Who am I, really? I can’t tell anymore. I feel…nothing. Or is it that I feel everything so intensely that I’m paralyzed by numbness? I’m drowning in sensation and yet I’m empty. Where am I? Who must I be—what part am I supposed to play in this world? I don’t know. Not here. Not now. Not yet.

I tilt my head back and squint at a sky so mercilessly bright it stings—yet it’s only warm, nothing like the blistering forty degrees I once lived through. The world should be scorching, burning me alive, but instead this air brushes against my skin like a lover’s caress. Have I finally arrived somewhere new? Or have I always been here, trapped in some half-remembered dream?

When I look down, my limbs betray me. My dress—pale white silk —is soaked through. My fingers are prune, as if I’ve lingered in water too long. Yet there are no cuts, no bruises. My body feels frozen and weightless at once, as though I’ve been stretched between two realities. Should I be relieved? I can’t tell anymore.

I glance at my clothes and don’t recognize them.

This gown—ivory silk, its hem brushing milky-white heels—where did it come from?

I remember …… He used to laugh, teasing me about a dream in which I wore this very outfit.

Could he have sent me here? My legs tremble at the thought.

“Athene.”

That’s what he called me in jokes back home. It fits—ethereal, mythic—even if it was only a tease. But now the name aches in my chest as though it were always mine.

My heart jolts as I remember the faint birthmark on my wrist—identical to one I wore long ago. So it isn’t someone's body. It’s mine, in another life or another universe. My scar, my curse, my proof.

A distant river’s roar snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts. I realize I’ve been staring at nothing. The birds’ soft choruses drift through the air, the scent of moss and rain washing over me like a balm—and yet I feel raw, exposed. I sit on a mossy boulder at the foot of a waterfall that tumbles from a hidden mountain. The jungle crowds around me, thick leaves blocking any view of what lies ahead.

It’s beautiful and unholy, calming and terrifying.

This is probably nestled somewhere deep within the heart of the jungle…..

The towering trees form a thick canopy overhead, their leaves whispering secrets to one another in the gentle breeze.

God, where am I, and how on earth will I ever find my way out of this vast, untamed wilderness?

The tranquility here is profound, an almost tangible serenity that wraps around me like a comforting blanket. Yet, there’s an unsettling edge to this solitude—it’s undeniably scary to be alone, isn’t it? Despite this, I feel a warmth spreading through me, a sense of relief that I’ve finally escaped into a realm that feels far more magical than the everyday world.

As I gaze upward, the sky peeks through the foliage in patches of brilliant blue, while the vibrant tapestry of nature unfolds around me. I am in awe of its beauty, the symphony of birds and the rustle of unseen creatures adding to the enchantment. And yet, amidst this wonder, I can’t help but ponder—what will my life become in this strange, new world? There’s a thrill that accompanies the fear, an intense curiosity about what lies ahead. I’m scared, yes, but also deeply intrigued.

What will become of me? Athene or lost girl? I can’t decide—and maybe that confusion is exactly who I’m meant to be here…….