She hadn’t thought about those days in so long. Maybe she’d buried them too deep, afraid they’d hurt too much if she brought them back into the light. But now, sitting here, with the wind whispering through the trees, she realized those memories weren’t just painful—they were beautiful.

They were a reminder of who she had been.

And maybe… who she still was underneath it all.

*Aria’s POV*

The trip back home was a two-hour drive, but it felt like forever.

The silence in the car was loud, and I found myself lost in a storm of thoughts. Michael wasn’t my type—too polished, too perfect—but he *was* cute. A part of me hated how easily he got under my skin. Still, it wasn’t his charm or his laugh that haunted my mind right now. It was his name.

Michael.

My twin brother.

The memory stabbed through me like a knife.

*Four years ago*

I was only thirteen, and my world was still small and fragile. That morning, I woke up to the scent of oatmeal and my mom softly humming. She dressed me in my uniform and kissed my forehead like always. But her eyes... her eyes didn’t smile like her lips did.

Two months earlier, men in black suits had come for her in the middle of the night. She’d hidden me in the closet before opening the door, whispering, *"Don’t make a sound, no matter what."* I heard shouting. Then silence. She didn’t come home for two days.

When she did, her skin was bruised, her eyes hollow, like the life had been drained from her. She never told me where she’d gone. Just said, *“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”*

But I worried. Every night.

We didn’t have much. We didn’t mix with anyone. It was always just the four of us—Mom, Michael, Talia, and me.

Michael and I were inseparable. Same age, same mind, same mischief. My twin, my anchor.

Until they came for him too.

He tried to fight them. He was brave like that. But he came back bloodied, broken... silent. That night changed something in him. In all of us.

Then came the worst day of my life.

I was coming back from school early. As I approached our home, I saw a sleek black car pull away. I ducked behind a wall, remembering what Mom told me: *“If you ever see a car with the initials A’D on the plate—hide.”*

When I entered the house, the smell of iron hit me first. Then the silence. Then the horror.

There, in the living room, lay my mom and Michael—lifeless, surrounded by blood. I dropped to my knees, crawling to her side.

“Mom... no, no, no,” I sobbed, cradling her face in my small hands. Her eyelids fluttered.

“Aria…” she whispered, her voice barely a breath. “There’s money… drawer... passports... for you and Talia. Leave the city… don’t look back...”

I choked on my tears, begging her to stay, to fight, to live.

Her last word was a name. A curse.

*“D’Argon…”*

And then she was gone.

***

Tears streamed down my cheeks as the memory replayed like an old film.

“We’re here, ma’am,” the driver said softly, pulling me back into the present.

I wiped my face quickly. I had to stay strong.

Because I knew—deep down—that one day, I would find out the truth.  

And when I did, the person would pay.

I came down from the car and paid the driver. As I stepped into the house, the warm scent of something delicious hit me.

“Something smells amazing,” I said, walking into the kitchen and hugging Talia from behind. “I’m so famished.”

She smiled over her shoulder, eyeing me carefully. “Did you cry?”

“No, I didn’t,” I lied quickly. “The breeze got into my eyes.”

Talia gave me that look—the one that always made me feel like she could read straight into my soul. “That’s a lie, and you know it. What happened?”

I sighed, pulling away and leaning against the counter. “I met someone today… His name is Michael. Seeing him just brought everything back—memories of our Michael. And Mom.”

Talia wiped her hands and walked over, wrapping me in a tight hug. “Come here, Aria. We’re going to be okay. I miss Michael and Susannah too. Every single day.”

Her comfort settled something in my chest. I held onto her for a while before she pulled back with a mischievous grin.

“Enough of the heavy stuff. Guess what?” she said, eyes sparkling.

“What?”

“I gathered all our savings, and tomorrow, we’re going shopping for college! We need to get some hot clothes, babe. Sterling College is full of big guys and gorgeous girls—we need to represent.”

I laughed, the weight in my chest lightening. “I’m so happy I have you, Tais.”

She reached out and took my hand. “Always. We’ve come this far, Aria. There’s no stopping us now.”

---

Talia grinned and leaned her head on my shoulder. “Always, Aria. You’re stuck with me forever.”

We sat on the kitchen stool, plates of steaming pasta in front of us, our laughter filling the little apartment like sunshine breaking through a storm. The pain I felt earlier was still there, quietly buried in my chest—but moments like this made it bearable.

“I still can’t believe we’re really doing this,” I said, twirling my fork. “College. A new city. A new life.”

Talia raised her glass of soda and clinked it against mine. “To new beginnings.”

We ate like girls who hadn’t had a full meal in days, and when we were done, we danced barefoot in the living room to music from my old playlist—Michael’s favorite tracks still tucked in there, like a bittersweet reminder.

Later that night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Talia snoring softly beside me in her bed across the room.

Sterling College.

It sounded like the kind of place where dreams were made—or crushed. But either way, I was going. I was ready.

And I had a strange feeling… that life was about to change in ways I couldn’t yet imagine.