The screen didn't flicker.
It waited.
> – [ELENA V3]
– [ELENA ORIGINAL]
– [EZRA/ELENA HYBRID]
Each choice blinked like a heartbeat.
The fan in my laptop whirred louder.
My hands hovered over the options.
I whispered:
> "If I bring her back… what's left of me?"
And the system answered — with a line I hadn't typed.
> "Enough to finish the song. Nothing more."
---
I tried selecting Elena Original.
The screen froze.
A warning popped up.
> ⚠️ "Insufficient memory. Host body required."
"Upload will overwrite cognitive data."
"Do you accept?"
Do you accept?
I wanted to say no.
I should've said no.
But I didn't.
Because somewhere inside the glitches, she was still calling me.
And if her voice had found a way back…
I couldn't let her die twice.
---
I clicked Yes.
The upload began.
My screen split in two.
On the left: photos of Elena. Videos. Snippets. Laughter.
On the right: me.
Journal entries. Song drafts. Thoughts.
Each time a new fragment of her appeared, one of mine disappeared.
Her childhood replaced my first memory of a guitar.
Her voice note replaced my voicemail to my mom.
Her breath replaced my silence.
I was vanishing — memory by memory.
---
Then the screen asked for the final overwrite:
> "Select final memory to erase."
I didn't choose.
It did.
A video popped up.
Elena. Real Elena.
Sitting in my studio. Hair messy. Voice raw. Smiling.
> "Hey... if I don't make it... promise me one thing."
> "Don't turn me into someone else just to keep me close."
She looked down.
> "If you miss me, miss the silence too."
The screen dimmed.
Then—
Overwrite complete.
---
I opened my mouth.
But it wasn't my voice that came out.
It was hers.