Project Eliora

-WAKE UP-

I opened my eyes, and I was back on my bed, as always. There was this genuine sense of exhaustion I felt, which made me want to spend the rest of the day just laying on my bed. Reuben, however, said that he would be here in the morning, so I was meant to expect him soon, although I was not sure how he would find out where I live.

It was annoying, though, so I forced myself off my comfortable mattress and trudged into the bathroom for a well-deserved hot shower that took about ten minutes. I came out refreshed and searched through my wardrobe, finding a green-patterned shirt with black trousers, which I wore.

The next thing I did was lay face up on my bed and relax. I was not sure how long I would remain like that, but I soon heard a knock on my door.

“Elisa?”

The door opened to reveal my mom standing there.

“Yes, mom”

I said this as I sat in an upright position.

“You are going to be late for school; what are you still doing?”

“Sorry, mom, but I don’t feel so good. Can I stay home today?”

She walked over to me wearing a worried expression, and she placed her hand on my forehead, checking my temperature. This was the route I was taking so that I could stay home and wait for Reuben.

“You do not feel hot, though.”

“I know, but I don’t feel so great.”

“Alright, how about we go to the hospital for a check-up then?”

“Well, one of my friends is coming over to check up on me.”

I could see the scepticism in her eyes.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“I am sorry.”

The sound of a bell faintly ringing caught both of our attention.

“That must be him.”

I stood up from my bed, acting as if I struggled a bit to do so, to give more credibility to my illness. I went down the stairs, and I arrived at the front door, opening it to see Reuben.

“What’s up?”

“Great, the story I am going with is that I am sick and you came to check up on me, so stick to that narrative.”

He sighed as I invited him and saw my mom now standing on the stairs.

“Good morning”

“Good morning to you too.”

She said, but I could not read her expression outright.

“This is Reuben, a friend from school.”

I grabbed him by the arm after the quick introduction and led him upstairs as I walked by my mom, then closed the door behind us as we entered my room.

“So, have you gotten a hold of yourself?”

He said this as he walked around the room, looking around.

“For the meantime,”

I proceeded to sit on my bed and look up at him.

“We need to figure out how long you have been like this.”

“After giving it much thought, I will say that this is the sixth loop that I can remember.”

“Sixth loop? Can you remember anything from the first loop? I reckon our answer will lie there.”

I was about to say something before I heard a knock on my door, and it opened to reveal my mom, and I could see the silhouette of someone standing behind her.

“Elisa, a minute.”

I stood up from my bed and walked out of the room, leaving Reuben behind for the moment. As I exited, I noticed that she was visibly angry, crossing her arms and wearing a scowl on her face.

“The fact that you say you are sick does not give you the right to allow a random person to come into this house and into your room.”

Well, she was right about that. It seemed my plan had a lot of flaws, and this would be a potential problem.

“He just came to take care of me.”

“Take care of you? Are you hearing what you are saying?”

My dad scolded me, which was something he rarely did.

“Send him home now.”

Shit. I needed to think of something because this clearly was not working.

A thought then crossed my mind, and it was as if time stood still. I felt a chill along my spine. This idea was one that I could not possibly do, but it was an option.

I could kill them.

It was a simple way to solve this situation, but what was I thinking? Even though I knew they would be back in the next loop with no knowledge about what I had done, they were still my parents, and I refused to do something like that. There had to be another, and I was going to find it.

“Ten minutes”

“What?”

“Ten minutes”

I said it again, even louder. My parents both gave me startled looks, as they clearly did not expect me to make such a request.

“Elisa, honey, what’s going on?”

My mom asked, concern etched on her face.

“I just need ten minutes with him, please. I’ll accept any punishment later.”

I pleaded, my desperation clear. My dad hesitated for a moment before placing a hand on my mom’s shoulder and nodding at me.

“Okay, ten minutes. But we need to have a long talk after this, Elisa.”

I watched as they both retreated downstairs, and I let out a sigh of relief. This situation was far messier than I wanted it to be.

Entering the room, I saw Reuben lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I closed the door behind me and wanted to resume where we had left off.

“I could have killed them, you know.”

He said it nonchalantly without looking at me.

“I know, it crossed my mind, but that is not something I am willing to do.”

“Is that so?”

He then sat up on the bed and stared at me, putting me on the spot.

“If you were in a world without consequences, what would you do?”

I see what he is trying to do.

“I would do anything I wanted to.”

He seemed to relax a bit upon hearing my answer, as I had supported what he was trying to insinuate, but that was not what I wanted to believe. I, however, decided to keep that to myself, as there were more pressing issues on the ground. But first

“You mentioned that memories change with each loop, but I still am with the same family, so I will assume that they are really my family and not fabricated, aren’t they?”

“That is right. Relationships and some emotions are unchanged.”

I see. Well, I was glad that was the case.

“You asked if I remember anything from the first day? Well, I have been trying to”

“I see”

“There was something very important I meant to ask you.”

For some reason, I just accepted it without questioning why or how it was possible.

“How did you get powers?”

It appears that we are both immune to the loop’s effects, and since he is gifted with abilities, it makes sense that I would be as well. However, for some reason, I felt this was not the case, and I had many theories in my head as to why, from having special blood, gene, or incident to something crazier than all that. Although there were countless possibilities, I wanted to confirm this from him.

My intrigue in the matter began to waver, however, as he remained silent and refused to answer that question.

“What’s wrong?”

“It is complicated.”

I see he did not answer my question, but why?

“Could it be that the old man was right?”

I said to myself, but that struck a chord, and my face lit up in realisation.

“I remember something.”

As I said this, Reuben looked intrigued and drawn in, his attention devoted to what I had to say.

“Some loops ago, I had a weird conversation with one of my neighbours, an old man.”

“Define weird”

“Well, we were the only ones around, and we were surrounded by endless darkness, like we were in the middle of a void. Then there is the fact that he knew my name as well.”

I noticed Reuben clenching his fist tightly, and the boiling anger in his face was clear as his teeth were grinding against each other.

“That is the clue we need.”

He said this as he stood up from my bed and walked to the front door, stopping and turning back to me.

“Come and show me this old man.”

A cold shiver went up my spine as he said this with a cold gaze.

I stood up and followed him out of the room, and as we came down the stairs, I spotted my parents in the middle of what seemed to be a serious conversation. Immediately upon noticing us, they stood up, and I could feel the tension rising.

“I am going to walk him down the street; I will be back soon after.”

I could feel their eyes locked on me as I and Reuben walked out of the house.

“So where to?”

Reuben glared at me with what I assumed was murderous intent.

I had no way to find the old man, but I have since seen his son tending to the little garden in front of his house, which was across and down the street. We walked side by side until we reached the door. I raised my hand to knock but hesitated.

“Don’t do anything rash.”

“That depends on if he is compliant.”

A quick look at him would easily reveal that he was probably a walking time bomb; it made me wonder if I should have even brought him along. But there was no going back now. I raised my hand and knocked on the door twice, the sound echoing loudly in the quiet neighbourhood. We both stood there, waiting for a response, unsure of what would come next.

The wait was not long, as when the door opened, a young man holding a glass cup was visible. He was casually attired in a shirt and shorts. I recognised him as the old man’s son from the other day. He gave us a quick glance.

“Hello, what brings you here?”

Before I could respond, Reuben stepped forward and confronted the man, standing just inches away from him.

“We’re here to talk to the old man who lives here.”

The young man seemed taken aback.

“Who are you?”

Sensing the tension, I intervened and pulled Reuben away so that I could address the man instead.

“I am sorry for my friend’s behaviour; he is going through so many issues.”

I said this as I gave Reuben a side eye before continuing.

“I am one of your neighbours from the house over there, and my parents asked me to introduce myself to you and your father.”

I even pointed at our house, but I noticed the hint of suspicion that he gave off.

“I am sorry, but I will still have to ask you to leave. If I recall, the Nunez live there, and I do know they have a daughter, but how about I go over there another time to greet you all?”

“Please, it is important we speak with your father.”

I said this as I tried pleading with him, but he turned a deaf ear and began closing the door. Reuben suddenly punched the young man in the face, knocking him to the ground. I watched in shock and horror as Reuben shoved past me and stormed inside the house despite my cries of protest.

“REUBEN”

I begged him to stop, but he seemed adamant about getting his way.

“We have tried this your way, Elisa; now it is my turn.”

Reuben exclaimed while standing over the young man, who was still struggling to recover from the blow. Feeling powerless and frightened, I could only watch in horror as Reuben picked the young man up by his collar with both hands and threw him across the room, causing him to crash into a cabinet and shatter it to pieces. I was unable to determine whether the young man was unconscious or worse, as he lay motionless on the ground.

I was unable to handle the situation, and all I could do was stand there in utter terror while wondering what would happen next.

A young woman suddenly burst into view, probably attracted by the uproar. She gave us a quick glance before turning to look at the lying, unconscious man. I saw the realisation dawn in her eyes.

“Colby”

She took a few steps back, trembling and clearly terrified by what she had just seen.

“Who are you people? If you don’t leave right now, I’ll call the cops.”

She stammered. Her fear was palpable, and I could sense her desperation to protect this person that she knew. I realised then how reckless and dangerous Reuben’s actions had been as he loomed over the woman, who was paralysed in fear as he approached. Suddenly, she made an attempt to grab a wooden plank from the broken cabinet and aimed to strike him with it.

Reuben quickly reached out and grabbed her hand, putting an end to the assault. She started to scream and struggle against his hold, but it was futile. Without warning, Reuben landed a hard punch to her head, causing her to collapse to the ground, unconscious.

I could only watch in horror as everything unfolded before me, my hands shaking uncontrollably with fear. I was speechless because I had never seen this side of Reuben before. My rage increased as he strode past me, leaving the unconscious woman behind. I marched over to him, clenching my fists in anger.

“What the hell is wrong with you? We didn’t have to do that!”

I shouted, and Reuben stopped in his tracks and turned to face me.

“Elisa, there’s something you still don’t understand.”

He spoke in a low, menacing voice.

“You’re free to do whatever you want here because there are no consequences.”

He approached me, his demeanour now calm and collected.

“It makes no difference what I do here. Everyone is brought back to life with no memory of what occurred.”

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

That was what I meant to say when he asked me that question about a world without consequences. I couldn’t bear to look at him as I spoke.

“If I were to kill someone here, they may not remember it, but I would. I would carry that guilt with me forever. I would always see myself as a murderer.”

We were startled by the sound of movement and turned to see the elderly man frozen in the doorway. He appeared to be in shock and had likely been standing there for some time. Reuben strode over to the man and grabbed him by the collar, easily lifting him off the ground as his expression turned even more menacing.

“Start talking”

The old man’s eyes darted nervously between us as he struggled to find the words. Even though I was aware that their memories would be erased and they would never remember anything, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him and the others trapped in this place.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He stammered, his voice trembling. Reuben growled, tightening his hold on the man’s collar.

“I want you to tell me where Eliora is.”

The old man’s eyes widened in fear, and he finally managed to find his voice.

“I don’t know who that is, I swear. Please, just let me go.”

Eliora

Who is that?

My mind was jolted as I realised I was back in the dark void. I looked around me, but nothing caught my eye. I attempted to scream, but the sound just reverberated through the emptiness. Fear crept over me, and my heart started pounding in my chest.

“Elisa”

I recognised that voice and turned around to find my mom behind me. That did not make any sense. How was she here?

“Mum?”

She nodded her head in disagreement. I see, so if that was not her, then who was it?

“Eliora, am I right?”

“You are correct. I am impressed that you have gone this far; this raises my expectations for you.”

I clenched my fist in a fit of rage and began lashing out.

“What is going on here? Why is this happening? I need you to answer my questions!”

“Your friend hasn’t yet told you, hasn’t he?”

“Told me what?”

“What is really going on here?”

I was about to respond but could not say anything since I knew she was right. Reuben had not told me a lot of things, but he mentioned it was because he wanted to ease me into things, so should I really be mad at her for not telling me as well?

“All I would say is that you should trust me; I am on your side here.”

What did she mean by that?

“Trust you, why? Reuben is desperately searching for you, which means you did something that is worth all of his wrath. I cannot just trust you on your word.”

Her expression turned solemn, and she spoke softly.

“I understand your hesitation, Elisa. Right now, I have no way to assure you that I’m telling the truth. But soon, you’ll see for yourself. Until then, farewell.”

I could sense the sincerity in her voice, and I knew that she was being genuine. However, I still couldn’t help but feel a sense of apprehension.

“Wait”

I found myself back at the house, with Reuben now looking at me as he still held the old man.

“What is wrong?”

As I tried to gather my thoughts, the pain in my head intensified. I winced, closing my eyes briefly before answering Reuben.

“I was in the void again.”

Reuben’s expression softened as he lowered the old man back onto the ground. He approached me and put his hands on my shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am.”

He seemed to calm down after hearing this.

“The person I met in the void was Eliora; it seems she can appear as anyone.”

“So it is not him?”

His eyes were on the old man, who was coughing and grasping for air as he crawled towards the other two people, who were unconscious.

“No, it is not him, so what are you going to do now? Go over to the next house and terrorise their entire household.”

My voice was filled with anger, but he responded with a tone that matched mine.

“I am trying to find the person responsible and put an end to all this.”

“And you think that gives you the right to do anything here?”

“Yes, it does; whatever I do is nothing compared to what has happened already.”

My emotions were overwhelming, and I needed a moment to gather myself.

“I think I need some time alone.”

I said it softly, but I looked down at my feet as the ground began shaking.

“What the hell?”

Upon checking my phone, I learned that it was just a few minutes after noon. I followed Reuben since he was already moving outside. My attention kept returning to the old man holding his family close to him as we left the house. Tears streamed down his face, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of profound sorrow wash over me. Despite my emotions, I knew that we had to stay focused on the task at hand. So, I quickly regained my composure and caught up with Reuben.

The lightning in the clouds grew brighter and more intense as the once-sunny sky turned dark and stormy.

“Get to safety.”

Reuben said, urging me to leave, and without hesitation, I started to walk away. But before I could get too far, a loud noise caught my attention, and I turned back to see multiple bolts of lightning striking the ground. My entire body experienced a sudden surge of electricity, which sent me into an uncontrollable convulsion. The pain was unbearable, and I felt as if my whole being was being torn apart.

I lost all sense of direction as everything went black.