THE CURSED SOULS

She stood alone in the middle of a forest she had never seen before. The trees were enormous, their twisted trunks rising high above her while their branches stretched toward the night sky like crooked fingers. Their leaves were so dark that Elena couldn't tell whether they had always been black or whether the darkness had simply swallowed their color. There was no wind, no sound of insects or birds, and not even the rustling of leaves. The silence was so complete that Elena could hear her own heartbeat. She slowly turned, searching for a path through the trees, but there was nothing except darkness stretching endlessly in every direction. "Hello?" Her voice disappeared among the trees without receiving an answer. "Is anyone there?" Again, there was only silence. Elena swallowed nervously and took a cautious step forward. A branch snapped somewhere behind her. She froze. When she slowly turned around, she saw nothing at first. Then she heard footsteps approaching from between the trees. They were slow and deliberate. Crunch. A pause. Someone was walking toward her. Elena's heart began to race. "Who's there?" The footsteps stopped. For several seconds, nothing moved. Then a figure emerged from between the trees. It was a young man, perhaps around her age or slightly older. His dark hair fell messily across his forehead, and he wore a long black coat that looked strangely old-fashioned. But it was his eyes that frightened Elena most. They were fixed on her with an expression she couldn't understand. There was no anger or hatred in them. Instead, they carried a deep sadness, as though he had been waiting for her for a very long time. Elena instinctively stepped backward. "Who are you?" The man didn't answer. Instead, he looked past her. Elena followed his gaze and saw a massive dead tree standing behind her. Its thick, twisted trunk was covered with cracked gray bark, and its branches were completely bare. Except for one thing. A single red rose hung from one of the branches. Elena stared at it. Before her eyes, another rose appeared beside it. Then another. Within seconds, roses began blooming across the dead branches until hundreds covered the entire tree. Their deep red petals were beautiful, but something about them made Elena uneasy. They glistened beneath the moonlight as though they were wet. "What is this?" she whispered. The stranger finally spoke. "When the moon turns red, you must find me." Elena frowned. "What?" His eyes returned to hers. "When the moon turns red, find me." "Why?" He hesitated before answering, and Elena noticed something unexpected in his expression. Fear. "Because I won't remember you." A strange sadness settled in Elena's chest. "What does that mean?" The man stepped toward her, and although fear still moved through her body, she suddenly found herself unable to move away. Something about him felt familiar. It made no sense, but she had the unsettling feeling that she had known him before. "Who are you?" she whispered again. The man slowly reached out his hand. "I've been looking for you." Elena stared at his hand. "Why?" Before he could answer, the forest trembled. The ground cracked beneath her feet, and Elena stumbled backward with a scream. At the same time, the roses began falling from the dead tree, covering the ground around them. Then Elena looked toward the sky. The moon was changing. Its pale silver surface slowly turned crimson until it became a deep, blood-red circle hanging above the forest. The man's expression changed immediately. "Run." Elena stared at him. "What?" "Run!" Something moved between the trees. It was enormous, but Elena couldn't make out its shape. She could only see two pale eyes watching her from the darkness. The stranger suddenly grabbed her hand. "Don't look at it!" The moment their hands touched, a violent wave of memories crashed through Elena's mind. She saw a wedding, a burning house, a woman crying, and a man desperately calling her name. Then she saw a grave surrounded by red roses. Finally, she saw the stranger standing over her body. Elena screamed and pulled her hand away. The vision disappeared. The man stared at her with tears in his eyes. "I found you again." Elena shook her head. "What are you talking about?" He stepped closer. "Don't fall in love with me." Her heart pounded. "Why?" His lips trembled. "Because I've already lost you twenty-seven times." Elena stared at him in disbelief. "What?" Before he could explain, the forest began collapsing around them. Branches crashed to the ground while cracks spread through the earth beneath their feet. The red moon grew brighter. The stranger reached for her. "Elena!" Her eyes widened. "How do you know my name?" Instead of answering, he whispered, "Forgive me." The ground suddenly disappeared beneath her. Elena fell into darkness, screaming his name even though she didn't know it. Just before everything disappeared, she finally heard him say it. "Adrian." --- Elena woke up screaming. She sat upright in bed, gasping for air while one hand pressed against her chest. Her heart was pounding so hard that it hurt. For several seconds, she had no idea where she was. Then the familiar sight of her bedroom slowly came into focus: her bed, her desk, her curtains, and the faint glow of her alarm clock. She exhaled shakily. "Just a dream." She wiped the sweat from her forehead and glanced toward the window. The curtains were slightly open, allowing moonlight to spill across the floor. Elena reached for the glass of water beside her bed, but her hand stopped halfway. Something was written on the window. She slowly climbed out of bed and walked closer. Four words had been written across the glass. FIND HIM BEFORE MIDNIGHT. Elena's breathing stopped. She touched the glass. The writing was real. "What..." She stepped backward. She hadn't written it, and nobody could have entered her room. Her bedroom door was still locked. Her eyes moved toward the alarm clock. 3:17 a.m. It was the exact same time she had woken up every night for the past week. Seven nights. Seven dreams. Each one had taken place in the same forest and featured the same mysterious man. Until tonight, she had never seen his face clearly. Now she knew his name. Adrian. Lightning suddenly flashed outside. For one brief second, Elena saw the man's reflection standing directly behind her in the window. She spun around. There was no one there. Her breathing became shallow as she slowly turned back toward the window. The writing was gone. Only her reflection stared back. After several seconds, she whispered, "Adrian." The bedroom lights flickered. Elena jumped. "Nope." She hurried back into bed and pulled the blanket over herself. She didn't sleep again. --- By morning, Elena had convinced herself that everything had a logical explanation. Dreams could be strange, especially when someone was stressed. Perhaps she had written the message on the window while half-asleep. The reflection might have been nothing more than a trick caused by the lightning. As for the name Adrian, maybe she had heard it somewhere and simply forgotten. There had to be an explanation. At least, that was what Elena wanted to believe. She got dressed for school and went downstairs, where her mother was already preparing breakfast. "You're awake early," her mother said. Elena pulled out a chair. "I barely slept." Her mother glanced at her. "Why?" "I had another nightmare." Her mother's hand stopped briefly. Elena noticed. "What?" "Nothing." "You froze." "I didn't." "You did." Her mother turned back toward the stove. "Eat your breakfast." Elena watched her carefully. "Mom, I've been having the same dream for a week." Her mother immediately went still. "What kind of dream?" "A forest." Her mother said nothing. "And there's a man." The color slowly disappeared from her mother's face. Elena stared at her. "You know something." "I don't." "Mom." "Elena, you're going to be late." "Why are you acting weird?" "I'm not acting weird." "You are." Her mother placed breakfast on the table. "Please." The word sounded almost like a plea. Elena sat down, but she continued watching her mother. She didn't ask anything else, although she noticed that her mother's hands were trembling. What Elena didn't know was that her mother had heard the same story once before. Twenty years earlier, Elena's grandmother had told her about a mysterious man beneath a dead tree. She had only given her one warning. Never let him find her. --- At school, Elena tried to concentrate on her lessons, but the events of the previous night kept returning to her mind. Her best friend, Maya, noticed immediately. "You look exhausted." "I didn't sleep." "Again?" Elena nodded. "The nightmare?" "Yeah." Maya leaned closer. "The same guy?" Elena looked at her. "How did you know?" "You told me yesterday." "Oh." Maya smiled. "So, what's his name?" Elena hesitated. "Adrian." Maya raised an eyebrow. "Finally got a name?" "Apparently." "Is he cute?" Elena gave her an annoyed look. "I'm talking about a nightmare." "I know. I'm just asking." Before Elena could respond, the classroom door opened. Their teacher entered, followed by the principal. A boy Elena had never seen before walked in behind them. The principal smiled. "Everyone, I'd like you to welcome our new student." The boy stepped forward. "My name is Adrian Vale." Elena stopped breathing. The classroom suddenly seemed much smaller. The voices around her faded as she stared at him. Dark hair. Pale skin. Those eyes. It was him. The man beneath the dead tree. Adrian looked at her, and the color immediately drained from his face. For several seconds, neither of them moved. Then his expression changed. Recognition. Fear. Pain. He whispered something so quietly that nobody else could hear. But Elena did. "It can't be." The principal pointed toward the empty seat beside Elena. "Adrian, you can sit there." Adrian's eyes widened. "No." The principal frowned. "Excuse me?" Adrian looked at Elena again. "I mean..." He swallowed. "It's fine." He walked toward her. Elena's heart hammered against her ribs as he took the seat beside her. When he passed her desk, their eyes met again, and an unfamiliar warmth spread through her chest. Then she heard his voice. Not aloud. Inside her head. I've found you. Elena's eyes widened. Adrian sat beside her without saying anything. The teacher began the lesson, but Elena couldn't concentrate. After several minutes, she finally leaned toward him. "Have we met before?" Adrian's hand tightened around his pen. "No." Elena studied his face. "You're lying." He looked at her, and his eyes were filled with something she couldn't understand. "What did you say?" Adrian's expression changed instantly. "I said no." The bell rang, and the students began gathering their books. Elena remained seated, staring at Adrian. He avoided her gaze. For the first time, she understood something terrifying. Her nightmare hadn't been a dream. It had been a warning. Adrian Vale wasn't a stranger. He was someone who had been waiting for her for much longer than either of them should have been alive. Outside the classroom window, dark clouds slowly covered the sun. Elena looked toward the glass and thought she saw something red reflected in it. A rose. She blinked, and it was gone. Adrian suddenly looked toward the window as well. His expression hardened. "What is it?" Elena whispered. He didn't answer. "Adrian?" He finally turned toward her. "Whatever happens tonight," he whispered, "don't go into the forest." Elena stared at him. "What forest?" "The one you've been dreaming about." A chill ran through her. Before Elena could ask another question, Adrian stood and walked out of the classroom. She watched him disappear through the doorway. Then she looked down at her notebook. She hadn't written anything during the lesson, yet four words appeared across the middle of the page in handwriting that wasn't hers. THE MOON WILL TURN RED. Elena's fingers trembled. Outside, somewhere far away, beneath an ancient dead tree, a single red rose bloomed. And beside it, carved deeply into the bark, was a name. ELENA.