The Forgotten Past
1187 Words
Amara stared at the photograph.
Her hands were shaking.
“That girl is me.”
Lily looked at the picture again.
“But how? You were just a child.”
“I don't know.”
Ethan took the photograph from her.
He studied it carefully.
“When was this taken?”
Amara shook her head.
“I don't remember.”
She looked at the little girl in the photograph.
The girl was standing beside her father and the mysterious woman.
But something about the picture felt familiar.
The dress.
The room behind them.
And the small necklace around the girl's neck.
Amara touched her own neck.
She was wearing the same necklace.
“I've had this since I was little.”
Ethan looked at the necklace.
“So your father gave it to you.”
“Yes.”
Lily stepped closer.
“Maybe this photograph was taken before your father disappeared.”
Amara nodded slowly.
“But why don't I remember this woman?”
Ethan turned the photograph over.
There was writing on the back.
He read it aloud.
“Keep Amara safe. She must never remember what happened here.”
Amara's face went pale.
“What happened to me?”
Nobody answered.
Suddenly, a loud sound came from the hallway.
All three of them froze.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching.
Ethan quickly turned off the light.
“Hide.”
Amara and Lily moved behind the cabinet.
Ethan stood near the door.
The footsteps became louder.
Then they stopped.
A shadow appeared underneath the door.
Someone was standing outside.
Amara held her breath.
The door handle slowly moved.
But before the person could enter, footsteps suddenly came from the opposite direction.
The person outside quickly walked away.
Ethan waited a few seconds.
Then he opened the door.
The hallway was empty.
“Whoever that was is gone.”
Lily stepped out.
“Maybe we should leave before they come back.”
Amara nodded.
“Yes.”
She took the photograph.
“We need to find out who that woman is.”
They hurried back toward the main building.
As they walked, Ethan remained quiet.
Amara noticed.
“What is it?”
He looked at her.
“There's something I haven't told you.”
“What?”
“My mother once showed me an old photograph.”
Amara stopped walking.
“Was I in it?”
Ethan nodded.
“Not you exactly. A little girl.”
Amara's eyes widened.
“Where?”
“At our family house.”
“When?”
“I was about ten years old.”
Amara stared at him.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't know it was you.”
Lily looked between them.
“What did the photograph show?”
Ethan took a deep breath.
“My father was standing beside Daniel Blake.”
Amara's heart raced.
“And?”
“There was a woman with them.”
“The mysterious woman?”
“I think so.”
Amara looked down at the photograph.
“Then our families knew each other.”
“Yes.”
“But why was I there?”
Ethan didn't answer.
They reached the school entrance.
Amara suddenly remembered something.
“Wait.”
She searched through her bag.
Then she pulled out an old photograph.
“My mother gave me this years ago.”
She placed it beside the new photograph.
The two pictures looked different.
But the background was the same.
Lily stared at them.
“They were taken in the same place.”
Amara nodded.
“But there's something else.”
She pointed at the corner of the photograph.
A small symbol was carved into the wall.
A circle with a line through it.
Ethan looked shocked.
“I've seen that symbol before.”
“Where?”
“In my father's study.”
Amara looked at him.
“Then we need to go there.”
Ethan shook his head.
“My father never allows anyone inside his study.”
“Then we'll find a way.”
Before Ethan could answer, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Mom.
He answered.
“Hello?”
His mother's voice sounded frightened.
“Ethan, where are you?”
“At school.”
“Leave immediately.”
“Why?”
“Because someone told me you were in Room 17.”
Ethan froze.
“How did you know?”
His mother became silent.
Then she whispered,
“Because I was there too.”
Ethan's eyes widened.
“You?”
“I know what happened in that room.”
Amara moved closer.
“What did you do there?”
Ethan's mother heard her voice.
“Amara?”
“Yes.”
There was a long silence.
Then she said,
“I've been waiting for the day you discovered the truth.”
Amara's heart pounded.
“What truth?”
“I can't explain over the phone.”
“Then tell me now.”
“No.”
Her voice trembled.
“You must come to the Carter house.”
Ethan frowned.
“Why?”
“Because there is something your father never wanted you to see.”
The call ended.
Ethan stared at his phone.
Amara looked at him.
“We're going.”
Lily looked worried.
“Are you sure?”
Amara nodded.
“If his mother knows about my father, I need answers.”
Ethan looked at her.
“I won't let you go alone.”
Lily sighed.
“Then I'm coming too.”
They left the academy together.
But none of them noticed the black car parked across the street.
Inside the car, a person watched them leave.
A phone was held against their ear.
“They found the photograph,” the person said.
A voice answered from the other end.
“Then it's time.”
“What should I do?”
The voice became cold.
“Stop them before they reach the Carter house.”
The call ended.
Inside the car, the stranger started the engine.
Meanwhile, Ethan, Amara, and Lily continued walking.
Amara held the photograph tightly.
She couldn't stop thinking about one question.
If she had been at Blackwood Academy as a child…
Why didn't she remember it?
And what had happened that made her father tell someone to make sure she forgot?
For the first time, Amara wondered if her childhood memories had been changed.
Then Ethan suddenly stopped.
“Amara.”
She looked at him.
“What?”
He pointed ahead.
The same mysterious woman from the photographs was standing across the street.
Amara froze.
The woman looked directly at her.
Then she raised one finger to her lips.
“Don't trust anyone.”
A car suddenly passed between them.
When it was gone, the woman had disappeared.
Amara looked around desperately.
“Where did she go?”
Ethan stared at the empty street.
“I don't know.”
Then his phone vibrated.
A new message appeared.
Your memories were never yours to begin with.
Amara stared at the screen.
Her heart sank.
Someone knew her past.
Someone knew what had happened to her.
And now they were coming for her.
To be continued......
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD