My last days in India were a mosaic of memories and farewells. I had come to love the city’s vibrant energy, but the time had come to look forward. As I packed my belongings, his mind was a whirlwind of anticipation and apprehension about the journey to Russia.
That evening, as the sun cast a golden hue over the cityscape, my phone chimed with an unexpected message, It was from a username that stirred a sea of memories within him. Her message was brief but laden with significance:
“Yes, this is me in the picture…” I typed back, knowing full well that this was Selena, my old friend.
“Me and one of my college batchmates are in this picture, but I’m not sure who the rest of these people are.” she replied. “I found you here on social media after a year and a half of searching for clues!”
The revelation from Selena sent a jolt through me. The image from an all-nighter, a frozen moment from a past that seemed both distant and painfully close, was a key that could unlock the memories we had lost. I knew that the picture held more than just faces; it was a map to our forgotten connections, a guide to the bonds that once defined us.
“I remember the photo,” I responded, my fingers tapping the screen with a sense of urgency. “It’s from a time that… feels like another life. We were all connected, more than you realize.”
Selena’s next message came quickly, her excitement intense even through the digital divide.
“That’s incredible! I’ve been trying to track down everyone in this photo. There’s a story here, a mystery that we’re a part of. Can you help me?”
I hesitated for a moment, the weight of my upcoming mission pressing down on me. But the pull of the past was too strong, the need to understand too compelling.
“Of course I’ll help you, Selena. All of us in this photo… we used to be best friends. The boy you’re next to, the one with the dark brown hair, his name is Gallus. As strange as it may sound… you two were dating.”
“Ew… unfortunately, he’s the only one I do know. He goes to my college, and frankly, he’s about as practically useful as an unstable isotope. Man, now I’m just insulting radioisotopes…”
“Okay… pretty useless then, huh?”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
I chuckled at Selena’s comparison, though it was tinged with a hint of sadness. Gallus, despite his flaws, was once a dear friend, and the only one I could count on about everything. “Well, every element has its place in the periodic table, even the unstable ones,” I replied, trying to lighten the mood.
Selena seemed to appreciate the attempt. “True, I suppose. Anyway, I really need to figure out who the others are. This picture… it’s like a piece of a puzzle that’s missing from my life.”
I understood her frustration. The gaps in our memories were like black holes, absorbing any sense of closure. “I know the rest of them, so… I’ll tell you later. I have to catch a plane in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, Lead. I knew I could count on you,” she said, her words warming me more than the setting sun. “Friend request?”
“Consider it accepted.”
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tRZgLmxlm
Delete13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjLQ2euBSJ
Created with Sketch.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhXAzvOwPP
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ke1y5BGbH
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtGX2zS0L1
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPDbzudety
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWjviEXLej
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkOMkeZBIz
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsp8Y0xSzz
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LYbV4NTmB
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDhlqrm2xF
I knew I said I would text her when I reached Russia, but my curiosity got the better of me. I was texting her all through the taxi ride to the airport (the auto-rickshaws had traumatized me for life) about Aurelia, Thalia, Nick and myself… or at least, how they were in the previous timeline.
“Wait… so Aurelia, the blondie in the picture… she came up with a plan to essentially choose between you and Nick, who’s the glasses-wearing one.” she typed. I could tell she seemed confused.
“Don’t remind me. I have to admit, that was kinda smart.” I replied.
“I’d rather date Gallus than be the subject of that kind of experiment! It’s so wrong, honestly.”
“Well, you were already with him anyway…”
“A, he’s right here! B, thank goodness that was reversed then.”
“Reversed or not, it’s all in the past now,” I typed, the city lights streaking past the taxi window. “We have to focus on what we can change, and that’s the future.”
Selena’s reply was quick, a testament to her fiery spirit. “You’re right. And I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Starting with finding everyone else in this photo.”
I admired her tenacity. “I’ll help however I can. Once I’m in Russia, we can coordinate better. Maybe we can even find a way to meet up.”
The taxi pulled up to the departure gate, and I sent a quick message before stepping out. “I’m heading into the airport now.”
As I walked through the airport, the weight of my luggage seemed insignificant compared to the weight of the unresolved past. But there was a sense of hope too, a belief that together, Selena and I could piece together the fragmented memories and uncover the truth.
“Cool, so we’ll text later? I wish I could meet you in person though.” she replied, with a small sad emoji beside it. “You’ll be in Russia… and I’ll be in France.”
“I guess so…”
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4t011ovGu
Delete13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXprP7in8vC
Created with Sketch.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7zWTaXekn
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemU55Ymxcp
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sy78wPc3p
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SQAaSPxoa
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjksOPKRpqO
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68IRvZwnxM
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8tltHL03H
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8TFnwxfXK
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LlXXXKYNf
Third Person
Half an hour passed. Lead’s plane was yet to arrive. The airport lounge was a symphony of intermittent announcements and the shuffle of weary travelers. He found a quiet corner, the soft hum of his surroundings a stark contrast to the storm of thoughts in his head. Pulling out his phone, I scrolled through social media, searching for any trace of his friends, any clue that might lead him to them.
As he sifted through profiles and posts, a sudden ping diverted his attention. It was a message from Gallus in a group chat he created.
Gallus: “Hey, you guys online? I think I’m onto something big.”
Curiosity piqued, he quickly typed a response. “What is it?”
Gallus: “Selena told me whatever you told her, so using that, I was trying to find descriptions. @Aurii_O2 - I think this is Aurelia’s handle.”
Lead: “How’d you find it?”
Gallus: “I figured to check the Mathematics College Professors group to try finding her dad’s, then hers.”
Lead: “O2. An oxygen molecule. Smart thinking.”
Selena: “That wasn’t how he found out. He saw a CCTV picture of us on her posts, and a comic strip she drew.”
Gallus: “I hate you, Selena.”
Selena: “Aw, that’s good. We’re on the same page then. Anyway, I’ll go check out Aurelia’s profile.”
Selena’s eyes widened as the username @Aurii_O2 appeared on her screen. A smile crept across her face, a spark of recognition igniting in her mind. “Aurelia, you clever girl,” she muttered under her breath, impressed by the subtle nod to the elemental theme that ran through their shared past.
She leaned in closer, tapping the handle to explore Aurelia’s profile. Her fingers danced across the keyboard as she typed a message to the group chat:
Selena: “Guys, I found her! @Aurii_O2 is definitely Aurelia. It sounds so her to use a science pun as a handle.”
Lead: “That’s great, Selena! What’s her profile like?”
Selena: “It’s full of science jokes, art, and… wait, is that a drawing of us?”
The discovery was like finding a piece of a long-lost treasure map. Each post, each picture, was a clue that could lead them closer to understanding their fragmented history.
Gallus: “Can you send a screenshot? Maybe there’s more to find in her posts.”
Selena: “On it. This is like detective work, and I’m all in.”
Her enthusiasm was palpable, even through the digital space. The past may have been a puzzle, but Selena was ready to put the pieces together, one clue at a time.
She soon found the post of Aurelia’s, showing a picture of her comic strip, and then of Thalia’s CCTV image. The caption read, “If anyone knows more about the people depicted in the images, please DM me or @Tl_Co with the information.”
The view count was barely a hundred and ten or so, likes way less. It was an odd post as compared to the rest of her posts, which seemed more for fun than for fame. Selena realized that the second handle Aurelia had tagged was probably Thalia’s, considering it contained the symbols for thallium and cobalt. Selena instantly headed into Aurelia’s DMs and began typing.
Selena.P : “Hello, this is about the comic strip of six friends you had uploaded, and I think I’m in it.”
The reply was quick, almost instantaneous.
Aurii_O2: “Hi, thank goodness you saw this. I was starting to lose my head with it. Could you tell me more about it?”
Selena’s fingers flew over the keyboard, her heart racing with the possibility of reconnecting with a piece of her past.
Selena.P: “Yes, I’m pretty sure I’m one of the people in the comic strip. There’s a lot we need to catch up on. It seems we all have a shared history that’s been… misplaced.”
Aurii_O2: “Misplaced is an understatement. I’ve been trying to piece together these fragments for months... actually above a year now. Do you remember anything specific that could help?”
Selena.P: “I’ve been talking to Lead and Gallus. We’re putting together the pieces. It’s like we’ve lived two lives, and we’re only now realizing it.”
Aurii_O2: “Two lives… Yes, that resonates with me. There are gaps in my memory, moments that feel like dreams. We should meet. Maybe together, we can fill in the blanks. Wait — who are those two names you mentioned?”
Selena.P: “Wow, a meeting really is overdue. Lead and Gallus are two of the boys in the picture, while I’m the black-haired girl standing next to you. I’ll send their handles, one second.”
Aurii_O2: “Wait, where are you all from again?”
Selena.P: “Lead is on his way to Russia, and I’m in France with Gallus. Where are you?”
Aurii_O2: “I’m based in the USA, on a whole different continent from you all.”
Selena.P: “I’ll coordinate with everyone. This is important. We’re not just reclaiming our past; we might be shaping our future too.”
The conversation continued, each message a step closer to unraveling the mystery that bound them together. As Selena looked up from her phone, she realized that the college lounge had quieted down, and got a text that Lead’s flight was finally boarding. It was time for him to embark on his journey, but with a newfound purpose and allies by his side.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
