Ayla couldn't stop staring at the photo.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she held it, her eyes fixed on the girl's face.
It was her.
Not similar.
Not close.
Exactly her.
Same eyes. Same lips. Same everything.
But the girl in the picture looked… happier. Brighter. Like she didn't carry the heaviness Ayla always felt.
"…This isn't possible," Ayla whispered.
Noah didn't respond immediately.
He was watching her.
Carefully.
Like her reaction mattered more than the truth itself.
"I thought I was going crazy," he finally said. "The first time I saw you… I thought I was seeing things."
Ayla tore her gaze away from the photo and looked at him.
"You're saying… she's real?"
"She was."
The correction hit harder.
Ayla swallowed.
"And she… died?"
Noah's jaw tightened slightly.
"Two years ago."
Two years.
Ayla's heart skipped.
Why does that timing feel important…?
She handed the photo back quickly, like it was burning her.
"I'm not her," she said, more firmly this time.
She needed to believe that.
Noah took the photo but didn't look at it.
His eyes stayed on her.
"I know."
But his tone didn't match his words.
The bell rang, breaking the moment.
Students began moving around again, noise filling the air.
Ayla stood up quickly.
"I have to go."
She didn't wait for a response.
She just walked away.
That evening, Ayla sat at her desk, trying to do her homework.
But it was useless.
Her mind kept replaying everything.
The dream.
The field.
The name.
The photo.
"…Lena," she whispered again.
This time—
Something happened.
A sharp pain flashed through her head.
"Ah—!"
She grabbed the edge of her desk as another image forced its way into her mind.
Not a dream.
A memory.
She was laughing.
Running.
Someone was chasing her—
"Noah, stop!" she heard herself say—no, Lena say.
Her voice sounded different. Lighter.
Happier.
Then—
Warmth.
A hand catching hers.
A heartbeat syncing with someone else's.
Ayla jerked back to reality, breathing hard.
"No… no no…"
Her hands were shaking now.
"That's not mine…"
But it felt real.
Too real.
The next day at school, Ayla tried to act normal.
She really did.
But the moment she stepped into class—
Her eyes found him again.
Noah.
And just like before…
He was already looking at her.
This time, she didn't look away.
Instead, she walked up to her seat and sat down beside him.
"I need to ask you something," she said.
Noah raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Go ahead."
Ayla hesitated.
Then—
"…What was she like?"
The question surprised even her.
Noah went still.
"Why do you want to know?"
"I just…" she paused. "I need to understand."
There was a long silence.
Then, slowly—
His expression softened.
"She was loud," he said. "Annoying sometimes."
Ayla blinked.
"That doesn't sound like a compliment."
"It is," he replied quietly. "She made everything… lighter."
Something twisted in Ayla's chest.
"…Did you love her?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Noah didn't answer immediately.
But he didn't look away either.
"Yes."
Simple.
Honest.
Painful.
Ayla nodded slowly.
"Do you still love her?"
This time—
He hesitated.
And that hesitation said everything.
Before he could answer—
A voice interrupted.
"Wow… this is interesting."
Both of them turned.
A girl stood by the classroom door.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Confident.
But there was something cold in her eyes.
Something calculating.
She smiled slightly as she looked directly at Ayla.
"So you're the girl everyone's talking about."
Ayla frowned.
"…Who are you?"
The girl stepped closer.
Slow. Graceful.
Then she stopped right in front of her.
"…Someone who knew Lena."
Ayla's heart dropped.
And the girl's smile widened just a little.
"Which means…" she added softly,
Her eyes locking onto Ayla's—
"I know you're not supposed to be here."