[An Endless Possibility]

Prologue

Dreaming of a distant Memory

NewYork City, 2008

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across Central Park. Petra, who was 10 years old back then, stood near the playground with wide eyes and a heart full of curiosity. Her mother had entrusted her to make friends while she ran errands—a daunting task for a shy child.

Petra approached a group of kids, their laughter echoing through the air. However, their smiles faded when she tried to join their game. They whispered, exchanged glances, and turned away. Petra's heart sank. She felt like an outsider as if she were an alien dropped into a world where she didn't belong.

Desperate to escape their judgmental stares, Petra wandered toward the park's edge to an alleyway. She spotted a manhole that led to the sewers. Her mother warned her not to go down there but curiosity won her over and she lifted the cover and went down. 

It was dark and smelled gross. She kept wandering through the sewer until she heard a voice that startled her. "Hey, you!" Petra jumped, her eyes widening. A boy, roughly her age, stood there in the shadows. She couldn't see what he looked like, but his eyes were a deep blue. "Why are you down here?" he asked her.

"W-Well, mostly to escape," she fidgeted with her glasses. "Up there? Why?"

"I don't like talking to people, and they don't like talking to me," she looked down. "Well, you're talking to me, and you seem cool to talk to," Petra's eyes widened as her cheeks turned light pink. "Th-Thank you, I'm Petra," she said, extending her hand.

"Cool, I'm-" But just as Petra began to get the boy's name, a blaring noise shattered the illusion. She clutched her head, the sound reverberating through her bones. And then—

Present Day, 2014

Petra woke up suddenly, her room flooded with sunlight. She was now sixteen, but the memory of that boy remained. Was it all just a dream? Or perhaps a glimpse into something more? She let out a sigh as she got up and checked her phone, finding some unread text messages from Lieah. The first message was from 9:30 am:

"Hey! I'm at my internship at Sacks.corp! I might get the job! :D"

Petra had never imagined she would have a friend in life, especially a friend like Lieah with her bubbly personality, Petra considered herself to have black cat energy... but she was grateful to have made a friend.

'I should get something to eat' she thought to herself as she got herself ready to be outdoors.