After coming back home, I study for a while and went to sleep, just like I did every night. But in the middle of the night, as I drifted into dreams, an old memory rose from the depths of my mind- one from the summer before middle school.
In the dream, I was waiting for my parents in the living room. We were supposed to leave for a road trip to Venice Beach for our summer vacation.
I could still feel that familiar anticipation- the sound of my dad's footsteps descending the stairs, my mom's laughter drifting softly from the hallway.
When they finally came to the living room, we all got into the car and drove away from our home in Starlight Hills.
The sun was bright, the sky radiant with blue. Everything felt light, happy- perfect.
Until, we reached the road to Santa Monica, it's all shattered.
There was a crash- metal twisting, glass breaking- a blur of noise and light before the world spun and went dark.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying in a hospital bed in Santa Monica.
The doctor told me I was the only one who survived the accident.
I jolted awake as the deam broke apart- the same dream that haunted me every nght. It returned again and again, like a wave that refused to fade.
I glanced toward my window. A faint light was slipping through the curtains- dawn approaching.
My heart was still pounding, and the echo of screeching tires lingered in my ears. Even though it was only a dream, it always felt too real.
For a long moment, I just lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, letting the silence fill the room. The air felt heavy, burdened with the weight of memories I could never quiet escape.
I could almost hear my arents' laughter- soft, distant- the way it used to fill the house on quiet morning like this.
But when I turned toward the window, there was only the pale morning light, slowly spilling across the room.
I sat up running a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the haze the dream always left behind. It never really went away- it just dulled nough for me to keep moving.
I went out for my morning run. The world was still half-asleep- the hum of cars in the distance, a barking dog, the steady rhythm of a sprinkler ticking somewhere nearby. Ordinary sounds. The kind that tethered me back into the present.
When I returned home, I slipped into my usual routine.
School would start in an hour. My backpack sat waiting by the desk. Emilia would probably be waiting at the corner, waving impatiently like she always did.
I took a deep breath and stood up.
Whatever that dream meant- whatever it was trying to remind me- I couldn't let it drag me down to despair again.
Not today.
Not ever.