Kimi's POV
My room felt like a crime scene, the scene of a silent, personal robbery. For weeks, I'd been tearing it apart – under the bed, behind the dresser, even inside forgotten boxes – all in a desperate hunt for my diary. Each empty space I found chipped away at my hope, leaving behind a hollow ache in my chest. It wasn't just a book; it was a repository of my thoughts, my secrets, the very fabric of my memories. The idea of it lost felt like a piece of myself had gone missing.
Finally, defeated, I had to confront the most logical suspect. "Audrey," I asked, my voice tight with a forced calm, "have you seen my diary?" A sliver of hope remained, fragile as a butterfly's wing, that she might have it.
"It's in my drawer," she said, her tone so casual it was infuriating. "In my room."
I blinked, taken aback. "What was it doing there?" I demanded, the confusion bubbling up.
"You left it when you erased her," Audrey replied, the way she said it laced with a concern that made the air around us thick and heavy.
Her words landed like a punch to the gut. "Who did I erase? You keep saying that, like some broken record," I snapped, my frustration mounting.
"You'll see. Time will tell," she said, a cryptic smile playing on her lips, leaving me with a swirl of unease and a question mark branded onto my brain.
Ignoring her riddles, I marched to her room, my hands shaking slightly. After a few seconds of frantic digging, it was there, at the bottom of her clothes drawer, a little dusty as if it had been abandoned. I clutched it to my chest, the familiar weight grounding me, the promise of my past and all those messy, hidden emotions about to be unleashed. But as I was about to finally open it, my phone buzzed to life, the bright screen flashing "Elena." The name sent a tidal wave of conflicting emotions crashing over me. Why was I reacting like this?
I quickly swiped to answer, a lump forming in my throat, "Hey babe," I managed, my voice trembling slightly.
"Hey, um, can you meet me at Floral Resort?" Elena asked, the plea in her voice cutting through the air like a knife.
"Sure, when?" I asked, my curiosity instantly piqued.
"In the evening, at 7 PM," she replied, her tone conveying a subtle sense of urgency.
"Meet you there, then," I responded, my mind already spinning with a strange mixture of anticipation and dread.
After hanging up, I tried to gather my racing thoughts. I packed a small bag, carefully selecting my favorite necklace, a change of clothes, and of course, my diary. I felt a burning need to delve into its pages, hoping the answers to my fractured memories, and the unsettling riddle Audrey had thrown my way, could be found there. Maybe, just maybe, it held the key to unlocking the truth.