Cole
I stared at Skylar in shock.Uncle Adams?Before I could say anything, Skylar quickly shook her head, almost like she regretted saying it.“M-maybe I’m wrong,” she stammered, her eyes wide and nervous. “Maybe it was a coincidence or something. I mean… I’m not trying to assume anything that…”“Skylar.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, and she flinched. I forced myself to take a deep breath and lowered my tone. “Are you really certain you saw the diamond-shaped number on the man who almost shot you?”Her lips trembled. She hesitated a little before she finally nodded. “Yes. When I saw the guard’s tattoo, the memory just… came back to me. I remember vividly… I even thought it represented the number of people the man had killed, and I was so scared that I was going to be his next victim.”I froze, staring at her again because I knew about those tattoos quite well.Those numbers weren’t random. I knewColeThree days later…“… and as you can see here,” Brian, the head of strategic operations, said while pointing at the chart on the projector, “if we continue at this growth pace, we’ll hit a thirty-percent increase in quarterly revenue. But…”The door to the briefing room suddenly burst open with a loud bang.Brian’s words died in his throat, and every head in the room instantly turned towards the door.Uncle Adams angrily stormed in, his face filled with rage. He didn’t even bother to glance at anyone in the room and marched straight to me, angrily slamming a thick stack of documents on the table.“What,” he roared in rage, “is the meaning of this?!”Everyone sat frozen in shock. Nobody even dared to breathe too loudly.I didn’t need to glance at the documents. I already knew what they were. In fact, I had expected this moment… just not this soon.I cleared my throat and kept my voice steady. “Everyo
ColeI stared at Skylar in shock.Uncle Adams?Before I could say anything, Skylar quickly shook her head, almost like she regretted saying it.“M-maybe I’m wrong,” she stammered, her eyes wide and nervous. “Maybe it was a coincidence or something. I mean… I’m not trying to assume anything that…”“Skylar.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, and she flinched. I forced myself to take a deep breath and lowered my tone. “Are you really certain you saw the diamond-shaped number on the man who almost shot you?”Her lips trembled. She hesitated a little before she finally nodded. “Yes. When I saw the guard’s tattoo, the memory just… came back to me. I remember vividly… I even thought it represented the number of people the man had killed, and I was so scared that I was going to be his next victim.”I froze, staring at her again because I knew about those tattoos quite well.Those numbers weren’t random. I knew
SkylarI flinched the moment a hand landed on my shoulder.“Hey,” a voice said softly. “You okay?”I turned and found Jason standing there, looking at me with concerned eyes. I forced myself to nod quickly.“Yeah… I’m fine,” I muttered.Jason looked at me a second longer, like he wasn’t convinced. Meanwhile, the guard had already pushed Grandpa’s wheelchair away, disappearing down the hall with Mr. and Mrs. Rothem behind him.“You look a little pale,” he said softly the moment they were gone, tilting his head as though studying my face. “Are you sure you’re alright?”This time, I forced a smile. “I’m good. Just… a bit tired, that’s all.”Jason studied me again, but then he let it go. He leaned closer, brushing his lips gently against my forehead.“Call me if you need anything, okay?”I nodded, then he turned and left the room. The second the door clicked shut behind him, I let out a shaky breat
Skylar The door slowly opened. “Skylar!” Jason came in, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Rothem. Cole slowly withdrew his touch and leaned back in his chair. Mrs. Rothem hurried forward and didn’t waste a second before she sat beside me, reaching for my hands. Her palms were warm, her touch so gentle that for a second, I thought I must be dreaming. “Oh, Skylar, how are you? Are you hurt badly? Do you feel pain anywhere?” Her voice trembled as she searched my face with worried eyes. “I…” My voice stuck in my throat. Before I could answer, she leaned forward and pulled me into her arms. I froze, stiff as stone, as she hugged me close. “I’ve been so worried about you, my dear. You have no idea how frightened I was when I heard what happened.” My arms hovered awkwardly in the air before I finally let them fall against her back. Was Mrs. Rothem… hugging me?
Skylar At first, I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or floating somewhere in between. My eyelids felt too heavy, and every time I tried to open them, a burning ache pulled me back into the dark. But after what felt like forever, I forced my lashes apart. White. That was the first thing I saw. White walls, too-bright lights stinging my eyes, and the strong smell of antiseptics. Everywhere was quiet, except for the slow, steady beep of a machine nearby. For a few seconds, I just stared, confused, until it all clicked together. A hospital. I was alive. I made it alive! Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, another thought hit me… Mother. I shot up from the bed so suddenly that I felt a sharp, hot pain in my thigh, making me groan loudly. I ignored it, my eyes flying around the room in panic. “Mother! Mother!” I felt tears burning behind m
Celeste The air in the house felt heavy this morning. Everywhere was just too silent that one would even think our family was mourning or something. But that was because the day had finally come. I had prayed for time to slow down, but now the moment was here. The police were already waiting downstairs, ready to take me away. My parents had tried to stall, I knew they had. They had done everything they could to delay this day. But time does not stop, no matter how much you wish it would. My hands shook as I touched the door handle of my room. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat reminding me that I was not waking from a nightmare… this was real. When I finally opened the door, I saw Mother standing right outside. “Mother,” I whispered softly. She turned to me, and the sight of her nearly broke me. Her eyes were swollen and red, proof that she had been crying for