Abandoned Tracks

Chapter Fourteen: Adrian's Diary -- 4

**October 2, 1973**

My heart is heavy with the words I've never spoken and the feelings I've never shared. I've spent countless nights lying awake, thinking about Ethan and the connection that binds us, even if it’s just in my heart. I know that confessing my feelings to him might never lead to anything, but I can't bear the thought of never telling him. Before it's too late, I need to let him know how I feel.

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Alex's fingers trembled as he turned the page, feeling the weight of Adrian's emotions. The next entry detailed Adrian's plan to gift Ethan a purple pendant, a symbol of his unspoken love.

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**October 10, 1973**

I decided to give Ethan a purple pendant, a token of my affection. I left it in the library, along with a note that simply said, "For Ethan Blackwood." I hoped he would sense the sincerity and depth of my feelings. I watched from a distance as he found it, the confusion and curiosity etched on his face. He asked around, trying to find out who had left it for him, but I remained hidden. My heart pounded every time he looked my way, but I stayed in the shadows, content with the knowledge that a piece of me was with him.

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Days passed, and Adrian's yearning grew stronger. The diary entry vividly captured his anticipation and his growing courage to finally reveal his feelings.

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**October 20, 1973**

I've decided that I can't wait any longer. I need to tell Ethan how I feel. Every day, my love for him grows, and it becomes harder to keep it inside. I gathered all my courage and planned to meet him today, to tell him everything. But when I went to find him, I was told that he had left town for a while. My heart sank, but I knew I would wait. I would wait as long as it took for him to return. I rehearsed my words, imagined the moment a thousand times in my head. My heart beats faster with each passing day, anticipating the moment I can finally tell him.

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As Alex read the heartfelt words, he felt Adrian's desperation and longing. Turning to the next page, he found it blank. He flipped through several more pages, but they were all empty. The last date on the diary was October 20, 1973.

A wave of frustration and curiosity washed over Alex. What happened next? Why did the diary abruptly end?

Suddenly, the room around Alex began to blur, and he felt a dizzying sensation as the scene changed.

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Alex found himself transported back to the place he had seen in his flashback. He was now in Adrian’s body, experiencing the final moments from Adrian’s perspective. The room was dark and cold, the air thick with the scent of iron and fear. Adrian’s heart pounded in his chest as he looked around, realizing he was in a pool of blood. Panic set in as he called out for help, but his voice echoed back, unanswered.

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The sense of dread and desperation was overwhelming. Adrian’s vision blurred as he tried to crawl, but his body was weak and trembling. Blood soaked his clothes, and the room spun around him. His cries for help grew weaker, his strength fading.

In the midst of this horror, Alex heard Ethan’s voice calling out to him, a beacon of hope in the darkness. He clung to that voice, desperate to hold on to something real. The scene shifted again, and Alex found himself standing back in his cottage, staring into the eyes of the stranger in black.

The stranger was gone, and Alex was left standing there, heart pounding, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The past and present seemed to collide, leaving him with more questions than answers.

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Alex’s mind raced as he tried to process everything. The diary, the flashbacks, the stranger—they were all pieces of a puzzle he was determined to solve. But for now, he was left with the haunting memory of Adrian’s final moments and the burning desire to uncover the truth.