Scene "The Lake Dream" (Ava's Nightmare)
The sound came first.
Water. Gentle, rippling water.
Ava's eyes fluttered open, sunlight hitting her face. She was standing by the lake, the same one she'd seen once in a photo on Miyeong's shelf. The air smelled like wet grass and peaches.
Laughter echoed behind her.
"Ava! Come on!"
She turned. Two girls were waving from the wooden dock, one with long black hair shining in the light (Kira), and another with chestnut curls and a green swimsuit (Judith).
Ava's chest tightened. She didn't know how she knew that name, but she did. Judith.
"You're too slow!" Judith shouted, grinning.
"I'm coming!" Ava laughed. the sound didn't even feel like hers.
They ran, barefoot on the grass, their voices blending with the chirping cicadas.
Then…
... the sunlight flickered.
One blink, and the lake turned darker, the air colder.
The laughter stopped.
"Kira?" she whispered.
No answer.
The dock creaked behind her, slow and heavy, as if someone was walking on it.
"Judith?"
A shadow fell across the water.
Ava's pulse raced. She tried to move, but her body wouldn't obey. The reflection in the lake, it wasn't hers. It was someone else's face, bruised, trembling, whispering…
"Don't forget me."
Ava gasped. Her vision blurred.
A flash, a hand grabbing her wrist, the smell of something sweet and chemical, a man's voice saying, "Sleep, little one."
Then everything went black.
She woke up screaming.
Her room was dark, her sheets twisted around her. Sweat clung to her skin.
For a second, she thought she was still there, still in the lake's shadow.
But it was just her room. Her lamp. Her breathing.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Unknown Number: Did you remember her?
Ava's throat went dry. Her trembling fingers typed: Who is this?
The reply came a moment later.
Unknown: You were supposed to save her.
Scene "The Morning After the Dream"
Sunlight spilled through the curtains, warm and golden, but Ava still felt cold.
Her hands wouldn't stop shaking as she tied her hair up. Every time she blinked, she saw the lake. The reflection. Don't forget me.
She almost dropped her phone when she saw the message again, You were supposed to save her.
Ava deleted it fast, like erasing it would make it less real.
Downstairs, the smell of Yuri's honey toast drifted through the air. Kira wasn't there, probably already gone to class early.
"Morning, sweetheart," Yuri said with that soft-mom smile, pouring coffee. "You look pale. Bad dream?"
Ava hesitated. "Yeah."
"Wanna talk about it?"
She nodded slowly, sitting down. "It felt… real. There was this lake, and two girls. One was Kira, I think. And the other…" She paused, frowning. "She said something like 'Don't forget me.' I don't even know who she was."
Yuri froze for half a second. It was barely noticeable, but Ava caught it. the way the spoon in her hand stopped midair.
"Mom?"
Yuri quickly smiled again, but her voice was tight. "Dreams are strange, Ava. Sometimes they mix old memories with new ones. Maybe something you saw on TV?"
"It didn't feel like TV," Ava said quietly. "It felt like I was there."
Yuri reached over, brushing a loose strand of hair behind Ava's ear. "Just try not to think about it too much, okay? You've been stressed lately."
Ava nodded, even though her chest still felt heavy.
The sound of a car horn outside broke the silence. Ethan.
"I'll see you later," she said, grabbing her bag.
Yuri smiled, but her hand lingered on Ava's wrist. "Ava… if those dreams get worse, tell me immediately. Promise?"
Ava hesitated. "Promise."
Outside, Ethan leaned against his car, sunglasses on, smiling like always. "Morning, dream girl."
"Don't call me that," she said, trying to smile, but her voice wavered.
He tilted his head. "You okay?"
"Just… had a weird dream."
"Wanna tell me?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "It was about a lake. And this girl kept saying I shouldn't forget her. I think her name was Judith?"
Ethan's smile faltered. just for a second.
"Judith?" he repeated, voice tight.
"Yeah," Ava said softly. "You knew her?"
"No," he said too fast. "I mean, no, not really."
Ava frowned. "Ethan…"
He forced a laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "You're probably just dreaming random names. C'mon, you'll be late."
Ava sighed, sliding into the passenger seat. But as they drove off, she glanced at him again. His hands were gripping the wheel too tightly.
And she couldn't shake the feeling that he did know that name.
Scene "The Case in Class"
The lecture hall smelled faintly of paper and coffee. Ava slid into her seat near the middle, clutching her new notebook like it was a lifeline.
Oakridge felt… fresh. Loud. Busy. For the first time in weeks, she almost felt like she could breathe.
Ethan sat beside her, grinning. "First day as college students. You ready?"
"Barely," she said, smiling weakly. "If the professor's chill, maybe I'll survive."
The professor, a tall man with round glasses and an easy smile…..stepped up front. "Alright everyone, welcome to Psychology and Human Memory."
Ava froze for a second.
Memory.
Ethan noticed, nudging her arm gently. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she lied.
The professor continued, "For your first discussion, I want you to think about how trauma shapes the way people remember or forget … events. Some of you may have heard of local examples. For instance…"
He clicked the projector. A news headline flashed on the board.
"FIVE YEARS AGO: Two Girls Found After Disappearance, One Still Missing — Lake Garland Mystery Remains Unsolved."
Ava's pen slipped from her hand.
The image, a blurred photo of flashing police lights by a lake, sent a chill down her spine.
"The human mind often protects itself by blocking painful memories," the professor continued, unaware. "Cases like this are rare, but they happen more often than you'd think."
Students whispered softly around her.
"That's so creepy," one girl murmured behind Ava.
"They never found the third girl, right?" another said.
"Judith, I think her name was."
Ava's heartbeat roared in her ears.
Judith.
Ethan looked at her. his expression carefully blank, too calm. "Ava…."
She stood up abruptly, mumbling something about needing air, and hurried out before anyone could stop her.
Outside, she gripped the railing by the stairs, trying to breathe. Her vision blurred with light.
Why did that name feel like it belonged to her?
"Ava!" Ethan caught up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, look at me. You're shaking."
"I've seen that place before," she whispered. "The lake. I don't know how, but… I have."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "Let's get you some water, okay?"
She nodded weakly. But as they walked toward the vending machine, a folded paper slipped out of her bag.
Ethan bent to pick it up. "You dropped.."
He froze mid-sentence.
Scrawled across the paper, in messy ink, were just five words:
"You're remembering too fast."
"Ethan's Secret" (Ethan's POV)
The moment Ava walked into the nurse's office, Ethan slipped the note into his pocket.
He didn't want her to see his hands shaking.
"You're remembering too fast."
His stomach twisted just reading it again. Whoever was sending these messages wasn't just guessing, they knew.
He'd promised Yuri and Miyeong years ago he'd keep quiet, that Ava didn't need to remember. Not until she was strong enough.
But now she was having dreams, hearing names, seeing the lake again.
And someone out there wanted her to remember everything.
Ethan leaned against the hallway wall, exhaling hard. His reflection in the window looked like a stranger…..older, heavier. The past had never left him; it was just waiting.
He pulled out his phone, opening a chat hidden deep in his messages. The contact had no name — just a single emoji: ⛓️
Ethan: You said this was over.
A typing bubble appeared instantly.
⛓️: It's never over. She's starting to remember. You know what that means.
Ethan's grip tightened. No. He wouldn't let that happen again.
Ethan: If you go near her, I swear….
⛓️: Careful. You made promises too.
The chat went silent.
Ethan's phone buzzed again, a new message from an unknown number. His chest went cold before he even opened it.
Unknown: She isn't the only one who survived.
He stared at it, frozen.
Judith.
He whispered the name like a curse.
The hallway suddenly felt smaller, darker.
If Judith was alive… everything they'd buried was about to come back.
Scene "The Photo"
The drive home was quiet. The kind of quiet that hums in your ears and makes every little sound too loud.
Ava kept replaying the classroom, the headline, the note. "You're remembering too fast."
Too fast for what?
When she got home, Yuri was setting the table. The evening light poured through the kitchen window, soft and golden.
"Hey, baby," Yuri said, smiling like nothing in the world could ever go wrong. "How was your first day?"
"It was fine," Ava said, dropping her bag. Then, quietly, "Mom… can I ask you something?"
Yuri looked up. "Of course."
"Did anything… happen that summer? When I was thirteen? I keep having dreams….about a lake, about Kira, and a girl named Judith. I don't know why it feels so familiar."
Yuri's smile flickered for half a second, then returned. "Sweetheart, you used to visit here a lot. Maybe you just remember stories people told you. You know how memories blend."
"No, Mom." Ava's voice cracked. "It doesn't feel like stories. It feels like it happened."
Yuri crossed the kitchen, placing her hands gently on Ava's shoulders. "You've been through enough. Please don't dig into things that hurt you. Some memories stay buried for a reason."
"But..."
"Ava." Her tone softened but carried weight. "Promise me."
Ava hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."
She turned toward the stairs, phone buzzing in her pocket.
Unknown Number: Since you asked about summer…
Her breath caught as two images appeared.
The first: three girls by the lake, arms around each other. Her. Kira. Judith.
The second: the same photo—but with one more person. Ethan, standing slightly apart, watching them with a smile.
Ava's heart pounded. Her fingers trembled as she stared at the pictures, the warm light from the kitchen suddenly feeling cold.
Downstairs, Yuri called out, "Everything okay, honey?"
Ava forced her voice steady. "Yeah," she lied. "Just… remembering."
Scene "The Truth That Slipped"
The next day felt like it was moving in slow motion.
Ava caught Ethan in the hallway after class. He looked a little nervous, maybe even guilty…but smiled anyway.
"Hey," she said softly. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he replied.
"Did we… know each other before? Like, when I came here that summer?"
Ethan froze for just a breath too long, then shrugged casually. "I don't think so. Maybe you're mixing me up with someone else."
"Right," Ava said, forcing a smile. "My bad."
But her heart felt like it cracked just a little. She could see it in his eyes, he was lying.
Later that evening, she came home, planning to ignore everything. But as she passed by the kitchen, she heard her mom's voice.
"Miyeong, she asked me about that summer," Yuri whispered, her tone anxious.
"What did you tell her?" Miyeong replied in her calm but sharp Korean accent.
"I told her to forget it. But what about Judith's parents? Shouldn't they know she's remembering?"
Miyeong sighed. "Yuri, I haven't spoken to them since that incident."
Ava's heart dropped. She stepped into the doorway. "What… incident?"
The two women spun around, their faces pale.
"Ava, honey, you weren't supposed to..."
"Weren't supposed to what?" Ava's voice broke. "To know that something happened to me? To Judith? That you all lied to me?"
Miyeong looked down, whispering, "It was for your safety."
"My safety?" Ava laughed bitterly. "Or your peace of mind?"
The silence that followed felt heavier than any truth.
She turned and walked out before either of them could say another word.
Outside, the night air was cool. She sat on the old wooden swing in front of the house, the one her mom used to push her on when she was little.
Tears slid down her cheeks silently. Everything she thought she knew felt fake.
"Can I sit?"
The voice came softly from behind. Kira stood there, hands in her hoodie pocket, looking unsure.
Ava wiped her face quickly and nodded without a word.
Kira sat beside her, the swing creaking slightly.
For a long time, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the wind rustling the trees and the quiet beating of two hearts that used to feel like home.
"The Summer That Faded"
The night was quiet except for the soft hum of crickets.
"You remember something, don't you?" Kira asked quietly, still staring at the ground.
Ava sniffed, her voice trembling. "A little. Just flashes. A lake… screams… and your voice calling my name."
Kira's breath hitched. "So you do remember."
"Not everything," Ava whispered. "But I just found out there was an incident. Everyone's been lying to me."
Kira looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers. "Ava, it wasn't supposed to be like this."
"Then tell me what it was supposed to be," Ava snapped, her voice breaking. "Please, Kira. Just tell me."
Kira closed her eyes for a moment before she spoke, her voice small.
"It was that summer. You, me, and Judith, we went to the lake like we always did. We thought it'd be fun to sneak out for ice cream after sunset, remember? You said it'd be our summer night adventure."
Ava said nothing, her eyes locked on the dirt beneath her feet.
"But when we got there," Kira continued, "there was this white van parked near the woods. We didn't think much of it. Then someone, someone came from behind. They grabbed Judith first. You tried to fight back, Ava, but they had something… some chemical or gas. The last thing I remember before blacking out was you screaming."
Ava's chest tightened. The swing felt like it was tilting beneath her.
"When I woke up," Kira said, her voice shaking now, "the police were there. We'd been found near the forest, and you—-" she paused, swallowing hard…."you were unconscious, bleeding, but alive. Judith was gone. They never found her."
A cold silence fell between them. Ava's eyes filled with tears, her hands gripping the swing's chains.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" she finally whispered.
"Because the doctors said remembering could hurt you. You had a brain injury, Ava. They said it could make you worse. So our parents made a deal to keep it quiet."
Ava let out a small laugh, broken and bitter. "So instead of telling me the truth, everyone just decided to rewrite my life?"
Kira reached out slowly, her fingers brushing Ava's. "I wanted to tell you, every day. But I couldn't. I didn't want to lose you again."
Ava didn't pull away, but her tears kept falling silently.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The moonlight caught on Kira's hair, and Ava realized for the first time how different she looked from the girl she used to know….older, sadder, but still the same Kira she'd once trusted with everything.
"Judith…" Ava murmured. "Do you think she's still alive?"
Kira looked up at the stars, her eyes glistening. "I don't know," she said softly. "But I think someone out there does."