A Love Restored

His Little Flower

“Oh hey.” He said, smiling. It made me uncomfortable, for some reason. “I finally remembered, Flora. Where I know you from.”

Oh no. Oh no.

I gulped. I didn’t have anything to say to that. What could I possibly say?

“You did go to school with me. To Madeira Prep.

“You’re mistaken, Grey.” I tried to laugh it off. “I told you. I’m from the bad part of town. Schools like Madeira don’t even admit us for charity.”

He cocked his head to the side. “No, Flora. I remember. Flora White. Sam White’s daughter. You were Felix’s girl. Everyone knew you.”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

My breath had caught in my throat.

“You can’t tell anyone.” I whispered quickly. “No one, Grey. Please.”

He raised his hands in surrender.

“And please don’t ask me any questions. About anything.”

Before he could get a word in, I rushed and sat inside my car. When I started driving, he had. to step to the side.

As I drove away, I felt Grey’s eyes on me the entire time. I could only hope he would not tell

Lexi anything.

Or anyone else he knew.

Back at home, I couldn’t sleep after my encounter with Grey.

So, he remembered me. It wasn’t surprising. God, it had been so s**d of me to take this job.

But it was so strange. Grey remembered me so suddenly, when I had known him for so long,

too?

But I was glad

sand anything in front of Feln, at the least.

kept thinking, het as couldn’t place Grey ny memory. Had he been a few grades

abwe met Even above Fe

It was possible.

Bee I didn’t remember knowing him in school at all.

Anyhow. I didn’t have time to dwell on this. I dared off quickly.

‘m trapped in a loop, stumbling through a deserted carnival that’s swallowed by shadows. The air is thick, heavy with an unsettling stillness. Moonlight struggles to break through. revealing rides stripped of color, now twisted remnants of joy turned to decay.

A distant scream pierces the silence, shattering the night. It’s my own scream, I realise. Panic clenches my chest as I quicken my pece, footsteps echoing like desperate heartbeats. Flickering lights barely guide me through the darkness, the air tasting metallic and fear clinging to me.

Turning into an alley, I hear it – footsteps, a chilling clatter gaining on me. I can’t look back; I just know I must run. My breath catches as a shadowy figure emerges, cloaked in darkness, face hidden beneath a tattered hood.

In his hand, a bloodied knife gleams, and my legs move faster, fueled by terror. His footsteps echo louder, a sinister rhythm. The alley stretches endlessly, walls closing in like a

nightmare closing its jaws.

I turn a corner, hoping to escape, but the maze twists, disorienting me. Legs ache, breaths come in gasps. The carnival, once innocent, is now a devouring maze.

The man with the bloodied knife gains ground. I feel his icy breath, a growl signaling unspeakable horrors. I stumble, fighting to stay on my feet. Glancing back, he’s there – the hooded figure, a faceless terror. The bloodied knife hovers, ready for the nightmare’s finale.

“Mom!” I am screaming. Mom. Mom. Mona. I need to save my mom. Where is my mother?

I can’t see her anywhere. I can only hear noises. Whispering. She is whispering in my ear.

Run, Flora. Run.”

And I know I should and I know I have to but somehow, I feel like I just need to lie down. Like I’ll fall to the floor any time. Any second and I will stop breathing.

I am dizzy and drowsy but I am running. Toward something. A light. A glimmer. Its blinking

and I k

I need to get there to save myself. But the light is fading and so is my strength.”

With a jolt, I woke, drenched in sweat. The twisted carnival, the relentless pursuit – echoes of the dream linger in the stillness, a chilling reminder of the one man I could never forget, and his bloodied knife.

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