the simulation began as expected. a coastal city under siege by rising waves, panic flooding the streets faster than the water itself. alejandra moved through the chaos with practiced control, using her abilities to guide civilians into a tall building. then she opened the door. the metallic clang didn’t echo like it should’ve. instead, the sharp scent of leather and coffee filled her lungs, floor tilting beneath her. when she looked up, the surrounding had shifted into the narrow aisle of an airplane. rows of empty seats, the soft hum of engine. and then, familiar voices. a woman and a man arguing in the front row. between them, an eight year old girl, knees drawn to her chest, small and fragile and trying not to exist. “ no, ” she whispered, the word barely catching in her throat. it was a scenario she recognized so well that it felt like … a memory. her memory, and she knew what came next before she even fully realized what was happening. her younger self began to scream, the pitch so excruciating it shattered every window at once. air pressure dropped, alarms blared, and the plane lurched downward. she could’ve used her powers. she could’ve tried to rewrite the scene, to pull herself out, but she didn’t ⎯⎯ couldn’t. even when the memory began to fade and the world around her started shifting again, ale stayed locked in place, body trembling. she didn’t see the figure that appeared beside her, not right away. she just kept staring into the nothing left behind, muttering over and over, “ i couldn’t save them. ” like a prayer, or a confession. fingers twitched around the empty air where the seats had been, her mind refusing to separate illusion from truth.
