That night, I couldn't sleep.
All I could see was the flash — and the version of me who looked like he belonged in that room.
I tried to shake it off. Told myself it wasn't real. That the Institute was planting things in my head again.
But when I finally fell asleep, I dreamed.
I saw Lena.
Standing in front of a mirror.
Whispering something I couldn't hear.
Then she turned and looked at me.
Only, it wasn't really me.
It was the other me.
The one who worked for them.
She smiled.
Then the dream ended.
I woke up sweating.
The next day, I found Lena alone by her locker.
"You okay?" I asked.
She looked at me. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
I hesitated. "I saw you last night."
Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"In a dream. Or a flash. I don't know which."
She shut her locker. "What did you see?"
I looked around to make sure no one was listening.
Then I told her.
When I finished, she was quiet for a long time.
Then she whispered, "That was real."
I blinked. "What?"
She looked down. "I've been having those moments. Like pieces of my past are coming back."
I swallowed. "What kind of moments?"
She met my eyes.
"The ones where I almost chose them."