I woke up with a ringing inside my ear.

 

It was dark and it was cold. I looked for clocks, for the time, but couldn't find any. However, for some reason, I just knew that it was around midnight. Each breath made me tired, each blink of an eye drained every inch of my energy.

 

As if I was controlled by a force so strong, I sat up. I felt a soft silk of clothing slip from my shoulder but didn't put any mind to it. The force continued to fight for dominance and it won without difficulty, I was too weak to even try.

 

I closed my eyes as I felt something cold touched my feet after I stood up and walked at a direction I didn't know. I've never felt so relaxed, so calmed and so peaceful, in my whole entire life. Somewhere inside me, I knew that I was dreaming but I chose to ignore it. Just this moment, let me rest and drown in this beautiful moment.

 

For so long, the force walked along the path of nothing but cold and darkness. And before I could comprehend what I was doing, I started to let go and let the force take control. Little by little, I let loose and I felt more of the tranquil I’ve wanted and looked for. Like a drug, I couldn't grasp anything of what was happening anymore as I disregard everything around me and selfishly pursued the most addicting feeling I’ve ever known and met throughout the many years I’ve lived.

 

However, I needed more and I yearned for more. I grew greedy as each piercing moments passed. But there wasn't any more left to take and just then, I realised. The force was long gone and it was me that was already in control. Without thinking, due to the sudden shock and realisation that hit me…

 

I opened my eyes.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

"Hyejin, are you okay?"

 

A very familiar deep voice pulled me out from a reverie I had made in the dull class Mr Cho had created. Mr Cho's voice was making it very difficult for me to hide the fact that I didn't get much sleep last night.

 

And because of him, I had failed to keep my cousin from noticing this fact that I tried so hard to hide.

 

"Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Stop worrying and focus in class, Taehyung." I grinned at him. Maybe I could still continue this act until the end of the day. I am a very convincing actress anyway, trying won't hurt.

 

"You never wear makeup, Hyejin. Why try when you're horrible at it. Did you have one of those dreams again?" By the sound of his voice, it doesn't look like he's going to let this matter pass this time.

 

I shook my head, a sign that meant it wasn't a big deal and I didn't want to talk about it. I looked at his eyes one more time and gave him a quick smile, then turned my attention back to class again.

 

I was never going to let anyone know what happened last night. Not even Taehyung. No, especially him. He is the last person that should know about what happened or more specifically, what I did.

 

A cold bead of sweat trailed itself down from my head, making me extremely uncomfortable.

 

I lost myself at my own thoughts again and completely ignored whatever the hell that was coming out from Mr Cho's big mouth.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

I opened my eyes.

And the first thing my eyes met was a blurred silhouette of a person, a male to be exact. It took me a full second to apprehend that I was inside an area where it was impossible to acquire any portion of oxygen.

I gasped as I sat up from my lying position, the cold breeze of the night slapped me and by then I was fully awake. I quickly wiped the water away from my eyes when I found it painful to open them and then examined my whole surroundings.

It was dark and the only light that helped me see a thing was from the moon. I shivered both in fear and cold as I sat there in shock.

I was inside Evaleanor, the lake outside the academy.

The scream that wanted out was stuck in my throat. All I could hear was my desperate intake of air and the familiar melody of the night.

Then I remembered.

The man from before, where was he?

Perhaps it was the panic that overtook my body that made me look for him, not to defend myself against him, but to look for any sort of comfort from him. I needed help from anyone that I could reach. I couldn't bear to imagine that I was alone at a place where people ran away of sheer terror from.

Mustering up all of my courage and any trace of energy I had left, I managed to gasp out a word I seldom say.

"H- help."

My own voice sounded foreign to me.

And quicker than I predicted, I caught a movement from the corner of my eyes. It was the man, the man that I saw when I was in the water. I stared at him, desperately hoping that he was not here to murder me but to help me.

I didn't know what to do, feel, or think when I witnessed him turned his back and walked away.

 

Leaving me alone in my own misery.

A new wave of dread washed every part of my body when I saw a light coming from the water, from my hand.

I put my hand up and stared teary eyed at my phone clutched by my palm.

The dread came from the realisation that this. Wherever I was, whatever that was happening to me, was real.

This was not part of my dream.

I read the caller id in my cell phone:

 

Kim Seok Jin calling...

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

I forced myself to laugh when Taehyung told me that Uncle, his father, was going to visit the academy because of Ms Kwon telling him that Taehyung did not participate in PE class.

 

"How dare you laugh at your cousin's suffering?! You know how scary my father gets when he goes all crazy at me. Geez, he's much more like the mother of the family while my mother, the boss."

 

Taehyung's small jabber made me feel a little better. This time, I didn't have to force the smile that formed in my face.

 

"Wait, Hyejin. I have to give return the book I borrowed to the library, it's already overdue. I'll meet you at the rooftop with my meat pie?"

 

I couldn't help but giggle at his "begging" face.

 

"Not fair, I already bought you lunch yesterday but yeah, whatever. Be quick, okay?"

 

Taehyung nodded once and quickly ran away to the library. I laughed when he nearly lost balance and hit against the wall, “Be careful, you idiot!” I shouted. And just when I was about to turn around to head to the cafeteria, I made eye contact with a girl a little bit smaller than I was.

 

Her height was below average, and her arms looked like it could easily break in two. While she was staring at me, I couldn’t help but look into her lighter brown eyes. Her eyes looked so innocent, so fragile, but it held something far deeper and I didn’t know why i would think that.

 

She tilted her head to the side, curious, and then looked at me from head to toe, then back again to my eyes, then left. I watched as she made a quick turn to the left, out of the building and disappeared completely out to the basketball court.

 

“Weird.”

 

CHAPTER 4 END

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