"Don't talk," Nora whispered softly, "let your thoughts flow. When you're on the edge of sleep, we'll enter the dream."

  A gentle breeze blew through the park, rustling leaves and scattering dappled sunlight onto their hands.

  One minute… two minutes…

  Suddenly, Nora heard the flutter of pages flipping, as if something unseen were gently turning them. An odd ripple emanated from the center of the book, like an invisible pulse spreading through their fingertips.

  Alex couldn't resist opening his eyes slightly, peeking through narrow slits—

  The fox symbol on the page had begun to glow!

  Four beams of light shot from the pages, pointing toward each of them and an empty spot on the ground.

  But the fourth beam quickly dimmed, extinguished by an invisible force.

  Alex's heart sank as he withdrew his hand. "We're missing someone. It won't work like this."

  Nora opened her eyes, glancing apologetically at Lucas. "I'm sorry... I dragged you both into this."

  Lucas shook his head firmly. "No, Nora. It's our problem together. It chose us; you didn't choose it."

  Alex sighed, his brows furrowing deeply. "Then what do we do now?"

  Nora looked upward at the sky, swallowed by thickening clouds. "Let's go home first… We'll have to think of another way."

  They rose slowly, heading off in their own directions.

  Above them, dark clouds gathered ominously, heavy as hidden eyes silently observing their every move.

  Invitation and a Sudden Sense of Alienation

  Sitting in her room, Nora frowned deeply. She realized she wasn't yet affected by the memory loss, something she should have felt thankful for. Yet, seeing Lucas and Alex gradually losing memories, their past slipping away bit by bit, filled her with profound helplessness and sorrow.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Suddenly, a knock came at her door.

  "Nora, I'm coming in?" Elaine's voice came through.

  Nora jerked her head up, looking warily at the door, quickly responding, "Wait—no—"

  Outside, Elaine paused, leaving the door just ajar enough to speak through. "Summer vacation is coming. I've decided we're going to Hawaii next week. You'd better get ready."

  Nora clenched her fists slightly, immediately replying, "No, I'm not going."

  Elaine's voice held surprise, edged with impatience. "Why not?"

  "No reason," Nora answered coldly. "I just don't want to."

  There was a brief silence before Elaine's voice hardened, "Do you have any idea how expensive this trip is? I even took leave! Didn't you always want to go? If you refuse this time, forget it forever!"

  Nora's heartbeat quickened, but she stood firm, shouting back, "I don't care!"

  The door slammed shut, and footsteps receded, leaving lingering anger in the air.

  Taking a deep breath, Nora leaned slowly against the door, familiar with scenes like this. Childhood vacations always ended in arguments and breakdowns; she'd learned to avoid these pointless cycles. Yet, her heartbeat was still uneven.

  She sat back on the bed, instinctively fiddling with the fox figurine on her desk. Suddenly, her brow furrowed.

  Something felt wrong...

  She examined the fox carefully. Her heart constricted—this wasn't her fox.

  It felt terrifyingly unfamiliar.

  Had someone switched it?

  She quickly stood, walking to her cabinet, rummaging through childhood toys and crafts. Everything inside was unfamiliar.

  Her breath quickened as she struggled to recall familiar objects—hand-sewn dolls, collected marbles—but their details eluded her. These memories had vanished completely.

  She stepped back, gripping the cabinet door, a single thought dominating her mind:

  The memory loss had finally started affecting her.

  Forcing calm, she took a deep breath. Tomorrow, she had to work out a new plan with Alex. But as she thought, anxiety grew heavily, signaling something worse was coming.

  Jake's Complete Breakdown

  The next morning, Nora woke abruptly to frantic knocking. Her mother had left for work; no one else should be here.

  Frowning, she dressed quickly, peeking through the door hole—

  It was Alex.

  Opening the door slightly, she was greeted by Alex's urgent tone.

  "Nora! Something terrible happened!"

  Her heart sank. "What is it?"

  Alex, breathing heavily, anxiety clear on her face, blurted, "Jake—he's lost it! He doesn't remember his parents at all!"

  Nora's eyes widened, her face turning pale.

  "Worse," Alex continued, "he believes his parents are two complete strangers. He's arguing with them, accusing them of lying. He even stormed into someone's house, causing a huge scene! The neighbors called the police—he was arrested this morning for causing a disturbance!"

  Thank you for reading.

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