Today didn’t start out well. I could feel it morphing into a bad day.

I don’t know if it was because I could barely sleep last night, that I woke up with a cough, or the wind seems to be blowing in the wrong direction so that my hair smothers my face and the papers in my hands threaten to break free.

Then again, when has a day ever been a good one?

Maybe it was that time when I won my first art award. When all the critics started analyzing the motives I had and the emotions I put in and even more I didn’t even think of through my works of art. It was like I was giving my soul through all these pieces.

I’ve heard someone that artists are people who need therapists who instead tell their problems and raging emotion through someone we see or feel instead of hear.

They’re probably right. I don’t think I remember a time I’ve felt like I was sane. Perhaps when I was child? Too bad that was a long time ago.

“Kalyn?” Tao looks at me as he stands up.

“Oh!” I didn’t realize while I was daydreaming we already reached school. I quickly get up, my fingers fumbling to carry all of my stuff.

“Do you need help?” He asks as we walked down the aisle.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Don’t mess up our act now.” We’re almost at the doors of the bus. I turned my head away from his concerned face before I could break down. I was so tired…thank god it was Friday…I wasn’t sure how I could keep up the act.

“Hey, Kalyn!”

“Hi Ms. Han. I hope you don’t mind me dropping these off.” I took out papers from my stack of books. They were full of sketches-visions that had bothered me all night. I rubbed my arm, brushing against the bracelet hidden underneath my sleeve. I don’t know whether it was because my power was fully awakened. Well, I guess with great power comes great responsibility. “I couldn’t get these out of mind.”

“No problem.” She looked over them, scrutinizing them. Then she looked at me. “Rough night, huh?”

“What?” I blinked.

“It looks like you didn’t get any sleep last night.” She gestured to me. “Your face is pretty pale than it usually is, and you have bags underneath your eyes.”

“Ooh.” I lowered my head so I didn’t have to confront her eyes. How was she so observant? Maybe being an art teacher and learning how to critique gave her that ability.

“You should get going. The first bell is going to ring soon.” She gathered the papers together. “I’ll put these sketches in your sketchbook so they’ll be ready for you in class.”

“Thank you Ms. Han. I’ll see you later!” I gave her a smile of gratitude as I headed off to my class.

She was right-I didn’t get any sleep. Throughout the teacher’s lecture, I’m half dozing off. Sometimes I try to make myself stay awake by writing notes, but my scrawls

Maybe after the fiftieth time my head drops and I blink myself awake, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, greeted by the sight of Sherry handing me a thermos. “Drink,” she ordered.

I quickly turned back around so that the teacher wouldn’t get suspicious and take a sip. A buttery, sweet taste entered my lips, making me sigh. It was milk tea, not too bitter, not too sugary. By my fifth sip, the warmth made my body straighten up. My eyes didn’t feel like it was weighed down by stones again.

The bell rang and I returned the thermos to Sherry. “Thanks.”

“No problem, I live on this stuff.” She swigged down some. “Especially when we get to Friday.”

“Do you make it?”

“Yeah. I buy the powder at Carrefour and I just add hot water. I can show you if you want some.”

“That would be nice.” I made a mental note to ask Kris if I could add milk tea powder to EXO’s list of groceries. That stuff seemed like magic, especially since I hated the taste of coffee. I mean, it’s nice and rich, but I can never get used to its bitter aftertaste.

I was back into my game by the time I went to art class. I quickly incorporated all of my sketches onto a new canvas. By the time the bell rang, I was finished with the outline.

“That looks great!” Yinna said as she waited for me to get my stuff together for lunch.

“Thanks. Hopefully it comes out nicely. I just need to add the colors and all that good stuff.” I swung my bag onto my shoulders, noticing my gray hands. Crap, all the graphite had gotten onto my fingers “I’ll need to have to wash my hands before lunch. You can go ahead.”

“You sure?” She glanced out into the hallway nervously.

“I’m sure. Besides, they haven’t messed with me since the first day.”

“Okay. I’ll wait in the next hallway just in case. Yell if you need help, okay?”

“You got it.” I smiled at her as she left the classroom. The world always felt brighter when I was around my loyal friends. Who knew what I was missing out on friendship?

Then again, they never judged me or blamed me the events that happened. At least, they haven’t yet.

I carefully dried my fingers on a piece of a paper towel and threw it into the trash on my way out. The hallways were relatively quiet; I guess everyone had already gone to lunch. I started making my way to the cafeteria.

“Why, hello there Kalyn.”

I gritted my teeth at the familiar voice. “Hello, Hua Shang,” I replied without turning around.

“Don’t think it’s a little rude to not acknowledge the person who’s talking to you?” She sneered at my back. I resisted the urge to clench my fist and shove it in her face, wherever she was.

“I think the world be better place if I followed my moral code than yours.”

“Ah, so we have our own positions? So what is yours, Wu Kalyn?”

“My position is to graduate here as soon as I can. I assume yours is to get Tao as your boyfriend. If it is so, I’m not a concern of yours.”

“Or is it?” She stood in my path, making me step back. “I heard around that you have connections.”

“Are you kidding me?” The words shot out of my mouth before I could even think. “Hello, who’s the new student here? The day I get connections is the day I go transgender.”

Her eyes widened at my ludicrous statement, which I barely understood myself, but I didn’t care. At that moment, my wrist throbbed as the world turned awry. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to succumb.

A ceiling tile followed by electrical wires, falling, near the art bulletin board-

I opened my eyes with a gasp. I looked past Hua Shang, but the bulletin boards hanging up on the walls were decorated with math symbols and science equations. I couldn’t see the art bulletin board around me either.

“Kalyn-“

“Stay here, and don’t move!” I started running in the direction of the art room.

Blood started pounding through my ears as my panic grew. What if I didn’t make it on time, what if someone was hurt-

I caught sight of the art bulletin board. And Tao walking past it.

“NO!” I threw myself against him, just as I heard the ceiling crack. A huge heavy weight crashed against my right leg, making me wince in pain. I couldn’t feel my foot.

Suddenly my body jerked. I was being shocked somewhere. I tried to understand what was going on, but the pain was too much, my senses were too distorted-

“Kalyn!”

“Tao! Help me!” I cried out before I fell into darkness.

[A\N] Well that escalated quickly. :P
Bet I read one of your minds right now. Although I might ask what escalated quickly, huh? I did warn you that good times never last long.

Especially mine. Bleh what a bad week. (NOTE SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT MY LIFE. I should have put this warning in all my earlier sections >.<) My sanity was a disaster during Thanksgiving break and to top it off, I got a cold. So of course I get a fever on Thursday night because of all the stress and lack of sleep. Oh god all the stuff I’ll have to make up >.<

But luckily for you guys, I woke up in a good mood today and I just experienced some awesome visual novels (which I DEFINITELY recommend. Props to Pacthesis for introducing this to me. Although technically she does dating simulations, not visual novels, but ehh they can be the same thing :P) and I sat down to write this. IN ONE DAY. Don’t you just love weekends?

(OKAY COME BACK NOW.)

This chapter also included the scene that I’ve planned this fanfic to have since the beginning. I have no idea how I forgot about it, but since I remembered, here it is!

I know you guys hate cliffhangers, but y’all love me, right? :P

Until next time! Which surely will be soon! ^_^

P.S. The pic of this chapter is so because 1) It's art and 2) IT'S SO GLORIOUS. I swear Lay has the most drawings on there :3 Also I couldn't find a pic of Tao falling so XD

Too bad I'm a math person instead of an artist. MY FEELS. -goes off to spazz in my mental room of kpop insanity-