Laughter echoed around me. It was soft, cheerful, distant at first, but enough to pull me out of the nightmare. My eyes snapped open, and the warmth of the room brought me back to reality.

 My heart is still racing, trying to shake off the dream.

Tension lingered in my chest, remnants of the nightmare wrapping around me like a heavy blanket.

And that’s when I saw her.

Sitting beside me, laughing with the others. My cousin. My heart skipped a beat, and an uneasy confusion washed over me. Why did it feel like I had seen her somewhere before?

The memory of the mole lingered in my mind, adding to the disquiet in my heart. Rafa nudged me, breaking my thoughts.

“Finally awake, huh? Looked like you were having a nightmare.”

I forced a smile, still shaken. 

'Yeah... something like that.'

Meet Rafa, my cousin and also a good friend of mine. We meet very occasionally, but it feels like yesterday that we had a talk. 

The scar on my forehead? It’s because she asked for some snacks, and while riding my bike, I got into an accident.

She turned to me, her smile warm and familiar. 

“You okay, Azer? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I swallowed, trying to shake the uneasy feeling still lingering. 

'Yeah, I’m fine,' I muttered.

But I couldn’t get that dream out of my head.

“Come on, Azer! Don’t just sit there looking like a ghost. We were just talking about the plans for the evening. You have to join us!” 

Rafa’s enthusiasm was infectious, and I felt a slight smile tug at my lips.

'Plans?' my curiosity piqued.

“Yeah! We’re thinking of going to the lake for a bonfire. Everyone is coming—cousins, uncles, aunts... even Swapan is here,” 

she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The mention of Swapan made me feel a bit more grounded. He was one of my closest friends, and it was good to know he was around.

'That sounds fun,' forcing myself to sound more enthusiastic than I felt. Rafa’s smile widened. 

“Good! You can’t bail on us. It’s been ages since we all hung out together like this.”

As the chatter continued, I felt the uneasy confusion from my dream seep back in. 

Even as I forced myself to focus on the conversation, the dream lingered at the edge of my mind like a shadow that refused to fade. The blurred face, the mole, the coldness in the air—it all felt too real.

 I tried to shake it off, telling myself it was just a nightmare, but something about it gnawed at me. Why had it felt like more than a dream?

I glanced at Rafa again, my stomach twisting. The mole on her cheek—it was too similar to ignore.

 A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me, but I couldn’t figure out why.Had I really seen her in the dream, or was my mind playing tricks on me?

I stole glances at Rafa, taking in her features—the way her hair fell around her shoulders, her warm smile, and that familiar mole near her lip. 

The strange feeling in my chest returned, a mix of nostalgia and something else I couldn’t quite place.

I glanced at Rafa again, my stomach twisting. The mole on her cheek—it was too similar to ignore. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me, but I couldn’t figure out why.

Had I really seen her in the dream, or was my mind playing tricks on me?

Just then, my parents entered the room, and the atmosphere shifted. Their faces were serious, and I could sense an underlying tension. My father’s brows were furrowed, and my mother’s smile had faded.

“Where’s everyone?” my dad asked, looking around.

“They’re outside preparing for the bonfire, Uncle,” Rafa replied cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

“Good. We need to talk,” my father said, glancing at my mother before turning back to me.

“Azer, come here for a moment.”

My heart sank. I could feel the tension in the air thickening as I followed him out of the room. Rafa shot me a concerned look as I left, her smile replaced with a frown.

Once we were outside, I faced my father, who had a serious look in his eyes.

“Azer, I need you to be careful while you’re here. There are things you don’t understand.”

'What do you mean?' confused.

“It’s about my brother—your uncle,” he said, his voice low.

“There have been tensions between our families for a while now. I don’t want you getting caught up in any of it.”

My mind raced. I knew my parents had always kept some things from me, but I never realized it was this serious.

'But why? What happened?'

“Your uncle has made some choices that we don’t agree with,” he replied.

“But don’t worry too much. It’s just a quarrel between brothers. It should be over in a few days. Just stay cautious, and you’ll be fine.”

I let out a small breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Relief washed over me at his reassurance, even though I still felt a nagging worry in the back of my mind.

“I understand.”