Chapter 1: The Girl Who Sees The End

Selene's POV

After calming down, I forced myself to get out of bed, though my legs still felt weak. I walked to the bathroom, turning on the sink and splashing cold water on my face. The shock helped a little, but my hands were still shaking.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, watching the water drip down my cheeks. My long black hair was a tangled mess, and my almost white eyes stood out even more under the bathroom light. I quickly grabbed my black contacts and put them in, blinking a few times to adjust.

The alarm on my phone rang loudly from the bedroom—10:00 AM.

"Crap."

I turned off the alarm and rushed to take a quick shower, throwing on the first decent outfit I could find. A plain black shirt and jeans. Good enough. Grabbing my bag, I hurried out of my tiny apartment, locking the door behind me.

The bus ride was as long as ever. Two hours of staring out the window, watching the city pass by. The streets were always crowded, people walking fast, cars honking, everything moving nonstop.

I didn't mind the silence, though. It was better than thinking too much.

By the time I arrived at work, I was already exhausted.

"Selene, you're here finally!" My coworker, Mia, greeted me with a bright smile.

"Yeah, sorry, I took the bus today," I replied, slipping behind the counter.

Mia just waved it off. "You always do."

I sighed. She wasn't wrong. But there wasn't much I could do about it. My shift was from lunch until 5 PM—nothing great, but enough to get by.

I tied my apron and got to work, pushing everything else out of my mind.

When my shift finally ended, I stepped out of the café, stretching my arms. The sun was already setting, painting the sky in soft orange and pink hues. I adjusted my bag strap and started my usual walk to the bus station.

At the crosswalk, the lights turned red, and I stopped with the crowd. People were glued to their phones, barely paying attention to anything around them.

Then that same uneasy feeling from this morning crept up again.

I glanced across the street—and there he was.

The same guy from before.

He was staring at me again.

My heart skipped a beat. He looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. His sharp blue eyes, the way he stood so still in the middle of the moving crowd—it was unsettling.

I quickly looked away, pretending I didn't see him. The lights turned green, and I hurried across the street, keeping my head down.

Then—

I bumped straight into someone.

"I'm sorry, sorry," I mumbled, stepping back quickly.

But when I looked up, my breath caught in my throat.

It was him.

Up close, he was even taller than I expected. His dark clothes and silver hair made him stand out, but it was his eyes that froze me in place.

"Ah, miss—" he started, but I didn't let him finish.

I didn't know what he wanted, and I wasn't about to find out.

I rushed past him without looking back.

I didn't stop walking until I reached the bus station and reached my apartment building. My heart was still racing from the encounter. Who was he? And why did I feel like I had seen him before?

I shook my head, trying to push away the uneasy feeling as I climbed the stairs to my apartment. It was probably nothing. Just some random guy. No reason to overthink it.

Yet, when I finally lay down on my bed that night, his face wouldn't leave my mind.

The next day was uneventful—work, the long bus ride, the usual routine. But as I walked home again, I caught sight of him.

This time, he wasn't staring. He was just... there. Leaning against a lamppost near the crosswalk, hands in his pockets, watching people pass by.

I swallowed hard, pretending I didn't notice him as I walked past.

"Selene." I froze mid-step.

How did he know my name?

I turned around slowly, my pulse hammering in my ears. He stood a few steps away now, his blue eyes locked onto mine.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

He hesitated for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. Then, he said

"Axel."

The name didn't ring a bell, yet something about it felt... familiar.

"What do you want?" I crossed my arms, trying to act indifferent, but I couldn't ignore the way my stomach tightened with unease.

Axel looked at me as if debating whether to say something more, but instead, he sighed and took a step back.

"Nothing. Not yet." Not yet?

Before I could ask what that meant, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

To be Continued