We left around noon. The car ride was... weird. It started fun, with music blasting and us singing horribly to old pop songs. Zeyon kept trying to do fake interviews with us like he was some famous podcast host.
"So, Allison," he said, holding a water bottle like a mic, "what made you decide to attend this mysterious alumni event that none of us know anything about?"
I laughed, trying to keep my eyes on the road. "Because I like surprises. And maybe... because I want to remember who I was before all this."
Leo stayed quiet in the backseat. I saw him looking out the window, earphones in, but I could tell he was listening to us. Listening, but not joining.
---
The drive to the resort took hours. The sun began to set as they arrived. The beach stretched in soft shades of orange and gold, waves kissing the shore lazily. The entrance to the resort had a wooden sign that read: Oceanheart Alumni Week: Welcome Back, Batch 2019!
Allison stood still for a moment, staring.
Leo whistled. "Woah. Is this a resort or a Pinterest board?"
Zeyon stared at the sign. "Batch 2019..."
Allison nodded slowly. "That’s us."
They entered the reception area and the familiar faces hit them like a wave. Laughter, old jokes, names from the past.
"Allison?!" A girl with short curls and sparkly eyes ran up.
"T-Tina?" Allison blinked.
They hugged tightly, squeals echoing in the hall. More people recognized her. Some waved. Some smiled shyly. Some just stared.
Leo leaned toward Zeyon. "Why does this feel like the start of a horror movie?"
Zeyon didn’t laugh.
We were given a dorm room to share. One room for three people. Just like old times when sleepovers were a thing and everyone talked till 2am about nothing important.
That night, we sat outside the building, under a sky full of stars.
"Do you think people really change?" I asked, out of nowhere.
Zeyon looked at me. "Yeah. But not all at once. And not always for the better."
Leo muttered, "Sometimes people change ‘cause they’re forced to."
The air got heavy. I felt that again, that chest tightness.
We heard some voices behind us. Other alumni were arriving. Laughing. Screaming. Familiar faces that were too far to recognize yet.
Then something strange happened. A girl walked by us.
She looked at me. Smiled. But not the nice kind of smile. The smile that says "I know something you don’t."
"Hey... Allison, right?" she said.
My brain tried to place her. Her name. Her face. Nothing clicked.
"Uh... yeah?"
"Wow. Didn’t think you’d come back here. Braver than I thought," she said, and then walked away before I could ask her what the heck that meant.
I blinked. Zeyon stood up instantly. "Do you know her?"
"No," I lied. Because I did. Not clearly. But she was familiar. Like a memory you try to forget.
Leo stood up too. "This whole thing feels off."
"It’s fine," I said. "We’re fine."
But we weren’t. And deep down, I knew something was going to go wrong soon.
---
Later that night, after dinner by the bonfire, Allison sat by the shore alone. The moon was almost full, casting silver glows across the waves.
Zeyon appeared and sat beside her, arms folded. "You’ve been quiet."
"Just... taking it in."
"Old school bringing old ghosts back?"
Allison chuckled softly. "Something like that."
"You sure you're okay being here?" he asked.
She nodded. "Honestly, I don’t know what’s going to happen this week. But I think I need to remember who I used to be... before everything changed."
Leo joined them, tossing a seashell into the water. "Well, just don’t forget who you are now too. That girl back there, she’s cool. But this Allison, here now... she’s kinda awesome too."
Allison smiled at both of them, her eyes watery from the breeze. "Thanks, guys. Really."
---
But as the night grew deeper, something shifted.
Allison had gone back to her room to freshen up. On her bed was a folded piece of paper. No name. No handwriting she recognized.
"You thought they forgot. They didn’t."
Her heart skipped. She stared at the note. She didn’t tell Zeyon. Not yet. Not Leo. Not even Elisse.
But she knew.
This week wouldn’t be just about nostalgia. Something was waiting.
---
The next day was the welcome event. Everyone was dressed nicely. I wore a soft blue dress that I wasn’t sure matched my shoes, but whatever.
That girl from yesterday was there again. And now, I remembered her name.
Harley.
She used to be my seatmate in sophomore year. We weren’t close. She spread a lot of rumors. She once wrote something awful about me in the girls’ bathroom.
And she was here.
"Look who decided to show up," she said again, fake-smiling.
Zeyon stepped beside me protectively. "You need something?"
Harley just looked at him. "Just catching up. Didn’t know Allison had a bodyguard now."
"Didn’t know you were still this annoying," I muttered.
She raised an eyebrow, then walked away.
Leo leaned in. "Want me to punch someone? Just say the word."
I laughed, even though my stomach was churning.
That night, a letter was slipped under our dorm door.
No name. No handwriting I recognized. Just a single sentence:
> "You don’t belong here anymore."
My fingers trembled.
Zeyon saw it. "What the hell is this?"
I passed him the paper.
Leo grabbed it too.
"Someone’s trying to scare you," Leo said. "They’re wasting their time."
But I wasn’t sure.