The night was not gentle. I closed my eyes, hoping for rest, but what came was a deep darkness, pierced by an ancient presence. It wasn't the lake, it wasn't the subtle vibration in the room. It was something beyond, greater, as if trapped between times I couldn't understand.
A figure appeared in the darkness. It had no defined body, but the face… it was mine. An older version, marked, with eyes that seemed to know everything. The voice emerged, deep, echoing as if from the very earth itself:
"Fear will not protect you, Ana. Listen to what cannot be spoken."
I woke with my heart racing, cold sweat on my skin. I sat for a while, trying to calm my breathing. The clock read 3:17. I touched the necklace around my neck almost without noticing, as if it were an instinctive gesture. There was something strange about dreaming of a face identical to mine, yet so different, so laden with secrets.
I spent the rest of the early morning alternating between short naps and scattered thoughts. When I met Pedri later, I said nothing. He seemed more cheerful, talking about the internship, laughing at small things, and for a moment, I wanted to dive into that normalcy. But inside, I was distant.
At the lab, Zade moved between the benches, always unnervingly calm. His eyes searched for me frequently, and the dark ring seemed to reflect any light it encountered. I avoided contact, pretending to be absorbed in spreadsheets and reports. Still, more than once, I felt as if his attention weighed on me, a constant shadow.
When the day ended, I decided to walk to the lake before heading home. I needed silence. The sun was beginning to set, painting the water's surface in warm hues. I sat on a wooden bench, trying to organize my thoughts, scribbling a few loose lines in my notebook that didn't form anything concrete.
That's when I saw her again. The same girl from the day I found the body. She walked alone along the shore, unhurried, as if it were routine. She didn't seem to notice anyone but herself, yet as she approached, her eyes met mine for a moment.
This time, she didn't look away quickly. She simply held my gaze, intense, direct, as if searching for something. And for a second, I had the impression she smiled faintly.
She said nothing. Neither did I. She just passed by, walking calmly along the path until she disappeared behind the trees.
I closed my notebook and stood there, feeling the strange mixture of calm and unease.
It was as if the lake held too many secrets, as if each encounter in that place were part of something I still couldn't comprehend.
At night, back in my room, sleep came heavy once again. And in the midst of the darkness, that familiar voice returned.
"You are not a witness, Ana. You are at the center of what is to come."
I woke startled, clutching the necklace again, the moon glowing in shades of orange. The subtle vibration along the walls spread once more through the room, as if the house breathed with me. But this time, I didn't try to deny it. I simply remained still.