DEJA VU: ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴍʙʀᴇʟʟᴀ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ || 𝗧𝗨𝗔

01

𝙺𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚎'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅.

This map is seriously messed up. I mean, honestly, how hard can it be to follow some simple instructions? Left, 0.8 kilometers, Donut store, cross the street, 0.381 kilometers, destination. Piece of cake, right? Except I'm standing here feeling utterly lost.

I'm not exactly a navigation genius, but I'm no dunce either. Armed with my trusty beauty magazine and that irresistible chocolate donut, because let's face it, a girl's got priorities. I've been wandering around for what feels like ages, and what do I find myself doing? Back at square one, reading some random newspaper just lying there.

And there it is, the bench where my misadventure began, taunting me. Serenely perched on top is a pristine cup of coffee, a charming bouquet accompanying it. You know, on days like these, opportunities ought to be seized when they're served on a silver platter, right?

Oh, who am I kidding? It's not like the universe is offering me a do-over. So, yeah, I took it. Snagged that bouquet faster than you could say "directionally challenged." And honestly, who gives a hoot? If Mr. Flowers-and-Coffee can casually buy a bouquet that I secretly covet (seriously, when was the last time anyone ever thought of getting me flowers?), then he's got the means to get more. And no, I'm not feeling guilty about it.

So there you have it. One messed-up map, a stolen bouquet, and me, Katherine Hargreeves, queen of navigational mishaps and impromptu flower heists. Life's weird sometimes, isn't it?

To be honest, I'm giving up. I'm just going to get on the bus and that's it. I hummed softly, reading about the guy who was seen with multiple knives and was sent to an asylum. Dangerous people and their knives.

I started walking away as the man began yelling that someone had stolen his newspaper. Disturbing this peaceful day and the birds singing such an asshole.

As I strolled along, lost in thought, I couldn't help but shake my head at the absurdity of it all. The man yelling about his stolen newspaper seemed so trivial compared to the chilling stories I had just read. I rolled my eyes at his entitled complaints, disturbed by how he could disrupt the peaceful symphony of the day and the birds' melodious chorus.

Suddenly, a collision disrupted my reverie, jolting me back to reality. I stumbled backward, caught off guard by the unexpected impact. A soft gasp escaped my lips as my eyes widened, and I instinctively tried to regain my balance. My donut clutched in my hand, slipped from my grasp and tumbled to the ground, its sugary perfection shattered in an instant.

An apologetic voice broke through the haze of confusion that surrounded me. "I'm so sorry," the voice said, tinged with genuine remorse. I blinked, my gaze slowly lifting from the ruins of my doughnut to the person who had inadvertently disrupted my peaceful stroll.

As my eyes met his, time seemed to momentarily stand still. There was an intensity in his gaze, a mix of disbelief and recognition that sent a shiver down my spine. His features were etched with a familiarity that I couldn't quite place, as though I had seen him in a dream or a distant memory.

And then it hit me — his face was etched into my mind from long ago, a fragment of a puzzle I had forgotten. The connection was just out of reach, like a whisper of a forgotten melody that eluded my grasp.

"Katherine?" he murmured, his voice barely audible as he continued to study me, his disbelief evident in the furrow of his brow and the uncertainty in his eyes. His voice carried a weight of emotion, as though he had stumbled upon something thought to be lost forever.

I tried to summon words, to respond to his familiarity, but my mind was a blank canvas, the memories he seemed to evoke remaining stubbornly hidden. "I'm sorry," I managed to utter, my voice a fragile thread of sound. "Do I... do I know you?"

His expression flickered, a mixture of surprise and something deeper, something that seemed to twist in his chest. "It's been a while," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "But I could never forget you."

My heart quickened at his words, a strange fluttering sensation taking hold within me. There was a connection between us, a bond that transcended the limits of my conscious memory. As he stood before me, an enigma of the past and the present, I felt a surge of curiosity and longing, a desire to uncover the truth that lay dormant within my mind.

The world around us continued to buzz and hum with life, but in that moment, it was as if only he and I existed, caught in a dance of forgotten memories and untold stories. With a hesitant smile, I extended a hand toward him, an unspoken invitation to bridge the gap between our past and present.

"I may not remember," I began, my voice steady despite the uncertainty that lingered in the air, "but perhaps you can help me fill in the gaps. I'm Katie Hargreeves. You can call me Katie though, Nice to meet you," I introduced myself, offering a polite smile. My voice held warmth, an attempt to bridge the awkwardness of the situation. My name was familiar, a hint of déjà vu lurking just beyond my grasp, but the moment slipped away like grains of sand through my fingers.

"No... You're... Katherine," he whispered, his words shattering the delicate veneer of the ordinary. His voice trembled, his disbelief palpable. I watched as his gaze flickered, as though he were trying to reconcile the figure before him with someone he knew from another lifetime.