Therese couldn't shake the voice. The calm, distant whispers that echoed in her mind, guiding her actions, telling her to wait and learn before making any decisions. Every time she tried to push it aside, the voice returned stronger, more insistent. It was as though it was intertwined with her very being, with her soul, urging her to remember something important—something she had forgotten, or perhaps lost.
Elias, who had been watching her closely, still seemed unsure of what to do. He hovered nearby, as if he feared that if he made the wrong move, she would snap. To be honest, she wasn't sure herself what she could or couldn't do now. All she knew was that the hunger still gnawed at her, stronger than anything else.
"Therese…" Elias's voice broke through her swirling thoughts. She turned to him, her eyes sharp, but her mind distant.
"I'm fine," she said quickly, her voice strained. She wasn't, but the words felt necessary. She needed to keep control. She had to.
"What do you mean you're fine?" Elias stepped closer, still cautious. "You're not fine, Therese. This... this isn't you. I can see it in your eyes. You're—"
"Enough," Therese snapped, her fangs barely concealed behind her lips. "I'm not some experiment you can fix. I'm not one of your projects."
Elias recoiled slightly, but his expression softened. He looked at her, not with fear, but with a kind of pity that made her sick to her stomach. She hated the way he looked at her. Like she was something broken. Something to be fixed.
But deep down, a small part of her—deep in the recesses of her mind—knew she needed him. At least for now.
"Why did you call me Therese?" she asked abruptly, a sudden thought forming in her mind. "You said you found me in a tomb... so why do you know my name? How?"
Elias blinked in confusion, his brow furrowing. "You told me your name when you first woke up. Therese Vausen."
Therese froze. She couldn't remember saying that. She couldn't remember even *knowing* that name—at least not in this life. How could she? She didn't remember who she had been before. The name didn't mean anything to her. But somehow, she'd spoken it.
Her mind spun as she recalled the dreamless sleep, the endless nothingness before waking in this unfamiliar body. How had she known her name?
"I don't… I don't remember," she murmured, more to herself than to Elias.
Elias, sensing her distress, took another cautious step toward her. "Listen, Therese, I know this is hard for you. I'm here to help, but—"
"Help?" Therese cut him off again, her voice low, dangerous. "I don't need your help. You've already ruined me."
Elias stepped back, looking hurt, but she didn't care. The hunger was back, gnawing, growing. It felt like a tidal wave ready to drown her.
But then—just as she thought she couldn't take it anymore—the voice spoke again, louder this time, cutting through her thoughts like a knife.
*Go to the graveyard.*
Therese blinked, the words clear in her mind. She shuddered, a cold sweat prickling her skin. What did that mean? Why the graveyard?
Elias noticed the change in her posture, the way her eyes seemed to flicker with something he couldn't understand. "Therese, what's going on?" he asked urgently.
"I need to go somewhere," she said, her voice quiet, almost detached. She turned toward the door, her mind already set on what the voice had told her. "I need to go to the graveyard."
Without waiting for Elias to respond, she stepped out of the lab, feeling the cool night air hit her skin as she walked briskly down the darkened street. Elias followed her, his footsteps echoing behind her as he tried to catch up. He didn't know what she was doing, but something told him it was important.
"Therese, wait!" Elias called out. "What's happening? Why the graveyard?"
But she didn't answer him. She couldn't. The pull of the graveyard was too strong, too magnetic. It was calling her.
The cold night seemed to stretch on forever as they walked in silence. The graveyard loomed ahead, dark and silent, as if it had been waiting for her. It felt like a place she knew well, even though she had never been here before.
She stepped past the wrought iron gates, her heart pounding in her chest as she moved deeper into the cemetery. Her senses heightened again, the air heavy with the scent of earth and decay. The grave markers were worn with age, names barely legible, but as she passed by them, she felt something stir within her.
*Dig.*
The voice was back, commanding now, almost desperate.
"Dig?" Therese whispered under her breath.
Elias had caught up with her and was now standing beside her, looking confused and wary. "What are you hearing, Therese? What is this about?"
Therese didn't respond. She kneeled down in front of an unmarked grave, her fingers trembling as she began to push aside the dirt. Something was here—something buried. Something that felt like it belonged to her.
"What are you doing?!" Elias shouted, his voice filled with panic. But Therese didn't stop. She couldn't stop. The voice was relentless, and it was guiding her, driving her forward.
Her hands were covered in dirt, her nails caked with earth, but finally, she uncovered a small, wooden box buried deep beneath the soil. Her heart raced as she pulled it free, lifting it carefully into the moonlight.
Elias was standing over her now, his face a mask of disbelief. "What is that? What are you doing?"
Therese didn't answer. She opened the box, her hands trembling as she revealed what was inside. A small, ancient-looking pendant, its surface engraved with strange symbols. As her fingers touched it, a jolt of electricity surged through her, as if something deep within her soul recognized it.
And then the truth hit her like a freight train.
The pendant wasn't just a trinket. It was hers.
She had worn it once before.
Therese staggered back, dropping the pendant to the ground. Her chest tightened, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Memories flooded her mind in a chaotic rush. Her past life—the life that had been stolen from her—came rushing back.
She had been someone important. Someone powerful.
And then... the betrayal. The betrayal that had killed her. The betrayal that had led her to this new life, this cursed existence.
But there was one thing she couldn't understand.
The voice—the voice that had guided her here—wasn't just the voice of a stranger. It was the voice of her past self.
And that was the twist that would change everything.