Two lives.

27. May 30th, 9:23 AM

May 30th, 9:23 AM

I opened my eyes slowly, the sunlight streaming through the blinds making me squint. My head felt heavy, like I was still stuck halfway in a dream. Rolling onto my side, I reached for my phone on the desk next to my bed.

The screen lit up, and I noticed a handful of unread texts. Bryson, Mel, Kayla, Luke—what was this about? Still groggy, I opened the message from Luke first.

iMessage

Cornelius🤣🤣🤣🤣:
Happy bday bruv, I'm sorry we couldn't spend it all tg

I stared at the message for a moment, my brain scrambling to make sense of it. Birthday?

I quickly swiped out of the chat and opened my calendar.

No way.

It was May 30th. My birthday.

And I hadn't even realized it.

I let out a breath, flopping back against my pillow as I processed the fact that an entire year had gone by, and somehow, I hadn't seen this day coming. My phone buzzed again in my hand, another notification lighting up the screen.

Mama bird🦉:
Happy birthday, Sienna! Miss youuuu!

My chest tightened. Miss me? That was rich. It wasn't like they ever reached out unless there was something to celebrate. I hadn't seen them in forever, but now, suddenly, I was on their minds.

I tossed the phone onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, my thoughts spiraling. How had I let myself forget my own birthday? Maybe it was because I hadn't really wanted to think about it. Another year older didn't feel like something worth celebrating, especially not when everything felt so... off.

The sound of laughter drifted faintly from the hallway outside, pulling me back to reality. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. Maybe I'd just keep it low-key. No big announcements, no expectations. Just another day.

But as I sat there, staring at my phone and the unread texts, I couldn't shake the strange feeling settling over me—like today was going to be anything but normal.

Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed and got ready, throwing on a hoodie and some baggy sweats. My hair was still a mess, but I didn't care enough to fix it. I padded out into the lounge, the faint hum of voices drawing me toward the couch.

Skin and Ekko were already there, sprawled out as if the lounge was their personal kingdom. Skin was glued to his phone, flicking a tiny paper ball back and forth between his fingers.

"Bro, did you hear Twitch is coming back?" Skin said, glancing up from his screen and flicking the paper ball at Ekko. It hit Ekko square on the arm, making him swat it away like it was a bug.

"Wait, actually? I thought he was going home for two months?" Ekko leaned back into the couch, looking skeptical.

I walked over and sank into the spot next to him, feeling the cushion dip slightly under his weight.

"Good morning," Ekko said, glancing over at me. His dark eyes caught mine, and he tilted his head just enough to make my heart skip a beat.

"Morning," I mumbled, trying to sound casual even though I felt anything but. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, pretending not to notice how effortlessly cool he looked, even with bedhead.

Skin, oblivious to the moment, kept talking. "Nah, Twitch texted me last night. He said his plans changed, and he's coming back early."

Ekko frowned slightly. "That's weird. What's going on back home that he'd cut his trip short?"