9. MEMORIES

"What just happened," I mumbled, standing up.

"Serena, are you okay?" Reyn rushed over and grabbed my shoulders, turning me this way and that as though checking for injuries.

"Hey! Stop that, you are making me dizzy," I groaned, pushing his hand away.

He cleared his throat and stepped back, fidgeting with his robe. My pupils rolled to the other end of my eyes and back.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, voice calm and steady.

My fingers rubbed the back of my neck, my eyes looking anywhere but him.

"I don't know," I muttered. "Please....You have to believe me"

I moved a step forward but he shifted back.

My throat tightened,something heavy settled inside my chest,tears burned behind my eyes threatening to roll down any moment.

Why does it hurt that he doesn't trust me?

"Reyn," my voice trembled, but he only took another step back. This time my legs wobbled, but I wasn't about to give up defending myself.

Then my gaze stopped at the bracelet resting harmlessly on my wrist.

I only remember putting this on and falling asleep.

I turned and walked away, not saying anything to anyone.

The sand was soft on my feet and warm. I kept walking forward till water swept across my feet, then I lowered my body, sitting in the water.

Glowing grasses had sprouted from the ground. This place was truly beautiful, a place of calm.

I heard a soft chuckle and when I looked up, I saw a girl running away, her robe flowing softly behind her. Her foot dipped into the water and she jumped back, chuckling.

I couldn't see her face but I knew she was extremely happy.

She picked a flower and attached it to her hair, and also filled her basket with flower plants of different kinds, carefully placing it with its soil.

Slowly she moved, dragging the second bowl along. She filled that one with wet clay.

She kept humming a song but suddenly, her hand dropped, the lines on her face hardened, her posture rigid, her neck snapped, her gaze cold and piercing.

My attention snapped to the figure behind her.

"Sister," Elara's meek voice sounded, her hands trembling on her dress. She looked scared.

I turned back to the girl in front and looked closely.

It was me. Same face. Same body. Me.

Serena's hand kept moving on the bracelet on her wrist, the bracelet had a faint glow.

One step and another, she raised her palm and it landed on Elara's face, leaving a bright red handprint across her cheek.

Thud! Elara fell to the ground.

A man walked in. He did nothing to Serena, he picked Elara up, looking at Serena with disdain.

A drop of tears rolled down Serena's cheek, her hand went to her cheek and she wiped away the tears as fast as it came, leaving no trace.

A hand rested on my shoulder before someone occupied the space beside me.

It was Elara.

She didn't say anything, just silence, except for the constant chirping of birds and slithering of snakes.

---

I pulled out the bracelet, examining it, and Elara slowly turned her gaze directly on the bracelet.

"You never parted with that," she smiled, a sad, knowing smile.

And I nodded. "Maybe it's time I finally part with it, the past should always be in the past."

"You are right, but it's the only gift mother left us before dying," she mumbled, her head dropping to her folded-up knees.

"Mom...?" It was a question but an acknowledgement of the truth.

Elara nodded.

If my, or rather Serena's mom left this for her, then why? Why would that happen and immediately after I wore the bracelet? I kept looking at it for some time before tucking it into a small purse on my waist.

If it belonged to Serena's mom, then I might as well keep it, it might also hold useful information.

"Let's go," I rinsed my hand in the water, already walking away.

"About what happened---"

"I'm not talking about what happened," I quickly shut her up. She wasn't there when it happened, how did she know? Or maybe she was talking about something else.

I didn't know how long I stayed by the river but the sun was already going down.

And maybe the sun in this world is just red after all.

Reyn stood in the front yard, hands crossed behind his back. He gave Elara a curt nod before she turned to leave, but I ignored him, entering into the hut.

I sat on the ground, my legs crossed, bracelet in hand. I kept twirling it, waiting for a reaction, or maybe the same thing as what happened out there, but nothing came.

"You are ignoring me," Reyn said from behind me.

I jerked, my head falling back and hand clutching my chest.

I didn't even know when he walked in.

"I always ignore you, jerk," I cursed, standing up.

"This is different," he said, and I rolled my eyes.

"You said jerk, is that a guy's name? Are you hanging out with someone?" he asked. His voice sounded smaller than usual, but it was calm.

"Is he more handsome than me?" he added,

"Is he..."

"Just shut up, jerk is......" I paused suddenly, realizing this is a story world and maybe he hasn't heard such word.

"--- jerk is my way of calling you an idiot," I said, and the hard lines of his face relaxed.

I scoffed and turned away, walking to get water.

I tripped and fell face down.

"Ouch, that hurt," I groaned, rubbing my dusty forehead.

"That's because you deserve it."

"Hey, you get out of my room now," I yelled.

"Your hut, I doubt that."

The cold night breeze fanned my skin as I stood outside. In the end, I was the one driven out.

My shoulders slumped, and even my tiger ears drooped against my hair.

A paper dropped on my feet, and I picked it up, scanning it to check if it was a real paper.

My fingers tightened around the paper.

"What was a paper doing in a primal world, except....."