Third Person's POV
Astra found herself haunted by a troubling dream of Uncle Sam's demise, the father of Lucy and Max. Despite her attempts to dismiss it as mere imagination, the weight of the dream lingered, keeping her awake throughout the night. Contemplating her newfound friendships, she felt a strong desire to be honest with her friends. Astra resolved to follow suit, even as the burden of her secret weighed heavily on her conscience. She felt she would be betraying them by lying to them.
As she was thinking deeply at the dining table, contemplating her predicament, Aunt Morph entered the room accompanied by Lucy, Max, Luke and Cass.
Astra's confusion mingled with relief at their unexpected presence. With no plans in place for the day, Astra grappled with the dilemma of how to address her troubling dream without causing undue concern.
"Astra? Your friends are here," Aunt Morph announced, prompting Astra to rise from her seat as Lucy and Max entered the room. They joined Astra, and she welcomed their presence, though her confusion lingered. Nevertheless, she was grateful for their company, particularly with Lucy among them.
"Who wants some snacks?" Aunt Morph inquired, receiving enthusiastic responses from the all of them.
As they waited for Aunt Morph to fetch snacks from the fridge, Astra couldn't help but inquire about their unexpected visit.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Lucy and Max came to my house asking if I could play with them because they have a visitor in their house today," Cassandra explained, shedding light on their spontaneous visit.
"Right. Mom and Dad told us we couldn't play outside our room because there was a guest, so we sneaked out," Lucy added, her gaze shifting to Astra. "I found the guests scary because they looked like bad guys! They were all wearing black from head to toe."
Astra froze in her seat when she heard Lucy's description of the guest. 'What if?' The thought raced through her mind, urging her to take action. Without hesitation, she stood up and asked them to leave. She felt an urgent need to warn them about the potential danger.
"Where going to play outside, Auntie!" Astra exclaimed, not waiting for Aunt Morph's response as she ushered her friends outside. Though Aunt Morph couldn't hear her, Astra had promised not to reveal anything about her dream. She feared her friends might leave her if they knew the truth, but she hoped they would understand.
"Where are we headed?" Luke inquired as they caught their breath.
Halting their sprint, Astra scanned their surroundings.
"I'm tired of running," Cass complained.
"I'm tired too!" Max chimed in, making his way toward the park. Lost in thought, Astra followed him along with the others, settling onto the grass.
Astra felt a shiver run down her spine as she recalled the unsettling dream from the previous night. The image of the menacing man holding a gun remained vivid in her mind, filling her with fear.
"Um, Lucy, Max," Astra began hesitantly, her voice trembling slightly. The group turned to her, their expressions tense, causing Astra to swallow nervously. "The guest you mentioned earlier, they were wearing a turtleneck, right?"
Lucy and Max exchanged puzzled glances before confirming, "Yes, but how did you know that?"
Astra carefully chose her words, trying to convey the gravity of her message without causing alarm. "Your dad... he's in danger," she finally managed to say.
Her words were met with laughter from everyone except Max, who remained silent. Cass chuckled dismissively, "Are you joking? Seriously?"
"Yeah, good one," Luke added sarcastically.
"Don't say that, Astra! It's not funny," Lucy said sternly, her expression serious. "If you're trying to scare me, it won't work."
Despite Astra's earnestness, they brushed off her warning as a joke. "But it's not," she insisted.
Luke's voice held a hint of skepticism as he interjected, "How did you know he would die?"
Astra hesitated, knowing they might question her sanity, but feeling compelled to share. "I saw it... in my dreams," she admitted, her voice trembling.
Luke's response was dismissive, "You're crazy. You're old enough to know better than to believe in stuff like that."
Desperate for them to believe her, Astra pleaded, "But it's true! I swear, it's true. Some of my dreams have come true before, and last night I saw your father's death. A man in a black turtleneck and pants will kill him. Please, believe me. You're my friends. You would believe me, right?"
Luke's annoyance was evident as he stood up, "You're really losing it. Do you think we'd believe anything you say?"
Astra's heart sank as she realized they were not going to take her seriously. She felt alone and misunderstood, unable to convince her friends of the danger she foresaw.
Astra's heartfelt words were met with a chorus of mocking laughter from her friends, their disbelief cutting her deeply. "Why won't you believe me?" she pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation. "I saw it in my dream, your father's death." Despite her efforts to remain composed and convince them of the truth, they continued to dismiss her.
"No, you're lying," Lucy asserted firmly, her disbelief palpable.
Cassandra's voice sliced through the air like a blade, each word lacerating Astra's fragile sense of belonging. "Just stop, Astra. Don't lie. No one would believe you," she spat, her tone void of any sympathy. "You're just trying to scare us."
Astra's attempts to defend herself crumbled beneath the weight of Luke's venomous interruption. "Enough! You're insane," he snarled, his contempt dripping from every syllable.
With a collective dismissal, they turned their backs on her, callously abandoning her to her torment. "We don't want to talk to you anymore. Weirdo! Let's go, guys. I have new toys we can play with," Luke announced, leading the others away, their mocking laughter echoing like a cruel symphony of rejection.
As Astra watched them retreat, she was overcome by a suffocating wave of betrayal, leaving her gasping for air in its wake. Overhearing Cassandra's final words to Lucy felt like the final blow, driving home the brutal reality of her isolation. "Don't mind her, Lucy. She's crazy," Cassandra remarked, her words a crushing indictment that left Astra feeling utterly shattered, alone, and abandoned in the wake of her friends' callous rejection.
After that day, news of Lucy and Max's father's death spread throughout the city and beyond.
Astra continued living her life, going to school with sadness and regret, but Lucy and Max were absent for weeks.
One day, the twins showed up at school without wearing their uniforms standing in front of the faculty office. Astra was overjoyed and rushed towards them, but they only pushed her away and mocked her.
On the same day, Astra encountered Cassandra and Luke in the cafeteria. She approached them to apologize, but they pushed her away.
"Sorry? You're the reason why Uncle Sam died. If not for your dreams, this wouldn't have happened. Lucy wouldn't have moved to another country, and Uncle Sam wouldn't be dead," Cassandra shouted angrily at Astra.
"Why did we even accept her? It was only Lucy who wanted to include her because she had no friends," Luke insinuated.
From that moment, Astra was paralyzed, unable to move hearing the truth. She never expected to hear such hurtful words.
Days and nights she cried not leaving her room, her tears staining her pillow as she grappled with the weight of guilt and self-loathing. The constant torment of her thoughts made her sick, leaving her bedridden for weeks.
After finally recovering, Astra faced another cruel blow: the doctor's diagnosis revealed the toll the trauma had taken, resulting in the loss of her memories.
"She's experiencing Dissociation. It's her mind's way of shielding her from overwhelming emotions by blocking out memories and feelings," explained the doctor to Aunt Morph.
Meanwhile, Astra sat in the hospital playroom, unaware of the serious discussion happening outside between her aunt and the doctor.
A shiver ran down Morph's spine as she heard the diagnosis. "But why her, doc?" she asked with concern.
"It's likely due to the extent of the trauma she's endured. Her young mind couldn't cope, so it's employing this defense mechanism," the doctor replied solemnly.
Her mother had just passed away, and now another storm had arrived. Morph felt a surge of helplessness as she thought about how much more Astra had to endure at such a tender age. The weight of responsibility pressed heavily on her shoulders as she considered how to support her niece through this new ordeal.
Stepping back into the playroom, Morph put on a brave face, determined to shield Astra from the harsh realities unfolding outside. She knelt beside her and offered a gentle smile, masking her inner turmoil.
"Hey there, sweetie," Morph said softly, brushing a strand of hair away from Astra's face. "How about we play a game together?" She hoped to provide a momentary escape for Astra, even amidst the storm raging within her young mind.
Left with a void where cherished moments once resided, Astra grappled with the profound emptiness of forgetting the very essence of who she was. The trauma, stretching from the loss of her parents to the heartless mockery of her friends, had robbed her of the tapestry of experiences that once defined her existence.
Each forgotten memory felt like a stab to the heart, a cruel reminder of all she had lost. Unable to recall the laughter, the love, and the warmth of her past, Astra found herself adrift in a sea of confusion and sorrow, grappling with the fragments of a shattered identity.
-End of Flashback-
~ To be Continued ~