~The lost one~

Chapter 11

*Simi's POV**

The ride back to the hotel felt like a surreal blur, each bump in the road sending tremors through my already shaken nerves. My mind raced, jumping from one nightmare to another. I kept glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting the warehouse—or worse, the shadowy figure that had haunted my dreams for years—to appear again.

My thoughts were consumed by fear and confusion. The man who had rescued us—so strong, so commanding—had given me a jolt of terror. For a moment, I thought Nyx had found me, that he had sent this intimidating figure to drag me back into my old life. The thought was so chilling that it made my skin crawl. What if this was just another part of his twisted game? What if he had orchestrated this whole ordeal to make me suffer even more?

But when we got back to the hotel, everything seemed oddly normal. The lobby was bright, the staff were their usual polite selves, and the security guards who watched us seemed oblivious to any trouble. It was as if the night's events had been nothing more than a bad dream. Yet, the sense of relief was tainted by an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

As my friends and I settled into our room, I tried to shake off the remnants of fear. They were excited, relieved to be back, and looking forward to resuming our school trip. But my mind was preoccupied with the man who had saved us. He wasn't just a hero; he was something more. I couldn't deny the strange, inexplicable connection I felt with him.

My heart beat faster as I replayed his face in my mind. His green eyes, so intense, seemed to hold a depth of emotion that resonated with something inside me. There was a familiarity in his gaze that I couldn't ignore. It was like he saw something in me, something he wasn't expecting to find. The way he looked at me—those brief moments of hesitation—left me feeling exposed and vulnerable.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to shake the image of his face. His voice, commanding yet oddly comforting, echoed in my mind. I wished I could thank him properly, but I was also haunted by the possibility that I'd never see him again. Why did he help us? What did he want? And why did he look at me as if he knew me, or at least knew something about me that I didn't?

As I tried to calm my racing thoughts, the exhaustion from the previous night began to catch up with me. My eyes grew heavy, and I forced myself to sleep, hoping that the morning would bring clarity.

***

Morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. The events of the previous night felt like a distant nightmare, though the emotional scars were still fresh. I got up, trying to act normal, but the tension lingered.

Breakfast with my friends was a strange mix of cheerfulness and awkward silence. We talked about the trip, but my mind kept drifting back to the mysterious savior. I couldn't shake the feeling that our paths were destined to cross again. It was more than just a rescue; there was a connection I couldn't understand.

The day's activities resumed, and while I tried to immerse myself in the fun, a part of me remained on edge. I kept scanning the crowd, half-expecting to see him emerge from the sea of faces, hoping to thank him for saving us and maybe uncover the mystery behind his familiarity.

But as the hours passed, he remained elusive, a shadow in my thoughts. I couldn't ignore the growing sense that there was more to this story, more to his presence in my life. And until I understood what it all meant, I knew I wouldn't be able to relax.

The feeling of unease settled deep within me, a constant reminder that the darkness of the past was never truly far away. And though I tried to push it aside and enjoy the trip, the thought of the enigmatic hero lingered, a haunting reminder of the secrets yet to be uncovered.