Chapter Five

The Moment That Looked Back

Saxa

Dew still clung to the car, beads of silver lining its frame. Morning air curled with a creeping fog, soft and slow, as if the world itself hadn’t quite woken up yet. The distant chirp of birds played like a soft soundtrack as I unloaded the last of our luggage and hauled it towards the porch.

I wasn’t ready to face another day—especially not with these new panic attacks crashing into me like rogue waves. Anxiety and stress had never held much sway over me before. But lately, something has shifted. Everything around me just felt off. Like I was walking through a dream that I couldn’t quite shake, 

I set the final bag down and paused, a deep breath. The air was cold and damp, the fog pressing in around my skin. The eerie stillness of the morning settled over me like a second coat. You’ve made it through worse Saxa, just breathe. Push through.

I turned towards the front door just as Gran stepped out.

“Saxa,” she called, “the moving company called… apparently, they’ve lost our things.”

I blinked. “What? how? how do you just lose a whole shipment?!”

“It happens sometimes honey,” she said with a tired shrug. “That’s why I insured everything and kept a catalog. They’re going to do an investigation and then reimburse us, so we’ll go out today and buy the necessities. No use in crying over it.”

“Gran,” I snapped. “How in the hell are you so calm right now? That was everything we owned.”

Her face softened, “I know sweetheart. But we brought the most important things with us. Everything else is just… stuff. It’s replaceable. But, could you run back to the car and grab my last bag from the boot?”

I grumbled under my breath and made my way back to the car. The trunk was like a black hole—I had to practically crawl inside just to reach the last bag.

“Need a hand?”

I jumped so hard I smacked my head on the trunk. “Jesus Christ."

When I turned, a dark-haired girl stood behind me, smiling awkwardly.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. I just saw you struggling and thought I’d ask. I’m Ingri, I was just coming to visit my brother—he lives next door.”

I blinked, still reeling from smacking my head. “Oh, uh, I’m Saxa.”

“I made some co—oh!” gran’s voice floated down the driveway. “Who’s this?”

“Gran, this is Ingrid. Her brother lives next door.”

“My parents live a few blocks over too,” Ingrid added.

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you,” gran said warmly. “Would you like some coffee? Hot chocolate? Tea?”

“Oh no I’m okay,” Ingrid said with a giggle. “I was just asking if Saxa needed a hand.”

“Okay girls, I’ll be inside.” Gran yelled, disappearing back into the house.

“I think I've got it,” I said, trying to smile.

“I really don’t mind,” she shrugged. “Besides, my parents have about a bazillion people over and I’d rather avoid an interrogation.”

I laughed despite myself, “ah. Classic.”

“You know—old people. Nosy and relentless.” she grinned, then reached into the trunk and effortlessly pulled out the bag I’d nearly climbed inside of the car to retrieve.

Okay, maybe I did need help.

As we walked up the drive, a cluster of voices drifted from the porch next door. I turned—and stopped dead.

Five men spilled out of the house, mid-conversation.

But one of them..

As soon as our eyes met, the world around me fell silent. The air left my lungs, my bag slipped from my fingers and crashing to the pavement. A searing heat bloomed across my skin—electric, sharp—locking my voice in my throat. My chest tightened. I couldn’t move, couldn’t blink, couldn’t breathe.

Only when his gaze finally shifted away did my lungs remember their job.

My hands began to shake violently.

Trembling, I dropped to my knees to gather what had spilled out of the bag. A framed photo of me and gran when I was a baby had slipped out—its glass shattered into jagged lines like spiderwebs. I stared at it, frozen. Each shard seemed to cut deeper into my heart, fractured and unreachable.

As I gathered the pieces with trembling hands, a pair of leather boots appeared in front of me.

“Eirik, Ingrid hissed from behind me.

I looked up, the gasp leaving my mouth before I could stop it.

He was right there. His eyes—such a deep green and unblinking—locking with mine. For a moment, nothing else existed. The driveway, the fog, the broken frame—all faded. Time didn’t pass, it hung.

His presence was magnetic, overwhelming. I felt like I’d seen him before, and yet..

Somewhere, deep inside me, a part of me stirred.

Recognizing him, fearing him.

Ingrid’s voice sounded like she was under water, barely audible under the thrumming of my heart.

Neither of us moved. We were suspened—held in place by something unseen, ancient, unspoken. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my fingers around each strand of his dark hair.

Gran’s voice pierced through all of it like thunder, “Saxa, what on earth is going on here?”

The moment shattered. I blinked and realized I was still on my knees, the contents of Gran's bag scattered at his feet. I scrambled to pick them up, my fingers unsteady.

Eirik—if that was his name—hand’t moved, but i could still feel his gaze burning into the top of my skull.

Gran stepped forward, scooping the last items from my arms and guiding me towards the house. Her voice was gentle but firm, “come inside dear. We’ll take care of everything later. Ingrid, you’re more than welcome to join us.”

I followed her, but my whole body was willing me to go back out fron—still caught in the ghost of Eirik’s eyes. The weight of his stare lingered on my back like a mark.

And though I couldn’t bring myself to turn around, I knew he was still watching.