Nadia sat on her bed hugging her knees to her chest. The family meeting had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. Xavier and Margo were already different; talking about stuff that never happened but somehow did. She knew Mae wanted her memories back too.

  She’d said no right away when Dad asked, but now she wasn’t so sure. Everyone kept giving her these looks, like they knew something she didn’t. It made her feel like a little kid, even though she was thirteen.

  A knock on her door broke her thoughts.

  “Come in,” she called.

  Dad walked in with two cups of hot chocolate with the little marshmallows she liked. Even with all the crazy stuff happening, seeing the marshmallows made her smile.

  “Thought you might want something sweet,” he said, giving her a mug. “Your mom always says chocolate helps when you’re thinking hard about stuff.”

  “Thanks,” she said, wrapping her hands around the warm cup. “Is it that obvious?”

  He sat next to her. “You’ve been really quiet. And you keep watching everyone like you’re trying to figure something out.”

  “I feel weird being left out,” she admitted. “But I’m also scared. You guys talk about The Fall like it just happened, but for me it’s just stories. Really, really bad stories.”

  Her dad nodded. “Being scared makes sense, Nadia. I’d be worried if you weren’t.”

  She took a sip of her hot chocolate. “In that other time... was I really a fighter? Like, on the front lines?”

  “You were amazing,” he said, his voice full of pride. “You chose the Warrior class right away and trained with Uncle Micah…oops just another friend of ours. You were on the front lines protecting everyone. But you were also the most stubborn kid I had; always wanting to do things the right way. You kept order.”

  Nadia couldn’t help smiling. That sounded like her.

  “Dad,” she said after drinking some more hot chocolate, “I think I want to do it now. I want to remember.”

  His eyebrows went up. “Are you sure? You don’t have to rush, Nadia. The memories aren’t nice ones.”

  “I’m sure,” she said, putting her mug down hard. “Everyone else is moving forward, and I’m just sitting here not knowing anything. I need to understand what we’re fighting for.”

  Her father nodded. “If you’re sure, we can do it now. But I need you to know what you’re getting into. You’ll get years of memories all at once, including some really bad stuff. You’ll remember dying, Nadia.”

  Nadia felt a chill go through her whole body. Even though she was trying to be brave, she couldn’t help feeling scared. “How did I die?”

  Her father sighed deeply, a deep sadness crossing his face.

  “You were protecting your mom and some healers from these monsters called Ruinous Apes. It was really brave, but...” his voice got shaky, “it was horrible to watch as your dad.”

  Nadia took a deep breath. “I need to know. I need to understand why everyone’s so scared.”

  “Okay,” he said, setting his mug down. “Lie down and try to relax. This is going to feel weird.”

  She lay back on her bed. Her father put his hand on her forehead, and she felt something cool spreading from where he touched her.

  “Ready?” he asked.

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  “Ready,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

  A purple light came from his fingers, and suddenly Nadia’s head filled with memories—not just pictures or thoughts, but real feelings like she was living it all again.

  She remembered sitting at dinner when the first System message showed up. The fear when the sky broke open and everything went dark. The animals screaming as they transformed into monsters.

  She remembered picking Warrior class right away, even though her parents tried to talk her out of it. Her first kill; a Rabid Dog that almost got Margo. How her hands wouldn’t stop shaking afterwards, drenched in dog blood.

  Memories rapidly rushed through her mind: training with Uncle Micah, the day the lights disappeared, watching people she loved die. Each memory felt so real, with all the feelings that came with them.

  Then came the memory of how she died.

  She was standing with her mom and some healers when the Ruinous Apes broke through the line. They were massive, hulking beasts with muscles that could rip a person in two with barely any effort.

  “Run!” she yelled to the healers, stepping in front of them. She remembered the rush of fighting, swinging her weapon at the first ape, trying to keep it away from her mom.

  But there were too many.

  While fighting the first wave of large beasts, boulder flew from their back line and decimated the warriors of the front line. She realized in that moment she couldn’t stop them all. She had to choose; herself or her mother.

  She made her choice. She charged right at the apes, screaming to draw their attention away from the retreating healers.

  “Nadia, no!” her mom screamed, trying to turn back.

  “Go!” Nadia shouted, her arms getting tired from fighting.

  She remembered how one of the apes broke through her defense and swung its giant fist, sending her flying through the air. The awful crack when she hit the oak tree made her tense her body from the shock. Everything went numb as the world got darker. The last memory she had was of her dad running toward her, his face twisted with pain.

  “Daddy,” she whispered as everything went black.

  In her bedroom, Nadia’s body shook, tears running down her face. Her father held her still, his eyes wet too.

  “You’re safe, baby. You’re home,” he whispered, helping her remember where she was.

  The memories kept coming; being born in this new timeline, growing up again, those weird feelings of Deja vu she sometimes got. And finally, her father returning, trying to change everything.

  When it was over, Nadia’s eyes flew open. She gasped like she’d been underwater. Her body felt wrong; too small, too weak. She was seventeen when she died, and now she was stuck in a thirteen-year-old body again.

  “Dad?” she said, her voice sounding weird to her. “Are we dead?”

  “No, baby. We’re alive, and we’re together,” he said, wiping tears from his smiling face. “How do you feel?”

  Nadia sat up slowly, moving like a soldier, not a kid. “I feel... everything. It’s all there, but it’s so much.” She put her hands on her head. “I remember... dying.”

  “I know, baby. I’m so sorry you had to go through that again.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. I asked you to do it.” She looked at her hands, moving her fingers. “It’s weird. My body feels wrong. Like it should be able to do more.”

  “It will,” he promised. “Your muscles don’t remember yet, but your brain does. You’ll catch up fast. You died one year after The Fall. I returned us to three years before it took place. That’s why you’re all four years younger.”

  Nadia nodded, her face getting serious. “I remember now. I remember everything.”

  Her father smiled, looking both proud and sad. “Welcome back, kiddo.”

  She looked up at him, starting to cry again. “We died, Dad. All of us except you and Maeve.

  “Not this time,” he said, squeezing her hand. “This time, we’re ready. This time, we fight together.”

  Nadia took a deep breath, feeling the old memories mix with her new ones. She was thirteen and seventeen at the same time; a kid and a fighter, innocent and seasoned.

  “I want to train,” she said, still crying but sounding strong. “Like before. I need to be stronger this time.”

  Her father nodded. “Tomorrow, we start. But tonight, you rest and let your mind get used to everything.”

  He started to leave, but she grabbed his sleeve. “Dad?”

  “Yes, baby?”

  “Thanks for coming back for us. For giving us another chance.”

  He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Anytime and Always. I’d break the world for you all.” He said with an unwavering face.

  “For now,” he waved outside the door. “You’ve got visitors!”

  After he walked out, the room exploded in noise as her family rushed in. She cried, hugged and laughed while catching up. It was a surreal experience, she had to admit. For now, however, she needed to speak with someone else.

  “Thanks for waiting for me sis. Dad showed me how you waited. Sorry I…”

  She could barely get the words out before Maeve grabbed her up into a tight embrace. Words weren’t needed to communicate how much they loved each other.

  After the tearful reunion, Nadia made up her mind. This time would be different. This time, she wouldn’t get caught off guard. This time, her family would live.

  She promised herself that she would become stronger than before. She would protect her family no matter what.

  She was Nadia Evans, fighter, daughter of Alexander and Aurora, sister to warriors and magicians. And this time, she wasn’t going to die so easily.

  Now though, she would support her sister.