My Past Life Haunts Me!

You Found Me!

         Ashlyn sat in the classroom, staring at the clock. She sighed, thinking about the dream last night and then the conversation with Dean. As the bell rang, Ashlyn packed her bags quickly.

"Hey, do you two want to go catch dinner," Team asked them as he grabbed his bag.

Ashlyn looked at both. "Sorry, I can't. I have plans," she says as they walk down the steps.

Dean stood outside of the building waiting for her.

Team and Pharm stopped as Ashlyn stood in front of Dean. "P'Dean," Pharm said to him.

         Dean stared at Ashlyn quietly as she stared right back. "Mind if I borrow your friend for a bit," he says as he looks to Team and Pharm.

"Not at all," Both said in unison.

Ashlyn watched as Team and Pharm walked away, leaving her alone with Dean. She felt a nervous knot form in her stomach as she turned back to look at Dean. "I would ask if you slept okay, but I have a feeling I know the answer," Dean told her.

Ashlyn nodded softly, "I barely slept since you called."

Dean nodded softly. "I think we should head to my apartment to talk about this," she says to him softly. Dean nodded again, agreeing with her.

Ashlyn walked into her apartment, quietly stepping in to let Dean in. Both of them took off their shoes at the entrance.

"I'll grab us some glasses of water," she says, walking to the kitchen.

         Dean nodded quietly and looked around the living room of her apartment. He looked at the bookshelf, looking at some of her books. He calmly picked up a picture and looked at it. In the photo, Ashlyn stood next to a woman who looked like the older version of Ashlyn. Ashlyn walked back in with the glasses. "Um, that's my mom," she says, moving next to him, "she's one of the sweetest ladies you will ever meet. Makes sure you fed and have a gift on Christmas or your birthday and then tell you not to blame her if you didn't get full because you didn't eat enough." Dean smiled softly, looking at the picture.

"She does sound like a sweet lady," he says.

She smiled, nodding to him. "The only downfall is she will never stop treating me like I'm a kid, but I think that's every mom, in honesty," she says softly.

Dean sat back on the photo and moved to the couch. Ashlyn sat down at the opposite end of the sofa. They both quietly looked down, nervous. "You go first," he said to her.

Ashlyn looked up at him. "Okay," she says softly, "Last night was not the first time I have had these dreams. Well, not exactly those dreams. More of like the kind of flashbacks you have of memories."

Dean listened intently, his eyes locked on Ashlyn. She continued, "They started the day I arrived in Thailand." A tear formed softly in her eyes.

Dean's expression turned serious, "I've had similar dreams too."

         Ashlyn looked at him in shock, more tears forming in her eyes. "I thought maybe it was just me being in a new country, a new way of living," she says softly, "for me, they got worse. I would wake up in cold sweats, crying; some nights, I would wake up and scream out a name, but I could never remember the name. I can only remember hers."

Dean looked at her with shock. "I wake up in sweats some nights wiping my face from tears," he said, taking her hand.

Ashlyn looked down at their joined hands, taking comfort in his touch. "Do you remember anything from your dreams?" she asked him softly.

Dean sighed deeply. "It's all so fragmented. Images, feelings, but no clear memories," he replied, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Ashlyn nodded, her own brow furrowed in thought. "Same here. It's like a puzzle, but all the pieces are scattered, and I can't seem to put them together," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

Ashlyn's eyes widened in surprise as Dean continued, "But I think they're not just any memories. I think they're memories of someone we both knew." He paused for a moment, then said, "Marie."

         Ashlyn's eyes filled with tears as she looked at Dean. "Korn," she says, her voice trembling more as she places a hand lightly on his cheek, and the tears spill down her cheek. Dean took her hand, closing his eyes, not removing her from his cheek as tears spilled down his face.

The two sat there, holding each other, tears streaming down their faces. It was as if a dam had burst, and all the emotions they had suppressed came flooding out. For a long time, they just sat there, holding each other, crying.

Ashlyn finally spoke up, sniffling, "You promised to find me." She moved closer to him.

He looked at her as he removed his hand and softly wiped the tears from her face. "And I found you," he says softly.

She closed her eyes crying again as he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight.

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other's arms. Eventually, Ashlyn pulled away slightly and looked up at Dean. Dean looked at her face wiping the tears away. He stopped leaving both hands on each side of her face. He looked deep into her eyes, staring. He then pulled her face closer to his and softly covered his lips over hers.

         Ashlyn was surprised at first but then melted into the kiss, feeling a rush of emotions she couldn't quite describe. It was like everything else disappeared, and there was only her and Dean at that moment. After a few moments, they broke the kiss, both breathing heavily.

"I didn't expect that," Ashlyn said softly, her cheeks flushed.

Dean smiled at her. "Neither did I, but it felt right."

Ashlyn nodded a small smile on her face. "It did," she said, snuggling into his embrace.

They just sat there in comfortable silence for a while, holding each other close. It was as if they had found a missing piece of themselves in each other, and they didn't want to let go. Eventually, Ashlyn spoke up.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked, looking up at Dean.

Dean thought momentarily, then said, "I think we should try to figure out what happened to Marie and Korn. We can find peace if we can unravel the mystery behind their deaths."

Ashlyn nodded in agreement. "Okay, but how do we start?"

Dean looked thoughtful. "Well, we know they were involved in dangerous business. Maybe we should start there."

Ashlyn nodded. "That's a good idea. Do you have any contacts that could help us?"

Dean thought for a moment. "Yeah, I might know a guy. Let me make a few calls."

         With that, Dean pulled out his phone and began to make some calls while Ashlyn leaned back into the couch, running her finger softly over her bottom lip, lost in thought. It would be a long road ahead, but she knew that they could face anything with Dean by her side.

         Dean turned to Ashlyn and gave her a reassuring smile as he finished making his calls. "I called a few people who might be able to help us with our memories. They're experts in past-life regression therapy," he said, sitting back beside her on the couch.

Ashlyn looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "Past-life regression therapy? I've heard of it, but I didn't know it was real," she said, her voice filled with curiosity.

Dean nodded. "It's a technique used to access past lives and retrieve memories from them. I thought it might be worth a shot," he said, taking her hand.

Ashlyn smiled softly, feeling a sense of comfort wash over her. "Thank you, Dean. I don't know what I'd do without you," she said, squeezing his hand gently.

Dean returned her smile, his eyes shining with affection. "You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad I found you, Ashlyn," he said, leaning in to kiss her again.

As they kissed, a sense of calm settled over both of them. They knew they still had a long journey ahead of them, but they were ready to face it together, hoping to finally uncover the truth about their past lives and find peace.

         Ashlyn sat down at one of the outside picnic tables at school. She sat her backpack beside her, opening it to grab the juice bottle in her bag. She then looked down at the table quietly, ringing the bottle cap as if she was trying to open it. She struggled with the bottle cap and felt someone approach her from behind. She turned around to see nobody standing there, a concerned look on his face. Ashlyn sighed as she turned back around and jumped as she saw Team and Pharm sit down.

"Hey, what have you jumpy," Team says, sitting down.

         "I....um....watched a horror movie last night was really scary, and it has me on edge," she says, lying. Honestly, since she and Dean opened up to each other about the dreams, she felt like someone was watching her constantly, but she didn't want to trouble them with her problems.

         Ashlyn's heart raced as she quickly devised an excuse for her jumpy behavior. She didn't want to burden Team and Pharm with her fears and worries. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and replied, "Yeah, just a horror movie last night. Got me a little on edge, you know?"

Team chuckled, oblivious to her hidden unease. "Ah, I see. Horror movies can do that sometimes. Well, don't worry, we're here to keep you safe from lurking monsters," he said playfully.

Pharm nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. You're in good hands with us."

Ashlyn smiled at them softly. "Thanks, guys, it means a lot," she says, forcing a smile at them.

Ashlyn's heart raced as she quickly devised an excuse for her jumpy behavior. She didn't want to burden Team and Pharm with her fears and worries. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and replied, "Yeah, just a horror movie last night. Got me a little on edge, you know?"

Team chuckled, oblivious to her hidden unease. "Ah, I see. Horror movies can do that sometimes. Well, don't worry, we're here to keep you safe from lurking monsters," he said playfully.

Pharm nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. You're in good hands with us."

Ashlyn felt a mix of relief and guilt. She appreciated their concern and willingness to support her but didn't want to burden them with her troubles. She pushed aside her anxieties and decided to focus on the present moment, enjoying the company of her best friends.

They chatted and laughed, sharing stories and inside jokes, momentarily lifting Ashlyn's spirits. Even though she couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched, being surrounded by her friends provided a sense of security.

"So, you never explained your "hang out" with Dean," Team said teasingly.

Pharm looked at them both in shock. "You hung out with Dean," he said, surprised.

Ashlyn blushed, feeling caught off guard. She hadn't intended to mention her time with Dean to her friends, but it seemed like the secret was out. "Uh, yeah, we just...went for a walk and talked," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Team smiled at Pharm. "Are you sure," he says as he quickly scrolls through his phone and shows a picture of Dean and her sitting at the cafe smiling.

"Looks to me like it was more than walking," Pharm said, joining in on the teasing.

Ashlyn blushed and put the bottle to her face trying to hide. "We kissed last night," she blurted out.

Team and Pharm looked at her in shock. "WHAT," they said in unison.

Ashlyn looked up at them. "W-we kissed last night," she says again.

"H-how did this happen," Pharm asked her, trying to hide his amusement.

Ashlyn shrugged. "Well, we were talking last night, and we kissed well," she said, trying to explain.

"Now, was this before or after the scary movie," Team asked, hiding his amusement.

         Ashlyn looked up at them in shock, forgetting that she couldn't tell them the real reason why Dean was over. "W-well, he turned it off, and we started talking since I got scared of the movie," she says, lying to them. 'Honestly, it's because we found out that we were having dreams of our past lives who were lovers because our past lives wanted us to solve their murder,' she thinks.

Team and Pharm looked at each other, smiling.

"Hey, what's so funny," Win said, sitting next to Team.

"Dean and Ashlyn....," Team started to say.

Ashlyn tried kicking Team in the shin, hitting her foot on the table leg. "Ow ow ow ow," she said, holding her foot.

"Dean and Ashlyn, what," Dean said, sitting down with a tray beside Ashlyn. He then reached down, looking at her with concern. "Are you okay," he asked her.

Ashlyn looked at him in surprise. "Dean," she says in amazement.

Dean looked at her with concern, still waiting for an answer. Ashlyn cleared her throat and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine, just kicked the table accidentally," she said, trying to act casual.

Dean nodded, still looking at her with a hint of suspicion. "Okay, just making sure," he said before turning to Team and Pharm. "So, what were you guys saying about Ashlyn and me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Team and Pharm exchanged a glance, trying to contain their amusement. "Oh, just that you two seem to be getting pretty close," Team said, trying to play it off coolly.

Dean's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned back to Ashlyn. "So, what's the plan for tonight? You want to hang out again?" he asked, his tone light and casual.

Team and Pharm looked to them with intent.

Ashlyn looked at Dean and smiled. "Well, I had just planned on studying and then going to bed early. I'm exhausted today," she says to him softly. He took her hand softly.

"Would you like a study partner," he asked her softly. Ashlyn smiled and then nodded.

         "I would like that, but I doubt I'd be any use as a study partner. As said, I'm tired today," she says to him, smiling. Dean cupped her face softly in his hands and then lightly touched her forehead. Ashlyn looked up at his hand softly. "I-i'm fine, I promise," she says, turning away and hiding her cheeks.

Team looked at them. "OOO, can I join," he asked, teasing. Win hit him in the arm. "Oi Hia," he said, annoyed, rubbing his arm.

Win looked at him. "Your studying with me. You have a test to pass if you want to stay in school," he says to him, draping his arm over Team's shoulder, "Well, that and other activities."

Team looked to Win. "Hia, that's not funny," Win said to him.

Dean turned back to Ashlyn. "If you feel worse, call me, and I'll come to help you," he said softly as he placed his arm around her waist.

Ashlyn looked up softly and then nodded.

~Riley