, Lu… this is your time. Go out, see things, learn things. Make memories you'll carry your whole life. So make them beautiful."
Dad stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And even if they don't turn out beautiful… make them yours. That's what matters."
I smiled.
"Thanks, Mom… Dad. I will."
I kissed Yuze lightly on his head. "Bye, little guy. Don't forget me."
He just blinked at me, completely unaware.
"Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad."
And just like that, I left.
The airport was crowded, filled with noise and movement, but it didn't take long to spot my friends waiting near the entrance.
And for once-
Alex was already there.
"Wow," I said as I walked up to them. "You're early? Did the world end or something?"
"Very funny," Alex replied, rolling his eyes.
We checked in, went through security, and finally boarded the plane. The teachers announced that our seats were arranged according to ID numbers, so I started looking for mine.
When I found it, I paused.
Not a window seat.
Someone was already sitting there.
I stepped closer.
"Hello…! I guess I'll be your partner for the next thirteen hours-"
The person turned.
My words stopped.
Zhan.
Of course.
Out of all the people.
For a second, I regretted even speaking.
He looked at me.
And then-
he smiled.
A small one.
So faint that I almost thought I imagined it.
"Hello… my partner," he said softly, his voice low, almost like he was whispering only for me to hear. "You can take your seat."
"…Yeah," I said awkwardly, sitting down beside him. "Of course."
The silence between us felt heavier than it should have.
I glanced at the window.
He noticed.
"Do you want to switch seats?" he asked.
I looked at him. "I was just about to ask you that."
We switched.
As the plane took off, I looked over at my friends sitting a few rows away. They were all giving me exaggerated thumbs-up and "good luck" signs.
I ignored them.
Time passed.
A lot of it.
The kind of time that makes you feel stuck in one place, unable to move forward or backward. I shifted in my seat, bored, my thoughts drifting aimlessly.
Then I looked at him.
Zhan was staring at his bracelet.
His fingers lightly tracing over it, as if it held something important...something he didn't want to let go of.
I had heard about it before.
No one was allowed to touch it.
Ever.
But curiosity got the better of me.
"Zhan… is that bracelet something special to you?" I asked carefully. "Like… from someone important?"
His reaction was immediate.
His eyes lifted to mine, something sharp and fragile flashing through them at the same time.
His hand tightened slightly.
"Do… do you remember-" he stopped himself. "I mean… do you know about this bracelet?"
The way he looked at me-
It wasn't just a question.
It was expectation.
Like he was waiting for an answer he already believed I had.
I shook my head. "No… I just heard that you don't let anyone touch it. That's all."
The light in his eyes dimmed.
He looked away.
And just like that, the conversation ended.
The silence returned, heavier than before.
I leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes.
Sleep came quickly.
But not peacefully.
A voice whispered again, unfamiliar… yet somehow understandable.
"Look… how is it? I made it for you… I collected them from the forest… do you like it?"
There was a pause.
Then another voice.
Soft.
"…I do."
My eyes opened.
I was back on the plane.
Zhan was asleep beside me.
Without thinking, my hand moved.
It reached toward the bracelet.
My fingers touched it.
Warm.
Alive.
It was made of twisted roots, carefully woven together, carrying a faint, sweet scent...like something from deep within a forest.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Zhan stirred.
I pulled my hand back immediately.
"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to… my hand just moved on its own."
He looked at me.
Silent.
For a moment, his eyes weren't cold.
They weren't distant.
They were… lost.
Like he wanted to stay in that moment.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Warm.
And then-
nothing.
The silence returned again.
But this time…
it didn't feel uncomfortable.
It felt like something unspoken was resting between us.
The flight landed.
We stepped out of the plane, and the air felt different immediately, fresh, soft, and filled with a calm I couldn't explain.
Kerala.
Shaan looked around like he had been waiting his whole life for this moment, his eyes bright with excitement. The others gathered around me, talking, laughing, already planning what to do next.
But my mind-
was somewhere else.
"This… brings back memories…"
The words slipped out.
I froze.
So did they.
Shaan blinked at me. "That was my line!"
I forced a laugh. "Yeah, I said it for you. I stole it."
Everyone laughed it off.
But I didn't know why I said that.
Because it didn't feel like a joke.
It felt real.
I glanced back.
Kai was standing a little distance away, staring at me like I had just done something wrong, something I wasn't supposed to do.
Then my eyes shifted.
Zhan.
He was standing slightly apart from everyone else, looking up at the sky.
Still.
Quiet.
Like he belonged to something far beyond this moment.
And suddenly-
that feeling hit me again.
Déjà vu.
Like I had seen this before.
Like I had lived this before.
And for a second…
it felt like I knew how this would all end.