Divine & Wicked: The Strayed Memories (Book2)

《 Chapter IV: "Here We Come!" (Part1) 》

The following day, Zach rode his bike to a familiar house in their town, surrounded by numerous tulip poplar trees, though they weren't in bloom at that time. Upon reaching the front of the house, he scanned the area, searching for a tall structure that should have been visible, but found nothing. He decided to pedal around to the back of the house, but before reaching it, he spotted the Hail Garett clock tower a few blocks away, the only towering structure in sight. He headed toward it, a knot of tension in his chest as he wondered what he might discover. Upon arrival, he scrutinized the clock tower from the front. As he found the gate open, he dismounted his bicycle and ventured inside. The door, too, stood ajar. After propping his bike against the wall, he entered the premises. No one was in sight. "Hello?" he called out, but there was no response.

He ascended the staircase and made his way to the belfry. The instant he stepped onto the room, a gust of strong, chilly wind greeted him. He stepped cautiously towards one of the open walls and gazed out at the scenery beyond. There, he could spot the house surrounded by tulip poplar trees, the exact image from his fleeting dream on the bus. Just as he anticipated, he had no recollection of actually visiting the place. He retrieved the necklace from his jeans pocket and held it up in front of him. "Show me something else that happened here," he murmured softly before closing his eyes. He waited in silence, but nothing happened. After a few more minutes, he reopened his eyes, exhaling a hopeless sigh as he set the necklace down. Another gust of the strong wind made him shiver. Suddenly, he felt something wrap around him, as if he were being hugged. He instinctively took a step back, the sensation feeling almost tangible. When his senses returned to normal, he scanned his surroundings hastily, finding himself still alone. As he glanced at the necklace once more, he muttered, "What was that? Was someone else here with me then? Did I give you to her?" He waited for a response that never came, then sighed, shaking his head. "Great, now I'm talking to a necklace."

"Excuse me?" came a voice from an old man.

Zach, startled, turned around to find a thin old man dressed in a white shirt tucked into high-waisted brown belted pants, staring at him.

"Who are you talking to? And what are you doing here? No one's allowed here," the old man asked.

"I-I'm sorry," Zach stammered. "I didn't mean to... I'll leave right away." He quickly apologized, hurrying toward the stairs.

He descended from the tower and retrieved his bicycle. He pedaled towards the Burkin bridge, the place bearing the closest resemblance to the scene he witnessed in his second vision. Its railing was painted red, and the town square's lights shimmered in the distance at night. As he arrived at the bridge, he dismounted his bicycle and stood by the railing, leaning his arms against it as he gazed out at the scenery. The atmosphere was serene yet windy. During his vision, he found himself engaged in conversation with someone. He was certain there was only one person present in his déjà vus. He couldn't shake off his curiosity about the identity of this mysterious individual. He recalled the painting he stumbled upon under his bed and tried to overlay the girl's face onto his visions, hoping for clarity, but it provided no answers; he remained clueless about her identity.

"What happened to us? ...Why didn't you come back to see me? ...Where are you right now?" he murmured softly, his mind filled with questions. He pondered whether he had truly fallen in love with that person. If so, why were they no longer together? Did they break up? And if they did, why? Was he somehow responsible? If so, what actions might he have taken that led to her departure? With each question, his frustration grew, leaving him with a whirlwind of thoughts and no answers in sight. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming desire to uncover the identity of the mysterious figure, fearing that without answers, he might truly lose his grip on reality.