Another Life, Another World, Another Ending

Daniel's heart pounded in his chest.

She knew him.

Not in a vague, maybe-we've-had-a-class-together way. Not in a hey-we-used-to-go-to-the-same-daycare way.

She said it like a statement. Like a fact.

Like she was just as sure as he was.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The hallway around them buzzed with after-school chaos—lockers slamming, laughter, teachers calling for last-minute assignments. But in this moment, it all faded into the background.

It was just the two of them.

Daniel swallowed. "How?"

The girl studied him, like she was trying to decide how much to say.

Then—"Not here."

She glanced around, then nodded toward the exit. "Walk with me."

Daniel hesitated, then grabbed his bag and followed her out the front doors.

They walked in silence at first. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the pavement.

Finally, Daniel spoke. "You know me."

"I think so," she said, still walking. "I don't know from where. But I do."

That wasn't what he expected. He had thought she'd have answers. That she'd explain everything, tell him what was happening to him.

But she looked just as lost. Just as confused.

Daniel clenched his jaw. "You're saying you don't remember?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. It's like… flashes. Pieces of something. I see your face, and I feel like I should know you. Like I already do, but—" She exhaled sharply. "It's like trying to remember a dream after you wake up. The more I try, the more it slips away."

Daniel's stomach twisted. He knew that feeling.

He lived with it every Monday morning.

He stopped walking. "What's your name?"

She hesitated. "Kaia."

Daniel turned the name over in his mind.

Kaia.

It felt… right. Like a missing puzzle piece clicking into place.

He exhaled. "I think we knew each other before. In another life."

Kaia gave a short, bitter laugh. "That sounds crazy."

Daniel met her gaze. "Yeah. But tell me I'm wrong."

Kaia didn't.

They ended up sitting on a bench at the edge of the park. The air smelled like freshly cut grass. Kids screamed from a nearby playground.

It felt too normal for a conversation like this.

Kaia sighed. "I've been having weird dreams since I was a kid."

Daniel's breath caught.

"Not normal ones," she continued. "They're… long. Like I live entire lives in them. But they never last. There's always this… moment. A feeling. Like I know something bad is coming. And then everything just—" She made a fist and slowly opened it. "Gone."

Daniel barely breathed. "And when you wake up?"

Kaia hesitated. "I try to remember. I hold on as long as I can. But by the time I get up, most of it's already slipping away. Just… little things stay. A feeling. A word."

She looked down at her hands. "Or a face."

Daniel felt like the ground had dropped out beneath him.

He wasn't alone.

She was like him.

A part of him had always thought maybe he was broken. Maybe something was wrong with him.

But now—

Now, he wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

His voice was quiet. "Do you ever hear voices when the dream ends?"

Kaia's eyes snapped to him.

Daniel's skin prickled.

"You do," he whispered.

Kaia swallowed hard. "Every time."

Daniel's pulse pounded. "What do they say?"

Kaia exhaled shakily. "Don't forget us"

The world around them felt too still. Too small.

Daniel ran a hand through his hair. "Kaia, I think this is real."

She didn't laugh. Didn't call him crazy.

Instead, she leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "Then what the hell is happening to us?"

Daniel looked down at the silver coin in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the edges.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I think we need to find out."

*****

That night, Daniel couldn't sleep.

Not because he was afraid of the dream. Not this time.

Because now, he had a plan.

Kaia's existence changed everything.

If she was real, if she had the same dreams, the same resets, the same voices, then this wasn't just some weird quirk of his brain.

Something was happening to them.

And if it was happening to both of them…

Then maybe there were more.

Daniel lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, heart pounding.

If I can bring back an object… what else can I bring back?

Last time, the dream had fought him. Had warned him.

You weren't supposed to take anything.

That meant something didn't want him remembering.

But why?

His pulse quickened.

If he could bring back an object, could he leave something behind?

A message. A sign. Something his dream-self would see and remember.

It was a risk.

But he had to try.

Daniel grabbed his notebook.

He flipped to a blank page, grabbed a pen, and wrote:

REMEMBER THIS.

Then, just in case his dream-self needed a push—

He added one more line:

FIND KAIA.

He placed the notebook on his nightstand.

If this worked, if he could read it in the dream, then—

Then everything changed.

Daniel exhaled, heart racing.

The weekend was coming.

Another life. Another world. Another ending.

this time…

He would leave himself a sign.

Maybe, he would finally start to understand what was happening to him.