A Few Minutes Later

  Near the City Center

  Salie Fradik School

  Victoria is seen stepping out of the car beside her older brother, Harry, in a cheerful manner, yet at the same time hiding that painful feeling that was returning from the past into the present once again.

  Mila and David were heading toward the city center to take care of important matters. After their parents' car drove off and they said their goodbyes.

  Harry asked—now that they were alone—if his sister was all right, and whether she wanted him to stay by her side for a while before class started so they could talk.

  Victoria, with a cheerful smile, responded that she was fine and that he didn't need to worry. However, to Harry's trained eyes, it was obvious that his little sister was lying at that very moment.

  Harry understood that trying to force Victoria to say what was making her lie would not be the right thing to do, and that, in the end, it would not truly help her.

  So, Téo told her that if she needed to talk at any point between classes, she could send him a message at any time, and he would leave his classroom to be with her—if she wished to return home for any reason.

  [Victoria – Smiling & Softly Melodic Voice] Seriously, Téo. I'm fine, it's just that... today marks three years since my great Téo disappeared. —

  [Harry – Attentive & Comforting Voice] I forgot it was today, little sister, I'm sorry... —

  [Victoria – Smiling & Softly Melodic Voice] Come on, brother, you don't need to apologize... —

  [Harry – Attentive & Comforting Voice] Even so, because of that... I don't want you to forget that I will always worry about you, understood? —

  [(Victoria – Smiling Thought & Slightly Emotional) Harry...]

  [Harry – Attentive & Comforting Voice] Because you're my little sister. Even if you're not the youngest anymore since Kaida was born two years ago, got it? —

  Harry didn't mind at all acting in a "silly" way to try to cheer her up, even if to everyone around them he seemed like an "idiot."

  But to anyone who understood what he was trying to do, it was clear that, through such a simple gesture, he was reaffirming that he supported his sister through every difficulty she might face, both internally and externally in her heart.

  After trying to do something funny that made his little sister Victoria smile in a silly, surprised way, Harry suddenly pulled her into a hug, whispering softly.

  In the brief silence of the world, which seemed to echo throughout that entire environment in a comforting tone, he told Victoria that he loved her very, very much.

  He also emphasized that if any pain ever became too heavy to carry in her heart, she could always remember that he would always be willing to carry a part of that weight.

  Because, as he reminded her again in a warm and happy tone, that is what an older brother does for his little sister.

  Still held in his arms, Victoria was left speechless by what she heard from her brother. Her world slowed down before that gesture that lasted only a few seconds.

  But it seemed to be enough to ease a large part of the pain she carried whenever she remembered Téo. Then, time returned to its normal flow.

  Showing Harry stepping back as he looks into his little sister's face, smiling and making a funny expression in an attempt to cheer her up a little more.

  Simultaneously, Téo hears his classmates and his best friend calling out to him, and then he waves goodbye, wishing Victoria a great class.

  But just as he is about to run toward his friends, Téo stops with his back turned, then turns again to face his sister, keeping a smile that expresses pure love for her.

  He advises her to smile, because he believes that, through a smile, the pain will be lifted from her heart.

  [Harry – Confident & Happy Voice] ...And never forget, just like I promised you when you were younger—best friends forever, remember that, you little brat?" [A soft, playful, happy laugh] -

  Upon hearing that question, Victoria forms a joyful and genuinely lighter smile on her lips, feeling the tight ache in her chest being eased, even if only for a moment.

  However, the very moment Harry turns away and heads toward his friends, Victoria—like the gentle brush of a breeze sweeping across the front of the school—can no longer sustain the strength she was channeling to keep that cheerful, happy smile on her face.

  Victoria wanted more than anything not to make Harry worry too much about her and end up unable to focus on his studies, especially because that day he had a quiz worth many points for the semester.

  So the smile stretching across Victoria's lips, while her long hair sways softly in the wind, makes it clear that behind that smile.

  She is, at any cost, hiding a deep sadness brought on by the memories of the moments immediately following the earthquake three years earlier, which had affected much of the city.

  Even as young as they were back then—both only seven years old—she still remembers vividly how that event resulted in massive destruction throughout many parts of the city due to the intense tremors, the result of an earthquake considered rare for its immense strength despite lasting only a few minutes.

  Victoria remembers vividly the traumatizing chaos that marked her deeply up to the present day, now at ten years old.

  Not only because of the countless families and innocent people she saw losing their lives before her eyes, crushed beneath the rubble that day, but also because of the collapse and the subsequent burial she experienced alongside Téo.

  Both of them ended up trapped under the debris at only seven years old, facing that terrifying and desperate moment, resulting in five agonizing and horrifying hours beneath several meters of wreckage that could collapse over their heads at any second.

  [Victoria's Echoing Voice From the Past] Téo! I'm scared, and my leg hurts, and something red is coming out, I... [Shaky, Heavy Breathing] –

  Fortunately, Victoria suffered only minor injuries, unlike Téo, whose body was buried just a few meters away from her. It's clear that, even in the present, many memories from that day echo back into her life.

  [Téo's Echoing Voice From the Past] Hey, look at me, we're okay and safe, you don't have to cry. I know it's dark, but you're going to get out of here, Victoria... [Deep, Slightly Heavy Breath] –

  For on that exact day in the present, it was the third anniversary of the moment she was forced to experience, at such a young age, the greatest trauma of her life — not the earthquake itself or the destruction it caused, but what happened in the days that followed after she was rescued from the ruins by the firefighters.

  Taking a deep breath after saying goodbye to Harry, Victoria resumes her path toward the school's main entrance, heading to her locker before later going to her classroom.

  While many students around her chat cheerfully and in good spirits, Victoria chooses once again to put on her headphones and play a song on her smartphone.

  In the current present, Victoria didn't have many classmates she was close to in her classroom, nor even a single friend like her older brother, Harry, thirteen years old, who was much more sociable than she was.

  Since the day of the earthquake, Victoria instinctively chose not to get too close to potential friends or classmates, fearing she might lose someone dear again, just as she lost her first and only best friend, Téo.

  As she walks, more and more memories from that day three years earlier return to haunt her — especially the hours she spent beside Téo before being rescued from beneath the rubble of the shopping mall.

  After five distressing hours — unbearable for any child — she was finally found by the rescue teams and their dogs, but she was unconscious, lying on the ground as a result of oxygen deprivation and dehydration.

  Victoria in the present continues walking with a gaze distant from the current reality, even though the world around her seems gently slowed and its colors gradually growing more muted with every step she takes.

  [Echoing Voice of Victoria from the Past] I can't tell where you are, Téo, it's so dark. [Dry Cough] Wait... [Dry Cough] Why aren't you standing like I am? [Very Dry Cough] -

  Physically she was present in that moment, but at the same time her mind—turned into quick flashes of memory—made her see, before her eyes, herself beside Téo running desperately through the chaos of the earthquake three years ago.

  [Echoing Voice of Téo from the Past] ...I'm trapped under this wall that fell on me. I can't get up, but... [Tremulous & Dry Cough] -

  Victoria, upon hearing those voices from the past, seems to stop walking in the present, while the world around her continues to flow in a more faded state, still in a kind of slowdown.

  Meanwhile, everyone heads to their classrooms or lockers, normally ignoring her as she stands with her gaze lowered, lost in thought.

  After hearing the echo of the last words she remembers from Téo before he simply disappeared mysteriously from her life for some reason she cannot understand.

  [Echoing Voice of Téo from the Past] I'm glad it's me here and not you, my best friend. [Tremulous & Joyful Sigh] -

  [Voice of the Firefighter from the Past] WE FOUND ANOTHER VICTIM, CALL THE MEDICS, CHECK WITH THE DOGS TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYONE ELSE IN THERE BESIDES THAT LITTLE GIRL!! [Panting & Relieved Breath] -

  On Victoria's face in the present it is visible: a painful look while at the same time holding back tears that are about to fall from her eyes.

  Her lips tremble before the sea of emotions she relives again, feeling immense longing for Téo at that moment beside her.

  [Whisper of Victoria from the Past] Please... [Light Cough] Save Téo... [Light Cough] He needs help... [Tremulous & Exhausted Breath] -

  [Voice of the Firefighter from the Past] SEARCH! THERE'S ANOTHER CHILD NAMED TéO STILL BURIED WAY IN THE BACK!! [Panting & Urgent Breath] -

  Three Years Ago

  A Few Hours After the Alpha Earthquake

  Fuginaka Hospital

  In a single blink, the world around Victoria shifts, pulling her mentally back into her own past — precisely to the moment when she was taken to the hospital to treat the injuries caused by the earthquake and the collapse that followed.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Confused Whisper] Wait... I can't find Téo's name... where's his name, Mom?... [Breathing Slightly Trembling & Tired] —

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  [Mila – Melancholic Voice] My love... [Deep, Hopeful Sigh] —

  Her present self watches her past self lying in the hospital bed, flipping through the newspaper beside her mother, trying desperately to find Téo's name among the missing.

  [Mila – Melancholic Voice] If his name isn't in this newspaper, it means they're still trying to figure out who was inside the mall. Stay calm, my love... [Deep, Hopeful Sigh] —

  One Week Later

  Still at Fuginaka Hospital

  In That Same Room

  Even with part of her head bandaged due to the minor injuries that required stitches on the back of her neck — despite being so young — Victoria felt that the physical pain she was experiencing in that moment was nothing compared to what she did not yet understand would become the anguish of seeing, right before her eyes, the photo and name of every person who lost their lives in the Karsurik Mall.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Confused Whisper] No, no, please... [Trembling & Incredulous Sigh] —

  [Television News Reporter] It has been one week, and many are still being searched for by firefighters... [Deep, Hopeful Sigh] —

  After all the victims who had lost their lives were listed on the news, Victoria could not find Téo's name or photo, feeling a deep tightening in her chest.

  A feeling she could not fully understand at that moment, but that, in the future, she would recognize as a mixture of fear and despair.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Tearful Whisper] He should've been found, he... [Trembling & Incredulous Sigh] —

  [Television News Reporter] Exactly three hundred people were inside the mall during the collapse; one hundred are still missing. [Deep, Hopeful Sigh] —

  Throughout the entire afternoon, the news on television displayed all the victims — with names and photos — who still had not been found in the mall's wreckage, as the searches continued even after a long first week, with the chances of finding survivors being close to zero.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Tearful Whisper] He was with me, mom... He... he was right next to me when everything happened, he... [Trembling & Incredulous Sigh] —

  [Television News Reporter] The chief of firefighters leading the tireless search efforts has stated that given the amount of time... [Deep, Hopeful Sigh] —

  However, as the hours went by, none of the photos or names shown mentioned Téo, causing an even heavier tightening in Victoria's chest as she began to realize that the following reports implied that the information presented was complete and definitive — giving the impression that Téo had never existed.

  [Television News Reporter] The chance of these victims still being alive decreases drastically with each passing day, now one week after the earthquake that devastated much of the city center. [Deep, Hopeful Sigh] —

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Tearful Whisper] Where is Téo? Mom... [Breathing Growing Rapidly Unstable] —

  Even at just seven years old, Victoria, still lying in the hospital bed with medication running through her veins as her weakened body tried to recover.

  [Television News Reporter] All the people being shown on your screen now are all three hundred victims — including children... [Deep, Hopeful Sigh] —

  Ended up feeling an intense tightness in her chest, experiencing a painful emptiness at the thought that, for some reason, Téo seemed to have vanished from the world entirely.

  [Television News Reporter] Hope is the last thing to fade in the face of such a devastating and difficult tragedy... [Deep, Hopeful Sigh] —

  [Victoria – Extremely Anguished & Tearful Scream] MOM!!! WHERE IS MY BEST FRIEND, TéO!!! [Gasping, Desperate Breathing] —

  One Month Later

  Fuginaka Hospital

  Still in That Same Room

  During Nightfall

  In the first weeks that passed, no one seemed to believe Victoria when she insisted that Téo had not been mentioned in the newspaper or on television. In the eyes of her mother, Mila, and her father, David,

  [(Victoria – 7 years old – Trembling & Tearful Thought) Why doesn't anyone believe me... (Deep & Melancholic Breath)]

  It looked as if their daughter, being far too young, was showing signs of experiencing a post-traumatic episode. Victoria seemed shaken and emotional whenever she spoke only about her friend Téo.

  [(Victoria – 7 years old – Trembling & Tearful Thought) Why does everyone keep telling me that Téo doesn't exist... (Deep & Tearful Breath)]

  Some of the things she said made no sense to Mila or David, who did not recall any boy around Victoria's age being at their home months earlier.

  [(Victoria – Distressed & Tearful Thought) He does exist! Téo isn't my imaginary friend, he... (Deep & Tearful Breath)]

  By repeating the same thought so many times in her mind, Victoria realized that not only did Téo seem to have vanished, but now everyone believed that during the time she spent alone beneath the rubble,

  [(Victoria – Distressed & Tearful Thought) He is my first and only best friend... (Deep & Tearful Breath)]

  She had possibly created an imaginary friend due to the intense trauma of the earthquake and the collapse that left her trapped afterward.

  She had instinctively used this "imaginary friend" as a way to keep herself psychologically stable in some small way.

  Six Months After the Alpha Earthquake

  During the Night

  Victoria's House

  During the last meeting with the investigators — a meeting Victoria herself had scheduled almost half a year after the earthquake — she ended up screaming in anger at the words spoken by one of the investigators who had come to her home.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Hollow Whisper] ...That's a lie, these images are lying... all of them are lying! [Breathing in Denial & Slightly Short of Breath] -

  [Investigator – Respectful & Sincere Voice] Victoria, these are all the recovered images we have access to, they... [Deep Sigh] -

  After almost two months without being discharged from the hospital, Victoria now sat around the dining table beside her parents, Mila and David.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Hollow Whisper] I wasn't alone... [Breathing in Denial & Slightly Short of Breath]

  [Investigator – Respectful & Sincere Voice] Victoria, in every single one of them — even the ones taken during the collapse — you were running alone. [Deep Sigh] -

  The investigator repeated several times, showing different images, that all investigations had been concluded a little less than a month earlier, and no footage or verification data from the shopping mall on the day of the earthquake showed the name Téo in the system.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Hollow Whisper] No! That's wrong! Téo was beside me the whole time during the earthquake! [Furious, Deep Breathing] -

  [Investigator – Respectful & Sincere Voice] There was no one by your side, aside from the other victims who were also trying to find shelter... before being buried along with you. [Deep Sigh] -

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Hollow Whisper] Wrong! Téo was the one who saved me, he... he was the one who held my hand and tried to take me somewhere safe when everything became so terrifying. He... [Breathing in Denial & Slightly Short of Breath] -

  [Investigator – Melancholic & Sincere Whisper] Young Victoria, please understand... [Deep Sigh] -

  Even after restarting the entire data review once again — determined not to let even the smallest mistake go unnoticed — there were still no records of Téo in the school system.

  The same school where Victoria and he would have been studying, since they were the same age, just as Victoria had repeatedly insisted while recounting moments she said they lived together weeks and months before the earthquake.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Trembling & Hollow Voice] Stop saying he didn't exist! [Angry, Denying, Short Breath] -

  [Investigator – Worried & Sincere Voice] But everything indicates that, young Victoria. Please, try to understand... [Deep, Serious Sigh] -

  After witnessing the intense mixture of anger and emotion burning in Victoria's eyes, the investigators decided to let her go rest while they continued a more private conversation with her parents at the same table.

  [(Victoria – Trembling & Distressed Voice)] Why do they keep trying to make me think and believe... that Téo isn't real! (Extremely Angry Sigh)]

  Meanwhile, Victoria climbed the last steps toward her room, crying silently, her face carrying a pain far too intense for a child — a pain born from the world denying Téo's existence in every possible way.

  [(Victoria – Trembling & Distressed Voice)] And saying he's nothing but something I imagined... just because no one believes that my best friend truly exists, and that he simply hasn't been found yet... (Trembling & Painful Sigh)]

  From the stairs, Victoria heard the faint and muffled echoes of voices cutting through the silence of the house — her own parents agreeing with the investigators after being shown all the evidence.

  [Victoria – Whispering Without Reaction, Incredulous] Even you two don't believe me anymore... Mom, Dad... [Broken & Trembling Breath] -

  That Téo was someone who could not exist in the real world — that he was only something inside Victoria's mind — and that she had possibly created him because she was terrified after being buried during the earthquake.

  [(Victoria – Angry & Agonizing Scream)] WHY?! Why doesn't anyone believe me...(Broken & Trembling Breath)]

  2 Years After the Alpha Earthquake

  Victoria's House

  On a Quiet Afternoon

  In the blink of an eye, we return to another memory from Victoria's life, this one taking place two years after the earthquake.

  When she was seven years old, she witnessed Téo mysteriously disappear after she had been knocked unconscious between the debris.

  In this memory, Victoria is now nine years old and cleaning her room under her mother Mila's orders.

  Mila had decided to buy new furniture for her room and for her other children's rooms, after she and her husband, David, chose to renew the house a bit because the furniture had become quite worn out and old.

  Amid the mess caused by Victoria's cleaning, as she moved the furniture and cleaned the floor behind the new wardrobe, she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, a subtle glimmer of light.

  It made her immediately cover her eyes, unable to understand what it could be. But when she looked toward the floor again, she saw a photograph slowly falling to the ground.

  It landed very close to Victoria's feet, lying on top of the dirt and dust she was about to sweep up and throw away with the help of a dustpan.

  Victoria considered ignoring it, as her mind subtly pushed her to forget that peculiar moment — the faint glow and the appearance of that mysterious photo on the floor.

  However, just as she was about to sweep everything up again, she heard a distant echoing scream. Even though it sounded far away, the tone of the voice carried a sense of motivation and affection, as if trying to reach her for some reason.

  [Distant Echoing Voice — Confident & Driven] ...I will return to my best friend [Angry & Breathless Shout] And none of you will stop me!!! [Furious Shout] —

  After hearing this, Victoria felt a slight tightening in her chest, and driven by a subtle feeling that began to burn in her heart like gasoline, she decided to pick up the photo from the dusty floor.

  The exact moment she reached for it and wiped off the dust covering its surface, Victoria recognized the photograph she had lost — the one from her special 7th birthday.

  But the photo appeared to gradually change, as if its image were somehow malleable before her eyes, leaving Victoria confused and somewhat astonished by such a strange effect.

  [Victoria (9 years old) — Soft Whisper, Serene & Joyful] I searched for this photo for so long... and it was behind my wardrobe the whole time... [Gentle Nostalgic & Happy Laughter] —

  Victoria, when looking at the picture itself, had the impression that something in it was being reconstructed — as if the image taken on that very special day for her, her first birthday where she could have the presence of her first and only best friend, was slowly coming back to life.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Cheerful & Nostalgic Voice] That day was so much fun. I had such a great time with my annoying friend... wait... [Soft, Faltering Breath] -

  However, the photo she held in her hand was not just any picture among the many taken at her seventh-birthday party. It was possibly the most important photograph in Victoria's entire life from that moment on — because of a small detail that was about to reveal itself gradually.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Cheerful & Nostalgic Voice] Wait... this photo has something different... [Soft, Faltering Breath] -

  This happened because, besides capturing her own presence and that of her older brother Harry — who hugged her while smiling, laughing so happily.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Cheerful & Nostalgic Voice] It looks like there's someone else appearing next to me and Harry... what's happening to this photo...? [Soft, Faltering Breath] -

  Gradually, Victoria watched these subtle changes unfold until the unmistakable appearance of a third person in the picture — someone standing at her side, also hugging her and laughing joyfully.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Cheerful & Nostalgic Voice] Who is that young boy with brown hair? He looks... [Slow, Breathless Incredulity] -

  This young boy Victoria was seeing... at first, she couldn't immediately recognize his face — a face she had not seen in any image for such a long time.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Slightly Faltering Breath & No Reaction]

  For this young boy had disappeared from all visual records mysteriously, as if his existence had been erased from the world itself — and from people's memories as well.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Trembling, Emotional Whisper] It can't be... [Trembling, Slightly Tearful Breath] -

  After the moment when he and Victoria had been buried together under the rubble — and only when the rescue teams finally reached them — Victoria had been found alone among the ruins of Karsurik Mall, after the earthquake that caused massive chaos throughout the city and its capital.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Trembling, Emotional Whisper] That happy expression, and... [Trembling, Slightly Tearful Breath] -

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Faltering Breath & No Reaction]

  That specific birthday, portrayed in the photo, was not attended by anyone from her class, even though everyone had been invited by Victoria after she asked them in her classroom a few days earlier.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Trembling & Emotional Whisper] This smile and such a unique look... [Trembling Breath & Slightly Tearful] -

  For the general perception in the classroom was that Victoria was a strange girl, and no one wanted to go to her birthday because they didn't think it would be fun.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Trembling & Emotional Whisper] This boy beside me is Téo... [Trembling Breath & Slightly Tearful] -

  The photo in her hand finally seems to stop having that strange, unstable quality on its malleable surface, revealing clearly that the young boy standing next to Victoria is indeed Téo himself.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Trembling & Emotional Whisper] Téo, he... he really is visible somewhere outside of my mind. [Tearful & Slightly Broken Breath] -

  Téo, on that day of Victoria's birthday — the one portrayed in the photo being held by Victoria's small, now trembling hands — had decided to be there even after hearing everyone tell him that he shouldn't go to Victoria's house because she was "really weird."