chapter ii

Pushing the wood-framed glass door rang the bell dangling from the inside. My eyes scanned the oddly designed room serenaded by a musty odor, a nostalgic experience that made you feel cozy. Small lamps, scattered across the brunette walls, lit the whole space. Furnished with antique chairs and tables, the room had a drab recliner settled in the right-most corner and shelves carrying vintage trinkets mounted the walls. “Hello?” I spoke, breaking the silence that filled the space. Emerging from another wooden door on the left side of the room was a young lady, dressed in a neat beige suit and a pair of nude stiletto heels. She was the complete opposite of the space’s projected aura; a modern contrast to the otherwise rustic feel of the surroundings. “Hi! You must be Amelia, Noah’s friend, right?” She asked in a friendly tone. “Yes—”

“Great! Have a seat.” She pointed towards the caramel brown recliner. I walked towards it and sat down with my back resting against the soft cushion. With a tremulous voice, I spoke, “I actually don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing.” As she descended onto a chair beside mine, a faint smile formed on her face. “Today, we’ll be visiting your past life,” she stated, nonchalant. “What? I—” “Trust me, okay? You’ll see things in a different light once we’re through,” she said with such a reassuring tone that my mind backed down from putting up a defensive front. Once she saw my eyes calm down, she picked up an old pocket watch from the drawer and began by saying, “Noah told me you feared love.” I scoffed. “It’s the other way around. Love hates me.” “Why?” She asked, to which I replied with the three words a person says when they don’t have the answer.

“Okay, then think about the one thing that makes you, you.” My mind drifted off towards nights spent stargazing out in the backyard. If anything, that sculpted pretty much my entire being, as if I, too, am made of stars constellated by the heavens.

“Follow the watch while thinking of that.” My brown eyes swayed left and right, trailing after the timepiece, while my soul danced under a blanket of stars.

“Five...four...three...” Slowly, my eyes batted to a close. “Two...one…” With a snap, I woke up and found myself standing in the exact same room. Except I wasn’t alone—there was a little girl looking out a windowsill.