Emma stood at the park entrance, her fingers curled tightly around the slip of paper. The sun had begun its slow descent, painting the sky in hues of amber and
violet. The park was nearly empty except for a few joggers and an old man feeding the birds near the fountain. A gentle breeze carried the scent of damp earth and distant rain, but beneath it, Emma felt something else-unease.
She scanned the area, searching for Dave. He was nowhere in sight.
Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she should have ignored the message.
Then, movement in her peripheral vision. A figure, leaning casually against a lamppost near the park
benches. His dark jacket made him blend into the encroaching shadows, but she recognized him immediately.
Dave Hathaway.
Emma walked toward him. As she got closer, he pushed off the post and met her halfway, hands stuffed into his pockets. His face was unreadable, but his eyes-dark, searching-held something between impatience and
expectation.
"You came," he said.
"I almost didn't," she admitted.
Dave exhaled sharply, glancing around as if checking for something-or someone. "Good. That means you're smart. But we don't have time for second thoughts. Do you have it?"
Emma clenched her jaw. "I don't know what I have. don't even know how I took it."
Dave studied her, then nodded. "Let's walk."
They moved down the path in silence. Emma felt the weight of his presence beside her, heavy with unspoken words.
Finally, she broke the silence. "How do you even know about me?"
He let out a dry chuckle. "Because I remember you. Not much, but enough to know you're the reason I woke up
in a hospital with a hole where my past should be."
Emma swallowed hard. "I don't take memories on purpose. They just... happen."
"Well, we need to make it happen again. Only this time, you're giving it back."
She stopped walking, forcing him to turn and face her.
"And what if I can't? What if it doesn't work like that?"
His jaw tightened. "Then I stay in the dark. And I don't think either of us wants that."
A flicker of motion caught Emma's eye. Across the park, near the trees, a hooded figure stood half-hidden in the
shadows. Watching. A shiver ran down her spine.
Dave must have noticed her expression because he followed her gaze. The figure shifted slightly before slipping deeper into the trees and out of sight.
"Who was that?" Emma whispered.
"Trouble," Dave muttered. "And another reason we need to do this now."
Emma's pulse quickened. She had no idea what she was stepping into, but one thing was clear-she wasn't just a girl with a strange ability anymore. She was a target.
And she had no idea why.
Dave reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the same tattered notebook he had shown her at the café.
Flipping through its pages, he stopped at one filled with hastily scribbled notes and a rough sketch of a building.
He turned the notebook toward her.
"Does this look familiar?" he asked.
Emma's eyes widened. The image was crude, but something about it stirred the uneasy feeling in her gut.
A tall structure with a curved rooftop. A series of small, reinforced windows. A gated entrance.
She didn't recognize the place, but the sensation it triggered was undeniable-fear.
"No," she lied, her voice barely above a whisper.
Dave narrowed his eyes, unconvinced. "You hesitated."
Emma swallowed, glancing back toward the trees where the hooded figure had been. The park suddenly felt too open, too exposed. "I don't know why, but... it feels
important."
Dave exhaled through his nose. "Then we need to find
out why. Because I have a feeling that building holds the answers we're both looking for."
Emma clenched her fists. She didn't want to be part of this. She didn't want to be hunted, to be drawn deeper into a mystery that wasn't supposed to be hers.
But the truth was, it already was hers.
And she couldn't walk away now.
She glanced at her phone. It was getting late-too late. If she didn't head home soon, Aunt Bertha would start asking questions she couldn't answer.
Emma sighed. "I have to go. My aunt-she'll notice if I'm out too long." Not that her aunt cared tho.
Dave's expression hardened, but he nodded. "Fine. But don't disappear. We're running out of time."
Emma turned, taking one last look at the darkened park, at the spot where the hooded figure had stood. The
shadows stretched longer now, swallowing the edges of her vision. A deep unease settled in her chest as she walked away, her steps brisk but uncertain.
Something was coming. She could feel it.
And whatever it was, she wasn't ready.