***CHAPTER 1***

There were five of them.

Matthew, Jason, Kevin, Allen… and Cammie.

Their world wasn’t big. It was just a stretch of uneven grass behind Cammie’s house, a broken wooden fence, and a sky that always seemed too wide for kids their age. But to them, it was everything.

“Say it properly,” Cammie demanded, standing in the middle of the field with her hands on her hips. Her hair was messy from the wind, her expression serious in a way that only she could manage.

Jason groaned from where he sat, lazily strumming a few off-key notes on his old guitar. “Why do we have to make it a thing?”

“Because,” Cammie shot back immediately, “if we don’t say it, it won’t count.”

Matthew laughed softly, lying flat on his back in the grass, staring up at the sky. “That’s not how it works.”

“It is how it works,” she insisted. “Now sit up and say it.”

Kevin nudged Allen with his elbow, grinning. “You better listen. She’s not gonna stop.”

Allen rolled his eyes, but there was a small smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, yeah. What are we saying again?”

Cammie took a deep breath, as if she were about to announce something important.

“We’re not just friends,” she said slowly. “We’re forever friends. No matter what happens.”

There was a pause.

Jason stopped strumming.

Matthew tilted his head slightly, still watching the clouds drift by.

Kevin glanced at Allen.

And for a brief second, something unspoken passed between all of them.

“Fine,” Jason muttered. “Forever friends.”

Matthew smiled faintly. “Forever friends.”

Kevin leaned back on his hands. “Sounds dramatic, but okay.”

Allen sighed, shaking his head. “Yeah… forever.”

Cammie’s face lit up instantly, her seriousness breaking into a wide grin.

“See? Now it’s official.”

The wind picked up slightly, rustling the grass around them. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. The sun dipped lower, painting everything in soft gold.

None of them said it out loud—but in that moment, it felt permanent.

Like nothing could touch them.

Like nothing could ever pull them apart.

The moment lingered longer than it should have.

As if time itself had slowed, just to let them exist like this for a little while more.

Matthew shifted slightly in the grass, glancing sideways at the others. He didn’t know why, but something about the quiet that followed felt… heavy. Not uncomfortable—just unfamiliar. Like the world was holding its breath.

“You guys ever think about the future?” he asked suddenly.

Jason snorted. “No. Why would I ruin a perfectly good day like that?”

Kevin laughed, but it faded quicker than usual. “I mean… we won’t stay like this forever.”

Cammie immediately sat up straighter. “Why not?”

“Because that’s how life works,” Allen said, though his tone wasn’t as certain as his words. “People move. Things change.”

Cammie shook her head firmly. “Not us.”

Matthew pushed himself up onto his elbows, watching her. “You can’t control that.”

“I don’t have to,” she said. “We’ll just… find our way back. No matter what.”

There it was again—that strange feeling.

Jason looked away first, his fingers brushing absentmindedly over the strings of his guitar.

Kevin leaned back, staring at the sky.

Allen didn’t say anything.

And Matthew—

Matthew felt something twist faintly in his chest.

Like a warning.

Or a promise.

The wind picked up again, stronger this time, bending the grass around them. Somewhere far off, thunder rumbled low and distant.

Cammie didn’t seem to notice. She just smiled, softer now, almost to herself.

“Even if something happens,” she added quietly, “we won’t forget each other.”

No one replied.

But somehow—

That was the part that stayed.

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Hii!!! It's your Author here! After a whole three years, I finally got back. Some issue had occurred which made me delete this account but I am back now!!! I have changed the story as you can see. I hope that you all like it and please continue to support me!❤️

***CHAPTER 2***

The day it happened didn’t feel important at first.

It was just another day. Another plan. Another excuse to stay together a little longer.

The sky had been gray since morning, heavy with clouds that threatened rain but never quite delivered. By the time evening rolled in, the air felt thick and restless.

“Are we really going out in this weather?” Allen asked, glancing up at the sky.

Kevin shrugged, already halfway into the car. “Since when do we care?”

Jason slid into the driver’s seat, tossing his bag into the back. “Relax. It’s just rain.”

Matthew laughed as he climbed in beside him. “Famous last words.”

Cammie was the last to get in, shutting the door with a soft thud. “If we die, I’m blaming all of you.”

“You’re literally the one who insisted we go,” Kevin pointed out.

“Details,” she said, waving him off.

The engine started.

Music filled the car almost immediately—too loud, overlapping with their voices as they talked over each other, argued about songs, and laughed at things that weren’t even that funny.

It was chaos.

Comfortable chaos.

Rain finally began to fall, soft at first, tapping lightly against the windows. The streetlights blurred as droplets gathered, turning everything outside into streaks of gold and gray.

“Turn that up!” Jason shouted over the music.

Matthew leaned closer to the dashboard, singing along dramatically, his voice surprisingly good even over the noise.

Kevin shifted slightly, his shoulder brushing against Allen’s. He leaned in, whispering something under his breath that made Allen huff out a quiet laugh.

Cammie watched all of it from the backseat, her chin resting against her hand.

For a moment, she didn’t say anything.

She just… looked at them.

Like she was trying to memorize it.

Then—

Everything changed.

Headlights appeared out of nowhere.

Too bright.

Too close.

Jason’s hands tightened on the wheel. “What—”

A horn blared.

Loud. Sharp. Wrong.

“Jason—!” Cammie’s voice cut through everything.

The car jerked.

Tires screeched.

Matthew’s voice stopped mid-note.

Kevin grabbed onto something—anything.

Allen’s breath caught.

And then—

Impact.

A deafening crash tore through the air, metal bending, glass shattering, sound collapsing into something unbearable.

For a split second, everything froze.

And then—

Nothing.

When Matthew opened his eyes, the world felt… wrong.

Too quiet.

Too still.

The first thing he noticed was the ceiling—plain, white, unfamiliar.

The second was the ache.

It spread through his body in dull, heavy waves, like something inside him had been shaken loose.

He tried to move.

Pain shot through him instantly.

A soft groan escaped his lips before he could stop it.

“Oh—he’s awake.”

The voice startled him.

He turned his head slightly, blinking as his vision struggled to focus. A woman stood near the door—nurse, maybe. She looked relieved.

“Can you hear me?” she asked gently.

Matthew stared at her.

“…Yeah,” he managed, though his voice came out rough.

“Good,” she said, stepping closer. “You’ve been unconscious for a while. You’re in the hospital. You were in an accident.”

An accident.

The word echoed strangely in his head.

Fragments flickered—rain, light, noise—

And then nothing.

His brows furrowed slightly.

“…I don’t remember,” he said.

The nurse’s expression softened. “That’s okay. It can happen. Just take your time.”

Matthew swallowed, his throat dry.

“…Was I alone?”

The question came out before he could think about it.

The nurse hesitated.

Just for a second.

“…You were brought in by emergency services,” she said carefully. “Right now, what matters is that you’re safe.”

Safe.

The word didn’t feel right.

Matthew stared back at the ceiling, his chest tightening for reasons he couldn’t explain.

There was something missing.

Something important.

He could feel it.

But no matter how hard he tried—

He couldn’t reach it.

Far away, in different rooms, in different places—

The others woke up too.

Alive.

But not whole.

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***END OF THE CHAPTER***

***CHAPTER 3***

The room felt too quiet.

Not peaceful—just empty.

Matthew lay there, staring at the ceiling long after the nurse had left. The faint beeping of the monitor beside him was the only thing reminding him that time was still moving.

An accident.

That’s what she said.

He tried to remember it again.

Rain.

Lights.

A sound—loud, sharp—

And then nothing.

His fingers twitched slightly against the stiff hospital sheets. He lifted his hand just enough to look at it, as if it might hold answers. It didn’t. Just pale skin, a bandage wrapped around his wrist, and a faint tremble he couldn’t quite control.

“…Why does it feel like I’m forgetting something?” he murmured.

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Not everything was gone.

He knew his name. His age. Random, disconnected facts about his life. But anything that felt important—anything that should have had weight—was just… missing.

Like pages torn out of a book.

The door opened quietly.

A man stepped in—tired eyes, neatly dressed, expression carefully composed.

“Matthew.”

Matthew turned his head slightly.

“…Dad?”

The word felt right.

Familiar.

But the feeling behind it… didn’t.

Relief flickered across his father’s face as he moved closer. “You’re awake. That’s—” He paused, exhaling softly. “That’s good.”

There was a moment of silence.

Matthew studied him, trying to match the face in front of him with something he felt.

He couldn’t.

“Do you remember what happened?” his father asked gently.

Matthew hesitated.

“…No.”

The answer came easier than expected.

“I remember… being in a car, I think,” he added slowly. “And rain.”

His father nodded, like he had expected that.

“That’s normal,” he said. “The doctors said memory loss is possible after something like this.”

Something like this.

Matthew swallowed.

“…Was I alone?”

The question came out again.

This time, his father didn’t answer immediately.

“You were found at the scene,” he said carefully. “Emergency services brought you in.”

That wasn’t what Matthew asked.

He frowned slightly, something uneasy settling in his chest.

“That’s not—” He stopped, pressing his lips together. “I mean… was there anyone else?”

His father’s expression shifted—just for a second.

Then it was gone.

“The important thing is that you’re safe,” he said firmly.

Matthew stared at him.

The same words.

Again.

Safe.

But it didn’t feel like safety.

It felt like avoidance.

Later that night, the room felt even quieter

The lights were dimmed, casting soft shadows across the walls. The hallway outside was silent, save for the occasional distant footsteps.

Matthew couldn’t sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, something flickered at the edge of his mind.

Not clear enough to see.

But enough to feel.

Voices.

Laughter.

A warmth that didn’t exist in this room.

His chest tightened.

“…There was someone,” he whispered.

More than one.

He was sure of it.

He didn’t know how—but he knew.

His fingers curled slightly into the bedsheet as frustration built, sharp and sudden.

“Why can’t I remember…?”

The question broke in the quiet.

No answer came.

Only the steady, indifferent beeping beside him.

Somewhere else, in another hospital room—

Jason sat upright in bed, staring at his hands like they didn’t belong to him.

His fingers moved slightly, instinctively tapping against the blanket.

A rhythm.

He didn’t know why.

In a different part of the city—

Kevin woke with a sharp inhale, his heart racing for no clear reason.

Beside him, an empty chair.

But the feeling of someone being there lingered.

Allen stood by a window, watching rain trail down the glass.

He didn’t know why it made his chest ache.

And Cammie—

Cammie sat in silence.

Wide awake.

Tears slipping quietly down her face.

Because unlike the others—

She remembered everything.

...****************...

End of the chapter