It started with a dream.
Olivia Carter stood in the hallway of her house, but something felt... off. The air was thick, like walking through fog. The walls looked the same, the smell of her mom's lavender candles faint in the air—but it was too quiet. Unnaturally quiet.
She found herself calling out, "Phoenix?"
No answer.
She walked into the living room. The clock blinked 10:43 PM in red digits, just like it had that night. Her mom sat on the couch, staring blankly at a book, unmoving. Her dad was in the recliner, eyes fixed forward, like mannequins frozen in a scene.
"Have you heard from Phoenix?" Olivia asked, her voice echoing more than it should have.
"She's fine," her mom said without looking up. "She's always fine."
"She can take care of herself," her dad muttered, voice dull and robotic.
But Olivia knew that wasn't true.
The scene shifted—suddenly she was in Phoenix's room. The fairy lights glowed dimly. The bed was made. Untouched. The photo of them on the nightstand seemed to shimmer in the golden light. Phoenix's hoodie was still there on the floor.
Olivia knelt down, picked it up, and clutched it to her chest.
"Where are you?" she whispered.
Then came the sound—soft at first. A faint cry. A baby?
The walls around her began to melt, the floor slipping out beneath her feet. Olivia turned, trying to find the source, but everything blurred. She opened her mouth to scream—
—and woke up with a gasp.
Her heart raced as she sat up in bed, tangled in the sheets. The room was dark, but real. No lights. No glowing photo. Just her. Just the silence of a house .
She reached for her phone. No messages.
Phoenix was still gone.
she wrapped her hands around her knees letting the silence stretch out . that dream hasn't just been a dream _ it was a memory one she couldn't shake.
she remembers that night clearly now .
phoenix had her headphones on .Her denim jacket slung over her arm she told their parents she was going to Tessa's house to study for a bio test.
that was the last time they saw her.
The front door had clicked behind her like it always did
But this time she never came back.
Her mom's voice cut sharply through the stillness. "Olivia, what are you doing?"
Olivia turned away from Phoenix's closed bedroom door.
"I just wanted to see Nix's room again," she said softly. "It's been almost two weeks."
"You know you're not allowed in there." Her mother's voice was cold, unforgiving. "Now go get ready for school."
"I'm already ready," Olivia muttered as she brushed past her and headed downstairs.
The smell of coffee hung in the air, but it didn't feel like home anymore. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, something caught her eye—a glint of silver on the hallway table.
Her heart skipped.
That ring.
She knew that ring.
"Is that… Nix's ring? The one Lex gave her on Valentine's Day?" she asked, her voice barely holding back the tremble.
"Yes," her mother said, too casually. "I thought I'd sell it. It's expensive."
"Mum, you are so unbelievable! It hasn't even been a month since she left and you're already selling her things?"
Olivia's hands moved on their own as she lunged toward her mother, trying to snatch the ring away.
Her mother's grip tightened around the ring, but Olivia was determined. She could feel the heat of anger rising in her chest, her pulse quickening. How could she—how could they—be so cold?
"Give it back," Olivia's voice shook with a mix of disbelief and fury. "It's all we have left of her!"
Elizabeth didn't flinch. "She's gone, Olivia. She's not coming back. It's time to move on."
"No!" Olivia shouted, the word escaping before she could stop it. "You don't get to erase her. Not like this. Not just because it's convenient for you."
Her mother's eyes flashed with something darker—something Olivia couldn't quite place. For a moment, they stood there, locked in a standoff, neither one willing to budge.
Then, without another word, Elizabeth dropped the ring into Olivia's palm. Her fingers closed around it instinctively, as if holding onto the last shred of Phoenix she could.
Olivia didn't say thank you. She didn't say anything. She just turned, walked out the door, and slammed it behind her.
Outside the morning air bit on her cheeks she didn't notice her fingers curled tightly around the ring
She didn't know why but it felt important.