I was pulled out of sleep by a sudden shake.
"Lu, wake up!" Lian's voice rushed into my ears, bright and full of excitement. "Teachers are calling us down… we're going to the island!"
For a moment, I didn't move. My body was still heavy from the dream, my mind tangled in fragments that refused to leave me. The plant, the old woman, the man, the blood… it all lingered like shadows clinging to my thoughts.
"Lu!"
I blinked, finally opening my eyes.
Lian was right in front of me, his face glowing with energy, completely unaware of the storm still settling inside me.
Beside him, Zhan stirred from the noise, his movements slow, controlled. He sat up, his gaze sweeping across the room before landing… on me.
Lian turned to him. "Zhan, get ready! We're heading to the beach."
Zhan simply nodded. "Okay."
That was it. Just one word. Calm. Distant.
Yet somehow… it felt like there was something buried beneath it.
The room filled with movement as everyone got ready, voices overlapping, laughter spilling into the air, bags being thrown around carelessly. It felt light… peaceful… almost like the ending of a story where everything had finally settled into place.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
I glanced at Zhan again.
He was fixing his hair, adjusting his sleeve, doing the simplest things… yet when our eyes met, a small smile formed on his lips.
Was it because of my messy hair?
Or…
Was it something else?
I didn't know.
And that unknown stayed with me as we made our way to the buses.
The ride began with noise and chaos, students talking endlessly, some already starting games, others leaning against the windows, lost in their own thoughts. The air was filled with excitement, the kind that makes everything feel warm and safe.
Too safe.
My eyes drifted toward Zhan again.
This time… something was different.
His expression hadn't changed much, but his eyes… they held something unfamiliar.
Anxiety.
Tension.
And beneath it all… fear.
It didn't belong to him.
Not the Zhan I knew.
Not the Zhan who always looked like he had everything under control.
So why now?
Before I could think further, the bus came to a stop.
We had reached the shore.
The island stood in the distance, surrounded by endless waves, quiet and still, as if it had been waiting for us.
We were told to board the boats.
Shaan suddenly grabbed my arm before I could move further.
"Lu, bring Lian and Alex to the corner," he said, his voice low.
Something in his tone made my chest tighten.
When we gathered, Shaan looked around carefully, making sure no one was listening. His face had lost all its usual brightness.
He looked… pale.
"Guys," he began, his voice slightly trembling, "I don't want to scare you, but I need to say this."
He hesitated, biting his finger nervously.
"That day at the temple… when my sister came to guide us… I felt something was off. I didn't understand it then, but after she left… I called my mom."
He paused.
"And she told me… my sister never came to Kerala."
Silence.
The world around us seemed to fade.
My breath stopped.
Alex was the first to speak, his voice oddly calm. "So… you're saying that beautiful lady was a ghost?"
Shaan snapped, "Alex, this isn't funny!"
"I'm not joking!" Shaan's voice rose slightly, fear slipping through. "She was still at home… she never left!"
Lian frowned deeply. "This isn't a prank, right?"
"No… I swear it's not."
The air grew heavier.
My thoughts began to spiral, racing through possibilities, each one darker than the last.
Every path… every answer…
Led to the same conclusion.
We are being--
…
What?
My mind suddenly went blank.
As if someone had erased the word before I could reach it.
My legs trembled.
The ground beneath me felt unstable.
I couldn't breathe.
Just as my body gave in-
A hand caught me.
Zhan.
I looked at him, and that was it.
Everything broke.
He was saying something, I could see his lips moving, his eyes focused entirely on me, but the sound… it came distorted, repeating, overlapping-
"Stop thinking so hard…"
Was that what he said?
Or was that what I heard?
My vision blurred.
Darkness closed in.
And the last thing I saw…
Was his smile.
Cold…
Yet warm.
Then everything disappeared.
When I opened my eyes again, the world had changed.
The sound of waves filled the air.
The smell of salt lingered around me.
I was no longer on the boat.
I was in Lian's arms.
"Lu!" he said, relief washing over his face. "You're awake…"
I slowly sat up, my body still weak, my head heavy.
We stepped out together.
And then…
I saw it.
The island.
It was bigger than I imagined.
But that wasn't what shook me.
The moment my foot touched the ground-
A strange feeling spread through me.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
As if…
I had been here before.
No.
As if this place…
Was a part of me.
My eyes lifted.
And there it was.
The tree.
The same tree from my dreams.
Standing tall at the entrance, ancient, unmoving, watching.
My breath caught.
Zhan was standing beside me.
He was staring at it too.
Silent.
Still.
Then slowly…
He turned toward me.
And gave me-
THAT LOOK...!
My heart stopped.
I had seen it before.
Again and again.
In fragments.
In dreams.
In moments I couldn't fully remember.
But I knew it.
I knew that look.
The wind suddenly rose, sand lifting into the air, brushing against my skin, slipping into my eyes.
I blinked-
Wait…
Was it just sand?
Or…
Was it red?
A hand touched my shoulder.
Zhan.
"Are you alright?" His voice was softer now, filled with something I couldn't name. "You look pale… you should rest."
His words echoed.
Not once.
Not twice.
But many times.
Different tones.
Different moments.
Different versions of him.
All overlapping.
All saying different things.
Yet all carrying…
That same look.
I stepped back, my breath uneven, my mind breaking under the weight of it.
Who… is he?
What is all this?
Why does everything feel like it's already happened?
My voice came out before I could stop it.
"What exactly is all of this…?"
I looked straight into his eyes.
"And who are you…?"