Rewritten Fates

Chapter 5

"Layla's POV"

Layla sat in the fountain, the icy water soaking through her clothes as she stared up at the billboard, the words announcing Rowan’s death still flashing above her. Her heart ached, the pain too intense to bear, and her tears flowed freely, mixing with the rain and the fountain’s water. She was lost in her grief, drowning in the overwhelming sorrow that threatened to consume her entirely.

As she sat there, something pulled her attention away from the billboard—the sensation of her wrist suddenly feeling lighter. She glanced down and realized with a jolt that the watch she had bought at an auction, Rowan’s watch, was missing. Panic surged through her, and she frantically scanned the water around her, her vision blurred by tears.

Through the rippling water, she spotted it—a glint of metal a short distance away. Desperation fueled her movements as she dragged her body across the fountain, her fingers clawing through the water to reach it. “Rowan,” she whispered through her sobs, his name the only word she could manage as she inched closer to the watch.

When she finally grasped it, the watch felt strange in her hand, as if it was vibrating or malfunctioning. Before she could make sense of it, the world around her seemed to blur, the colors and sounds warping and distorting until everything went black.

When Layla opened her eyes, she found herself in a brightly lit room, surrounded by the hum of classroom chatter. Confused, she looked around, trying to make sense of where she was. The desks, the chalkboard, the students—all of it was familiar, yet so out of place.

A hand gently tapped her shoulder, and she turned to see her best friend, Natania, looking at her with concern. “Layla, wake up! The teacher’s asking you a question.”

Layla blinked, her mind reeling. “What…?” Her voice trailed off as she tried to piece together what was happening. The teacher, standing at the front of the room, looked at her expectantly.

“Miss Layla, would you please come to the board and solve the problem?” the teacher asked, his tone firm but patient.

Layla’s heart pounded in her chest as she processed the request. Solve the problem? Go to the board? But… her legs didn’t work. Except, as she slowly stood up from her desk, she realized with a shock that they did. She was standing. Her legs were supporting her weight.

She let out a shriek, the sound a mixture of disbelief and sheer, overwhelming relief. Tears streamed down her face, but this time, they were tears of joy. “I can walk… I can walk!” she whispered, her voice trembling as she took a shaky step forward, then another.

The classroom stared at her, the teacher looking perplexed, but Layla didn’t care. She had to get out of there, had to see something—someone.

Ignoring the teacher’s confused questions, Layla dashed out of the classroom, her heart racing as she ran through the familiar hallways of her high school. She knew where she was going, where she needed to be.

Bursting through the doors and out into the courtyard, she spotted the all-boys school across the street, her destination. Rowan’s school.

Her legs carried her faster than she had moved in years, fueled by the desperate need to see him, to make sure this was real. She reached the gates, slipped past security in the chaos, and sprinted toward the swimming pool, where she knew the boys’ team would be practicing.

She burst into the natatorium, her eyes immediately searching for him. And then she saw him—Rowan, standing by the pool, dripping wet and breathtakingly alive. He had just climbed out of the water, his athletic body gleaming under the fluorescent lights, his hair slicked back from the swim.

Without thinking, Layla ran to him, her emotions overwhelming her as she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his bare torso. “Rowan!” she cried, her voice breaking as she clung to him. “Rowan… you’re here…”

Rowan was stunned, his arms instinctively coming up to steady her, but he was too shocked to say anything. His teammates and coach were equally stunned, the entire scene playing out in slow motion as they watched this strange girl sobbing into Rowan’s chest.

“What… what’s going on?” Rowan finally managed, his voice hoarse as he looked down at Layla, confused and concerned. He didn’t recognize her, and yet there was something in the way she said his name, something so deeply familiar it made his heart ache.

The coach quickly regained his composure, snapping at the security guards nearby. “This is a private practice! Who let her in? Get her out of here!”

The guards moved in, prying Layla away from Rowan’s body despite her efforts to hold on to him. She struggled against their grip, her heart breaking as they dragged her away, her eyes locked on Rowan’s bewildered face. “Rowan!” she cried out again, her voice filled with a desperation that left everyone in the room silent.

As they pulled her from the natatorium, Rowan stood frozen in place, his skin still wet and glistening, his heart pounding in his chest. He watched as the girl who had called his name so intimately was taken away, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was losing something precious, something he couldn’t even name.

Outside, Layla was released by the guards, her heart still racing, her mind reeling from the encounter. She had seen him—he was alive, and she was back in a time when everything was different. But what did it all mean? And how had she come to be here?

With tears still streaming down her face, she clutched Rowan’s watch in her hand, the one thing that had brought her here, and whispered to herself, “What do I do now?”