The strange feeling

The truth about Elena

The Strange Feeling

Episode 6 — The Truth About Elena

The old house stood at the end of a narrow road surrounded by overgrown trees.

Amara hadn't been there in years.

She remembered very little about it.

Only fragments.

A red door.

A broken window.

Her mother's voice.

And the smell of rain.

Adrian parked outside.

Amara stared through the windshield.

“I don't know why, but I feel like I've been here recently.”

“You haven't.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I checked.”

She turned toward him.

“You investigated my childhood?”

“I needed to understand what happened.”

Amara sighed.

“You really do have an answer for everything.”

Adrian smiled faintly.

“Not everything.”

They stepped out of the car.

The house looked abandoned.

The front door was covered with dust.

Adrian tried the handle.

It opened.

Amara froze.

“It shouldn't be unlocked.”

“It isn't.”

“What?”

He pointed at the lock.

“It was broken recently.”

Someone had been inside.

They entered carefully.

The house was dark and cold.

Amara's heart began pounding.

Then she saw the hallway.

She stopped.

“That hallway.”

Adrian looked at her.

“What?”

“I've seen it before.”

Her breathing became unsteady.

A memory came rushing back.

She was a little girl.

She was hiding behind a door.

Her mother was arguing with someone.

A man's voice.

“You should have kept your mouth shut.”

Elena answered,

“You can't threaten me forever.”

The man laughed.

“Maybe not. But I can make sure your daughter disappears.”

Amara opened her eyes.

She grabbed Adrian's arm.

“I remember.”

“What happened?”

“Someone threatened my mother.”

“Who?”

“I don't know.”

She looked around.

“Wait.”

Something caught her attention.

A painting hung crookedly on the wall.

Amara walked toward it.

She touched the frame.

It moved.

Behind it was a small compartment.

Inside was a metal box.

Adrian opened it.

There were letters.

Photographs.

And a small flash drive.

Amara picked up the first letter.

Her mother's handwriting.

If you're reading this, then Amara has finally remembered.

Amara's eyes filled with tears.

She continued reading.

My daughter, I never abandoned you. Everything I did was to keep you alive.

Amara covered her mouth.

Adrian stood beside her.

She read on.

The person you must fear is not Richard Cole. It is someone who was once his closest friend.

Victor.

Amara's hands trembled.

But there was more.

Victor discovered that Richard planned to expose him. He threatened me and promised that if I spoke, he would hurt Amara.

Amara wiped her tears.

“Why didn't she tell me?”

Adrian looked at her.

“Because you were a child.”

“She could have come back.”

“She tried.”

Amara looked at him.

“What?”

Adrian took another letter.

“This one was never delivered.”

He handed it to her.

Amara opened it.

Amara,

I tried to come home. Someone found me before I could reach you. I had to disappear again. I have been watching from a distance all these years. I know you're safe. That's all that matters to me.

Amara began crying.

“She was alive.”

Adrian didn't say anything.

“She was alive all this time.”

“Yes.”

Amara dropped the letter.

“I thought she didn't love me.”

Adrian stepped closer.

“She never stopped.”

Amara looked at him through her tears.

“How do you know?”

“Because I found another letter.”

He pulled out a folded piece of paper.

It contained only one sentence.

If anything happens to me, protect my daughter.

Amara stared at it.

“Who was that meant for?”

Adrian hesitated.

“Me.”

Her eyes widened.

“Why you?”

“My father gave me the letter before he died.”

“Then your father knew my mother was alive.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn't he tell anyone?”

“I don't know.”

A noise suddenly came from upstairs.

Both of them froze.

Adrian immediately moved in front of Amara.

“Stay here.”

“No.”

“Amara—”

“I'm coming with you.”

They slowly climbed the stairs.

The hallway was empty.

A bedroom door was open.

Adrian pushed it wider.

Nothing.

Then Amara noticed a photograph on the floor.

She picked it up.

It showed her mother standing beside a man.

Not Richard.

Not Victor.

Someone else.

Amara stared at the photograph.

“I know him.”

Adrian looked at her.

“Who?”

“I don't know his name.”

She touched the photograph.

“But I've seen him.”

“Where?”

“In my memories.”

Before Adrian could respond, a loud crash came from downstairs.

They rushed back.

The front door was open.

Someone had entered the house.

Then the door slammed shut.

Adrian ran toward it.

But whoever had been there was already gone.

Amara looked down.

A small envelope lay on the floor.

Her name was written on it.

She opened it.

Inside was a single photograph.

It showed Elena standing beside the mysterious man.

On the back was a message.

Your mother is alive.

Amara's breath caught.

Then she saw the second line.

And she knows who wants you dead.

She looked at Adrian.

For the first time, neither of them had anything to say.

Outside, a car engine started.

Adrian rushed toward the window.

But the vehicle disappeared down the road.

Amara held the photograph tightly.

Her mother was alive.

Someone wanted her dead.

And the man from her memories might be the only person who knew where Elena had been hiding all these years.

The search was no longer about discovering the past.

It was about finding Elena before someone found Amara first.