Chapter 7
1523 Words
The voice
Amara couldn't move.
She knew that voice.
Not because she had heard it recently.
Not because it was familiar in the way a stranger's voice becomes familiar.
She knew it because somewhere deep inside her memory...
she had been waiting for it.
"Who is that?" she whispered.
Adrian didn't answer.
His eyes were fixed on the door.
The same door where the voice had come from.
"Adrian."
This time, his expression changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
And that scared Amara more.
"You know who it is," she said.
A long silence followed.
Then Adrian slowly reached for the handle of the drawer beside him.
"Stay behind me."
Amara stared at him.
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Protecting me without telling me the truth."
His hand stopped.
Because she was right.
For years, Adrian had searched for answers about his father's death.
But now that the truth was standing right in front of him...
he wasn't sure he wanted to find it.
The voice came again.
This time closer.
"Amara."
Her breathing stopped.
Because the voice wasn't calling her like a stranger.
It was calling her like someone who had known her her whole life.
It was calling her like someone who had known her her whole life.
Amara took a small step forward.
"Wait."
Adrian immediately looked at her.
"No."
The firmness in his voice surprised her.
"I need to know."
"Amara—"
"No."
Her voice shook, but she didn't move back.
"Everyone keeps deciding what I can and cannot handle. Everyone keeps hiding things from me."
She looked toward the door.
"But that voice... it knows me."
Adrian watched her carefully.
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to stop her.
Then something changed.
Maybe he realized she was right.
Maybe he realized they had both been running from the same truth.
Slowly, he lowered his hand.
"Stay close to me."
Amara nodded.
Together, they moved toward the door.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
Adrian placed his hand on the handle.
He looked at her one more time.
"If anything happens, you run."
Amara frowned.
"I'm not leaving you."
The words came out before she could think about them.
For a second, Adrian looked surprised.
Then something softer appeared in his eyes.
Something she had never seen before.
Trust.
He opened the door.
The cold night air rushed inside.
The forest stood silent.
Empty.
No footsteps.
No movement.
Nothing.
Until a figure stepped out from between the trees.
Amara froze.
The person standing in front of them was older than she expected.
But it was the eyes that stopped her.
Because she had seen those eyes before.
Not today.
Not yesterday.
Years ago.
In the memory she couldn't reach.
The stranger looked at her.
And whispered:
"Amara... you finally remember me.”
The words sent a chill through her.
Amara stared at the stranger standing before them.
Her mind searched desperately.
A name.
A memory.
Anything.
But all she found was the sound of rain.
The feeling of small hands holding hers.
And a voice telling her she would be safe.
"Who are you?" she asked.
The stranger's expression changed.
Not with surprise.
With sadness.
"You really don't remember."
Amara swallowed.
"Should I?"
The stranger looked past her toward Adrian.
And the moment their eyes met, Adrian's face hardened.
"You."
Amara turned to him.
"You know him?"
Adrian didn't answer.
That was enough of an answer.
The stranger let out a quiet breath.
"I was hoping you would never have to find out this way."
Adrian stepped forward.
"What are you doing here?"
The stranger looked at him.
"The same thing I've been trying to do for years."
A pause.
"Protect her.”
The same thing I've been trying to do for years.
"Protect her."
The words stayed in the air.
Amara looked between them.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
Her voice became sharper.
"Protect me from what?"
Nobody answered.
And that scared her more than anything.
The stranger looked at her carefully.
"From the truth."
Amara felt her chest tighten.
"The truth about what?"
The stranger took a slow step forward.
Adrian immediately moved in front of her.
"Don't."
The stranger stopped.
A sad smile appeared on his face.
"You're just like your father."
Adrian's expression changed.
"Don't talk about him."
"Why?"
The stranger's voice softened.
"Because you still blame yourself for what happened."
Silence.
Amara looked at Adrian.
For the first time, she saw something beneath his anger.
Pain.
Deep, hidden pain.
"What does my past have to do with your father?" she asked.
Adrian looked away.
The stranger answered.
"Everything."
Amara felt the world shift.
"Explain."
The stranger looked toward the cabin.
"Not here."
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"Why should we trust you?"
The stranger looked at the photograph inside Adrian's jacket.
"Because your father trusted me."
A pause.
"And because I was there the night he died.”
Amara felt the air leave her lungs.
The words were simple.
But they carried a weight she couldn't explain.
Adrian stared at the stranger.
His jaw tightened.
"You were there?"
The stranger nodded slowly.
"I was."
"Then why didn't you tell anyone what happened?"
A shadow crossed the stranger's face.
"Because I was told not to."
Amara frowned.
"By who?"
The stranger looked at her.
And for some reason, that answer frightened her more than anything else.
"Your mother."
Silence.
Amara felt like the ground beneath her had shifted.
"My mother?"
The stranger nodded.
"She knew the truth."
Adrian looked at Amara.
Neither of them spoke.
Because suddenly, the mystery had changed.
It wasn't only about Adrian's father anymore.
It was about two families.
Two secrets.
And a night that had been hidden for years.
"My mother was there too?" Amara whispered.
The stranger looked away.
"Yes."
Amara's heart raced.
A memory flashed through her mind.
Rain.
A broken voice.
Someone is crying.
And a promise.
"Don't let them find her."
She closed her eyes.
The pain came suddenly.
Too fast.
Too real.
Amara grabbed her head.
Adrian immediately moved toward her.
"Amara?"
She opened her eyes.
And this time...
She remembered something else.
It wasn't a complete memory.
Not yet.
But it was more than she had ever seen before.
She was younger.
Much younger.
The sound of rain surrounded her.
She was standing outside a large house, holding someone's hand.
A man's voice was shaking.
"Listen to me, Amara."
She couldn't see his face.
But she knew the voice.
"You have to be brave."
The memory shifted.
A woman was crying.
Her mother.
"Take her away from here."
Another voice answered.
"What about you?"
A pause.
Then the words that stayed with her.
"I'll make sure they never find her."
Amara opened her eyes suddenly.
Her breathing was uneven.
Adrian was beside her.
"What did you see?"
She looked at him.
Fear filled her expression.
"My mother knew."
The stranger lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
Amara shook her head.
"No... that's not possible."
She stepped back.
"My whole life, I thought I lost my memories because something happened to me."
Her voice became quieter.
"But what if someone took them from me?"
Nobody answered.
Because they all knew the possibility was there.
Adrian looked at the stranger.
"What exactly happened that night?"
The stranger was silent for a moment.
Then he said:
"Your father and my father discovered something they were never supposed to find."
Amara froze.
"Your father?"
The stranger looked at Adrian.
"Yes."
A cold feeling moved through the room.
"Adrian's father wasn't killed because of an accident."
He looked at Amara.
"He was killed because he was trying to protect you.”
Amara stared at him.
"No."
The word came out quietly.
Then again, louder.
"No."
She shook her head.
"That doesn't make sense."
The stranger looked at her with sympathy.
"I know."
"Then explain it."
Her voice broke.
"Explain why a man I barely remember gave his life for me."
The stranger glanced at Adrian.
Because he knew the next words would change everything.
"Your father and Adrian's father were close."
Amara looked at Adrian.
"You knew?"
Adrian looked away.
"Not everything."
"But you knew something."
His silence answered for him.
A painful expression crossed her face.
"How long have you been hiding this from me?"
"Since I found out."
"Why?"
Adrian finally looked at her.
"Because I didn't know if you were the person who hurt my family..."
He paused.
"Or the person my family died protecting."
The words hurt.
But this time, Amara didn't feel anger.
She felt something else.
Understanding.
Because Adrian had been searching for the truth just as desperately as she had.
A sudden sound came from outside.
A branch breaking.
Everyone turned.
The stranger's expression changed.
"We need to leave."
Adrian immediately moved toward the window.
"Why?"
The stranger looked into the darkness.
"Because now they know you're here."
Amara's heart sank.
"Who?"
The stranger looked at her.
"The same people who took your memories."
Silence filled the cabin.
Then the lights outside disappeared.
One by one.
Someone was surrounding them.
And this time...
they weren't running away.
They were coming for the truth.
- Writer
