C̷H̷A̷P̷T̷E̷R̷ 𝟸̷ : S̷I̷L̷V̷E̷R̷ E̷Y̷E̷S̷

SOUL CONNECTION

In my dream, I was standing alone, surrounded by still water. The moonlight reflected like cracked silver on its surface. I looked around, slowly turning in place. The lake was quiet, the surface still- like glass holding sky. Trees stood in the distance, their silhouettes glowing under the moonlight. That's when hit me - this is a dream. My breath caught as I looked up ...and meet a gaze.

That gaze...those eyes. They stirred something inside me- like a memory I didn't remember having.

I froze, stunned. His irises weren't black. They weren't brown.

They were SILVER.

Pure, shimmering silver eyes glowed under the moonlight-not with confusion, not with harm. just calm... and something deeper. As if he knew me.

Not just in the dream- but truly, completely. Like he had always known me.

I stared, breathless.

| * Even in a dream... could

someone like this real? * |

He walked towards to me and stood Infront with me in the middle of lake. His hand touched my cheek and looked at me.

His silver eyes looking into my eyes and he opened mouth...

"Don't forget me." He said, his voice low and full of ache.

"You have to remember."

I opened my mouth to speak from that world back into my room.

As I slowly opened my eyes, I realized my mom was shaking me awake.

I blinked, staring at her.

|why now?|

"Amias, your college started today! You don't want to be late on your first day, do you?" Mom's voice rang out, snapping me out of the dream world and dragging me back into the real one- where time don't pause for silver eyed boy or moonlight lakes.

My eyes snapped open as her words echoed in my brain:

|"you don't want to be late on your first day!" |

That was it all took.

I jolted upright, tossed the blanket off, and bolted towards the washroom.

That dream clung to me like mist, but I shook it off. There was no time to linger in dreams when life was banging on the door.

I washed up, threw on my clothes, and hurried downstairs. That boy from my dream- the silver-eyed stranger- slowly faded to back of my mind, replaced by messy hair, tangled thoughts and the rush of a first day I wasn't ready for.

I grabbed a slice of bread, stuffed into my mouth and slung my bag over my shoulder and caught my reflection briefly in the mirror by the door

"***Bye,***Mom!" I** yelled, my voice muffle around the bite, already halfway out of the door**.

I didn't wait for her reply.

Outside, the air was sharp with morning. A breeze tugged at my hair like whisper.

Everything felt normal.

Too normal.

But something inside me had changed.

I kept walking.

One foot in front of the other.

Pretending I wasn't still carrying that dream in the back of my mind like a secret I didn't ask for.

I thought maybe I was losing it.

Maybe I was lonely.