Chapter Four : Dèjà Vu

 

Gwen decided the voice had been a dream.

Not the kind where you wake up and immediately remember everything.

The other kind.

The kind that leaves a strange feeling behind but no real evidence.

Because there had been no one behind her.

She had checked.

The fashion house had been full of people. Maya had been at her desk. Ariana had been sorting through garments. Someone had been laughing near the fitting rooms.

Nobody had said anything.

Nobody had even looked at her.

So when Gwen left work that evening, she made a decision.

She wasn’t going to think about it anymore.

The bracelet was just a bracelet.

The attic was just an attic.

The photograph was just an old photograph.

The voice had been her imagination.

And the reflection—

Gwen stopped walking.

She had almost forgotten about that.

Her reflection had smiled.

She remembered it clearly.

Too clearly.

Gwen shook her head.

“No.”

She kept walking.

She had been tired.

That was all.

People saw strange things when they were exhausted.

She’d read that somewhere.

Or maybe she’d heard it.

Either way, it was perfectly reasonable.

Everything had a reasonable explanation.

She just needed sleep.

When Gwen got home, her mother was in the kitchen making pasta.

“Hey.”

“Hey, baby.”

Gwen dropped her bag near the door.

Her mother turned around.

“You look tired.”

“I am.”

“Long day?”

“Very.”

Her mother studied her face.

“You okay?”

Gwen smiled.

“Yeah.”

It came out too quickly.

Her mother noticed.

Of course she did.

But she didn’t push.

“Go wash your hands.”

Gwen smiled.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She headed upstairs.

Her room felt comforting.

Familiar.

Safe.

She dropped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.

Her bracelet caught the light.

Gwen lifted her wrist.

The blue pearls looked completely normal.

She touched them.

Nothing.

“See?”

She lowered her hand.

“Just a bracelet.”

Her phone buzzed.

JI-WON: Home?

Gwen smiled.

GWEN: Yeah.

JI-WON: Good.

Gwen stared at the screen.

She typed:

GWEN: How was your day?

There was a pause.

JI-WON: Fine.

GWEN: That’s it?

JI-WON: What do you want me to say?

GWEN: Something interesting.

JI-WON: I thought about you.

Gwen froze.

She read it again.

Then again.

Her face warmed.

GWEN: That’s interesting.

JI-WON: I know.

Gwen laughed.

She was still smiling when her mother called her downstairs.

For the next hour, everything was normal.

Dinner.

Conversation.

Laughter.

Her mother telling her about something that had happened at work.

Gwen telling her about Maya.

She deliberately left out the attic.

She left out the voice.

She left out the reflection.

There was no point worrying her mother over something Gwen couldn’t even explain herself.

After dinner, she went back upstairs.

She finished a sketch.

Watched half an episode of a show.

Texted Ji-won.

And eventually fell asleep.

No dreams.

No voices.

No strange lights.

Nothing.

Gwen woke up the next morning feeling ridiculous.

See?

Everything was fine.

The first déjà vu happened at 8:14 a.m.

Gwen was standing in front of her locker when she suddenly stopped.

Her hand was halfway inside her bag.

She knew what was going to happen.

Someone would walk past her.

A boy in a gray hoodie would drop a folder.

The folder would hit the floor.

A teacher would say, “Watch where you’re going.”

Then the boy would apologize.

Gwen froze.

The boy in the gray hoodie walked past.

His folder fell.

It hit the floor.

The teacher said,

“Watch where you’re going.”

The boy apologized.

Gwen stared.

Her heart began beating faster.

The hallway continued around her.

Students walked.

Lockers slammed.

Someone laughed.

Someone shouted.

But Gwen couldn’t move.

She had known.

She had known every single thing before it happened.

“Gwen?”

She turned.

Haley stood beside her.

“Hello?”

Gwen blinked.

“What?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You look weird.”

“I just…”

Gwen looked down the hallway.

The boy was gone.

She swallowed.

“Nothing.”

Haley frowned.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Terra appeared beside them.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

Haley looked at Gwen.

“She just predicted the future.”

Gwen laughed.

“Shut up.”

“No, seriously.”

“It was coincidence.”

Terra shrugged.

“Technically, that’s possible.”

“Thank you.”

“But creepy.”

Gwen rolled her eyes.

“Both of you are dramatic.”

She closed her locker.

The feeling stayed with her.

By lunch, Gwen had almost convinced herself it didn’t matter.

Almost.

She sat between Haley and Terra while Ji-won sat across from her.

They were talking about weekend plans.

Haley wanted to go shopping.

Terra wanted to stay home.

Gwen wanted both.

Ji-won was mostly listening.

Then Gwen suddenly knew what Haley was about to say.

“We should go Saturday.”

Gwen’s stomach tightened.

Haley said it.

Exactly.

Same tone.

Same expression.

Same tiny movement of her hand.

Gwen stared.

Then Terra said,

“Saturday?”

Exactly.

Gwen’s breath caught.

Ji-won noticed.

Her eyes moved to Gwen.

“You okay?”

Gwen blinked.

“Yeah.”

Ji-won studied her.

“You sure?”

“I’m fine.”

Gwen smiled.

Ji-won didn’t look convinced.

But she didn’t push.

The conversation continued.

Gwen tried to participate.

But something had shifted.

She began noticing things.

The way Haley tapped her fingers against the table.

The way Terra pushed her hair behind her ear.

The way Ji-won tilted her head when she listened.

And then—

Gwen knew Ji-won was going to smile.

She did.

Gwen knew Haley was going to laugh.

She did.

She knew Terra was going to reach for her drink.

She did.

Gwen put her fork down.

Her appetite disappeared.

“Gwen?”

She looked at Ji-won.

“Yeah?”

“You’re staring.”

“Sorry.”

Ji-won smiled slightly.

“It’s okay.”

Gwen looked away.

Her bracelet felt warm.

That afternoon, Gwen made a decision.

She was stressed.

That was all.

School.

Work.

Lack of sleep.

Too much coffee.

Too much thinking.

And maybe she’d been spending too much time reading old things in that attic.

She had always had an active imagination.

Maybe her brain was connecting random information and turning it into false familiarity.

That happened.

Right?

She searched it.

Why do I experience intense déjà vu when stressed?

The internet gave her approximately seventeen thousand possible answers.

Stress.

Fatigue.

Anxiety.

Sleep deprivation.

Memory processing.

All normal things.

Gwen nodded.

“Exactly.”

She locked her phone.

Case closed.

At the fashion house, Gwen deliberately avoided the top floor.

She didn’t look toward the elevator.

She didn’t think about the attic.

She didn’t think about the bracelet.

She focused on work.

And for a while, it worked.

She helped Maya organize samples.

She carried documents upstairs.

She assisted during a fitting.

She laughed with the design team.

Ariana didn’t speak to her.

Gwen preferred it that way.

By four, everything felt normal again.

Then Maya handed her a box.

“Can you take this upstairs?”

Gwen stared at it.

“Upstairs?”

“Second floor.”

“Oh.”

She took it.

Halfway to the elevator, her heart began beating faster.

She knew what was going to happen.

The elevator would open.

Someone would walk out.

They would be carrying coffee.

The coffee would spill.

Gwen would move to the side.

It would land on the floor.

She stopped.

The elevator doors opened.

A man stepped out.

Coffee in hand.

He bumped into someone.

The cup tipped.

Gwen stepped aside.

Coffee spilled across the floor.

She stared.

The exact thing she had seen in her mind.

Again.

“Gwen?”

Maya’s voice.

She turned.

Maya was standing several feet away.

“You okay?”

Gwen looked at the spilled coffee.

Then at Maya.

“Yeah.”

“You froze.”

“I thought I was going to trip.”

Maya laughed.

“You’re always worried about tripping.”

Gwen smiled.

“Exactly.”

But inside, she wasn’t laughing.

She went into the bathroom.

Locked the door.

Stared at herself.

“You’re fine.”

Her reflection stared back.

“You’re tired.”

She touched the sink.

“That’s it.”

She looked at her bracelet.

“It’s stress.”

The reflection remained still.

Gwen took a deep breath.

Then she noticed something.

A tiny blue speck on the mirror.

She leaned closer.

It looked like a reflection of light.

She wiped it.

Nothing.

She stepped back.

The blue speck appeared again.

Gwen stared.

It wasn’t on the mirror.

It was in the reflection.

She looked at her wrist.

The bracelet was glowing.

Very faintly.

She pulled her sleeve over it.

The light disappeared.

Gwen stared at herself.

“Okay.”

She whispered,

“That’s new.”

That night, Gwen didn’t sleep well.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same image.

A hallway.

Long.

Stone.

Blue light.

She would wake up.

Drink water.

Go back to sleep.

And see it again.

The fourth time, she stopped trying.

She sat on her bed at three in the morning.

Her phone showed 3:07 a.m.

She rubbed her eyes.

She was exhausted.

Her bracelet felt cold now.

She touched it.

Nothing.

“I’m taking you off tomorrow.”

She whispered.

She tried to unclasp it.

The clasp wouldn’t open.

Gwen frowned.

She tried again.

Nothing.

She pulled harder.

Still nothing.

“Seriously?”

She examined it.

There was no obvious lock.

She tried twisting it.

Nothing.

Finally, frustrated, she stopped.

“Fine.”

She lay back down.

Within minutes, she was asleep.

The next morning, Gwen woke up with the uncomfortable feeling that she had forgotten something.

She checked her phone.

Nothing.

Her bag.

Nothing.

Her homework.

Done.

Her internship.

Fine.

She couldn’t identify it.

At breakfast, her mother asked,

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You seem distracted.”

“I didn’t sleep well.”

“Again?”

“Apparently I’m becoming nocturnal.”

Her mother smiled.

“Maybe you should slow down.”

Gwen nodded.

“I will.”

She meant it.

She really did.

At school, the déjà vu became impossible to ignore.

It happened in English.

Gwen was sitting near the window.

The teacher was discussing a novel.

Then Gwen suddenly knew the next sentence the teacher would say.

She knew it.

Not approximately.

Exactly.

The teacher paused.

Then said it.

Gwen’s pencil slipped from her fingers.

It hit the floor.

Everyone looked over.

“You okay?” the teacher asked.

“Yeah.”

Gwen picked it up.

Her hands were shaking.

She looked around the classroom.

Everything seemed slightly wrong.

Not visibly.

Not enough for anyone else to notice.

But Gwen knew where everything was.

The clock.

The window.

The books.

The chair.

The girl two rows ahead.

She knew what would happen next.

A student would cough.

Someone would drop their notebook.

The teacher would turn toward the board.

And—

It happened.

Gwen closed her eyes.

“No.”

The teacher stopped.

“Gwen?”

She opened them.

“Sorry.”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No.”

“Do you need to go to the nurse?”

“No.”

She forced a smile.

“I’m okay.”

The teacher nodded.

“Alright.”

Gwen looked down.

Her bracelet was warm.

She pulled her sleeve over it.

At lunch, Haley cornered her.

“You’re acting weird.”

“I know.”

Haley blinked.

“You admit it?”

Gwen sighed.

“I haven’t been sleeping.”

“That’s it?”

“Probably.”

Terra looked at her.

“Probably?”

Gwen shrugged.

“I’m stressed.”

“About what?”

“Everything.”

Haley softened.

“School?”

“School.”

“Work?”

“Work.”

“Ji-won?”

Gwen laughed.

“Especially not Ji-won.”

From across the table, Ji-won raised an eyebrow.

“You’re talking about me?”

Gwen nearly choked.

“No.”

Haley smiled.

“Yes.”

Ji-won looked at Gwen.

“Should I be worried?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Ji-won studied her.

“You look tired.”

Gwen smiled.

“So does everyone.”

“You don’t have to pretend with me.”

Gwen’s smile faded slightly.

She looked at Ji-won.

There was something about the way she said it.

Simple.

Quiet.

Like she actually meant it.

Gwen looked down.

“I’m fine.”

Ji-won didn’t argue.

She just nodded.

“Okay.”

But she continued watching Gwen for another few seconds.

After school, Gwen went to the fashion house.

She worked until late.

The building slowly emptied.

Maya left first.

Then several assistants.

Eventually, only a handful of people remained.

Gwen was finishing a sketch when she realized something.

She had drawn a castle.

She stared at it.

The lines were familiar.

Too familiar.

She hadn’t meant to draw it.

She had been sketching a dress.

But somehow, in the background, there it was.

Tall towers.

Pointed roofs.

A bridge.

Blue trees.

Gwen dropped the pencil.

She stared at the page.

Her heart began racing.

She ripped the paper from the sketchbook.

No.

She folded it.

Put it in her bag.

She didn’t want to look at it.

Ariana passed her desk.

She stopped.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“You look pale.”

“I’m tired.”

Ariana glanced at her.

“Maybe you should go home.”

Gwen looked up.

There was no sarcasm in Ariana’s voice this time.

Just concern.

Gwen nodded.

“Yeah.”

Ariana walked away.

Gwen packed her things.

On the way home, Gwen called her mother.

“Hey.”

“Hi, baby.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Have I ever been to a castle?”

There was silence.

Gwen frowned.

“Mom?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“I don’t know.”

Her mother laughed softly.

“Not that I remember.”

“Okay.”

“Why?”

“Nothing.”

Gwen looked out the car window.

The city lights blurred past.

“I had a weird dream.”

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you really are stressed.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“You need rest.”

“I know.”

They talked for another few minutes.

Then Gwen hung up.

She felt better.

Her mother always did that.

Made everything feel simple.

Possible.

Normal.

She reached home.

Had dinner.

Took a shower.

Finished homework.

Texted Ji-won.

And went to bed.

At 1:18 a.m., Gwen woke up.

She didn’t know why.

Her room was dark.

The city outside was quiet.

She sat up.

Something felt wrong.

Not scary.

Just wrong.

She looked around.

Her desk.

Her chair.

Her closet.

Everything was normal.

Then she noticed her bedroom door.

It was open.

Gwen always closed it.

Always.

She stared at it.

She remembered closing it.

She was sure.

She got out of bed.

Slowly.

She walked toward it.

The hallway outside was dark.

She reached for the light switch.

Before she touched it, she heard footsteps.

One.

Two.

Three.

Coming from downstairs.

Gwen froze.

“Mom?”

No answer.

The footsteps stopped.

She waited.

Nothing.

She walked downstairs.

“Mom?”

The kitchen was empty.

The living room was empty.

She turned on the light.

Nothing.

Her mother’s bedroom door was closed.

Gwen walked toward it.

She stopped.

She knew what was going to happen.

She knew.

She would open the door.

Her mother would be asleep.

The lamp would be on.

A book would be beside her.

Gwen’s hand trembled.

She opened the door.

Her mother was asleep.

The lamp was on.

A book sat beside her.

Exactly as Gwen had known.

Gwen backed away.

Her heart pounded.

She closed the door.

Then stood in the hallway.

She didn’t move.

Because she finally understood what frightened her about the déjà vu.

It wasn’t that she was remembering things.

It was that sometimes—

she seemed to remember things before they happened.

The next day, Gwen tried something.

She woke up.

Looked at her bracelet.

And said quietly,

“Okay.”

She didn’t know what she was testing.

Maybe nothing.

Maybe herself.

She went through her morning routine.

At school, she deliberately chose a different hallway.

She sat somewhere different at lunch.

She avoided the people she normally talked to.

She changed everything she could.

She wanted to see if the feeling followed her.

It did.

At 10:22, she knew a teacher would call on her.

He did.

At 11:05, she knew Haley would drop her phone.

She did.

At 12:41, she knew Ji-won would walk into the cafeteria.

She did.

Every time, the same feeling.

The same certainty.

The same cold sensation in her stomach.

By afternoon, Gwen was exhausted.

She went into the bathroom and stared at herself.

“I’m not crazy.”

She said it quietly.

Again.

“I’m not crazy.”

Her reflection stared back.

She looked down at her bracelet.

It was no longer glowing.

It looked ordinary.

Almost innocent.

Gwen sighed.

“This is stress.”

She said it firmly.

“It’s stress.”

She repeated it.

“I’m tired. I’m stressed. I’m overthinking.”

She nodded.

“That makes sense.”

For a moment, she believed herself.

Then she looked into the mirror again.

Her reflection was still staring at her.

Except—

Gwen wasn’t wearing a bracelet in the reflection.

She looked down.

The bracelet was on her wrist.

She looked back up.

Her reflection had it too.

Gwen blinked.

Everything was normal.

She stepped closer.

Her reflection stepped closer.

She raised her hand.

The reflection raised its hand.

Gwen stared.

Nothing.

She laughed nervously.

“Okay.”

She turned away.

And that’s when she heard it.

A voice.

Soft.

Close.

Almost directly beside her ear.

“Don’t remember yet.”

Gwen spun around.

Nobody.

The bathroom was empty.

Her heart slammed against her chest.

She looked at the mirror.

Her reflection stood perfectly still.

Then, very slowly—

it smiled.

Gwen stopped breathing.

This time, she hadn’t imagined it.

Because she was no longer looking at her reflection.

She was looking at something that was wearing her face.