Remember

Samantha stared down at the folded map in her hands. It was worn, like something that had existed long before any of them. The edges were torn, ink faded in places — but the outline of a forest was unmistakable. A crooked tree was marked near the edge in red ink, with one word scrawled beside it:

"REMEMBER."

Ron crossed his arms, eyeing the mysterious female like she might suddenly sprout fangs. "Okay. Sure. Casual stranger shows up in our house with a horror movie map and zero context. Totally normal."

She gave him a dry smile, her eyes sparkling. "Hi, I'm J, by the way. Since you're obviously too tense to ask."

Ron blinked. "J? Just... J?"

"Yup."

"That's not suspicious at all."

She shrugged. "Says the guy who's been scribbling conspiracy theories on napkins for the last hour."

Samantha bit her lip, suppressing a smile.

Ron scowled. "Touché."

J turned her gaze to Sam, her expression softening. "I know how this looks. But I promise, I'm not here to trick you."

"That's what people who are here to trick you usually say," Ron muttered.

J smirked. "And yet, here I am. No hood, no smoke bombs, no dramatic disappearing act. Just vibes and helpful information."

Samantha glanced back down at the map. Her fingers traced the word remember. The word pulsed through her like an echo from somewhere deep in her bones.

"Why now?" she asked, voice quiet. "Why are you showing up now, when he just told us we're 'ready'?"

J's smile faded slightly, replaced by something more serious. "Because if he's speaking to you, time's running out. Whatever's buried in your memories... someone doesn't want you to find it. And that someone? They're getting nervous."

Ron leaned against the wall, arms still crossed, clearly not buying it. "Oh great, there's more than one of you cloak-and-dagger weirdos."

"Yup," J said cheerfully, "and I'm the friendly one."

Samantha looked up. "So, you know him?"

A pause. Then: "We're friends. Sort of."

Ron blinked. "Friends?!"

J tilted her head, lips twitching. "I mean, yeah. He's a bit dramatic, but we go way back."

"He stalks people in the shadows!"

"He's shy," she said simply, as if that explained everything. "Doesn't talk much. Terrible social skills. Honestly, I warned him not to just appear out of nowhere in a murder-robe but—well." She waved a hand. "He does that."

Samantha's brain stalled. "You're saying the guy who's been haunting me in the dead of night and vanishing mid-sentence is just socially anxious?"

J grinned. "I mean, who isn't these days?"

Ron flailed. "Okay, no. No. We are not normalizing this. He literally said cryptic stuff, turned to mist, and disappeared."

"Yeah," J said, amused, "and then panicked about it afterward. You should've seen him the first time he showed up — poor guy practically short-circuited. Said too much, vanished too soon, and now you think he's out to eat your soul."

Samantha stared. "That... actually makes way too much sense."

"I know," J said brightly. "I try to be the relatable one in our operation."

Ron sank into the couch with a groan. "You people are going to be the reason I need therapy."

J smiled, and for a moment, her sass softened. "Look, all jokes aside? He cares. He wouldn't show up if you weren't important. If this wasn't serious."

Sam met her eyes. "Then why not just tell us everything?"

"Because this isn't the kind of truth you can be handed," J said. "You have to earn it. Piece by piece. That's the only way it'll stick. The only way it works."

Ron shook his head. "I swear, it's like being in a paranormal escape room."

J gave him a finger gun. "Exactly."

Samantha looked down at the map again. The tree… it tugged at something just beyond her memory. Something old. Familiar. The red ink shimmered faintly under the lamplight.

"What's under the tree?" she asked. "What are we going to find?"

J's eyes glinted. "Not what. Who."

Sam's heart skipped.

"A person?" Ron asked.

"Sort of," J replied. "Not alive, not dead. But connected to all of this. And to you."

Before either of them could ask more, J stepped toward the door. "You'll need to leave before dawn. Take the north path past the train tracks. Bring the pendant."

"How do you know about the pendant?" Samantha asked quickly.

But J only smiled. "Because I'm not guessing. I know you."

And just like that, she slipped out into the night — leaving behind a swirl of questions, a ridiculous amount of sass, and a map with a single word:

"Remember."