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Stelle opened her eyes with a sleepy groan and felt the sunlight hitting against her face. When a slender finger pokes her cheek she turns her gaze to the side and realizes where she is.
"C'mon wake up! If we don't get to the rooftop soon, someone will steal our lunch spot!"
March's impatient voice made her lift her head from the desk, she rubbed her eyes before looking at her best friend again.
The pink haired girl was wearing a school uniform, she looked down to see she was also wearing one. Though March was wearing a cute cardigan in addition.
Two notebooks were open on their desks, filled with some doodles along with notes. March had a habit of filling the corners of Stelle's notebook with stars and silly drawings whenever she had the chance.
"You slept that well, huh? You should see your face!" March giggled, pulling out a mirror from her bag and giving it to her.
Stelle saw her own reflection on the mirror, her golden eyes shining as usual, her gray hair messy cause of her long nap. Her friend pulled out a lunchbox from her bag and took back the mirror from Stelle's hands once she knew her friend was wide awake now.
"I tried a new recipe today! It'll be enough for the three of us i suppose.. Just don't try to eat all of it like you did last time!"
She felt March's colorful nail poking her chest, her hands reached towards her own backpack without much thought and pulled out a matching lunchbox. Weird, she didn't remember what she had packed at all..
"Well, i must've done it in a hurry this morning.." She shrugged to herself before she finally stood up, walking towards the rooftop with her friend.
Dan Heng was already waiting for them at their usual spot. A soft smile on his face as he raised his hand slightly as if to wave.
" You two are late." He said with a sigh, but anyone who knew him well would know it was a fond one.
"Well, it's not something unusual so i thought i would come early to protect our spot."
Stelle gave him a sheepish smile,
"Sorry, i fell asleep in class.."
March's cheerful laughter filled the space,
" 'Protect our spot' should we start calling you a guard?" She teased.
"What a choice of words.." Stelle's lips curled upwards in a small smile, a ache filled her chest all of a sudden, she didn't knew why, actually, she realized she still felt like in a daze. Her hand massaged her hurting temple for a second,
"Hm? Is something wrong?" Dan Heng turned his eyes to her, seeing her eyebrows were furrowed, her gaze far away in thoughts.
"Was something wrong?" She thought, no, nothing was wrong. She was with her friends, having lunch in school like every teenager. What could be wrong?
"Ah, it must be because i just woke up.. I think I'm still feeling sleepy."
She said, her eyes scrunching as the sun shines down on them, March sat down on the bench, and patted besides her.
"I'm sure you are going to feel much better after you eat my delicious food!"
She beamed as she placed her lunchbox on her lap and opened the lid.
Soon after, the rooftop was filled with their laughter and bickering and Stelle felt her chest filling with warmth that felt like had been missing for a while.
And if she felt a slightly chill along with it, she didn't say anything.
Rest of the day passed in the blink of an eye, as well as the rest week, weeks, months.
Sometimes, when she looked at March's eyes in the class, while they were trying to talk quietly without alarming the teacher, she saw a red glint, a a flicker of smile that made her shiver.
When Dan Heng talked to them, it didn't felt like it was him at all. His eyes didn't hold the fondness when he was looking at her like it always did.
You must be imagining it, they are your friends.
She told herself, but sometimes, even her inner voice didn't sound like her.
It reminded her distant memories, it just sounded like a certain someone's voice. But she couldn't remember, everything was hazy.
"In deep thoughts? That's not like you."
She didn't notice Dan Heng standing besides her on the rooftop. March was the one running late this time, she told her to go ahead and meet with Dan Heng.
"Wasn't thinking of anything... I just- Can you remind me what we did after school yesterday? I'm becoming pretty forgetful these days."
She said, for months, she remembered coming to school, even hanging out with them after school. But after that was hazy.
She didn't remember going home, talking with her family, sleeping in her bed, eating her mom's dinner.
Her.. Mom's?
"It's okay, maybe you are stressed because of the exams? That could be a reason for forgetfulness. Anyways, March told us about a shop she saw online and dragged us along with her, as usual."
"And then..?"
She couldn't help but ask, she needed to know, her thoughts already starting to spiral as she grew distressed.
"Then? We went back to our houses of course."
"Our houses? Dan Heng.. Do you have a family?"
The words slipped out of her mouth, she turned around to look at him, his eyebrows raised in surprise at her question.
His gaze worried as he clasped her hand in his.
It felt so cold, no, His hands were always icy cold.
"Of course I do. Stelle, you are worrying about small things again, aren't you? Is that why you are acting weird?"
He reassured her, but even as she looked into it his eyes, she didn't feel like everything was okay, or was going to be.
Something about Dan Heng, her and March having families, houses to go back to felt weird. It didn't fit, it squeezed her heart.
She felt panic creeping in and sweat rolling down her neck.
"I... I'm not acting weird."
She tried to argue, her hands feeling sweaty, she wanted to run away from this place, to go far away. But where would she go? Why was she even feeling like this?
She tried to pull her hands away from his grip, but it didn't work. The air around them felt even colder, she could feel her teeth clattering.
Remember Stelle,
don't forget about us.
About me.
I will find you.
Don't let yourself drown In the memoria tide.
"Stay, Stelle... There's no need to feel fear or regret."
"Aren't we all happy here?"
"Isn't this what you wanted?"
"To be normal?"
"We are just high-schoolers. Without any burdens. Just normal humans, not heroes."
"Not Namelesses. We could be happy here Stelle, with no wars, no worries about disasters and death. Forever, like this..."
Stelle pushed the fake away with all of her might.
"Stop! This.. This is not real.. You are not real."
She felt tears rolling down her cheeks, her palms pressing against her eyes as the memories of months passed before her eyes.
Three teenagers, running across the beach without any worries other than exams and grades.
March holding up her camera as she films Stelle and Dan Heng splashing each other in the water.
Stelle taking a picture of March, holding up a seashell she had found.
Her trying to pry March's camera out of her hands after March takes a photo of her napping in class, drooling slightly. Both of them giggling as they run around in class.
Stelle trying to eat snacks with Dan Heng in class without anyone noticing.
A warm cup of tea pushed in her hands after she stays with Dan Heng after school for library duty.
March and Stelle doing a dance battle after school at one of the arcades they've found. Dan Heng secretly recording their poor attempt at dancing with a familiar blue camera.
Stelle's paper plane 'accidentally' landing on Dan Heng's desk in the class, with a silly note scribbled on it. He gives a soft smile before placing it in his bag.
It hurts so much, she feels like they're ripping her heart apart. She wants to stay like this, forever.
You can ignore it, the coldness in their stares, the glitches. You can stay. You can be happy and at peace.
Her mind is screaming at her to stay but she doesn't listen, her body moving without even her giving much thought.
I'm a Nameless, I'm a Nameless...
I'll always be one! I will never regret choosing this path!
She walks back until she reaches the stairs, walking down with hurried steps, tears blurring her vision, the air growing colder and colder as she sprints in empty corridors, stretching endlessly.
She doesn't know if the fake Dan Heng is chasing after her.
In the corner of her eyes she can see red jellyfishes multiplying.
"Take me back! Evernight! Get me out of here!"
She screams, her voice echoing in the empty corridor. Forgotten memories fills her mind, she sees the express, Amphoreus, the promise she made to her friends.
The corridor dissolves until only darkness remains, she runs and runs until she sees a light.
Familiar eyes fills her vision, like the sea, like the beach in her false memories.With gold as sand and blue-green as the sea.
A golden dragon enveloping her as something warm grabs her wrist.
His touch not cold like the one in the memory, It's warm, and full of life like the earth itself.
"I've found you."