Chapter 11: Waking in the Void

Darkness swallowed Amelia whole.

No sound. No light. Just an endless, suffocating void.

Her body felt weightless, floating in nothingness. Her thoughts flickered like candle flames, slipping between memory and oblivion.

Then—

A whisper.

Soft. Familiar.

"Wake up, Amelia."

A sharp breath punched into her lungs. She was falling.

Cold air rushed past her as she plunged downward. Her arms flailed, grasping for something—anything—to hold onto. The darkness peeled away, and for a split second, she saw flashes of memories—

Water closing over her head.A figure standing on the shore.A voice whispering, 'It has to be this way.'

Her body slammed into solid ground.

Pain exploded through her limbs.

She gasped, choking on air, her chest heaving. The darkness shattered around her, and suddenly—she was back.

The wooden floor beneath her was familiar. The scent of dust and damp air filled her lungs.

She was still in her childhood home.

Samuel's voice rang through the haze. "Amelia!"

She blinked hard, vision swimming. Samuel was kneeling beside her, his face lined with worry. His hands gripped her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Her pulse pounded in her ears. The other Amelia was gone. The strange room was gone. But the weight of what she had seen pressed down on her.

She clutched Samuel's wrist. "I remember."

His expression tightened. "What do you remember?"

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I died. Someone killed me. And… someone brought me back."

Samuel's jaw clenched. He hesitated for only a second before saying, "Then we need to find out who."

Amelia's hands trembled. "And why."

The house groaned around them. A cold gust of wind swept through the hallway, rattling the windows.

Samuel helped her to her feet. "We need to move. Lucas won't stop hunting you."

Amelia swallowed hard. Lucas. Evelyn. The entire town. They had all been keeping secrets from her.

But now, she was done running.

She would uncover the truth—no matter what it cost.

Because if someone had brought her back…

Then they might be the only ones who knew how to stop her from dying again.

To be continued…