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Chapter 7: Fractured
Last Updated:
2025-09-03 20:51:23
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Letters from the future Chapter 11: Secrets in Ashes
The letter sat on her desk all night, taunting her: He’s gone. And that’s only the beginning.Ava couldn’t close her eyes without seeing Eli’s face as he walked away, the hurt in his eyes like knives. She’d replayed their fight a hundred times, whispered different words into the dark, begged herself to have stayed silent. But none of it changed the truth: she had lost him.And now, according to the letter, that was only step one.–––The next morning, the world carried on like nothing had cracked in two. Kids chattered in the halls, teachers droned about equations, and Ava drifted through it all, numb.She spotted Eli once across the cafeteria. He didn’t look her way. Didn’t even flinch when she lingered, just long enough to hope.Her stomach sank lower than she thought it could go.By last period, her body was buzzing with restless dread. She couldn’t stay here, pretending her life hadn’t just detonated. As soon as the bell rang, she slipped out of the building, ignoring the teacher
Letters from the future Chapter 10: Betrayal
Ava had never hated silence more.All day, Eli’s texts had buzzed unanswered in her pocket. Where are you? Did I do something? Call me? She read them over and over, fingers twitching, stomach churning. The letters warned her: If you tell him, he will leave you.But keeping secrets was tearing her apart.By evening, she couldn’t take it anymore. She typed a shaky message: Meet me at the park. Please.His reply came in seconds: Already on my way.–––The park was nearly empty, lit only by weak streetlamps. Ava sat on the swings, rocking gently, her breath fogging in the cool night. Every creak of the chains set her teeth on edge.Then Eli appeared, jogging across the grass. Relief softened his face when he saw her. “Finally. I thought you were ghosting me.”She tried to smile, but it broke into pieces. “I’m sorry.”He dropped onto the swing beside her. “Okay, talk. What’s going on? You’ve been… I don’t know. Different. And honestly, kinda scary.”Her throat closed. She thought of the le
Letters from the future Chapter 9: The Double life
The train yard spun into chaos.Ava’s breath came fast and shallow as Rick’s voice cut through the night. “Ava. Step away from her.” His face was pale, his jaw tight, but his eyes flicked nervously toward the hooded figure at her side.Older Ava—her, but not her—hissed again. “Don’t trust him.”Ava’s knees felt weak. Her mind reeled with the impossible weight of the moment: her future self telling her to run, Rick blocking the exit, the letters, the warnings, the lies.“I—I don’t understand,” she whispered.Rick stepped closer. “You don’t need to. Just come home. Now.”Older Ava shifted, moving slightly in front of her. Protective. “Don’t go with him. He’s not who he says he is.”Rick’s jaw twitched. His eyes darkened. “Shut your mouth.”The words were sharp, colder than Ava had ever heard from him.Her stomach twisted. Something inside her cracked—the laughter at dinner, the way he pretended to fit into their lives so easily, the too-loud jokes. Had it all been an act?“Rick,” Ava cr
Letters from the future Chapter 8: The stranger
The clock’s red digits glowed 11:58 p.m. Ava sat rigid on the edge of her bed, sneakers laced, hoodie zipped, every nerve sparking.The house was silent—her mom’s door closed, Rick’s muffled snores drifting from down the hall. She’d spent the last hour rehearsing excuses in her head: if she got caught, if she got cornered, if she didn’t come back. None of them made her feel safer.She slipped her phone into her pocket, fingers brushing the newest letter folded tight. Midnight. Train yard. Come alone.Her chest ached. This was it.At exactly midnight, Ava pushed open her window. The night air slapped her awake, cool and sharp. She climbed out onto the roof, crept down the lattice by the porch, and dropped soundlessly onto the damp grass.The streets were empty. No headlights, no footsteps, just the hum of distant power lines and her own shallow breathing.She started walking.–––The old train yard sat on the edge of town, abandoned for years. Rusted tracks cut through wild weeds, frei
Letters from the future Chapter 7: Fractured
The envelope trembled in Ava’s hand long after she’d finished reading it. You cannot trust her. Tonight, choose: truth or loyalty. You can’t have both. The words burned into her vision, sharp and merciless.Her mom stood frozen in the doorway, pale as if she’d seen a ghost. “Ava,” she said, voice low, almost pleading, “please… give me the letter.”“No.” Ava clutched it tighter. “You’ve been hiding them. All of them. Why? Who’s sending them? Is it you?”Her mom flinched. “It’s not that simple.”“It never is with you,” Ava snapped. The anger surprised her—it surged hot and fast, stronger than the fear. “You never tell me the truth. About Dad. About anything. Now this. You’re lying to me, and I’m done pretending it’s okay.”Her mom’s eyes shimmered, but she said nothing. The silence was unbearable.Ava shoved past her, storming upstairs and slamming her bedroom door. Her chest heaved as she paced. She wanted to scream, to tear the letters into a thousand pieces, to throw the photo across
Letters from the future Chapter 6: The Confrontation
Ava woke before dawn, her body restless, her mind refusing peace. The photograph lay on her nightstand, turned face-down, but she didn’t need to see it to know the image burned behind her eyelids: her mother, smiling with a man Ava didn’t recognize, holding a baby that couldn’t have been anyone but her.The letters had warned her—someone she loved was lying. Now she knew.She just didn’t know why.At breakfast, her mom moved around the kitchen with forced cheer, humming to the radio. Rick scrolled on his phone, muttering about work. Ava pushed her cereal around her bowl, appetite gone. The urge to demand answers swelled inside her, but the letters’ warnings coiled around her like chains. If you expose them, you’ll lose him.Her eyes flicked to Rick, then to her mom. Which “him” did the letter mean? Eli? Rick? Someone else entirely?She stood abruptly. “I’m leaving early.”Her mom blinked, spoon paused midair. “You’ll miss breakfast—”“I’m not hungry.” Ava grabbed her bag and slipped o
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