Chasing Shadows
The Final Countdown
Scene: Graduation Day
Lila stands nervously backstage, glancing out at the audience filling the auditorium. Her heart races, but not just from the excitement of graduating. Today was supposed to be a joyful milestone, but fear gripped her. She had lived this moment twice before—both times ending in her death.
Lila Hart/FL 3rd life
“Today is my graduation day. I should be happy… and I am, especially since my research papers got accepted. I’m going to be the youngest scientist ever. But why do I feel this way? It’s like I’m waiting for something terrible to happen…”
She remembers vividly: In both of her previous lives, the happiest moments were cut short by a mysterious killer. She had no idea who this person was or why they hunted her. Even worse, each reincarnation erased any trace of her previous lives, making it impossible to track her assassin.
Lila Hart/FL 3rd life
“No matter how hard I try, I can’t find that person. Every life, they find me… but how? Why am I even remembering all of this when no one else does? None of it makes sense.”
Taking a deep breath, she decides to push aside her fears. This moment was too important to be overshadowed.
Lila Hart/FL 3rd life
“I’ll put these worries to the side. Today is for celebrating. Let’s take the award.”
She steps forward toward the stage. The applause is deafening. The spotlight shines on her as she approaches the podium…
BOOM.💥
The explosion is sudden, tearing through the stage. In her final moments, as her body disintegrates, one thought haunts her mind.
Lila Hart/FL 3rd life
“They didn’t just want to kill me… They wanted to erase me completely. But why? Maybe they knew about the recordings. I’ve been collecting evidence with each life, hoping to find a common trait among all the reincarnations. Maybe, just maybe… this time, there will be something that helps me find them in my next life.”
Scene: The Fourth Life Begins
She wakes up in a new body. The world around her feels unfamiliar, yet familiar. This time, she isn’t alone.
Nora Reed/FL 4th life
“This time… I have someone with me.”
She looks over and sees her twin sister—older, protective, and always by her side.
Veil of Deception
Content Warning: This chapter contains themes of violence and sensitive content, including descriptions of crime scenes and disturbing imagery. Reader discretion is advised.
Life began anew, as it always did, with the helplessness of a newborn. Unable to speak, walk, or even move, the only thing she could do was cry—or laugh, as her parents would coax her. But this time, something was different. She wasn’t alone, left to gaze at the ceiling in solitude.
The face of someone who looked just like her was always there, lying beside her in the crib. This was new. Every previous reincarnation had begun with her reflecting on past lives, piecing together fragments of memory before moving on. Her parents kept her occupied with their chatter, preventing her from dwelling too long on her own thoughts. This time, however, her twin sister introduced a new dynamic.
Even though her twin was technically older, she was the one with the mental experience of past lives. She felt a deep sense of responsibility for her twin, watching over her as she grew. Despite her own fears and nightmares, her twin sister was always there, never leaving her side. They shared everything, even the same room. But as they reached high school, something changed.
Her sister began to act strangely.
Nora Reed/FL 4th life
“I didn’t know what was wrong. I tried asking her, but she ignored me. Maybe I was being too clingy… She’s a teenager, after all. Everyone needs space during this time.”
She gave her sister space, never suspecting that something far more sinister was at play. That is, until the day she came home to a shocking scene.
Their parents were dead, their bodies found in a disturbing and violent state. Her twin sister stood amidst the scene, visibly distressed and covered in blood.
Lora Reed/FL Twin
I thought of ending this sooner so you wouldn’t discover it. I didn’t want you to find me.
Her twin’s voice was calm yet chilling.
Lora Reed/FL Twin
Now that you’ve seen my face, it will be easier for you to find me in every life. I should have resolved this sooner… but I never expected us to be born together again.
Nora stood frozen in shock, unable to process the truth. Her loving, caring sister had been behind the violence across multiple lifetimes. She had finally discovered the truth—but it came at a devastating cost.
And then, her sister took her life.
Scene: The Fifth Life Begins
Nora wakes up in a new body, her memories of the previous life clear in her mind. This time, she isn’t as hopeful as before. The answers had come, but at a heart-wrenching price. Her twin sister, her killer, had been hiding in plain sight all along.
Nora Reed/FL 4th life
“This wasn’t the answer I wanted. But now I know. In this life, I’ll find her before she finds me. She doesn’t remember her past lives until she reaches a certain age, but I do. If I can get to her first… maybe this time, I can end this cycle.”
Nora spends the first year of her fifth life contemplating her strategy. But fate has other plans. She is born to a single mother, too young to care for a child. Her mother, with no other options, leaves her at an orphanage. Though the situation is difficult, the Maya understands.
Maya Cole/FL 5th life
“She didn’t let me die on the street, and she didn’t abuse me. She made a choice, one I can understand as someone who has lived through life. It’s her life, her decision. But now, I have my own mission. I just hope I find her soon.”
And so, the fifth life begins—with a new determination to stop the killer before the cycle repeats again.
Echoes of the Past
Maya’s fifth life had already been different from the others. She didn’t have the warmth of a family this time; instead, the cold walls of the orphanage surrounded her. But she wasn’t lost in despair—she had a mission. She remembered Lora’s haunting words: “Once you have seen my face, you can find me.” Maya knew that Lora couldn’t hide from her now, no matter what form she took. All she had to do was wait and recognize the signs.
The orphanage was a place of routine and noise—children running, staff yelling, laughter mixing with tears. Maya, however, observed everything quietly. She wasn’t like the others. Her mind was always racing, plotting, trying to piece together clues from her past lives. She knew she had to stay vigilant. She didn’t have the luxury of childhood anymore. Not in this life. Not after everything.
One day, while the children were playing outside, Maya’s attention was drawn to a boy who had just arrived at the orphanage. He looked about her age, maybe a little older, with messy brown hair and striking green eyes. The moment she saw him, her heart skipped a beat.
Maya Cole/FL 5th life
“It can’t be…”
Memories flooded her mind. Memories of a life she had lived years ago, as another person entirely. In her second life, she had been married to a man named Ethan Blake. It was a brief life, filled with happiness until it was tragically cut short. But the love she had felt for him… that was something she could never forget.
Maya’s breath caught as the boy glanced her way. Could it really be him? Ethan? Reincarnated just like her?
She hesitated for a moment before approaching him. His presence stirred something deep within her, a mix of hope and fear. If he was truly Ethan Blake, what did that mean for her now? Was this a chance for redemption, or just another cruel twist of fate?
Maya Cole/FL 5th life
Hi… I’m Maya
The boy looked up, meeting her gaze. There was no recognition in his eyes, just the guarded look of someone trying to figure out his new surroundings.
Maya’s mind raced. She wondered if he, too, would regain memories of their past life together. Would he remember her? Their love? Or was he destined to remain a stranger in this life?
Maya couldn’t afford to dwell on the past, though. She had to stay focused on her mission: finding Lora. But now, Lucas’s presence complicated everything. Could she involve him in her search for answers? Or was it too dangerous to bring him into the nightmare that had followed her through so many lives?
The days at the orphanage passed in a blur. Maya kept a close eye on Lucas, hoping for any sign of recognition, but it never came. Still, she couldn’t help but feel drawn to him, just as she had in her second life. It was as if some invisible thread connected them across time.
Late one night, unable to sleep, Maya lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind wandered back to her second life, to the moments she had shared with Lucas. It had been a short life, but a sweet one. She remembered the warmth of his embrace, the way he would smile at her, and the sound of his voice whispering promises of forever.
They had been happy once… before everything fell apart.
Maya clenched her fists. She couldn’t let herself get distracted. She had a goal. She had to find Lora and stop this cycle of violence before it began again. But with Lucas here, so close yet so far, it was harder than ever to focus on the task at hand.
Maya Cole/FL 5th life
“I can’t let him get hurt again. Not this time. I won’t let anyone take him from me.”
But even as she made that vow to herself, Maya couldn’t shake the feeling that fate had other plans for them.
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