I'm going to die.
The thought came quietly.
I have no strength. No panic. No fight left.
The ocean pressed in from all sides, heavy and cold. I tried to breathe, but this body had already given up. The cold had settled deep into my bones.
So this is it.
Soon, I wouldn't exist.
Not as Mira. Not as anything.
My eyes fluttered shut.
And somehow, the only thing I could think of… was that dream.
It always started the same way.
The night air was cold against my skin.
I stood still, watching the blade in my hand sink into his chest.
He gasped. Blood spread beneath him.
His eyes didn't leave mine.
Not anger. Not fear.
Just love.
"Why are you doing this?" he whispered. "Was my love… not enough?"
I stared at him. At his shaking hands. At the way he still looked at me like I was something worth saving.
The woman holding the blade—she had my face. Same straight black hair. Same brown eyes.
But there was nothing in them.
"Your biggest mistake," I said softly, "was meeting me."
He let out a weak, broken laugh. "Never… in a thousand years…" His breath faltered. "Will I regret loving you."
Something inside me twisted.
I didn't want to do it.
But I did it anyway.
Like something inside me had already decided.
The blade drove deeper.
"I loved you," he whispered.
I woke with a gasp, my hand flying to my chest.
Nothing. Just sweat.
The alarm screamed beside me. I shut it off, breathing hard.
Again.
Same dream. Same man. Same… me.
I pressed my fingers to my temples. "Why does this keep happening?"
"You're having that dream again, aren't you?"
I looked it wasAkira's voice came from across the room.
She was sprawled on her bed, scrolling through her phone like nothing in the world could bother her. Her curls were a mess, falling everywhere, and somehow she still looked put together.
I exhaled, sinking back into my pillow. "At first it was just weird. Now it feels… wrong. Like it means something."
Akira didn't even look up. "Or your brain just likes drama."
I shot her a look. "These started after my 18 birthday. And they feel real. Too real."
"Mm." She tied her curls into a loose bun. "Or you're overthinking it. Which you do. A lot."
I groaned. "You're impossible."
"And you're dramatic. We balance each other out hmm...."
I turned away, staring at the ceiling.
Maybe she was right.
But it didn't feel like just a dream.
It felt like something waiting.
"Are you done packing?" she asked.
"Almost."
I shoved the last few clothes into my suitcase. My reflection caught in the mirror for a second. Same as always. Straight black hair, brown eyes, nothing that stood out.
Nothing special.
And yet… lately, even that felt off.
"You just what?" Akira asked.
I yet hesitated i don't know why
I just can't shake this feeling off .
That dream… it felt like a warning or something from past like i hv lived it.
But I shook it off. "Nothing. Let's go."
I woke again before dawn.
This time my heart wasn't racing from fear.
Something else sat there instead.
A quiet, heavy anticipation.
Today, I leave for Artemis.
I got dressed quickly. Simple clothes. Nothing worth noticing.
Akira, on the other hand, stepped out looking like she'd put in effort without trying. Her curls framed her face perfectly, and she carried herself like she already belonged somewhere bigger.
"Mira, let's go," she said. "If you make me miss the train, I'm leaving you."
I smirked. "You'd cry in five minutes." i was going to artemis academy today a really esterious academy which Akira goes to.
"Rude. I'd last ten."
We laughed, and for a moment, everything felt normal again.
"Bye, Mom!" I called, grabbing my bag.
She rushed over, pushing a plastic bag into my hands. "Take this. Food for the trip."
"Mom, I'm not going to war."
"You're going far. Eat properly."
Her voice wavered just slightly.
I softened. "I'll be fine. Really."
She nodded, but her eyes said she didn't believe me.
Akira grabbed my wrist. "We're going to be late."
I took one last look at home… then turned away.
The cab sped through the city, everything blurring past.
Akira sat beside me, completely relaxed, scrolling through her phone like this was just another day.
I nudged her. "Tell me more about Artemis."
She handed me her phone instead.
I frowned at the headline.
Artemis Academy: The Most Mysterious School in the World.
I skimmed it.
Not much known. Influential graduates. Secrets.
Always secrets.
A chill ran down my spine. "What kind of secrets?"
Akira took her phone back, a small grin forming. "That's the fun part. We find out."
I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that.
Because deep down, something didn't feel right.
Not about the dream.
Not about Artemis.
Not about any of it.
It felt like something was already in motion.
Like something had already begun.
And I was just now catching up.