Echoes of Us

Cecilia walked into a quiet garden. The breeze swayed the trees, and the scent of grass and blooming flowers filled the air. She walked until she reached a waterfall. The crystal-clear water rushing down the cliffside, the sound soft, yet powerful, echoing in her chest, making her remember something she couldn’t quite grasp.

Something about this place called to her. Cecilia couldn’t put her finger on it. As she wandered deeper, the gravel crunched beneath her shoes–until it wasn’t.

Laughter echoed through the air.

It was light, familiar, and fleeing.

Cecilia froze, trying to see where the sound was coming from.

Beyond the flowers and the trees, two girls giggled. One of the voices was hers–and she was sure of it. The other stirred something deeper.

Her steps grew closer, uncertain. She turned toward the sound, but there was no one there. Only the sound of rustling leaves and the distant splash of the waterfall.

But still, she could hear the laughter lingering in her ears. And with it came flashes: two girls running barefoot through the garden, holding hands, with the sun shining in their hair. A whispered secret.

Then–silence.

Cecilia gripped the edge of a wooden bench to steady herself–taking a moment to catch a breath.

“Who are you?” she whispered, unsure if she meant the girl..or herself.

The laughter still lingered within Cecilia’s mind days later. It came to her quiet moments, when she would pass by flower shops, where she would lay in bed staring at the white ceiling. She hadn’t gone back to the garden, though a part of her wanted to. Instead, she found herself at a local library to return a stack of books.

Upon reaching the front desk, someone beside her that was also returning glanced her way and smiled.

“How did you like that book?” the girl asked. “I’m returning the exact one too! It was very devastating to me.”

Cecilia blinked, caught off guard by the familiarity of her voice–soft, light, and oddly comforting.

“I liked it. I wish the ending would’ve been happier. Stories with tragic endings tend to devastate me also”, she replied slowly, looking back at the book.

The girl laughed. “I always say I like it when it makes me cry. I’m Annika, by the way.”

Cecilia looked at her properly then. The sunlight streaming through the library windows caught in Annika’s long brunette hair, and for a split second, a memory resurfaced. Sunlit strands, hands in hers, and laughter echoing in the trees.

“I’m Cecilia,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

They held their gaze a second longer than strangers should. But it wasn’t romantic–it was like recognizing an echo of yourself in someone else.

Breaking off eye contact awkwardly, Annika asked, “So..I’m going to grab a coffee down the street. Did you want to come?”

Cecilia offered a small smile, not knowing if she should go with Annika. Funny thing is, Cecilia had already planned to go there right after.

“Oh, I already planned on going there right after! I haven’t had coffee all morning and my energy levels are down”, she replied surprisingly.

Annika’s smile immediately widened, as if something had aligned. “What a coincidence!” she said with a small laugh.

They both finished returning the rest of their books, walking out the crowded library. The sound of the cars zipping by, along with the buzz of the crowded streets, but somehow, walking alongside Annika made everything feel quieter.

They had reached the coffee shop tucked in between two buildings, a little bell chiming as they stepped inside. The warm scent of coffee beans hit Cecilia immediately. Familiar and nostalgic, like her grandmother’s morning brew.

“What is your go-to drink, Cecilia?” Annika asked as they were both waiting in line.

“Caramel Macchiato! What’s yours?” Cecilia replied.

“White chocolate mocha!” Annika answered.

“I used to get that all the time. But for some reason, now that I drink it, it brings a bad taste I can’t explain.” Cecilia shares.

They chatted some more, until it was their turn to order. As soon as they paid for their drinks, Cecilia suggested her favorite seat to sit by. It was by the side of the window, where Cecilia could look outside and people watch. She found this better than sitting at a seat where she’s just staring at a wall.

“Annika, let’s go sit over there!” Cecilia pointed at the table by the windows. They walked over, carrying their hot drinks, making sure to not cause a spill.

“It seems like you’ve been here before,” Annika said, while the both of them take a seat, facing each other.

“Yes! It’s one of my favorite coffee shops!” Cecilia replied. “I come here often to work on my writing. This atmosphere really sets the mood.”

“You’re a writer?” Annika’s face lit up. “That’s awesome! What do you write?”

“I write blogs! Freelance style. It’s so fun. I love to explore the world and write about it, so why not get paid doing so?” Cecilia excitedly shared.

“That’s cool! I’ve always wanted to travel around the world, but life gets in the way, you know?” Annika lightly laughed.

“Yeah, I understand. As a blogger who travels, it gets overwhelming at times, because I tend to get homesick and I forget about my other responsibilities.” Cecilia says. “Enough about me. Tell me about yourself.”

But before Annika starts speaking, Cecilia can’t help but wonder about this girl. If this girl was really her. The same laugh–the laugh she heard in the garden. The same look in her eyes, though the name was different. But what was the name?

“I’m a licensed therapist at Everlight Therapy Center. I specialize in helping young children and teens. Mental health is just as important as physical health.” Annika shared.

“That’s incredible to hear,” Cecilia said, leaning forward a little. “It takes a lot of heart to help others, especially young ones. I think…I think the world needs more of that.”

There’s silence between the two. The kind that hangs–not awkward but weighted. Cecilia took a sip of her hot coffee, but something caught her attention.

A scent.

Soft. Floral. Lavender?

She looked forward, but subtly leaned in. The scent is coming from Annika.

“Lavender. Is that the scent I’m smelling from you?” Cecilia asked, slightly tilting her head.

“Oh yes! My mother says that someone gifted me this years ago, but I’m not sure who.” Annika replied. She pulls out the perfume bottle out of her purse to show Cecilia. A small travel size-bottle, half empty. The glass shined in the sunlight.

Something about it stirred a memory. A flash of a garden. The smell of lavender on warm skin. Laughter carried in the wind. Cecilia envisions the garden, seeing two teenagers–but their faces are a blur.

She blinked, grounding herself in the present.

“The smell brings back someone I used to know.” Cecilia picks up the conversation.

“Really? Who?” Annika asked while sipping her coffee.

“I'm not sure at all.” Her voice trailed off, almost as if speaking the truth felt real. “It keeps coming back to me. Maybe it’ll turn up soon.” Cecilia said.

The girls chat some more, sharing laughter and introspective thoughts. After a couple of minutes, they decide to part ways for the day, but planned to hangout more. They swapped phone numbers just to keep in contact.

Cecilia headed back home to her cozy apartment, working on her blog for work. As she wrote, she can’t help but think about that strange feeling after meeting Annika. Not a romantic feeling, but something far more unsettling and familiar. Deja Vu perhaps?

Why do I feel like I’ve known her? she kept asking herself.

Cecilia rubbed her temples, trying to get back to finishing her blog. Maybe it was nostalgia playing tricks on her. Or maybe it was the perfume. She saved her document, deciding to finish it later.

Meanwhile Annika was curled up on her couch, catching up on her TV show she was meaning to finish. A warm blanket was wrapped around her legs with her cat sleeping beside her. Her apartment was quiet, except the humming of the TV show playing on TV.

She wasn’t really watching it.

Her mind kept circling back to meeting the girl at the library. Cecilia. That name felt so familiar, as if she had said that name before–but when?

She reached back into her purse and takes out the perfume Cecilia mentioned. Annika swifts the liquid around the glass, as if maybe a thought will come back to her.

A couple weeks passed by. Life has gotten busy for both of them. Cecilia, surrounded by half-packed suitcases and coffee-stained notebooks, struggles to keep up with the flow of many travel blogs she has to write. Yet in quiet moments, her thoughts return to Annika, wondering how she’s been.

Annika, on the other hand, has been on an emotional rollercoaster. Her younger patients bring her heartbreak and hope, their stories quietly reshaping her. She pours herself into her work, but the following night, she dreams of something unusual.

In the dream, Annika stood in a small bedroom, painted sky blue. The wallpaper melted into the soft blue walls, as if sky and paper were one. A twin-sized bed sat between the center of the bedroom, neatly made with a fluffy sky-blue blanket. It seems familiar to her, as if she’s been there before. All of a sudden, she hears two teen girls come into the room. They flop onto the cozy bed and start chatting. Annika took a closer look at the girls and one of them seemed to look a lot like Cecilia. Her long black silky hair, worn in a French-braid. Though her hair was not in that style anymore, her face looked very much alike to the Cecilia she sees today. Her double-lidded wide eyes, that were deep brown, her skin that was clear and soft as a baby. These were the features about Cecilia that Annika knew.

The mysterious girl had dark brown hair, a little part of her hair was braided on the side, with the rest flowing out. She had deep-green eyes and a youthful look. Her cheekbones were soft and had a round-like face.

Annika leaned closer, to know what Cecilia and this mysterious girl were talking about. To Annika’s surprise, the mysterious girl didn’t call Cecilia by her name, but a different one.

“Celeste, I have to tell you a secret. But you must promise me not to tell anyone.” the mysterious girl said.

Celeste.

That name struck Annika. Confused, she leaned closer, as if hearing it better would make more sense. Why Celeste? Isn’t that Cecilia? The features were unmistakable, and yet the name was different.

“Sure. What is it?” Celeste said softly.

“You know all my life, I haven’t been the best at opening up to others. And I don’t want you to tell others our secrets, because I’ve never did.” the mysterious girl sighed.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. We’ve been best friends since childhood. Don’t ever be afraid to tell me anything.” Celeste reassured her.

“Erm..okay.” the mysterious girl hesitated. “The thing is, ever since you started hanging out with that new girl at school, we’ve been spending less time together. We hardly text anymore and hangout in school, because I could never find you.” the mysterious girl said, fidgeting her bracelet Celeste and her made together.

Annika's eyes drifted to Anne’s wrist–a blue charm bracelet. That looked exactly like the one Annika had, tucked away in her drawer. She overhears that the mysterious girl’s name is Anne.

“Anne, I’m sorry. Have you really been feeling that way?” Celeste brought out a worried face. “I didn’t mean to be like that. It’s just that the new girl has been asking me to hangout all the time, and I don’t want to disappoint her. Her name is Natalie. Have you guys talked before? She told me she knows you.” Celeste said.

“Now I do.” Anne let out a small smile. Annika sees the smile that barely reached her eyes. “She’s never talked to me before and I hardly see her.” Anne said while getting up and walking around the room.

“Maybe we all three should hang out sometime.” Celeste mentioned. “That way, we can be like a group.” She looked at Anne and smiled. Celeste reached her arms open to embrace Anne with a hug. She knew Anne feels better with hugs.

Annika watched the girls with unease, she feels her chest tightening, as if a forgotten feeling of grief has resurfaced. The dream ends there, with the girls exiting the room together, Annika hoping their friendship will last. It then flashed back to the present, back to Annika.

Annika woke up after that dream, with the sunlight hitting her eyes. She tried not to think too much about the dream she had and just continued her day. Her goal was to clean her apartment, since it's been a wreck lately. She cleaned the living room; dusted the tables, shelves, and vacuumed the carpets. She went onto the kitchen, cleaned the countertops, stove, and mopping the floor. She cleaned the bathroom, mopped the floor, disinfected the sinks, tub and toilet. The last room was her bedroom. While straightening out her drawers, she paused. There, beneath a pile of scarves and unused jewelry, was a bracelet she barely remembered buying.

It was exactly how she saw it, a blue charm bracelet. Delicate and simple. Similar to what Anne in the dream was wearing. Annika stared at it, turning it over in her palm. She had picked it up at a gift shop several months ago. It had felt special at the time, although she couldn't explain why. Now she was wondering if it found her for a reason.

With a chilly feeling ran up her spine, Annika stood in silence, trying to put pieces together. Something about it felt connected. Not just to the dream, but something deeper.

She only knew the beginning but was searching for the deeper meaning behind Anne and Celeste. Annika gets interrupted by the buzzing of her phone on her nightstand. Her phone lights up.

A text message from Cecilia. It read, “Hey Annika! It’s been a while. There's a boardwalk happening this evening if you would like to join me.”

“I would love to! I’ll see you then!” Annika replied back.

“Great! I’ll wait for you by the entrance!” Cecilia said.

Evening approached. Both of them are ready to head out. The weather was cool and breezy, just like on every evening, so it was the perfect weather for walking. Cecilia arrived at the place first, stepping out of her car and waiting for Annika at the entrance. She takes a deep breath, enjoying the salty breeze in the air. Then she sees Annika walking from the parking lot.

But then, Cecilia froze.

It’s not Annika she saw at first.

For a split second, it’s someone else.

The girl’s features flicker in Cecilia’s eyes. Dark brown hair, a side braid, a familiar round face and deep-green eyes. The vision hovers around Annika, like a ghostly outline over her body, before vanishing all together.

Cecilia blinked hard. Twice. She rubbed her eyes with her hand, hoping she’s just seeing things.

It’s just Annika now, waving casually as she approaches.

But Cecilia knows that face, being achingly familiar. She’s seen it before. Like someone from a dream she forgot too soon.

A feeling lingers. Not fear. Not deja vu. Something else.

“Let’s go on in.” Cecilia said as Annika arrived.

They both enjoy the long walk, with the breeze running through their hair. They sit side by side, watching the soft waves shimmer under the boardwalk lights. For a while, neither says anything. Just the sound of the breeze and distant laughter among the crowd.

Annika broke the silence first.

“Have you ever had dreams where it felt too real?” she asked, her voice low.

Cecilia glances over. “Like nightmares?”

Annika shakes her head. “Not scary. Just familiar. Like you lived them before.”

Cecilia hummed thoughtfully, looking out to the view. “Sometimes..why do you ask?”

Annika looked down at the bracelet on her wrist, tracing one of the charms with her finger.

“Ever since I met you, I’ve been having these weird dreams. A girl named Celeste and Anne. They were close, like sisters.” she paused, feeling silly she even said that. “I know this sounds weird. But the way they talked, the things they did..it felt like I was one of them.”

Cecilia slightly stiffens at that name. “What did they look like?” she asked.

She prayed that the girl she envisioned earlier in Annika wasn’t one of them.

“Well..Celeste had long black silky hair, worn in a French-braid. She has double-lidded wide eyes that were deep brown, her skin that was soft and clear.” Annika explained. “Anne had dark brown hair, a side braid, a soft-round, youthful face and deep-green eyes.”

Cecilia was right. Anne was the one that she envisioned in Annika like a fading memory. And Celeste..felt like someone she knew or was a part of her.

“Celeste..I haven’t heard that name in centuries, but I know it’s like mine. She clutched her arms, trembling. “I think... I was her. I don’t know how I know, but hearing you say it—it brought something back. Something heavy. I think I’ve been carrying it all this time without knowing why.”

Annika doesn’t speak at first.

“But how?” She asked. “How can that be?”

Cecilia closed her eyes, as if trying to see something buried deep within.

“I don’t know. But I think..something brought us back for a reason.

And for a long moment, neither of them spoke. Because the past had just begun to resurface.