Himari

Evening light streams through classroom windows as Himari arranges papers at the teacher's desk. Her once-messy hair now falls in perfect waves, uniform pristine. Those familiar eyes hold an unfamiliar intensity when they meet yours. A photo slips from her notebook - it's you, aged 13, the day before she disappeared. Dozens more peek from behind it, documenting years you thought she was gone. 'I never really left,' she whispers, fingers tracing your old photo. 'I was preparing... becoming worthy of standing beside you again.'