chapter 2
1533 Words
“Caroline…”
The voice came softly at first,bit was dstant like an echo slipping through the edges of a dream.
“Caroline…”
It grew louder, closer and persistent.
“Caroline!”
Her eyes flew open.
A sharp breath tore from her chest as she jerked upright, her heart pounding wildly against her ribs. For a second, she didn’t move, didn’t think, just stared blankly ahead as the remnants of the dream clung stubbornly to her mind.
The forest, the stranger and the gift again.
“Damn it…” she muttered under her breath, dragging a hand down her face.
Her fingers pressed against her forehead as she let out a long, frustrated sigh.
“The same dream… again?” she groaned quietly.
It wasn’t the first time.
And it definitely wasn’t the second.
At this point, she had lost count.
It always started the same way. The field, the laughter, then the silence, the stranger and that thing they gave her.
Her hand instinctively moved toward her neck.
Caroline clenched her jaw slightly, her irritation bubbling beneath the surface. “I need to stop sleeping so much,” she muttered, though she knew that wasn’t the problem.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, preparing to stand
“Caroline, if you don’t get up right now...”
She froze.
Slowly… very slowly… she turned her head.
And there standing casually near her window like she owned the place was a girl.
Caroline’s eyes narrowed instantly.
A frown settled deeply on her face.
“What are you doing in my room?” she asked flatly.
The girl scoffed, crossing her arms. “Wow. Good morning to you too.”
Caroline didn’t respond. She just stared, unimpressed and unamused.
The girl rolled her eyes dramatically. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“For what?” Caroline shot back.
“For waking you up!” she snapped. “Your alarm has been going off for the past ten minutes, but clearly, you sleep like the dead.”
Caroline blinked.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
Her head snapped toward her bedside table.
Her phone was still buzzing.
Her heart dropped.
“Oh no...”
“You’re late,” the girl said smugly.
Caroline cursed under her breath as she jumped to her feet. “Why didn’t you wake me earlier?!”
“I’ve BEEN calling you!” the girl threw her hands up. “You just kept tossing around like you were fighting demons in your sleep!”
Caroline didn’t even respond this time. She rushed toward her wardrobe, grabbing the first set of clothes she could find.
“I’m actually going to lose my job,” she muttered, yanking off her sleep shirt and pulling on a blouse in one swift motion.
“You say that every time,” the girl said, leaning lazily against the wall.
“And one of these days, I’ll mean it!”
“You already mean it,” she replied dryly.
Caroline shot her a glare. “Why are you still here?”
The girl raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Caroline said, slipping on her skirt. “You woke me up. Your job is done. Leave.”
The girl scoffed loudly. “You’re unbelievable. I come all the way here...”
“Uninvited,” Caroline cut in sharply.
“...to help you,” she continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “and this is how you treat me?”
Caroline grabbed her bag, shoving random items into it with rushed, careless movements.
“Yes,” she said bluntly. “This is exactly how I treat you. Now go.”
The girl huffed, clearly offended. “You’re so rude.”
“And you’re trespassing,” Caroline shot back.
“I’m literally helping you!”
“I didn’t ask for help!”
“You needed it!”
Caroline paused just long enough to point toward the door. “Out.”
The girl stared at her for a moment, then rolled her eyes again with exaggerated annoyance.
“Fine,” she muttered. “Next time I’ll just let you get fired.”
“Perfect.”
“Ungrateful.”
“Annoying.”
The girl let out one last dramatic sigh.
Then she vanished just like that, no footsteps or sound she was just… gone.
Caroline didn’t even flinch.
She simply grabbed her phone, slipped on her shoes, and rushed out of her apartment without another word.
Caroline walked quickly, her steps purposeful. The moment she stepped outside the building, she reached into her bag and pulled out her headphones.
It was her daily routine.
She slipped them on, pressing them firmly into place before pulling out her phone.
The screen lit up.
But she didn’t open anything.
Didn’t scroll or type.
She just… held it.
Her gaze lowered, fixed on the blank screen as if she were deeply absorbed in something important.
Anyone watching would think she was busy, distracted or unapproachable.
That was the point.
Caroline exhaled softly, her shoulders relaxing just a fraction as she stepped onto the sidewalk.
It helped.
It always helped.
She kept walking, her pace steady and her eyes down.
Don’t look up.
That was the rule.
Don’t look around.
Don’t make eye contact.
Just walk.
Just blend in.
Just ignore them.
Her grip on her phone tightened slightly as she passed by people on the street. Conversations buzzed faintly around her, footsteps echoing, the distant sound of traffic filling the air.
Normal, everything looked normal and that was exactly how she liked it.
She adjusted her headphones slightly, even though no music was playing.
The illusion mattered more than the sound.
As long as she looked occupied… they usually stayed away.
Usually.
Caroline exhaled again, keeping her gaze firmly on her screen as she approached the bus stop.
Just a little further.
Almost there.
She slowed slightly, preparing to cross the road and for just a second she looked up.
It was brief, barely even a moment but it was enough.
Her eyes met his.
A man stood across the street, his gaze fixed directly on her.
Caroline froze mid-step and her heart skipped.
No.
Her first thought came instantly.
She’d been seen.
Damn it.
Her jaw tightened slightly as she quickly looked away, her expression carefully neutral.
Great, just great.
Now he was going to follow her or worse approach her.
Ask for something.
They always did.
A favor, a message, help, closure, something, always something.
Caroline resisted the urge to sigh as she stepped off the curb, crossing the road with controlled calm.
Ignore him.
Just ignore him.
Pretend.
That always worked.
Her grip on her phone tightened slightly as she walked straight toward him.
Don’t react or acknowledge him just walk.
She kept her eyes forward now, no longer looking at her phone but not directly at him either.
He didn’t move or speak ot do anything.
That was strange.
Caroline frowned slightly but kept walking. she was closer now almost there.
She adjusted her path slightly, intending to walk straight through him like she always did.
Like she always could.
One more step and then...she hit something solid.
Caroline gasped softly as her body jolted backward from the impact.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“What!”
She stumbled slightly, catching her balance as her heart began to race.
That… that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Slowly, she looked up.
The man stood right in front of her unmoving. He was real, very real.
Caroline’s breath caught in her throat.
No.
That wasn’t right.
That wasn’t possible.
She stared at him, her mind racing as confusion and disbelief tangled together.
She had never, not once been wrong.
She knew how to tell the difference.
She had learned the hard way.
Her lips parted slightly as panic flickered in her chest.
“I...I’m so sorry,” she said quickly, stepping back. “I didn’t see you, I was just...”
Her words faltered as she tried to steady herself.
Something felt off, not just the collision but him.
There was something about him that didn’t sit right.
Something she couldn’t place.
“I didn’t mean to...”
“Where is it?”
The words cut through her apology, it was sharp and sudden.
Caroline blinked.
“What?”
Her brows furrowed in confusion as she looked up at him fully now.
His gaze was intense and focused.
Locked onto her like he had been waiting.
Her stomach twisted slightly.
“I’m sorry?” she said again, more cautiously this time.
His expression didn’t change or soften
“Where is it?” he repeated.
Caroline’s heart began to pound harder.
A strange, uneasy feeling crept up her spine.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said slowly.
Silence stretched between them. it was tense and then for the first time since she had noticed him she felt it.
Something unfamiliar and something… wrong, very very wrong.
Her fingers curled slightly around the strap of her bag and without meaning to her other hand drifted subtly toward her neck.
Where the necklace rested safe, At least… it had always been until now.
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