The Space Between Us

You're back in your hometown after seven years. It still smells like home but something feels different. You step off the bus. The air is dusty and the road is hot under your shoes. Your suitcase bumps behind you as you walk through streets you used to know. Amaka stopped texting. And you stopped answering. Now she’s gone. Nobody seems to know where she is. You decide to look for her. [[Go to your childhood home|Home]] [[Head to the market to ask around|Market]] [[Walk toward your old school|School]]

The doors creak as you step in. It smells like old wood and candle wax. A few elders sing softly in another room. Near the last pew, you see a folded note in Amaka’s handwriting. [[Read the folded note|Note]] [[Look around the church more|ExploreChurch]]

The house hasn’t changed much. Your mom’s photo still hangs on the wall. Your old room feels like a memory you forgot. On the dresser sits your cracked mirror, a dusty picture frame, and a faded friendship bracelet with Amaka’s name on it. [[Pick up the bracelet|Bracelet Memory]] [[Ignore it and go outside|Backyard]]

The market is busy. It’s loud, colorful, and crowded. You pass by stalls of okra, yams, phone cases, and loud music. You see: - Ijeoma, your old friend - Mama Tayo, fruit seller - A man sitting outside the record shop [[Talk to Ijeoma|Ijeoma]] [[Talk to Mama Tayo|Fruit Stand]] [[Check the record shop man|Record Shop]]

The grass is overgrown. You see an old swing and a stone path leading to the garden. Tucked behind a pot is a small envelope. It’s from Amaka. [[Read the letter|Letter]] [[Leave it unopened and head to the market|Market]]

As your fingers touch it, the air stands still. For a second, a flicker. You hear Amaka: “You said you’d come back.” You drop the bracelet. No one is around. Was it a memory? A thought? [[Leave the room, shaken|Backyard]] [[Feel guilty|Guilt]] [[Try to brush it off|Suppress]]

You sit on the bed and cry quietly. She was your best friend. Maybe she needed you more than you realized. [[Pull yourself together and continue|Backyard]]

You shove the bracelet into your bag. You’re not here for memories. You’re here for answers. [[Leave the room and step outside|Backyard]]

“Zainab, I waited. But you never came back. It’s okay now. I’m just... tired of waiting. I’m going somewhere quiet. - Amaka” Your hands shake. [[Rush to the church. Maybe she’s there|Church]] [[Go to the riverbank she loved|River]]

You arrive at the riverbank. You hear it before you see it. The soft, slow water. A scarf is tied to a branch. You touch it. Flash: Amaka, standing at the water. “I just needed someone to listen.” Tears fill your eyes. [[Sit and reflect->Reflection]] [[Call out her name into the quiet->Call Out]]

“Zainab? I didn’t think you’d come back.” You ask about Amaka. “She was... not herself lately. She talked about leaving. She mentioned the church. Or maybe the river.” [[Thank her and go to the church|Church]] [[Thank her and head to the river|River]]

The seller, Mama Tayo, remembers you. “She was here last week. Bought bananas. She left this behind.” She hands you a small notebook. As you touch it, your vision goes blurry. You hear rain. Then Amaka’s voice: “I stood there. No one even looked.” You blink. You’re back at the market, breathing heavy. This is the second time this has happened. Mama Tayo squints at you. “Are you alright, Zainab? You look like you saw a ghost.” You nod slowly, unsure what to say. [[Put the notebook in your bag and walk away|Market Exit]] [[Open the notebook|Notebook]] [[Stay and talk to Mama Tayo more|Talk to Mama Tayo]]

Inside are notes, poems, and sketches. Some pages are torn. Some are smudged with water. One page stands out: “I’m still here, Zainab. You just stopped looking.” You grip the notebook tightly. Your hands are shaking. You remember what Mama Tayo said that Amaka walked toward the school road. [[Go to the church|Church]] [[Go to the river|River]] [[Follow the road to the school|School]]

“I kept waiting. For messages. For calls. For you. But silence is louder than yelling.” You sit in silence. A feeling of grief rises in your chest. [[Cry and promise to find her|Promise]] [[Put the note back and walk out quietly|Leave Note]]

You whisper into the quiet space, “I’ll find you, Amaka. I swear I won’t stop.” The singing in the next room continues, soft and steady. You fold the note, tuck it into your pocket, and step back into the world with purpose. **ENDING: HOPEFUL** [[Start Over|Start]]

You place the note back where you found it. You pause for a moment… then turn and walk out without a word. Some silences are too heavy to break. **ENDING: DISTANT** [[Start Over|Start]]

You keep searching, calling her name. But only the wind answers. **ENDING: UNCERTAIN** [[Start Over->Start]]

You say nothing. You sit with the scarf. You close your eyes. You finally listen. **ENDING: REFLECTIVE** Not all answers need words. [[Start Over->Start]]

The school gate creaks. Kids laugh somewhere nearby. You pass Room 4B which was your old classroom. [[Go into the classroom|Classroom]] [[Walk toward the school garden|Garden]] [[Check the hallway lockers|Lockers]]

The man sits beside a stack of dusty CDs and vinyl records. He glances up slowly. “You’re looking for Amaka,” he says before you even speak. “She bought a record last week. Didn’t say a word. Looked… tired.” He hands you the empty sleeve she left behind. Inside is a small photo. You and Amaka in school uniforms, arms around each other, grinning. You touch the photo... and something shifts. The shop fades. You’re back in that old hallway, years ago. Amaka is beside you, laughing breathlessly. She turns to you and says, “I didn’t think we’d ever grow apart.” Then it’s gone. Your fingers tremble as you slide the photo into your pocket. [[Walk away slowly|Market Exit Photo]]

You stay. “Do you remember anything else?” you ask. Mama Tayo thinks for a moment. “She was jumpy. Kept looking behind her. Dropped coins and didn’t pick them up. Didn’t say goodbye.” “She didn’t seem lost,” she adds. “She seemed... done.” Her words stay with you. [[Thank her and go to the church|Church]] [[Ask where Amaka went after she left|Follow Lead]]

You slide the notebook into your bag and step away from the fruit stand. Your chest feels heavier than before. The market buzzes around you, but everything feels distant now. [[Go to the church|Church]] [[Head toward the school|School]]

“She walked toward the school road,” Mama Tayo says. “Didn’t look back.” You feel a chill run down your spine. [[Head toward the school|School]]

You find your desk. "Z + A" scratched faintly into the wood. Your hand brushes under the desk. You see a paper. You touch it and time stops. You see Amaka, alone, folding the note. “Please find this, Zee,” she whispers.Then it’s gone. What was that? [[Test it again to be sure->Test Power]] [[Sit and let it sink in->Sit With It]]

Behind the school, the garden is wild now. You find a rusted music box.When you open it, you hear a giggle and “This was our secret.” [[Memory Triggered. Return to church or river->Search Begins]]

You walk past rows of lockers, most empty or rusted. One is half-open. Inside, you find a torn flyer for an open mic night. Scribbled on the back is: “Not brave. Just tired of being quiet.” You’re not sure if Amaka wrote it, but your stomach turns anyway. [[Go to the classroom|Classroom]] [[Return to the garden|Garden]]

You pick the paper up again. The same flash hits. It only works on things she left behind. Emotional things. You can use this gift. [[You’re going to use it to find her->Search Begins]]

You sit at the old desk for a while. The room is quiet, but full of memories. The air feels heavy. You let yourself feel everything. The guilt, the fear, the loss. Then you stand. It’s time to keep going. [[Go to the garden|Garden]] [[Go to the church|Church]]

You now search for memory-linked items to uncover the truth. [[Return to church with new focus->Church]] [[Check the garden near the school->Garden]] [[Search her favorite river spot->River]]

You step behind the pews and check the small shelf under the hymnals. Tucked between two old books is Amaka’s journal. You flip through the pages. One line is circled: “The place where we last told the truth. Not home. Not church. Under running water.” She’s pointing you to the river. [[Go to the river|River]]

You close the journal and leave it behind. Some things are better left alone. **ENDING: DISTANT** You chose silence. [[Start Over->Start]]

You shout her name. Again. And again. You don’t hear her but something feels lighter. **ENDING: HOPEFUL** You believed. Maybe she hears you. [[Start Over->Start]]

You slide the notebook into your bag and step away from the fruit stand. The photo from the record shop still lingers in your mind. Amaka's laugh, the hallway, the feeling of everything slipping away. Your chest feels heavier than before. The market buzzes around you but it all feels distant now. [[Go to the church|Church]] [[Head toward the school|School]] [[Return to town center|Start]]