"Julie, are you okay?" Nicole asked, worry written plainly across her face.
Julie glanced at her and offered a small smile, nodding to reassure her.
Nicole sighed. "Do you want to grab something to eat after class?"
Julie chuckled lightly. "Sure, Nicky."
Melissa stood quietly beside them, listening. Even without speaking, Julie could feel the weight of her concern.
"Okay, I'll treat you today. Because I'm generous," Julie teased.
Nicole blinked. "Whoa. What did you eat this morning? Why are you suddenly paying?"
Julie raised an eyebrow. "Why? Don't you want free food?"
"If you're paying? Of course I do!" Nicole shot back.
Julie laughed, and soon they returned to class.
That afternoon, as planned, they headed to buy snacks near the school.
"Hey, you don't have to come," Julie told Gabriel.
Gabriel winked. "You're treating, right? So you're paying for me too."
She rolled her eyes and kept walking.
Then—
A sharp pain pierced her head.
It lasted only seconds.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Gabriel's tone shifted instantly. The others looked at her with concern.
"I'm fine," she said quickly, exhaling. She shook her head lightly.
Why does it feel like that?
It's nothing.
They resumed walking when Julie noticed a narrow alley nearby. She slowed.
"There's an alley there?" she asked.
Nicole blinked. "You're only noticing that now?"
Julie nodded faintly.
She was about to brush it off—
when something snapped inside her mind.
A girl running.
Desperate.
A man wearing a facemask, a cap, and glasses—his face hidden.
Until the girl fought back.
And his mask fell.
Julie squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of pain struck her.
"Julie," Nicole whispered, panic creeping into her voice. "If you're not okay, we can go back."
"N–No. I'm okay. It'll pass." She swallowed. "Let's just… avoid that alley."
She didn't understand why.
But her body was screaming at her to stay away.
What memory was that?
Who was that girl?
A hand touched her shoulder.
Gabriel.
Cielo wasn't with them—he was busy. She didn't want to disturb him.
"You know… maybe we should call Cielo," Raymond muttered.
Before she could protest, he had already dialed.
Idiot, she thought, glaring at him.
"Cielo said to wait at the convenience store," Raymond announced.
They headed there.
But Julie's thoughts wouldn't settle.
Last year… I suddenly woke up in the hospital. My throat hurt. My lips were burning. What really happened to me?
Then—
She smelled it.
Lavender.
It was familiar.
But instead of comfort, it triggered something else.
Fear.
Her chest tightened.
She couldn't breathe.
What is that smell?
Car freshener?
"Julie!" Nicole said brightly.
Julie turned.
The scent was coming from Nicole.
"Look! It's refreshing, right? Lavender!" Nicole smiled, holding up a small spray bottle.
Something inside Julie snapped.
She grabbed it—
and threw it to the floor.
It shattered.
The lavender scent exploded into the air.
Her heartbeat spiked.
The world blurred.
She couldn't hear anything.
Cold sweat drenched her skin.
Then—
A handkerchief covered her nose.
"Breathe, Julie. Breathe," Jonathan's calm voice guided her. "Slowly. Inhale. Slowly."
He guided her toward the exit.
She hadn't even noticed that her older brother and the others had arrived.
"Breathe. It's okay."
She wanted to cry.
She didn't understand why her body reacted like that.
"It's not your fault," Jonathan said firmly.
She nodded weakly.
Slowly, her breathing steadied.
"I think you're okay now," Jonathan murmured, lowering the handkerchief.
Fresh air filled her lungs.
He gently ruffled her hair.
Her friends looked shaken.
Julie turned to Nicole.
"Nicky… I'm sorry."
Nicole hugged her tightly without saying a word.
Julie felt like breaking apart.
But something inside her held her together.
She saw Chris paying for the broken bottle.
"B–Brother…" she called softly.
He didn't respond.
He just ruffled her hair.
They went home.
Cielo was there when they arrived.
He gently messed up her hair.
She leaned into him, hugging him tightly.
He kissed her forehead.
He didn't ask questions.
He just held her hand.
And somehow, the chaos inside her quieted.
"I don't understand myself anymore," she whispered.
"When I try to remember, I can't. But when I stop trying… the memories just appear."
Everyone listened.
"I remember… a girl being chased by a man. His face was hidden."
"Hidden?" Gabriel asked.
She nodded.
"Julie," Cielo said softly, "it's okay if you don't remember everything. Just tell us the fragments. We won't push you."
She swallowed.
"That lavender scent… I don't know why I hate it. My body tells me to run. And when I smelled it…"
Her chest tightened again.
She forced herself to breathe.
"I remember someone trying to make the girl smell that lavender scent. She fought back. She tried to run. But she was caught."
Her fingers trembled.
"When she struggled… she saw his face."
Her voice wavered.
"He looked like the suspect."
Silence filled the room.
"Do you remember what he did to her?" Kevin asked gently.
"No…" she whispered, pressing her fingers against her temple.
"Don't force it," Joel said softly.
"Do you remember the girl's face?" Kevin continued carefully.
"No… but—"
Pain flared again, and she instinctively grabbed Cielo's hand.
"It's okay. We can stop," Cielo assured her.
She inhaled deeply.
Then she looked at Chris.
"B–Brother… am I connected to that crime? Was I a witness?"
"Julie, you're not connected to anything," Chris said firmly.
"Then why am I like this?" Her voice trembled.
"Chris," Gabriel said cautiously, "maybe those white lies you told her before… maybe she needs the truth."
Julie froze.
"W–White lies?"
Her heart began to pound.
"Was it a lie? That I fainted because of a fever while walking home?"
Chris closed his eyes briefly.
"I didn't want to talk about this," he said quietly. "But we can't hide it anymore. Yes. That was a lie. It wasn't a fever."
Julie's pulse thundered in her ears.
"Julie," Chris asked gently, "do you really want to know?"
She hesitated.
But she couldn't keep running from it.
She nodded.
"If that's the only way I can remember."
Chris exhaled slowly and ran a hand through his hair.
Julie stayed silent.
The only thing she could hear—
was the loud, steady beating of her own heart.