Forgotten Blue Eyes

Chapter 3: day1

The call ended.

The room fell silent.

I lowered the phone slowly, staring at the dark screen.

One week...

That was all Father had given me.

I leaned back against the headboard.

My chest still felt tight.

Ray would come.

There wasn't a single doubt in my mind.

He always did.

No matter how well I hid...

He always found me.

Was I really ready for what was coming?

"...Was that your dad?"

Maria's sleepy voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned so quickly that I almost dropped my phone.

She was sitting up in bed, rubbing one eye.

Her hair was a complete mess.

She looked like she'd only just woken up.

"I'm sorry."

She gave me an apologetic smile.

"I didn't mean to overhear."

A sigh escaped me.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I was."

She stretched lazily.

"Until someone started arguing in the middle of the night."

Heat crept into my cheeks.

"...Sorry."

She waved it off.

"It's fine."

A brief silence settled between us.

Then she tilted her head.

"So..."

She pointed at the phone in my hand.

"Your dad?"

I looked down at the screen.

"...Yeah."

She nodded slowly.

"He sounds..."

She searched for the right word.

"...strict."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

"That's one way to describe him."

She smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

For a moment...

Neither of us spoke.

Then Maria flopped back onto her pillow.

"Whatever happened..."

She yawned.

"...It can wait until morning."

She pulled the blanket over her shoulder.

"Tomorrow is our first day."

Another yawn.

"And I'd rather not fall asleep during my very first anatomy lecture."

Despite everything...

I smiled.

"...Good night, Maria."

She was already half asleep.

"Night..."

Within seconds...

Her breathing became slow and steady again.

I looked at my phone one last time before placing it on the bedside table.

Sleep didn't come easily that night.

The next morning...

The shrill sound of my alarm cut through the silence.

I groaned and reached blindly across the bedside table until my fingers found my phone.

6:30 a.m.

I stared at the screen for a long moment before switching the alarm off.

For a few seconds...

I forgot where I was.

Then reality settled in.

Falkenberg University.

The dorm.

Father's call.

One week.

A quiet sigh escaped me.

I pushed the blanket aside and sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

The room was still dim, washed in the pale blue light of early morning.

Outside, the campus was only beginning to wake.

A few students crossed the paths below, backpacks slung over their shoulders, while the groundskeepers watered the flowerbeds lining the walkways.

Everything felt...

Calm.

Peaceful.

As if last night's conversation had never happened.

I stood and walked toward the window, resting one hand against the cool glass.

Just one week...

Seven days.

That was all I had before Ray came.

Behind me, the mattress creaked.

"...Elena?"

I turned.

Maria was sitting up in bed, her hair hopelessly messy.

She blinked a few times before looking at me.

"You're already awake?"

"I couldn't sleep."

Her eyes drifted to the phone on the bedside table before returning to me.

"...Because of the call?"

I hesitated.

Then nodded.

"...Yeah."

She was quiet for a moment.

"...Is everything okay?"

For a moment...

I almost laughed.

Okay?

Nothing about this was okay.

"...I don't know ."

Maria nodded slowly.

"I get that."

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You know..."

"I argue with my dad too."

I looked at her.

"You do?"

"Oh, all the time."

A small laugh escaped her.

"There was this one time we didn't speak for almost a week."

"What happened?"

She frowned thoughtfully.

"...Honestly?"

"I can't remember."

I stared at her.

She shrugged.

"So whatever it was..."

"It probably wasn't worth the argument in the first place."

Silence settled between us again.

Then she looked at me with a gentle smile.

"Whatever happened..."

"Don't let it ruin your first day."

"You worked hard to get here."

"It would be a shame if something like this took that away from you."

If only it were that simple.

She hesitated before speaking again.

"And..."

"If you ever need someone to listen..."

"I'm here."

A faint smile crossed her face.

"Who knows?"

"Maybe we'll figure it out together."

I looked at her for a long moment.

"...Thank you."

She smiled.

"Anytime."

Then she glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table.

"Now..."

She let out a dramatic sigh.

"We have exactly one hour to get ready."

I glanced at the clock.

"That's plenty of time."

Maria gave me a skeptical look.

"...For you, maybe."

I frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"It means..."

She stretched lazily before climbing out of bed.

"I need at least twenty minutes before my brain starts functioning."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

"So you're not a morning person."

"Not even a little."

She grabbed her towel.

"I'm taking the bathroom first."

She took a few steps toward the door before pausing.

"...Unless you're in a hurry?"

I shook my head.

"No. Go ahead."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

She smiled.

"I owe you one."

A second later, the bathroom door clicked shut.

The sound of running water soon filled the room.

I sat on the edge of my bed, absentmindedly scrolling through my phone.

My thumb hovered over Mom's name for a moment.

She had called several times yesterday.

And I hadn't answered.

I let out a quiet sigh and opened our chat.

I'm okay.

I'll call you later.

I stared at the message for a few seconds.

Then pressed Send.

It wasn't much.

But at least...

She wouldn't spend the entire morning wondering if I was safe.

I locked my phone just as the sound of running water stopped.

A few moments later, the bathroom door opened.

Maria stepped out, a towel draped around her shoulders.

"All yours."

"Thanks."

I grabbed my clothes and slipped into the bathroom.

The warm water washed away the last traces of sleep.

For the first time since arriving at Falkenberg...

My thoughts quieted.

When I stepped back into the room, dressed in a cream-colored sweater and light blue jeans, Maria was already waiting by the door.

She had changed into dark jeans and an oversized white shirt, the sleeves rolled carelessly to her elbows.

Her chestnut hair framed her face in soft waves, still slightly damp from the shower.

She looked...

Effortlessly put together.

Not because she seemed to be trying.

That just appeared to be part of who she was.

Comfortable.

Relaxed.

The kind of person who could make an unfamiliar place feel a little less intimidating.

She caught me looking.

"What?"

I blinked.

"Nothing."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I don't believe you."

"I was just thinking."

"That sounds dangerous."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

I walked over to my suitcase to put away the clothes I'd changed out of.

As I folded them, something caught my eye.

A delicate silver necklace rested in one corner.

My hand stopped.

Mom had given it to me on my sixteenth birthday.

"Don't lose it, okay?"

A small smile found its way onto my face.

"You really knew me."

I fastened the necklace around my neck.

The pendant rested lightly against my skin.

For some reason...

The room didn't feel quite as unfamiliar anymore.

When I looked up, Maria's gaze had already settled on the necklace.

"Oh..."

"That's beautiful."

I glanced down.

"It was a gift."

"From your mom?"

I nodded.

"It suits you."

"...Thanks."

I slipped my phone into my pocket and picked up my backpack.

Maria did the same.

She wrapped her fingers around the doorknob.

Then suddenly stopped.

"...Wait."

I looked at her.

"What?"

She slowly turned around, a look of realization crossing her face.

"I almost forgot."

She pulled out her phone.

"Our first-day picture."

I blinked.

"...A picture?"

"Obviously."

She looked at me as if I were the strange one.

"Imagine we actually survive medical school."

A grin spread across her face.

"We'll need proof that we once looked this awake before anatomy destroyed us."

I couldn't help laughing.

"You're strangely optimistic."

She shrugged.

"I call it denial."

She unlocked her phone and held it out.

"Come on, future Dr. Elena."

"Our glorious medical careers officially begin today."

Maria checked the picture one last time before slipping her phone into her pocket.

"There."

She nodded, satisfied.

"Our future selves will thank me."

I wasn't entirely convinced.

She pushed the dormitory door open, and together we stepped outside.

The cool morning air greeted us instantly.

The campus was far livelier than it had been the day before.

Students filled the walkways leading toward the different faculties.

Some hurried past with paper cups of coffee in one hand and backpacks slung over one shoulder.

Others walked while finishing a croissant or checking their schedules on their phones.

Near one of the buildings, a small crowd had gathered around a notice board, trying to figure out where their first lectures were.

Maria gestured ahead.

"See that?"

I followed her gaze.

"What?"

"Medical students."

A grin spread across her face.

"None of them are actually awake."

She pointed toward a group carrying coffee cups.

"The coffee is attending the lecture."

"...Not them."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

She kept talking as we walked.

Something about professors...

About anatomy...

About how everyone claimed the first semester wasn't that bad.

I tried to listen.

I really did.

But her words gradually faded into the background.

One week...

Seven days.

That was all I had.

Then Ray would come.

Would he come alone?

Or would Father send security with him?

Would Ray try to convince me...

Or simply tell me it was time to go home?

"...Elena?"

I blinked and looked at Maria.

"Hm?"

She gave me an amused look.

"I've been talking for almost a minute."

Heat crept into my cheeks.

"...Sorry."

She studied me for a second.

"You're still thinking about last night."

I didn't answer.

There was nothing I could say.

After a brief pause, Maria smiled softly and let the subject go.

"Alright."

She pointed toward the large stone building rising ahead of us.

"If you're going to ignore me..."

"At least pretend you're interested in that."