Marcus POV
I don't sleep after seeing that photo.
Someone was there when I died. Someone watched. Someone took a picture.
And now that same person is sending me messages, giving me money, controlling my entire second chance.
Who are they? Why were they in my apartment that night? Why didn't they help me?
At 5 AM, I give up on sleep and check my phone.
New message: "Can't sleep? Good. Fear keeps you sharp. Meet me at 6 AM. Campus announcement board. Come alone. It's time we talked face-to-face."
My heart stops.
Face-to-face. The mysterious messenger wants to MEET me.
Finally, I'll get answers.
I slip out of the apartment quietly, leaving Aria sleeping. This feels dangerous—like walking into a trap. But I need to know who's been pulling our strings.
Campus is empty at dawn. Fog rolls across the quad. My footsteps echo too loud.
The announcement board stands near the library. Covered in flyers for clubs, events, room rentals.
I'm alone.
I wait.
6:01 AM. Nothing.
6:05 AM. Still nothing.
Was this a trick? A test?
Then I see it—a new flyer pinned to the board. Bright red paper. Impossible to miss.
"INVESTMENT CLUB - First Meeting Today - Room 301 - 7 AM - James Park, Founder"
James Park. The name from last night's message. The person who will be my greatest ally or worst enemy.
I tear off the flyer. On the back, handwritten in black marker:
"I'm not ready to meet you yet. But James is. He's the key to everything. Win him over, and you'll understand why I'm helping you. Fail, and you'll never hear from me again. Also—check your investment account. Surprise."
I pull out my phone with shaking hands. Log into my brokerage account.
Yesterday I had $200,000 in Apple stock and $150,000 waiting for Google's IPO.
Today I have... $425,000?
The Apple stock already jumped. Just overnight. A small surge before the big one.
I'm already making money.
Another message appears: "See? I told you to trust me. Now go meet James. And Marcus—he knows about time travel. He's like you. Another person given a second chance. But his reasons are different. Be careful what you say."
My blood runs cold.
James Park is also from the future?
How many of us are there?
I run to Room 301. It's a small classroom. Empty except for one person.
A young man, maybe twenty-five, sitting at the front desk. He's thin, intense eyes, nervous energy. When he sees me, his whole body tenses.
"Marcus Chen," he says. Not a question. A statement.
"James Park."
We stare at each other like two predators sizing each other up.
"You got a message telling you to come here," James says slowly. "From someone who knows things they shouldn't know. Someone who predicts the future."
"You too?"
He laughs bitterly. "Yeah. Me too. For three months now. Ever since I woke up ten years in the past with memories of my entire failed life."
Ten years. He's been doing this longer than me.
"Why are they helping us?" I ask.
"I don't know. But I have a theory." James pulls out a folder. "I've been tracking the messages. The predictions. The money transfers. And I found something."
He spreads papers across the desk. Financial records. News articles. Photos.
"There are at least six of us," James says. "Six people who died and came back. All in the same year. All getting messages from the same unknown number. All being pushed to build empires and destroy specific enemies."
Six of us. My head spins.
"Who are the others?"
"I only know three names besides us. Liu Wei—came back to stop his company from being stolen. Park Min-jun—came back to save his sister from an abusive marriage. And someone named 'A.S.'—I don't know their real name, but they're building something big in finance."
A.S. Aria Summers?
No. Impossible. Aria didn't time travel. She's living her first life.
Isn't she?
"Why are you telling me this?" I ask carefully.
James leans forward. "Because whoever's sending these messages is playing a game. They're putting us all in competition. Building us up so we'll tear each other down. And I'm tired of being a puppet."
"What do you want?"
"An alliance. You and me. Maybe Aria too, if she's really on your side." His eyes are sharp. "I've been watching you, Marcus. You make smart moves. You protect people. You're not like the others who only care about getting rich."
"The others?"
"Liu Wei is ruthless. He's already destroyed three competitors. Park Min-jun is obsessed with revenge—doesn't care who gets hurt. But you? You chose your mother over a million-dollar opportunity. That tells me something."
I don't know whether to trust him or run.
"What's your endgame?" I ask.
"Find out who's sending the messages. Stop being chess pieces. Take control of our own second chances." James extends his hand. "Partners?"
I remember the mysterious messenger's warning: greatest ally or worst enemy.
Which is James?
Before I can answer, both our phones buzz.
Unknown number to both of us: "Good. You're meeting. But Marcus—James is lying about something. One crucial thing. Figure out what it is before you shake his hand, or you'll regret it forever. You have 60 seconds to decide."
James's phone buzzes too. He reads it, face going pale.
"They're trying to turn us against each other," he says quickly. "Don't listen—"
"What are you lying about?" I demand.
"Nothing! This is exactly what they want—paranoia, distrust—"
"Then tell me the truth. Right now. What are you hiding?"
James's jaw clenches. He's sweating.
45 seconds.
"I'm hiding something, yes. But it's not what you think."
"Then what is it?"
30 seconds.
"My name isn't James Park," he admits. "I changed it when I came back. In my first life, I was someone you knew. Someone who hurt you."
My blood freezes. "Who?"
"Promise you won't attack me."
"WHO?"
15 seconds.
James takes a deep breath. "In my first life, my name was Kevin Zhang. Rebecca's boyfriend. The one who got her pregnant. The one whose baby you raised for eighteen years thinking it was yours."
The world stops.
Kevin. KEVIN. The man who destroyed my life. Who slept with my wife. Who laughed while I raised his daughter.
He's here. In front of me. Asking to be partners.
"I died too," Kevin—James—says rapidly. "Five years after you. Rebecca poisoned me for insurance money. Same as she did to you. I came back to stop her, just like you did. We're on the same side now—"
"You're the reason my first life was hell!" I'm shouting now. "You knew that baby was yours! You let me raise her! You destroyed everything!"
"I was young and stupid and Rebecca manipulated me too! I paid for it! She killed me, Marcus! I'm trying to make it right—"
My phone buzzes: "Now you know. Kevin-slash-James came back to redeem himself. But can someone who destroyed your life ever be trusted? Even if he's trying to change? Shake his hand and ally with your greatest enemy, or walk away and face the future alone. Choose. Now."
I stare at Kevin. At James. At this man who ruined me.
Who also suffered. Who also died. Who also got a second chance.
Can people really change?
His hand is still extended. Shaking now.
"I'm not that person anymore," he whispers. "I swear. I'm trying to be better. Please."
My hand moves toward his.
Then stops.
"Give me one reason," I say coldly. "One reason why I shouldn't destroy you right now."
Kevin's eyes fill with tears. "Because I can tell you exactly how Rebecca plans to destroy Aria. The spy she planted in the scholarship committee? It's Professor Michelle Torres. And she's meeting with Aria in two hours to accuse her of plagiarism. Rebecca gave Torres a fake essay that matches Aria's—planted evidence. Aria will lose everything. Unless you warn her. Now."
My phone buzzes: "He's telling the truth. But if you leave to warn Aria, Kevin will disappear. You'll lose your chance at this alliance. And he knows things—future events I haven't told you. Secrets that could save your life. Stay and learn, or run to save Aria. Your choice. Again."
I look at Kevin. At my phone. At the clock.
7:28 AM. Aria's meeting is at 9 AM.
Ninety-two minutes to decide everything.
"Tell me," I say slowly. "Tell me the secrets. Right now. Then I'll decide if you deserve my alliance."
Kevin nods frantically. "The mysterious messenger—I know who they are. I figured it out last month. They're not just someone who can predict the future. They're someone who can CHANGE it. Someone with technology that shouldn't exist. And Marcus—they're not helping us. They're experimenting on us."
"Experimenting?"
"Testing what happens when you give failed people second chances. Seeing if we repeat our mistakes or break the cycle. We're lab rats, Marcus. All six of us."
My stomach turns to ice.
"Who are they?"
Kevin opens his mouth to answer.
Both our phones ring. Not buzz. RING. Actual phone calls.
Unknown number.
We answer simultaneously.
A voice speaks. Distorted. Electronic. But definitely human.
"Hello, Marcus. Hello, Kevin. Having fun comparing notes? Here's a new rule: no sharing information about me. Every time you try to reveal my identity, someone you love pays the price. Want to test me?"
Kevin's phone buzzes with a photo. His face goes white.
He shows me.
It's a picture of a young woman. Pretty. Smiling. Taken today—time stamp says 7:30 AM.
Caption: "Kevin's sister. The one he came back to save. She's walking to class right now. One word about who I am, and she walks in front of a bus instead. Choose your words carefully."
My phone buzzes. Another photo.
My mother. In her kitchen. This morning.
"Your mother's weak heart. Would be a shame if someone gave her a little scare. Keep my secrets, Marcus. Or start planning funerals."
Kevin and I stare at each other, horrified.
The voice on the phone laughs. "Good. We understand each other. Now shake hands and be friends. You're going to need each other for what comes next. Oh, and Marcus? Run. Aria's meeting was moved up. It starts in five minutes, not ninety. I lied. Oops."