"There you are." I heard a voice.
I didn't even need to turn around to immediately recognize the owner of that voice.
It was my best friend from childhood.
"I just went out for a smoke." I replied, taking a drag from my cigarette.
"You smoke? Didn't you quit?" my friend asked.
"I quit for 'her.'" I replied dryly.
"I see... You don't regret it?" she asked.
"Regret, what?"
"Well, you know... You are the heiress of a major global company, and a movie star to boot... you don't regret coming out. Your sexuality is all over the news, all over the front pages." she said.
Taking a drag from my cigarette, I stubbed it out and tossed it away, leaning against the edge of the balcony.
"I don't care." I replied simply, ignoring her.
"I see..."
"And yes, I regret... I regret not coming out of the closet sooner, because..."
"Then I wouldn't have lost her!"
"She's deeply ingrained in your heart..."
"You know, before she left, we had a huge fight." I said, taking out another cigarette and lighting it.
After taking a drag, I continued.
"She wanted me to finally come out of the closet, and then I said a lot of nasty things..."
"What a fool I was..." I said regretfully, continuing to smoke.
"Sorry, I'd be happy to help you, but I'm powerless here... Right, remember how in college you dated that girl, whatever her name was... Anyway, after her breakup, you were sad for a while too, but then you got into bed with three or more girls, maybe that could help you?" my friend asked me.
"No!" I replied, throwing away my second cigarette.
"What?" I interrupted.
"I'm not going to cheat on her."
"But she dumped you..." I didn't let her finish, cutting her off.
"It doesn't matter. In this life or the next, I can only be with her, and I don't need any more girls." I said.
"I see..."
"Anyway, I heard you got the lead role in a movie that's currently being hyped online."
"I don't care." I replied.
"What do you mean?" my friend asked, shocked.
"I'm leaving show business!"
"Wait. Are you sure about this?! I mean, you're only twenty-eight, you still have so much ahead of you, that if..."
"No need. If you consider me your friend, don't try to talk me into it. And anyway, I never intended to act in films or become so famous in the world. I just came for her."
"Your mother won't like this; she's already stressed out about you revealing your sexuality to the world. And your father too..."
"I don't care. If they can't accept that their daughter is a lesbian, they don't deserve to be parents. They're just the people who raised me. I never experienced the warmth of family love, and they only needed me when I started being useful."
"Sigh, that's your business, of course... Look, a shooting star, they say they grant wishes," said my friend at the kazyn in the sky.
High in the sky, I saw a white glow, moving quickly.
Sigh...
We loved looking at the stars together...
"Grant wishes?" I said dryly.
"If that's true, then I want this life to end, and we'll meet again in the next," I said quietly.
If that were true, I certainly wouldn't step on the same rake twice.
"What did you wish for, Nemesis?" my friend asked.
"Huh?What did you call me?" I asked again.
"Nemesis."
Why is this name so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time?
"Damn!" I screamed, clutching my head.
I felt the world disappear beneath my feet, but I couldn't do anything, and I clearly heard that name...
Nemesis...
"Nemesis"
"Nemesis"
"Nemesis"
"Nemesis"
"Nemesis, wake up." Hearing Echidna's voice, I opened my eyes. I expected to see a brightly lit room, but it was still very dark.
Only Echidna was clearly visible, as she sat next to me, holding my hand.
"Thank goodness..." she said with a sigh, then straightened up.
"Nemesis, are you okay?" Echidna asked.
I instinctively bowed my head.
"Ah...What could happen to me?" I asked.
"Did you have a nightmare? You were fidgeting a lot and mumbling something, but I couldn't make it out."
A nightmare? I don't remember dreaming anything.
"I don't remember, but my head hurts a little." I said.
The Echidna reached out and placed her hand on my head, causing me to feel that familiar tingling sensation again.
After a few seconds, the pain passed.
"Better?" the Echidna asked, to which I nodded.
"What, did you do?" I asked.
"A little healing magic, and now let's go back to sleep. It's still late, and we have a lot to do tomorrow."
I nodded to her and said automatically.
"Rome wasn't built in a day."
"Rome? Is that a city and a kingdom? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before, but there's no one in the world named Rome."
I couldn't help but frown.
Why did I say that? But at that moment, I was acting automatically, and then it was as if I heard a voice.
"Rome wasn't built in a day. It's the same with relationships; we can't rush things, lest we ruin everything."
That voice was familiar, but where...
It definitely wasn't Echidna's voice, and apparently, only I heard it.
What's going on?
"Nemesis, go to sleep. I'll watch you for a while, then I'll join you."
I nodded to her and lay back down, covering myself with the blanket.
Echidna's bed is really big... Even with Echidna, there's plenty of room on it.
I decided not to dwell on what was happening around me, even though it was somehow connected to me...
The dream I don't remember, those words about Rome, and the girl's seemingly familiar voice.
Why, I feel a strange bitterness inside. What happened to me, and what role does Echidna play in it?
How can I understand who I am and why I exist in this world?
And will I ever know?
But one thing is certain: I'm probably not well, otherwise I wouldn't have memory problems, but I don't remember anything.
I really want to reveal the truth of my existence, otherwise why do I even exist?