When Silver opened her eyes, she found herself in her bedroom. She was lying beneath the soft sheets of her bed, the familiar weight of a warm blanket resting over her. The room felt cool, the air conditioner humming softly in the background. A faint breeze of chilled air brushed against her face and arms, making the contrast of the warm blanket even more noticeable.
The curtains were closed, yet soft sunlight still managed to filter through the thin white fabric. The light spread gently across the white‑painted walls, filling every corner of the room with a calm and peaceful glow. It was the kind of morning light that made everything seem safe and quiet, wrapping the room in warmth and stillness, yet Silver's heart was far from calm.
For a while, she simply lay there, blinking slowly, her mind heavy and unfocused. Her fingers curled into the soft blanket as if she needed to hold on to something real. She could feel the smooth fabric beneath her hands, the slight coolness of the air brushing against her skin, and the warmth of her own body trapped under the blanket. Everything felt real, yet something deep inside her screamed that none of this should be happening.
She pushed herself up little by little until she was sitting upright. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked around the room.
It was the same as always.
The white dresser stood against the wall to her left, its polished surface spotless and neatly arranged with a few cherished items. A delicate porcelain jewellery box with faded golden patterns sat in one corner next to a small glass perfume bottle that caught the light and sparkled faintly.
On her nightstand rested a framed photo of her with her family, her parents, her older sister, and her younger sister, taken during a sunny day at the beach. Their smiles were bright and carefree, frozen in a moment that felt both distant and painfully close. Beside the photo stood a small vase filled with dried flowers, their brittle petals retaining just a whisper of their once vibrant colors. She had always loved having flowers in her room, especially in times of happiness, as if they could quietly reflect the joy she felt inside.
She turned to look above her bed at the familiar painting of the blue sea. The waves were captured in shades of turquoise and white, so vivid they almost seemed to move if you stared long enough. The frame was slightly chipped in one corner, a small flaw she had grown fond of because it made the piece feel like it truly belonged to her.
Nothing had changed.
Her chest tightened, and her breathing grew uneven. Slowly, she placed a trembling hand over her heart. She could feel it racing wildly, as if trying to remind her that she was alive.
"Am I alive? How is this possible? What is going on?" she whispered to herself. Her voice was so faint that it sounded as though it belonged to someone else entirely.
Her thoughts were a messy blur, nothing making sense. The last thing she remembered was the thunder crashing in the sky, the bright light shining down, and the strong force pulling her upward. She had thought her time was finally over, that she was finally leaving everything behind.
But now she was here, in a place that should not have been possible, her mind struggling to understand how or why.
Slowly, Silver pushed the covers aside and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her bare feet touched the cool wooden floor, and the chill sent a small shiver through her, grounding her in a way that made her chest ache with something she could not name. She rose to her feet carefully, moving as if any sudden motion might cause the world around her to disappear like a dream.
Her eyes wandered around the room, taking in every detail as though she were seeing it for the very first time. There was her wardrobe, tall and sturdy, still bearing the small scratch on its side from the day Ruby had knocked a chair into it while playing. The memory felt so vivid that she could almost hear Ruby's guilty voice apologizing to her over and over again, echoing in her ears.
Against the opposite wall sat her desk, the same one she had spent hours at, designing outfits and working on new ideas. Sheets of paper with sketches were spread out across the surface, some neatly stacked while others lay open. A neat row of books stood upright in one corner of the desk. These were the books she enjoyed reading in her free time, covering many different genres. A set of colored pencils lay beside an open sheet with a half-finished sketch she was probably working on, their tips worn from use, as if she had only just stepped away for a moment. Nearby, her markers and pens were kept neatly in a holder, ready whenever she needed them. Everything looked just as she had left it, so familiar and untouched that it felt as though time had paused in this room.
"Why am I back in my room? What is going on?" she whispered again, her voice trembling with both fear and confusion.
Then a sudden sound broke through the stillness.
A knock at the door.
The sharp sound echoed in the quiet room, making her jump. Her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes flew to the door.
A second knock followed, softer this time, and then came a voice that made her entire body freeze.
"Sister, are you awake?"
Silver's breath caught in her throat. Her hands began to shake.
That voice.
It could not be.
"Ruby?" she whispered, barely able to get the word out.
The door opened slowly.
Standing there was a little girl with long curly golden hair that fell all the way down to her hips. Ruby's bright green eyes were still sleepy and she rubbed them gently with the back of her hand. She looked just like Silver remembered, small and sweet with rosy cheeks from just waking up. Ruby wore her favorite nightdress, a pale pink one covered with tiny white flowers. On her feet were soft pink slippers that looked well worn from many days of use. She held her teddy bear tight, a light brown bear with a cream-colored belly and a soft, faded blue ribbon tied around its neck. The bear was a little worn but still very special, the one their dad had given her for her last birthday.
"Sister, are you awake?" Ruby asked again, her voice soft and quiet, full of the kind of hope only a little kid could have. She stepped inside the room and stopped suddenly because she saw her older sister standing still, frozen as if she had seen a ghost. Confused, Ruby blinked and looked closer, unsure of what was happening.
Silver couldn't move. For a moment, it felt as though her entire world had stopped spinning. The air grew thick and still, as if time itself had come to a halt. She stared at the small figure just a few feet away. Ruby, her little sister, stood silently, almost too still to be real.
"Ruby," she whispered, her voice breaking into tiny pieces, trembling with both hope and fear.
Without thinking twice, Silver rushed forward. She dropped to her knees right in front of Ruby, her heart pounding so loud she thought it might burst. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she reached out. She was scared, scared that if she touched Ruby, she might vanish like a dream. But when her fingers finally brushed against Ruby's warm skin, a wave of relief washed over her. Ruby was real. She was alive and she was here.
A sob escaped her lips, raw and full of relief and grief all at once. She pulled Ruby into a tight embrace, clutching her as though she would never let go again.
Ruby wriggled a little at first, surprised by the sudden hug, but she quickly relaxed in Silver's arms. Her small hands rested lightly on Silver's shoulders. She tilted her head slightly, her expression full of innocent confusion.
"Sister?" Ruby asked softly, her voice gentle and curious.
Silver held her tightly for a long time. She pressed her cheek against Ruby's soft hair and breathed in deeply. That familiar smell, warm, safe, and full of childhood memories, filled her heart with both happiness and pain. It was the scent she thought she would never know again.
Memories rushed through Silver's mind all at once. She remembered the mornings when she brushed Ruby's hair before school because their mother was too busy. She remembered reading bedtime stories to Ruby when the little girl was too scared to sleep after watching a scary movie. She remembered Ruby's laughter, light and bright, whenever their father told silly jokes. Ruby's presence had a magic of its own. It could bring joy to the whole family and make everything feel a little more whole. She was the heart of their family.
Slowly, Silver pulled back from the hug. Her hands moved gently to cup Ruby's face, careful not to hurt her. With trembling fingers, she brushed a stray strand of hair behind Ruby's ear, committing each detail to memory. She wanted to hold on to this moment for the rest of her life.
Those bright green eyes and curly golden hair, they both had them, inherited from their parents. That's why people always said Silver and Ruby looked alike, like two sides of the same coin. But right now, Silver didn't see a reflection of herself. She saw Ruby. Her little sister. One of the people who mattered more than anything in the world.
Memories hit Silver like a heavy wave. She saw Ruby, scared and trembling under one of the men's cruel hands. She was there with her family, helpless and unable to protect her little sister from what was happening. Her body shook violently, and she struggled to catch her breath as tears streamed down her face. Ruby looked at her, confused, and reached out to gently wipe away her older sister's tears. Her sister who always made others cry was crying now before her.
"I failed you, Ruby," Silver whispered, the words catching in her throat. Her voice trembled as she tried to speak past the weight of guilt. "I couldn't protect you. I'm so sorry." The apology slipped from her lips again and again, as if saying it enough times might change what had happened.
Ruby tilted her head, her brow furrowing softly as she continued to wipe Silver's tears with careful, small movements. "What happened, sister? Why are you saying sorry? Did you have a bad dream?" Her voice was quiet but filled with concern and innocence, untouched by the memory, and Silver realized that Ruby truly didn't understand.
Silver forced herself to smile. It was shaky, thin, and fragile, but she made it appear for Ruby's sake. "Yes, I had a terrible dream," she replied, barely able to keep her voice from breaking.
"It's alright, sister. It was just a dream," Ruby said softly, her voice gentle and light. She carefully wiped away the last of Silver's tears, then took Silver's hand in hers and gave it a gentle tug. "Come on, Mommy is waiting for you at breakfast," she added with a bright, reassuring smile.
Silver felt something deep in her chest twist. The kindness in Ruby's words, the warmth in her touch, it all felt like a miracle wrapped in simplicity. She squeezed Ruby's hand gently, reluctant to let go, but she did as she stood up.
"Tell her I will come after I take a quick bath," she said softly, her hand brushing gently over Ruby's hair, smoothing it with a familiar motion.
"Okay," Ruby answered with a grin. "Do not take too long." With that, she turned and walked away, her small feet making light taps on the wooden floor. She closed the door behind her with care, leaving the room silent once more.
Silver stood in place for a long moment, staring at the door as if she could still see Ruby on the other side. Then, slowly, she exhaled, releasing a breath she had not even realized she had been holding.
She turned and made her way to the bathroom. Each step felt surreal, like she was moving through a world that had been shattered and pieced back together without explanation. It was familiar, yet unfamiliar. Real, yet not.
Inside, she stood before the mirror and looked at herself. The woman staring back was in her mid-twenties, her eyes rimmed with faint dark circles, the kind that come from too many late nights. She had probably been working on that unfinished sketch, letting sleep slip away unnoticed. Her lips quivered as she leaned closer to the glass.
"Was it just a dream?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
The bathroom echoed her question back at her, quiet and unsure.
Deep down, she already knew the answer.
Images flashed behind her eyes, sharp fragmented memories that cut like glass. Men dressed in black moved coldly and mechanically. A leader gave them orders, but their faces remained just out of reach, always blurred, always hidden. One word spoken by the leader echoed in her mind like a sentence etched into fate: revenge.
She couldn't remember everything, only broken pieces, unclear and haunting. But just now, seeing Ruby, she recalled something terrible: the men hadn't only killed them. One of them had done awful things to Ruby, and she feared they had inflicted even more torture on them before they were killed. The weight of this new truth pressed heavily on her heart, filling her with fear as her body shivered.
Silver's hands gripped the edge of the sink, her fingers pressing so hard into the porcelain that her knuckles turned white. Her breath came in shallow, uneven gasps as anger began to stir beneath the fear, a slow burning fire rising in her chest.
Her eyes squeezed shut for a moment as the truth crashed over her like a cold wave. She whispered, her voice trembling at first but growing steadier, "No... it wasn't a dream. It happened. We died because someone wanted revenge."
Silver's breathing quickened, chest tightening as the memories clawed at her mind. Fear still lingered, but beneath it a spark of anger flared, small yet unyielding, growing into something stronger: resolve.
She opened her eyes again, forcing herself to meet her reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back looked fragile, but there was a new light in her eyes, harder, sharper, stronger.
"Why am I here? Why are we here?" she asked quietly, a tremor in her voice. "Have we been given a second chance? Or is this just a cruel trick of fate?"
She straightened, her grip on the sink loosening as determination took hold.
"If this is real," she whispered, her voice firmer now, steady as steel, "then I won't let it happen again. I'll protect them this time. I'll find the one who did this. And I'll stop them."
Her thoughts went to Ruby, her innocent confusion. "Maybe it's better she doesn't remember," Silver murmured.
What about the rest of her family? Were they spared too, free from the torment of memory? Or would they remember as well?
The idea that they might all forget filled her with both relief and sorrow. If they remembered nothing, they would be spared from the nightmare. But she... she would be the one to carry it forever.
Then another memory came to her, softer and quieter than the rest. It was Charlie's face, shining with tears on his cheeks. She remembered the moment he had told her how he felt, his voice full of emotion and despair.
Her lips slowly curved into a small smile. It was a smile mixed with sadness but also with hope, like a light shining through the clouds.
"This time," she whispered gently, "I can give you an answer."
Her heart began to beat with a steady rhythm. The heavy weight she had felt in her chest seemed a little lighter now.
She was no longer the woman who had died feeling helpless and lost. She was no longer just someone who watched as tragedy unfolded around her. Now, she was something stronger, something different.
With quiet determination, she turned away from the mirror.
This time, she would find the truth that had been hidden.
This time, she would protect the people she cared about most.
And this time, she would let herself love and be loved in return.