𝔻𝕀𝕊𝕋ℝ𝕀ℂ𝕋 ℕ𝕀ℕ𝔼 «재현»

11

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇɴ

The midday sun streamed through the windows, casting warm rays inside the vehicle. Jaehyun, with his hands steady on the wheel, occasionally stole glances at the rearview mirror, watching the faces of his best friends, Trinity and Yuta, engaged in a heated game of UNO in the back seat. As the vehicle weaved through the quiet streets, their laughter and playful banter filled the car.

The two had never been competitive, but their latest challenge was a game of wits: Uno. With both of them having enhanced intelligence, their minds raced at extraordinary speeds.

The landscape outside the car window transformed from rolling hills to a charming, tree-lined street as they played. Jaehyun navigated the car through the quiet neighborhood, his attention split between driving and glancing in the rearview mirror to see the progress of their game.

Meanwhile, the duo's match intensified with each passing second. Their ability to analyze patterns and predict moves made the game a thrilling mental duel. 

However, as the car approached a particular house on the street, the girl's focus wavered. She blinked and then froze, her gaze fixed on the house as if drawn there by an invisible force.

Yuta, noticing her sudden distraction, furrowed his brow. "Trin, what's going on? It's your turn."

Trinity did not respond. Instead, she leaned closer to the window, her eyes locked onto the house. A strange sense of familiarity washed over her, like a half-remembered dream.

Jaehyun, sensing something was amiss, pulled the car over to the curb cautiously. "Hey, you alright?"

Trinity's voice trembled as she replied, "I... I know this house. It's like I've been here before, but I can't remember."

Yuta and Jaehyun exchanged concerned glances before joining the pastel-haired teen in peering at the house. It had an unassuming charm, with a well-tended garden and a welcoming front porch.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door, stepping out onto the sidewalk, her eyes brimming with tears at the sudden familiarity of it all.

"Do you need a moment?"

Her friends had stepped out of the car as well, and stood beside her, with Jaehyun comfortingly placing his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah..."

The Blue rubbed nodded understandably before bringing the girl into a gentle hug. Trinity's shoulders had been tense but relaxed once she was pulled into his chest, and Jaehyun softly glided his hand across her back.

"We won't be too far."

The platinum-blonde gave her a short hug as well before both males entered the car and drove off into the short distance. The girl's gaze remained fixed on the familiar facade of her childhood home, where countless memories had been woven into its very walls.

In her trance, Trinity remembered something. 

It was a day long ago, one filled with warmth and laughter. She could almost smell the freshly baked cookies, taste the sugary dough on her lips, and hear a soothing voice.

A young girl with short black hair, and an apron tied around her waist, stood on a sturdy step stool beside her mother in the cozy kitchen. Flour dusted the air, and the scent of freshly baked cookies wafted from the oven. Her mother, with a warm smile, showed her how to shape the cookie dough into perfect circles.

"You're doing great, sweetheart," the woman said, her voice filled with love and encouragement. "Remember, the secret ingredient is a pinch of love."

Her hazel eyes stared at her baby girl impressedly as she shaped her first cookie perfectly and without any help. "You're a natural, honey." she complimented, leaning over slightly to drop a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead.

Young Trinity giggled, feeling her heart swell with affection. Her small hands mimicked her mother's as they placed cookie after cookie onto the baking sheet.

As they waited for the cookies to bake, her mother knelt down and took Trinity's hands in her own. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you, alright?"

The young girl nodded before cupping her mother's face delicately in her small hands.

"I love you too, mommy."

The time felt like seconds as it passed, but in reality, it had been hours. The Purple stared blankly at the window, simply reminiscing about the memories she had shared with her parents in that very house, wishing with all her heart that she could go back in time to experience her parents' love and warmth again.

Suddenly, Trinity's breath hitched as she saw the woman from her memories, her mother, now standing in the living room window, her hand gently cradling her pregnant belly, and a radiant, expectant smile illuminating her face, with a warm, ethereal glow around her. 

The sight was a stark contrast to her childhood memories, a harsh reminder of the relentless passage of time. Her mother, the same woman who had once cradled her in her arms with the same tender smile, was now creating new life within her. 

The bittersweet sight served as a reminder of the cycle of life and the ever-turning wheel of existence that carried them all forward, regardless of their individual journeys.

She felt like she had been replaced, but how could she?

The thoughts gnawed at her, the painful realization that their life had moved on without her. The aftereffects of the I.A.A.N. took her away from her family, and in doing so, she had become a distant memory, a forgotten chapter in their lives. She didn't exist in their life anymore, and in many ways, she never did.

Unable to contain the overwhelming rush of emotions, Trinity wiped away the tears that streamed down her cheeks, concealing her silent sobs with her trembling hand. Her heart ached with a mixture of nostalgia, longing, and the heavy weight of the unspoken promise her mother had made so many years ago—a promise that had been severed by circumstances beyond their control.

As much as she longed to knock on the door and pull her mother into a tight, loving hug, she knew she couldn't. The place she had referred to as home no longer belonged to her, not in the way it used to.

It was no longer a place where she could seek solace, but a painful reminder of her unique and burdensome gift—the power that dwelled within her, one she both resented and accepted as her fate.

As Trin glanced back at the window, her eyes brimming with tears, she couldn't help but let out a hushed whisper, barely audible even to herself.

"I love you," she breathed, her words carried by the weight of a thousand unspoken emotions, carried on the invisible threads of hope and longing.

With a silent prayer, she wished her mother a life filled with happiness, love, and the joy of the new life growing within her. And though she knew her mother couldn't hear those words, she hoped that somehow, in the depths of their shared history, the sentiment would reach her heart.