Ava?”
“Ava?” the girl breathed out, “it’s you right?”
I blinked. Ava?
Who the hell is Ava?
Maya’s head snapped toward me. “Ava? Who’s Ava? Aria, do you know her?”
“Is that supposed to be your question? Can’t you see she’s stunned too.” Jamal muttered.
Nora tensed beside me, her fingers clutching her sleeves.
71
5 vouchers
The girl stepped toward me slowly, hesitant with a gaze that said she wasn’t sure if I’d run or hug her. Her friends stopped talking too, confusedly watching us.
I swallowed hard. I can’t lie, my heart did a weird flip when I first saw her. Now my chest hurt at the sad look on her face. Like my brain knew something my chest didn’t.
“…Do you… know me?” I whispered. The girl stared, lips parted, “I…”
“U–Um–Aria-” Nora whimpered, tugging lightly on my sleeve. “It’s almost 6:30. W–We really need to go back before it
gets later.”
“She’s unfortunately right.” Maya groaned.
The girl tore her eyes away from me and inhaled sharply.
Nora whispered again, more urgently, “Aria… it’s getting late. We should… go.” Her voice trembling.
I looked back at the girl.
“Sorry,” I said softly. “We really have to go. But… um… I’m sorry, you might just be mistaken or something”
Her fingers curled into fists, her jaw’s clenched tight.
“I’m not, I know what I saw,” she said quietly. “Did something happen to you?.”
I gulped, is she from my missing memory?
Before I could question her again, one of her friends grabbed her arm.
“Liza, c’mon, we need to get it before it’s late.”
She nodded, still not taking her eyes away from me. Not once.
“Aria?,” she whispered with a head shake.. “I don’t know what it is but something is definitely happening. I
15:53 FMI,
Chapter 92
know you Ava.”
5 vouchers
She stepped back with her group, glancing back until they completely disappeared from my eye sight.
“My name was Ava?” I muttered.
Maya hopped in front of me immediately, waving her hands.
“HELLOOO? Earth to Aria. Are you okay?!”
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“Take a breath,” Jamal said, walking to my front. “We will figure this out.”
“I- I can’t say I’ve never met her,” I sighed,
“We really need to go,” Nora whispered again, glancing nervously around.
“Yeah,” Jamal said, slinging his backpack he had dropped on the floor earlier on. “Let’s go before it gets darker than this.”
We started walking, but my mind was still stuck on those blue eyes.
On the way Liza looked at me
*****
The forest was dimmer now, shadows stretching across the dirt path as birds chirped various sounds creating
a nature rhythm. Maya poked her shoulder against mine every few seconds.
“Aria. Aria. Ariiiia.”
“What?” I sighed.
“Are you still thinking about her?” She asked
“No, Maya.”
“You’re lying. I can feel it in
my
soul.”
“I doubt you have a soul.”
“Wow. Hurtful.” She placed a hand dramatically on her chest. “I do too have a soul. A sexy one.”
Jamal snorted. “That is not how souls work.”
“It is in my world, Jamal.”
I shook my head, though her nonsense grounded me a little.
Nora cleared her throat softly. “Sh–She did look… um… familiar with you. Like she really knew you.”
15:53 Fri, Jan 16 T…
Chapter 92
“Yeah,” Jamal added. “Like, really knew you. That wasn’t casual.
Z71]
5 vouchers
“I guess she might,” I muttered.
Maya raised a brow. ” will you be meeting with her later?”
“Maybe, I don’t know. I don’t even know how to meet her if I want to.”
The others sighed.
I rubbed my arms, feeling uneasy at their gaze on me.
“Can we–drop it?” I asked quietly. “This topic, please??”
They all paused.
Maya’s eyes softened immediately. “Yeah. Of course.”
Nora nodded quickly. “S–Sorry.”
Jamal murmured, “Alright. Let’s focus on finding our way back before a bear finds us first.”
“Jamal!” Nora squeaked.
“I’m kidding!…probably.”
“Shut up!” She laughed.
By the time we reached the open clearing again, lanterns and portable floodlights cast a warm glow around
the cluster of tents. The states and Mrs Hopkins bustled around, checking attendance.
Mrs. Hopkins spotted us and immediately yelled,
“You all! YOU ARE LATE!”
“Her voice is damn loud, does she has a speaker in there?.” Maya whispered,
“It’s a superpower,” Jamal smiled.
“No,” I murmured, smirking. “It’s an instrument of torture.”
Mrs. Hopkins stalked over, hands on her hips like she was about to assign us community service.
“Where have you been?”
“The lake,” Jamal said calmly. “We took photos.”
“We were bonding,” Maya said dramatically, placing a hand over her heart.
15:54 Fri, Jan 16 T
Chapter 92
…
&
719
5 vouchers
“We didn’t get lost,” Nora whispered, which was the biggest lie of all since we absolutely almost did.
Mrs. Hopkins rolled her eyes and checked us off her list. “Just don’t wander that far again. Dinner is soon.”
She marched away yelling at another group.
Maya sighed in relief. “We survived.”
Jamal sniffed dramatically. “I can still feel her scream in my spirit.”
Nora giggled.
I smiled… but my mind was drifting again.
To Liza.
To the way her voice cracked when she said Ava.
DINNER – SORT OF
We carried our bags toward the eating area — basically a bunch of picnic tables with trays of campsite food.
—
Maya groaned loudly as she inspected the options.
“Why does everything look like it was cooked in sadness?”
“It’s camp food,” Jamal shrugged.
“It’s a rich–kid trip,” she countered. “I expect lobster.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Thank you.”
I barely heard them.
My eyes kept scanning the area.
Not for food.
Not for a table.
For her.
And then-
like the universe heard me-
I spotted Liza.
She was on the other side of the clearing with her school group, tying her hair back as she talked to her
15:54 Fri, Jan 16 T
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
