The rain was still falling when Zavian and Damar left the old house. The streets looked wet, the air felt colder than usual, and Zavian's mind was filling with even more questions.
That name kept repeating in his head.
Alena.
For some reason, simply hearing the name made something inside him stir. Like a door that had been locked for a long time was beginning to open, little by little.
“Zav.”
Damar called to him from beside him.
Zavian was still staring at the road ahead.
“You’ve been quiet this whole time.”
“I’m thinking.”
“About what?”
“Who Alena is.”
Damar nodded slowly.
“I’m curious too.”
Zavian tightened his grip on the cloth bracelet he’d found earlier.
“I feel like I’ve met her before.”
“But you don’t remember?”
“No.”
“So what are you feeling?”
Zavian fell silent.
He had trouble explaining it himself.
“Like I’ve lost something important.”
Damar didn’t answer. He only looked at his friend, who seemed different now.
Zavian usually faced problems with ease. But this time, there was a small fear he couldn’t hide.
They stopped at an old bus stop near the main road.
The rain made them decide to take shelter for a while.
Damar sat down on the wooden bench.
“I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“If Alena turns out to be someone who used to be really close to you, are you ready?”
Zavian looked at him.
“Ready for what?”
“To find out why you were able to forget her.”
The question made Zavian fall silent again.
He didn’t know the answer.
Until now, he’d only thought about finding Alena.
But he’d never thought about why her name had disappeared from his memory.
“I don’t know, Mar.”
“Scared?”
“A little.”
Damar gave him a small smile.
“It’s pretty rare for you to admit you’re scared.”
“That’s because there aren’t many things that scare me.”
“Then what about this?”
Zavian watched the rain falling in front of them.
“This is different.”
A few minutes later, a woman stopped in front of the bus stop.
She carried a black umbrella and looked slightly confused when she saw them.
“Excuse me.”
Zavian and Damar turned toward her.
The woman stared at Zavian for quite a while.
Her gaze made him uncomfortable.
“You...”
The woman stopped speaking.
“What is it?” Damar asked.
The woman shook her head.
“Sorry. I thought I knew someone.”
She was about to leave, but then her eyes fell on the bracelet around Zavian’s wrist.
She stopped in her tracks.
“Where did you get that?”
Zavian looked at the bracelet.
“Why?”
The woman stepped a little closer.
“That bracelet belongs to Alena.”
Zavian’s heart immediately began beating faster.
Damar stood up.
“You know Alena?”
The woman looked hesitant.
“I do.”
“Who are you?” Zavian asked.
The woman drew a breath.
“My name is Raina.”
“And you know Alena?”
Raina looked at Zavian.
“I don’t just know her.”
She paused for a moment.
“I’m her best friend.”
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Zavian stared at Raina, his mind crowded with questions.
“Where is Alena now?”
Raina didn’t answer right away.
“So you really did forget.”
The words left Zavian silent.
“You know about me?”
Raina nodded slowly.
“I do.”
“Why does everyone seem to know something about me when I don’t know anything myself?”
Raina studied Zavian’s face.
“Because there’s a reason you forgot everything.”
“What’s the reason?”
Raina looked at the rain, which was falling harder now.
“This isn’t the right place to talk about it.”
Damar cut in immediately.
“Then let’s find somewhere else.”
Raina looked uncertain.
But in the end, she nodded.
The three of them went to a small café not far from the bus stop.
There, Raina sat across from Zavian.
For a while, no one spoke.
Finally, Zavian started the conversation.
“Tell me everything.”
Raina looked at him.
“I can’t tell you everything all at once.”
“Why not?”
“Because there are things you have to remember on your own.”
Zavian began to get frustrated.
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
Raina lowered her head.
“Because Alena asked us to do that.”
Zavian immediately fell silent.
“Alena?”
“Yes.”
“What does she have to do with me?”
Raina looked at the bracelet on his wrist.
“You and Alena have known each other for a long time.”
“How long?”
“Longer than you think.”
Zavian waited for her next answer.
Raina continued.
“You met when you were still in school.”
“I don’t remember.”
“I know.”
“And?”
“You weren’t just friends.”
Damar looked at Zavian.
Zavian himself didn’t move.
“What do you mean?”
Raina drew a breath.
“You two were very close.”
Silence.
Those words felt heavy to Zavian.
He tried to search for an image in his mind.
But there was nothing.
Only emptiness.
“Why did I forget?”
Raina stared at the table.
“Because after that incident, everything changed.”
“What incident?”
Raina didn’t answer.
“Raina.”
The woman finally looked at Zavian.
“There was one night when the rain came down incredibly hard.”
Zavian felt his body tense.
“That night...”
Raina stopped.
“That night made you lose a lot of things.”
“Is Alena okay?”
The question came out on its own.
Raina fell silent.
Her expression changed.
And that change was enough to make Zavian even more uneasy.
“Raina.”
“I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Try.”
Raina looked at him with sadness in her eyes.
“Alena left after that night.”
“Where did she go?”
“No one knows.”
Zavian lowered his head.
A sudden tightness rose in his chest.
“So all this time, I’ve been looking for someone who might not even be around anymore?”
Raina answered immediately.
“Don’t say that.”
Zavian looked at her.
“Why not?”
“Because Alena always believed you would remember.”
“She said that?”
Raina nodded.
“Before she left, she left something behind.”
“What?”
“A message.”
Zavian looked at her immediately.
“What message?”
Raina reached into her bag.
She pulled out a small envelope.
“I’ve kept it for years.”
Zavian looked at the envelope.
His name was written on it.
The same handwriting.
Alena’s handwriting.
“Why are you only giving it to me now?”
Raina looked at the rain outside the window.
“Because only now have you started looking.”
Zavian took the envelope.
His hands trembled as he opened it.
Inside was a single sentence.
If you’ve found this letter, it means the rain has finally brought you back to me.
Zavian held his breath.
Beneath that sentence was another line.
But before you come looking for me, remember what happened that night first.
Zavian read the sentence over and over.
That night.
It seemed like everyone knew about that night.
But not one of them was willing to say what had really happened.
And now, Zavian realized it.
Maybe it wasn’t Alena who was missing all along.
Maybe there was a part of himself that he had deliberately left behind.