In a bid not to forget all that had happened, Serena reached for her journal.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she flipped through its pages, the faint scent of ink and paper grounding her just enough to keep her thoughts from spiraling. She began to write, slowly at first, then faster recording every possible detail of the day she could still grasp. From her strange meeting with the elders, their watchful eyes and carefully measured words, to Missy's unusually cold behavior toward her. And of course, she made sure not to forget the most important event of all her vision of the creatures at the elders' gate.
Or at least, she tried not to forget.
As the pen scratched against the page, Serena realized with growing panic that much of it already felt… distant. Like sand slipping through her fingers. The sharper emotions remained fear, awe, confusion but the details were dissolving. Faces blurred. Voices faded. Words lost their meaning.
She paused, staring at the last sentence she'd written, her heart pounding. Most of her memories from today had already begun to fade, eroded by the stress and anxiety she'd endured. The harder she tried to hold on to them, the more they slipped away.
Frustrated, Serena stood and paced the room, hoping movement might bring comfort.
She crossed from one end to the other, then pressed herself into a corner where the stone walls felt cool against her skin. But even that didn't help. The room felt foreign too quiet, too still as though it hadn't yet decided whether it wanted her there.
It'll take time, she told herself. You'll get used to it.
But time felt like a luxury she didn't have.
She closed her eyes and tried again to remember the creature the one who had spoken to her. She focused on their conversation, on the sound of his voice, hoping it would sharpen his image in her mind.
Nothing.
His face remained frustratingly blurry, like a locked memory waiting for the right key.
Not all her memories behaved this way. That was the strangest part.
She could remember simple things with perfect clarity. Like hiding in the bathroom during lunchtime in high school, locking herself into the farthest stall just to avoid Lucy and Janet, girls who delighted in pulling her hair and whispering cruel things behind her back. She could remember happy moments too: dancing under the rain with Aunt Missy, both of them laughing breathlessly as the downpour soaked them to the bone, splashing water at each other like children without a care in the world.
She could even recall embarrassing memories with painful precision like the day Lucas, her crush in tenth grade, asked her out. How she'd said yes, then panicked and never showed up. She could still remember the sick feeling in her stomach when she avoided him for weeks afterward.
And she could remember exactly why she had come to Eldermere.
Her ordinary life, everyday joys and humiliations remained intact. Untouched. Crystal clear.
It was only the special memories that slipped away. The dreams. The visions. The moments that felt larger than life.
Just like before.
Just like always.
Her grip tightened on the journal before she finally gave up and tossed it to the end of the bed with a frustrated sigh. "What's the point of being here if I can't remember anything?" she muttered, running a hand through her hair.
Every doctor she and Missy had ever met told her the same thing that her memories would return in due course. That stress blocked them. That her mind was protecting itself.
Right now, Serena wondered how long due course actually was.
Feeling hopeless, she decided to distract herself with something practical. She unpacked her things slowly, folding clothes and arranging them neatly. She stripped the plain pink bedsheets and replaced them with floral-print ones, smoothing the fabric carefully as though perfection might bring comfort. Matching pillowcases followed.
The room looked a little more like hers now.
She was just stepping back to admire her work when a knock echoed through the room.
Serena froze.
Her gaze drifted to the empty bed across from hers. No roommate yet. Her heart skipped as her thoughts raced, had her brief encounter with the general attracted more attention than it should have?
The knock came again, louder this time.
She swallowed and walked toward the door, every sense on high alert. After everything that had happened today, caution felt like survival. She opened the door just a crack, peering through the narrow gap.
A girl with ginger curls beamed back at her.
"Hello, neighbor!"
The girl's large eyes sparkled with excitement, freckles scattered across her cheeks and the corners of her eyes. Her curly hair framed her face wildly, a cap perched precariously atop her head. A pair of headphones dangled loosely around her neck.
She tilted her head, peeking into the room. "May I come in?"
Her voice bounced with energy, like a child high on sugar.
Serena hesitated only a second before nodding and opening the door wider.
The girl practically bounced inside, immediately looking around. As she did, Serena studied her. She was petite, her oversized dark-blue shirt hanging off her frame and brushing the tops of her equally oversized brown shorts. Her ginger curls spilled down her shoulders all the way to her hips.
"Oh wow," the girl said, spinning slowly. "The mystery room has finally been occupied, huh? After so long."
She turned sharply. "You know this room was off-limits to every student. I wonder why they decided to finally give it to you."
Serena stood awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
"Oh—silly me!" The girl laughed. "I'm Elsie. I live next door."
"I'm Serena," she replied softly. "It's nice to meet you."
Elsie's eyes lit up. "Really? For a moment I thought you found me strange. Usually people find me strange."
She flopped onto Serena's freshly made bed, swinging her legs freely.
"Well," Serena said with a small chuckle, sitting beside her, "considering this town, I think I'm pretty normal. I'm sure you've noticed Eldermere is… a little strange."
Elsie leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Strange is one way to put it."
Something about her tone made Serena's smile falter.
"It seems you've already seen some things," Elsie continued brightly. "Little advice, be careful who you talk to about the town. Not everything is as it seems here."
Serena's eyes narrowed slightly. This was the third warning she'd received today.
She nodded, her thoughts drifting back to the creature, his blurred face, his forgotten words.
Suddenly, Elsie jumped up. "Come on! You can't stay in here all day. There's so much to see!"
Serena hesitated. "I still need to unpack. Maybe some other time..."
"Nope!" Elsie cut in cheerfully. "Not another time. I'll help you unpack later. There's a lot I need to show you."
She grinned. "And you must be hungry, right? There's this little restaurant a few miles from here. They make amazing sandwiches. You'll love it."
Serena paused… then smiled. "Okay. That does sound nice. I'm really hungry."
Elsie clapped her hands. "Great! Adventure and sandwiches it is!"
As the two girls stepped into the hallway, the door creaked shut behind them.