Forgotten Blue Eyes

Chapter One:A New Beginning

My mother always said that dreams are just fleeting images that the mind weaves during sleep...

But she was wrong.

Because this was not a dream.

Rather, it is a memory...

A memory of which I remember only scattered fragments, which come back to me every night in the same way, and then disappear before I understand it.

ــــــــــــــــــــــ

"You're beautiful."

The words came out of my mouth with the innocence of a child who knew nothing about the world.

He stood in front of me silently.

A few years older than me, we are thin, and his clothes look old and dirty, as if they haven't known warmth for a long time... I raised my head to look at his face...

But the fog was doing what it always did.

Whenever you try to see his features, swallow them.

I couldn't see anything...

Except his eyes.

Zarqawan...

In the color of the sky after the rain.

I never understood why I didn't forget them, when I forgot everything else.

I smiled at him.

"Mom says pretty girls marry beautiful boys."

...

He did not respond.

He didn't even blink.

He kept looking at me in silence, as if speaking was something he didn't know.

I frowned slightly.

Then I lifted my little finger towards him.

"So..."

She hesitated for a moment, then asked confidently as a child who believes that all wishes can come true.

"Will you marry me?"

...

Silence reigned.

I thought he was leaving.

Or maybe he's laughing at me.

But...

The corner of his lips slowly rose.

A very small smile...

Quiet...

And sad in a way I didn't understand when I was five years old.

I laughed happily.

I don't know why I felt at the time that I had achieved a great achievement.

And for a moment...

The world seemed beautiful.

But it didn't last.

The light suddenly disappeared.

The smell of flowers has been replaced by the smell of smoke.

The silence became...

Screaming.

Running steps.

Men screaming.

One of them grabbed my arm tightly.

I screamed.

I tried to escape.

I tried to get back to him.

I stretched out my little hand towards him...

But he was walking away.

Something...

Something ...

All that remained before me was his blue eyes.

Then...

The darkness swallowed everything.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I gasped as I opened my eyes.

It took me a few seconds to realize that I was back in my room.

I breathed hard, while the strands of my hair stuck to my forehead.

I put my hand over my chest.

My heart was painfully fast.

That dream...Or the anniversary...

I don't know which one is correct.

But he's been visiting me for years.

And every time I wake up with the same question.

Who was that boy?

And why don't I remember his face?

I closed my eyes for a moment.

I tried to force my memory to remember something else.

His name...

His voice...

Anything.

But nothing appears.

It was as if someone had snatched that memory from my head, leaving behind only blue eyes. I sighed.

"It's okay..."

I whispered to myself.

"Not today."

Today is not a day of memories.

Today...

It's the first day of the rest of my life.

My phone shook on the table.

Once.

Then again.

Then a third time.

I opened my eyes with regret.

I didn't need to look at the screen.

I knew who was calling.

Since I left home, the phone has not been silent.

I finally picked it up.

Twenty-eight missed calls.

Four letters.

and three voice messages.

I smiled sarcastically.

"They're still trying."

I pressed the screen off button, then I put it upside down on the table.

I will not reply.

Not because I hate them.

It's because I know them.

If I hear my mother's voice...

I'm going to be weak.

And if I hear my father's voice...

I'm going to be angry.

But If the caller is my older brother..

I will lose all my courage.

So...

Silence was better.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I got out of bed and headed for the window.

The rain stopped minutes ago.

Drops of water still hung from the edge of the opposite building, while the faint morning rays made their way through the clouds.

I opened the window.

The cold air entered, and I smiled unconsciously.

How different the world looks when no one is watching you.

No guard stands at the door.

No driver is waiting for me outside.Nor is there a daily schedule decided by someone else.

Freedom...

It was probably a simple word for most people.

As for me...

It was a dream that took twenty years to achieve.

I took a deep breath, then closed the window gently.

I stood there for a moment, staring at my reflection on the glass.

I looked different...

Or maybe it was my view of myself that changed.

For the first time, no one was watching my steps, or deciding what I was wearing, where I was going.

I turned towards the small room I had rented a few days ago.

It wasn't luxurious, it didn't resemble my pavilion in the palace, but it had a strange warmth.

Simple bed.

A wooden desk near the window.

And a closet that can only fit a few clothes.

It was small ...

But it was mine.

I walked towards the mirror, gathered my blonde hair in a ponytail,and then I studied my reflection for a moment.

I wasn't the kind of person who stood tall in front of the mirror.

I knew what I was going to see.

Long blonde hair drifts softly over my shoulders.

Light skin.

Greencolored eyes.

A slender waist that curved into a symmetrical figure.

I wasn't perfect...

But I was beautiful.

This was a fact I had been hearing since I was a child, until it became just a normal description, nothing more.

I wore a simple white shirt.

And Black skirt

And comfortable sneakers.

No extravagant jewelry.

Nor bags bearing the names of the most famous designers.

Not even the wristwatch my father gave me on my 18th birthday.

I left it all behind.

If I were to start a new life...

I don't want any piece of it to carry me back to my old life.

I put the last book in my backpack, and then took one last look around the room.

I turned off the lights.

And I closed the door behind me.

The sound of the lock echoed in the quiet hallway.

And for some reason...

I felt like another door had closed behind me.

Chapter...I won't go back to it easily.

I sat in the back seat of the taxi, and quietly closed the door.

"To the Falkenburg University of Medical Sciences please."

The driver nodded as he drove off.

I took out my phone unconsciously.

The screen was filled with missed calls.

I sighed, then put it back in the bag before it rang again.

I will not reply.

Not today.

I watched the road from behind the window.

This city...I've never seen it before.

Everything in it seemed new to me,

Small cafes stretching out on the sidewalks, Bookstores, Students who walk in groups laugh fearlessly, as if the world doesn't care about them.

I followed them with my own eyes until they disappeared I've always read about university life in novels, and I've seen it in movies, But seeing it with my own eyes...

It was different.... Nicer, And closer to a dream.

After more than an hour, the city's congestion gradually began to ease.

Trees have replaced tall buildings, and the road is quieter.

Green hills surrounded the place, until a huge stone gate appeared in front of me, topped with shiny metal letters...

"Falkenburg University of Medical Sciences."

I kept staring at the name for seconds.

..".... This is the place "

The place I've dreamed of since I was little,The place whose pictures I secretly hung in my closet, so that no one would find them,The place my father once told me I would never set foot on.

Here I am standing in front of it now.

A small smile appeared on my lips without me noticing.

"I have arrived..."

I whispered it to myself, as if I was afraid that someone would hear it and wake me up from this dream.

I pushed the car door and went down slowly.

I was greeted by a cold breeze that moved my locks of hair, as the sun's rays reflected on the glass windows of the antique buildings.

I stood for a moment, watching the students around me.

Laughter, Interlocking conversations, The sounds of bags being pulled over the ground.

Everyone here seemed to know where to go...

Except me.

I grabbed the strap of my bag tightly, Then I took my first step on campus.

One step...

It was enough to announce the end of my previous life.

And the beginning of a life I knew nothing about.

I walked slowly through the stone corridor, looking at the buildings that surrounded the main square.

The university seemed to have emerged from the pages of an old novel.

Ivy climbed stone walls, tall windows reflected the morning sun, while trees lined up on both sides of the road, their leaves stirring the light summer breezes.

The place was full of students.

Some of them laugh out loud.

Some of them walk in a hurry, as if they have known their destination for years.

As for me...

I watched everything with eyes full of curiosity, I smiled without noticing,

It's more beautiful than I imagined.

I took out my phone and opened the map the university had sent to the new students,Faculty of Medicine...

Building A.

I raised my head to look for the signs, as I walked slowly among the students.

And all of a sudden...

I bumped into someone.

The girl stumbled a step backwards, while several books slipped out of her arms and fell to the ground.

"Oh..."

I whispered quickly.

"I'm sorry."

The girl raised her head.

She looked about my age, with dark brown hair tied in carelessness, and a nervous look that suggested she was in a hurry.

She stared at me for a second, then shook her head.

"It's okay."

I crouched down and picked up one of the books that had slid across the ground, handing it back to her.

"Here."

"Thanks."

She gave me a small smile as she rearranged the books in her arms.

"First day?" she asked, adjusting her grip on the stack.

I nodded.

"Is it that obvious?"

A soft laugh escaped her.

"A little."

Before I could say anything else, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and her eyes widened.

"Oh, no..."

She shoved the phone back into her pocket and looked at me apologetically.

"Sorry, I really have to go."

"It's fine."

"Thanks again."

With that, she hurried off, disappearing into the crowd before I even had the chance to respond.

I watched her for a brief moment, then continued toward the administration building.With that, she hurried off, disappearing into the crowd before I even had the chance to respond.

The lobby was elegant, all polished marble floors and tall glass windows that filled the room with sunlight. Students stood in small groups, some laughing, others filling out paperwork with anxious expressions.

A sign reading "Student Registration" directed me to a long queue.

"Great..." I muttered under my breath.

After several minutes, my turn finally came.

The woman behind the desk adjusted her glasses before offering me a polite smile.

"Name?"

"Elena von Klein."

Her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard.

"First-year medical student?"

"Yes."

She nodded and reached into a drawer, placing several documents neatly on the counter.

"These are your enrollment papers, your student ID, your campus map, and your residence information."

I thanked her and quickly skimmed through the papers before my eyes stopped on a small envelope.

Room 203.

Residence Hall B.

Inside the envelope rested a silver key with a small metal tag attached.

"Your roommate has already checked in," the administrator added casually. "You should find her there."

Roommate...

I had never shared a room with anyone before.

Back home, I had an entire wing of the mansion to myself, the thought of living with a complete stranger felt... strangely exciting.

"Anything else?" the woman asked.

I shook my head.

"No. Thank you."

Leaving the administration office, I unfolded the campus map and searched for the residence halls.

"...Building B."

It was farther than I expected.

As I made my way across the enormous campus, I couldn't help but admire it.

Ancient stone buildings stood beside modern laboratories, Students hurried between lectures, professors crossed the courtyards carrying stacks of books, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted from a nearby café.

For the first time...

No guards followed me.

No driver waited for instructions.

No one knew my family name.

I wasn't Elena von Klein... I was simply...

Elena.

Following the map, I finally stopped in front of the residence hall, I tightened my grip around the small silver key, I inserted the key into the lock, and slowly turned it.

Click

The door opened.

The room was brighter than I expected.

A large window overlooks the University of Heidelberg's gardens, and its white curtains move gently with the summer breeze. Two mattress beds stand opposite, each with its own desk and bookshelves.

I began to look at the place in silence.

"It's... Beautiful."

It's so much more beautiful than I imagined.

I put my bag next to the empty bed, and then headed for the window.

Outside, students were crossing the square, talking, laughing and heading for the university buildings, while the bells of a nearby church rang in the air.

Everything seemed strange...But it's comfortable in a way I didn't expect.

Shrody interrupted the sound of the door opening behind me.

I turned around.

"... You?"

The girl I had just bumped into was standing at the door, her eyes wide with astonishment.

For seconds...

Neither of us said a word.

A smile tugged at my lips.

"I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

She laughed softly as she stepped inside.

"What a small world."

Her gaze shifted from me to the room, then back again.

"I can't believe you're my roommate."

Neither can I.

She placed her books on the desk with a relieved sigh before turning to me with a warm smile.

"I'm Maria."

"Elena."

"It's nice to officially meet you, Elena."

"You too."

Maria looked around the room before dropping onto her bed.

"So..." she said, kicking off her sneakers. "Where are you from?"

"Berlin."

Her eyes lit up.

"Really? I've only been there once. Everything felt so... expensive."

I laughed quietly.

"That's one way to describe it."

"What about you?" I asked.

"Hamburg." She smiled proudly. "My parents almost cried when they left this morning."

"You seem close."

"We are." She shrugged. "My mom has probably called me three times already."

Almost as if on cue, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and groaned dramatically.

"Make that four."

I couldn't help smiling.

She answered quickly.

"Mom... yes, I'm alive... No, I haven't starved to death in the last ten minutes."

She paused, listening.

"No, my roommate doesn't look like a serial killer."

Her eyes met mine, and she grinned.

She actually seems really nice."

I let out a quiet laugh.

After ending the call, she slipped the phone back into her pocket.

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay."

She smiled sheepishly before dropping onto her bed.

"My mom worries too much."

"I can tell."

Maria laughed.

"She'll probably call me again tonight... and tomorrow morning... and maybe during lunch."

"That often?"

"Oh, you have no idea."

She reached for one of the pillows and hugged it against her chest.

"So..." she tilted her head curiously. "Have you unpacked everything yet?"

I glanced at the half-open suitcase beside my bed.

"Not even close."

"Good."

She stood up.

"Take your time. Classes don't start until tomorrow anyway."

I looked at her.

"So I really only missed the orientation?"

"Yep."

She waved a dismissive hand.

"You didn't miss much. They showed us around campus, explained a few rules, and wished us luck."

"I was worried I'd fallen behind already."

"Nah." She smiled reassuringly. "Tomorrow's the real beginning."

I let out a quiet breath.

"That's good to hear."

Maria looked at me for a moment before smiling again.

"Once you're done unpacking, I could show you around the campus."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course." She shrugged with an easy smile. "Besides, I'd rather not let my new roommate get lost on her first day."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

"That's thoughtful."

"I know." She grinned. "It's one of my many good qualities."

I chuckled, shaking my head.

Before I could reply, my phone lit up on the bed beside my suitcase.

Mom Calling...

The smile on my lips slowly faded.

I stared at the screen as it continued to ring.

Mother...

To the rest of Germany, she was Vivian von Klein.

Elegant.

Poised.

A woman whose mere presence could command the attention of an entire room.

She was admired wherever she went, the perfect wife, the perfect hostess, the perfect Lady von Klein.

But to me...

She was simply Mom.

The woman who stayed by my bedside whenever I had a fever.

Who brushed my hair before bed when I was little.

Who kissed my forehead every morning, as if it were a promise that nothing bad would ever happen to me.

Then...

Everything changed.

After the incident I can no longer remember...

She never looked at me the same way again.

She looked at me as though I were made of glass.

As though one careless step...

One wrong decision...

Could break me beyond repair.

She rarely let me out of her sight.

Every tutor, every outing, every detail of my life was carefully arranged.

Not because she wanted to control me...

But because she was terrified of losing me again.

Sometimes, her love felt comforting.

Other times...

It felt like living inside a gilded cage.

The ringing stopped.

A second later...

The screen lit up again.

Another call.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment before pressing the power button.

The screen went black.

Maria looked at me, then at the phone.

"You didn't answer."

"I'll call her later."

She didn't seem convinced, but she respected my silence.

"My mom would panic if I ignored her calls."

A faint smile crossed my lips.

"I think mine already has."

The words escaped before I could stop them.

Maria's expression softened.

"She must be worried."

"Yeah..."

I slipped the phone into my pocket.

"She is."

A quiet silence settled between us.

Maria was the first to break it.

"Well... she'll probably sleep better once she hears your voice."

"Maybe."

I glanced at the suitcase that was still half unpacked.

"I should finish this before we leave."

Maria nodded as she stood up and stretched.

"Take your time."

She walked over to the window and pulled the curtains open a little farther.

"The weather's perfect."

She looked back at me with a smile.

"It'd be a shame to spend your first afternoon at Falkenberg University stuck inside."

I smiled faintly.

Yeah.

A walk around Falkenberg University wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"I think I'm done."

I zipped my suitcase shut and picked up my room key.

Maria got to her feet immediately.

"Finally."

We left the dormitory together and started walking along the stone pathway that led toward the heart of the university.

The weather was pleasant, and the campus was alive with the sound of students laughing and chatting as they passed by.

"You know?" Maria said out of nowhere.

"What?"

"My mom has already sent me seven messages since this morning."

I laughed.

"Seven?"

"Seven."

She waved her phone in the air.

"Three of them were just asking if I'd eaten."

I smiled.

"She must care about you a lot."

"Sometimes a little too much."

She let out a quiet sigh.

"But I'm going to miss her anyway."

I nodded in understanding.

"My dad too."

A small smile crossed my lips.

"Are you close to your family?"

"Very."

She answered without hesitation.

"Especially my little brother."

I looked at her.

"You have a younger brother?"

"Unfortunately."

She laughed.

"What did he do?"

"What didn't he do?"

She shook her head with an amused smile.

"I swear he spent half of his childhood trying to annoy me."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

"How old is he?"

"Sixteen."

Then she pointed at me.

"What about you?"

"...I have two older brothers."

Maria's eyes lit up immediately.

"That's amazing."

Then she looked at me with a teasing smile.

"I bet they're handsome too... I mean, just look at you."

A soft laugh escaped me.

"If I had to judge them objectively..."

A small smile found its way to my lips.

"...they really are."

Their faces appeared in my mind.

Ray was tall and broad-shouldered, with neatly kept black hair and sharp silver-gray eyes that never seemed to miss a thing. He carried himself with a quiet authority that earned people's respect before he even spoke.

As for Chris...

He looked remarkably like me.

The same blond hair, the same emerald-green eyes, and even the same smile my mother always claimed revealed every secret we tried to hide.

But the resemblance ended there.

While I would think twice before making a decision...

Chris would make it first and think about it afterward.

"I'm not sure they'd take that as a compliment."

Maria laughed.

"Well, I definitely would."

We both laughed before she tilted her head slightly.

"So... what's it like having two older brothers?"

I hesitated for a moment.

"...Sometimes it feels like I have two extra parents."

She laughed.

"That bad?"

I smiled, but my thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.

Ray...

He had been away on a business trip when I left home.

By now...

He had probably already heard about me running away.

No...

I was certain he had.

His messages hadn't stopped for the past two days.

My phone was filled with missed calls from him...

And I hadn't answered a single one.

I knew him too well.

At this very moment, he was probably trying to convince himself that I was safe...

While searching for the fastest way to come after me.

Ray never raised his voice.

He never needed to.

When he was angry...

His silence carried far more weight than shouting ever could.

He was the kind of person who never repeated an order...

Because everyone obeyed the first time.

And for the first time in my life...

I was the one ignoring him.

Maria's voice pulled me back.

"You sound really close to them.

I smiled without realizing it.

"Closer than I can put into words."

"And which one spoiled you the most?"

I laughed almost instantly.

"Chris."

I didn't even have to think about it.

"He's the complete opposite of Ray."

"How so?"

"If Ray was the one who kept me out of trouble..."

I smiled at the memory.

"...Chris was the one opening the car door and saying, 'Come on, it'll be a fun night.'"

Maria burst into laughter.

"That sounds like a terrible influence."

"He was."

The memories came flooding back.

Chris arguing fearlessly with our father.

Sometimes with Ray as well.

Yet despite everything...

He was always the first to help me sneak out of the house.

He took me to my first illegal street race...

And later, to my first underground boxing match.

When two guys tried flirting with me there...

They ended up on the ground, their faces barely recognizable.

I spent the entire drive home angry at him.

As for Chris...

He just laughed, as if it had been an ordinary night.

"You're smiling."

Maria's voice pulled me from my thoughts once again.

I hadn't even realized I was.

"You miss them?"

I stared ahead in silence.

"...More than I expected.

Maria smiled, but she didn't say anything.

For a while, we simply walked.

The campus buzzed with life around us. Students crossed the stone paths in every direction, some carrying stacks of books, others balancing iced coffees while laughing with friends.

A warm breeze stirred the trees overhead.

Maria suddenly pointed toward an enormous stone building.

"That's the main library."

I looked up.

"It looks like a castle."

She laughed.

"That's exactly what I thought."

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

"I actually got lost in there this morning."

I turned to look at her.

"Already?"

"Twice."

I blinked.

"...Twice?"

She nodded with complete seriousness.

"I somehow ended up in the history section while looking for the exit."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

"I'll remember not to ask you for directions."

She placed a hand over her heart dramatically.

"Wow."

"What?"

"You wound me."

"I thought honesty was important."

"It is."

She sighed theatrically.

"...Just not when it's directed at me."

I laughed again.

"There it is."

"What?"

"Now you're making fun of me."

"You made it too easy."

She narrowed her eyes at me, pretending to be offended.

"I've known you for... what? Two hours?"

"Something like that."

"And you're already bullying me."

"I wouldn't call it bullying."

"Oh?"

"I'd call it self-defense."

She stared at me for a second before bursting into laughter.

"Okay..."

She shook her head, still smiling.

"I like you."

A small smile found its way to my lips.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should."

The conversation drifted naturally after that—from tomorrow's classes... to the professors neither of us had met yet... to the café Maria insisted served the best coffee at Falkenberg University.

Before either of us realized it, the afternoon had slipped away.

When we finally made our way back to the dormitory, the sun had already begun to sink behind the old buildings, painting the sky in soft shades of gold and amber.

Maria stopped in front of the entrance and stretched her arms above her head.

"Okay..."

She let out a long sigh.

"I think we've walked enough for one day."

I smiled.

"I couldn't agree more."

We climbed the stairs to the second floor and stepped back into our room.

Maria dropped onto her bed with a dramatic groan.

"I refuse to move from this spot until tomorrow morning."

A quiet laugh escaped me as I placed my small bag on the desk.

"You know tomorrow is our first day of classes."

"Please..."

She threw an arm over her eyes.

"Don't remind me."

"Weren't you excited about studying medicine?"

"I was."

She answered without moving.

"Then I remembered studying is part of studying medicine."

I couldn't help laughing.

The room gradually fell silent.

Outside, the last rays of sunlight slipped through the window, bathing the room in a warm orange glow.

Then my phone vibrated on the desk.

I glanced at the screen.

Ray.

The call rang for a few seconds before stopping.

A second later, another notification appeared.

15 Missed Calls.

I stared at the screen in silence.

Then I turned the phone face down.

Almost immediately...

It vibrated again.

Ray: Answer your phone, Elena.

My thumb hovered over the screen for a brief moment.

Then I locked it without replying.

"You okay?"

Maria's voice was gentle this time.

I looked up.

She was watching me from across the room.

"...Yeah."

The lie came more easily than I expected.

She studied me for a second, as though she knew there was more I wasn't saying.

But she didn't push.

Instead, she simply nodded.

"Well..."

A small smile appeared on her face.

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

She shrugged.

"I'm pretty good at that."

For a moment...

I simply looked at her.

Then I smiled.

"Thank you."

She smiled back before reaching for the light switch beside her bed.

"Good night, Elena."

"Good night, Maria."

The room fell into darkness.

I lay awake for a while, listening to the quiet hum of the city outside the window.

Tomorrow...

My real first day at Falkenberg University would begin.

I closed my eyes, unaware that the life I had fought so hard to build...

was about to become far more complicated than I had ever imagined.

Hundreds of miles away...

A week had passed.

Seven days since Elena Von Klein had vanished without leaving behind anything but a silent phone and a family desperate to find her.

Seven days of relentless searching.

Seven days...

Without a single lead.

Lord Von Klein's study no longer resembled an office.

It had become a command center.

Maps covered the long oak table.

Security reports.

Airport records.

Surveillance footage.

Photographs.

Every possible lead had been investigated.

Every trail had gone cold.

The head of security stood before the table, his posture rigid.

"We've expanded the search across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and neighboring countries.

He paused.

"We've checked airports, train stations, hotels... even hospitals."

Another brief silence.

"We still have no confirmed sighting of Miss Elena."

The room fell silent.

Then—

The study door opened.

Ray stepped inside.

His tailored suit was as immaculate as always, but the exhaustion beneath his gray eyes betrayed a week without proper sleep.

Without saying a word, he walked toward the table.

One by one, he flipped through the reports.

A minute later...

He closed the final file.

"You're looking in the wrong places."

Several security officers exchanged confused glances.

The head of security frowned.

"Sir?"

Ray rested one hand on the map.

"You're assuming Elena made a mistake."

His gaze swept across the room.

"She doesn't make mistakes when she's had time to prepare."

Silence.

"Her phone disappeared."

"No activity on any family accounts."

"No credit card transactions."

He looked back