The forest was different that night.
Not just darker—denser , as if the air had thickened with something unseen. The trees leaned inward like they were listening, their branches tangled overhead like fingers trying to hold back the sky.
Mira led the way without hesitation.
Luka followed close behind, his breath shallow, heart pounding in rhythm with a melody he still couldn't place.
And Eli trailed them both, silent and furious, determined not to let his sister disappear into the woods alone.
They reached the birch tree just past midnight.
The door was still there—half-buried in roots, marked by the spiral carving that had begun appearing in Mira's sketches weeks ago.
But now, it looked alive .
The bark around it pulsed faintly, like veins beneath skin. The roots shifted slightly when they got too close, curling tighter around the frame.
Luka swallowed hard. "It knows we're here."
Mira nodded and opened her sketchpad.
She drew fast this time—a boy and a girl standing before the door, hands outstretched. Behind them, shadows rose from the earth like smoke caught in wind.
Then she signed:
We have to open it together.
Luka hesitated. "You mean… touch it?"
She nodded once.
He looked at her closely. "Why together?"
She didn't answer right away.
Instead, she reached for his hand and placed it flat against the wood.
The moment his skin met the surface, the world shifted .
A low hum filled the air—not quite sound, not quite silence. It vibrated through their bones, deep and ancient, like a voice waking up after centuries of sleep.
Eli stepped forward sharply. "What the hell—"
Before he could finish, the door creaked open.
Not pushed. Not pulled.
Just… unlocked .
Inside was not the forest.
It was another version of Hollowbrook—one untouched by time.
The town stretched out before them like an old photograph come to life. The buildings were familiar but wrong—rooftops intact that had long since collapsed in reality, streets paved where there should have been weeds.
People moved between the buildings, but none of them spoke.
None of them noticed Mira and Luka.
They walked through the town like ghosts.
Because that's what they were.
Echoes.
Mira turned to Luka, eyes wide.
He whispered, "This isn't real."
She shook her head.
Then she pointed to a woman standing near the schoolhouse.
She wore red.
Her lips moved, forming words no one could hear.
Luka took a sharp breath.
"I know her," he said quietly. "I've seen her in my dreams."
Mira flipped open her sketchpad and began drawing again—faster this time.
The woman stood at the center of the page, arms raised as if holding something back. Around her, figures blurred into shadow, faces melting into the air like ink dissolving in water.
Then, at the very edge of the image, Mira added something new.
A child.
Watching.
Waiting.
With eyes just like hers.
Luka stared at it. "Is that…"
She nodded.
His breath hitched. "You think she's your mother?"
She didn't answer.
She just tapped the edge of the page twice.
Confirmation.
Behind them, Eli stepped through the doorway.
The second his foot touched the ground, the world shivered .
The echoes stopped moving.
Every figure turned toward them.
Silent.
Watching.
One man raised a hand.
Pointed directly at Mira.
Then the sky cracked open.
Not with lightning—but with sound . A low, resonant tone that built in intensity until it felt like the entire town was humming with memory.
Eli grabbed Mira's arm. "We need to go. Now."
But she didn't move.
She stood frozen, eyes locked on the woman in red.
Who finally opened her mouth.
And screamed.
A sound so loud it wasn't a sound at all—just silence breaking apart at the seams.
Then everything went dark.
When Mira opened her eyes again, she was back in the forest.
The door was gone.
The birch tree stood bare and ordinary beneath the moonlight.
Luka sat beside her, breathing hard.
Eli paced nearby, muttering curses under his breath.
Mira sat up slowly and looked at her sketchpad.
The last drawing was gone.
Replaced with something new.
A single word written in smudged charcoal:
Remember.
Luka saw it and whispered, "We're not done yet."
Mira met his gaze.
Then she signed:
No. We're just beginning.