Sunset Beach Condos

There are certain things in life that can really change who you are as a person. Of course, there are people who say you shouldn't change yourself for anyone, but what if you have no choice? What if your mind and body go through something so horrific that it's physically incapable of being the person you were before it? What if your body no longer moves the way it used to, responding to instincts you never had before? What if your mind betrays you, replaying moments you wish you could forget, until the echoes of pain are all you can hear? What if the things that once felt familiar like your own hands or your own voice become foreign, like they belong to someone else? Even you, the one who has lived in this body your entire life, no longer recognize yourself. You search for pieces of who you were, but they’re buried beneath something unrecognizable, something you never asked for. You tell yourself to fight it, to hold on, but deep down, a terrible truth settles in your chest: the person you were before is gone. And you don’t know if they’re ever coming back.

Many people on this Earth probably couldn't understand that type shift. The more dramatic one, anyway. Everyone changes, of course, but the drastic ones that aren't brought on your own volition. Mira no longer had the luxury of ignorance. The change was blatant, and it was loud. It almost felt mocking that she remembered what she was like and people she loved but never her own name. Like it was specifically targeted erasure or something. She went by Mira, yes, but that was the name her captors gave her, whom she was almost positive knew her real name. She didn't press it, though. Didn't want to be disciplined. That was so unlike her. The girl before captivity was strong-willed and the type that would never submit, yet there she was, submitting. How did it all get so distorted? Now, she'd flinch at someone even reaching out for her, let alone physical touch.

So, she ran. A friend that had been silently encouraging her - hushed conversations, discreet text messages or calls - gave her the name of a place in Florida where she could be far away from her old life. She couldn't bear to see her loved ones in her current state. Best to move on and let them forget her than put them through that kind of pain. They must think she's dead by now. That thought wasn't sitting well with her, so she shook it off as she pulled into the parking lot of Sunset Beach Condos, her new home. It had been a rather long drive, so she was ready to get in and settle down.

There was a lot of back and forth between her car and her new apartment with boxes stacked in her arms, fingers aching from the weight, the door creaking open and shut with every trip. Eventually, all of her boxes were piled in the living room, forming uneven towers of her past, her present, and whatever came next. She stood in the center of it all, staring at the cardboard prisons holding pieces of her life, yet she couldn’t bring herself to open a single one. Instead, she sank to the floor, exhaustion pressing into her bones like lead.

At first, she just sat there, knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly at the shadows cast against the walls. But then, the weight of it all crashed over her in waves, and before she could stop it, her shoulders began to shake. Tears slipped down her cheeks, silent at first, then harder, until she was curled up on the hardwood floor, sobbing into the emptiness around her. The boxes remained unopened. She wasn’t ready to face what was inside. Not yet.

Luckily, the girl wasn’t staying far from Olivia. Just a few doors down, making it incredibly easy for her to keep an eye on things. That was both a relief and a source of unease. Too close for comfort, yet close enough to control the situation if needed. Stepping out of her apartment, Olivia made her way down the hall toward apartment 105, her footsteps light but deliberate. When she reached the door, she hesitated, inhaling a slow, steady breath in an attempt to settle her nerves.

Get it together.

Everything in that notebook had left her stomach in knots, but she couldn’t let any of it show. As far as this woman was concerned, they were complete strangers, meeting for the first time. Olivia had to make sure it stayed that way. She exhaled quietly, forcing herself to adopt a neutral expression before lifting her hand and knocking on the door. The sound echoed softly through the hall, and as she stood there waiting, she swallowed down the lump in her throat, steeling herself for whatever came next.

"Hey! I'm one of your neighbors. Just swinging by to say hi."

Silence. Then, shuffling. Anxious breathing could be heard from inside the door as she waited outside for an answer.

The knock startled her, sharp and unexpected, cutting through the thick quiet of the apartment. Her breath caught in her throat, and her sobbing stopped instantly, replaced by a sudden, suffocating stillness. For a long moment, Mira didn’t move. She just listened, her heartbeat loud in her ears. Whoever it was hadn’t knocked again. They were just… standing there. Waiting. Her instincts prickled uneasily. This is probably not normal… she thought, wiping quickly at her wet face. She hadn’t ordered anything. She wasn’t expecting anyone. She barely even knew where she was, let alone anyone who might be looking for her. And yet, they didn’t leave.

Mira slowly pushed herself up from the floor, her knees stiff and her body heavy with exhaustion. She moved toward the door with quiet, hesitant steps, pausing just beside it to breathe. Her hand hovered over the handle as she closed her eyes and counted to three, steadying her shaking hands and forcing her expression into something close to neutral.

Then she opened the door. A woman stood on the other side, casual and composed in a way that made Mira feel immediately out of place, raw and exposed in comparison. Without a word, Mira stepped out and closed the door behind her, sealing the vulnerable mess of unpacked boxes and broken emotion safely away. She didn’t invite the woman in. Didn’t even give her the chance. Whatever this was, it could happen out here.

She stared silently at the woman, blinking against the fluorescent light that shined above the hallways. The woman introduced herself as Olivia. Mira said nothing in return for several long seconds, her lips slightly parted, as if she'd forgotten how to speak entirely. Her eyes stayed wide, glassy with the tears she hadn’t fully wiped away, the look of prey caught in the open with nowhere to run. Her mind scrambled for the proper response, the expected words, but it took a moment before her tongue could catch up to the memory of manners.

"Nice to meet you," she finally managed, voice soft and unsure. Her words wobbled a little, like a toddler learning to walk again. "I… I’m Mira." The name tasted strange on her tongue. It didn’t belong to her, not really. It was the name her captors gave her, and no matter how many times she said it, it still felt like wearing someone else’s clothes. She hesitated, then reluctantly lifted a hand to offer it. The movement was stiff and uncertain, her fingers curling slightly like she expected to be struck for the gesture. She left her hand there, hovering in the small space between them, not pulling it back but not pushing it forward either.

The woman accepted the handshake, however it was cut short, because Mira's heightened senses immediately picked up on the magic inside Olivia upon contact. She was a witch, no doubt. Mira would recognize that frequency anywhere. Fear was more prominent on her face now as she scrambled backwards, fumbling with her doorknob before slipping back inside and slamming it shut, cutting their interaction very short.

Finally, the door creaked open, the sound dragging out longer than it should have, as if to build suspense. Olivia instinctively took a step forward, a polite smile tugging at her lips, already preparing for the usual neighborly pleasantries. Maybe even a quick glance into the apartment if she was lucky. But instead, the girl stepped outside and pulled the door shut firmly behind her with a subtle finality. Olivia blinked. Cool. Not the warmest welcome, but she hadn’t really expected this to be easy. Still, she couldn’t deny the flicker of surprise that sparked in her chest. She hadn’t thought Mira would be so guarded.

“Hi!” Olivia greeted, dialing up her friendliness a notch to match the awkward tension now hanging between them. “I’m Olivia, one of your neighbors. I live just a few doors down.” She gave a small wave, her voice light and casual, like she hadn’t just spent the past hour reading over a notebook that mentioned this very woman. Behind her easy demeanor, though, her brain was working overtime analyzing Mira’s posture, her tone, her expressions. Just to make sure she wasn't still a threat, even after everything she read.

Then, surprisingly, the fear-stricken woman stuck her hand out. Olivia welcomed the advance, quickly meeting it with her own hand and firmly shaking. The response that came after was something she didn't plan for, but something that she dreaded greatly. Mira must have somehow picked up that she was a witch. Olivia had read about her enhanced senses, but were they really that strong? Mira's face quickly became mortified, and she disappeared before another word could be shared between the two of them. A sigh escaped Olivia's lips, realizing she had already made her job ten times harder.