Chapter 1

I was by my thoughts in the cemetery as I watched the sunset paint the sky with warm shades of orange and pink. My focus had been centered on the dying sun. I found myself encircled by gravestones, which marked the last resting places of a vast number of individuals.

My attention, however, was drawn to the two graves that were by my side and contained the remains of my parents. I went there often in the hopes of finding consolation and support in the recollections of my closest companions and family.

I am always able to find serenity in the serene environment that the broad field of the cemetery provides me with. 

I covered my face behind the palms of my hands as I felt the chill of the air on my face and the warmth of the sun on my chest. I let the sensations wash over me before closing my eyes.

The silence was broken as I heard someone from behind. I turned around quickly as I thought I heard footsteps coming up behind me.

When I turned around, I saw a lady standing there, her eyes fixed on mine with an unwavering intensity. She had the same facial characteristics and hair color as mine, but her whole body was covered in bruises, giving the impression that she had been suffering beatings.

"I've been searching for you," she stated with a sense of desperation in her tone of voice.

As I looked around the area to check whether the woman was really talking to me, I came to the realization that since I was the only one close around her, it is quite likely that she is doing so.  

It took me by surprise. Despite the fact that I had never seen this lady before, she seemed to be familiar with me.I looked at her confused and tried to remember if I met her before. 

"Do I know you?" I said as I looked at her with a sense of curiosity. 

The lady didn’t answer me but she made her way over to the grassy area where I was sitting and sat down next to me.

"Do you have some time to talk with me?" She told me and smiled at me in the most endearing way she could possibly smile at anybody. "I drove for a total of six hours just to find this location." 

At first, I was hesitant to approach the woman, but based on her appearance, it seemed as if she really needed someone to talk to. I have no idea what possessed me to engage in conversation with her, but one thing is for sure, she doesn't in any way frighten me. I don't feel danger in her presence, that's why I let her near me.

When she began talking gibberish, we couldn't help but laugh at one other and ourselves.She was nice and seemed harmless. 

During the course of our conversation, I couldn't help but notice the bruises that covered her whole body. It seemed as if she was attempting to conceal them, but the fact that they were still there spoke a lot about what she had gone through.

Despite the fact that she was injured, the lady gave off an air of sophistication, as if she was making an effort to conceal her suffering and present herself in a certain manner. 

Even though her appearance was flawless, down to the pristine attire and well coiffed hair, the bruises that covered her body revealed an entirely distinct story.

The atmosphere began to feel heavy as she opened up the reason why she had those bruises. 

I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but I tried not to show it to her because I didn't want her to think that the only reason I was talking to her was because I felt terrible for her. I didn't want her to think that I was simply talking to her out of pity.

The lady has been through a lot, and I admired her for being able to keep going through it all. The fact that she is such a powerful person became one of the reasons why I admired her. 

As we continued to talk, I became aware of this unresolved connection that existed between us. It was as if we were two sides of the same whole. It seemed as if we had a connection that extended beyond our superficial similarities in look.

It felt as if the departed souls buried in the cemetery were attempting to communicate with us in some manner by increasing the volume of their eerie mutterings. 

I was unable to escape the notion that our paths were destined to cross, and that our lives were somehow connected to one another in some kind.

The woman got to her feet and faced me in a facing-forward position. "Zara, it's time for me to go. It was a pleasure to finally talk to you. I had been waiting for this moment all of my life." she said.

When she spoke my name, I was taken back. During the course of our talk, I never once brought it up. How did she get my name right away?

The woman began walking in the direction of the setting sun as if the light from it was reaching out to her.

When the lady went, vanishing into the waning light of the sunset, I realized that nothing in my life would ever be the same again. The unsaid connection that we had remained between us acting as a tantalizing clue to a mystery that needed to be solved. 

However, before the woman could go entirely, she remarked on something that absolutely took me by surprise. I rose up and made an effort to sprint after her, but I was unable to catch up to her. She had disappeared and could not be found anywhere. Even if I didn't get the opportunity to learn more about her, the only thing she said to me was her name.

I gently opened my eyes, and the first thing I noticed was the oppressive feeling of fatigue that was cloaking me. 

My chest pounded as I struggled for air, and I felt as though I had run a marathon in my sleep. And then, like a bolt from the blue, it hit me - it was her again.

I kept trying to catch my breath as I laid there and couldn't help but wonder what it all meant. Was my subconscious trying to communicate with me or show me a secret reality that I had been ignoring? Or was it just a figment of my imagination, churning up ideas and images with no true meaning?