Chapter 4 - Petals
    "Are you scared?" A voice whispered as a warm wind swirled around his ears. He spun around and saw Hana standing a few feet across from him. But this Hana was different. She was younger, shorter and her eyes were full of fright. She was holding a knife in her left hand. Her white dress had splashes of blood on it. In the glint of the moonlight, he could see blood dripping from the knife, forming into red petals when they touched the ground delicately. " Kill him," someone whispered. Somehow, Woohyun knew that it wasn't Hana's voice.

    She took shaky steps towards him, leaving crimson footsteps in her traces. No matter how hard Woohyun tried to move he couldn't, he was frozen to the ground. She stopped when she was just inches away from him." I can't..." She began, tears flowing from her eyes.

    " Yes you can," the voice whispered," I believe in you."

    Hana brought her eyes to Woohyun's. I love you, she mouthed the words silently, taking his wrist and raising her knife to it. Her tears fell into his palms and without any control, he closed his palms tightly around it as if to hold her tears in his fist. With a quick slash, scarlet liquid was unleashed.

    Woohyun's eyes popped open as he sat up in a snap. He looked around as if he had forgotten where he was at for a minute. Sunggyu was staring at him from his bed, looking just as scared as Woohyun did.

    " Yah," Sunggyu said," you suddenly sat up like a body raising from the dead."

    Woohyun glanced at him. He felt sweat dripping from his forehead as he searched the back of his mind, trying to remember his dream. But nothing came to him. He offered Sunggyu his smile," I think I just had a nightmare," he said, getting up from his bed. He walked into their little bathroom that was connected to their little room. He was brushing his teeth when he saw something black in the mirror. He looked down at his palm to see a black rose imprinted on his wrist.

    Like flashes of memories being inserted back into his head, the dream slowly came back to him. After he brushed his teeth, he took a bath, trying to scrub the ink off.
    
    " Are you going to be in there forever?" Sunggyu asked," we should go down for breakfast."

    " I'll be right out," Woohyun replied, getting out and wiping himself dry. He pulled on his clothes and came out to see the leader waiting for him," you could have gone down without me."

    " I wanted to wait for you," Sunggyu said, leaving the room with an anxious Woohyun trailing behind him. They reached the dining-room to find Infinite waiting for them. The queen and her minister was nowhere in sight. Only a few girls were sitting at the table. As they took their seats, a waitress enters with a large platter of bread and butter. He sets it on the table and leaves without a word.

    " Where's the queen and the minister?" Woohyun asked the girl, Eun, beside him. She had long locks of black hair that hid her face. She peeked at him through her hair, wondering if she should answer.

    " Ch-Chinho's in the garden," she mumbled," and Hana gets breakfast served in bed...."

    Everyone dug into breakfast but Woohyun didn't feel like eating. Dismissing himself, he left the dining-room, walking into the halls. He had never realized how eerie it was to walk through the castle alone until now. The air felt strange and frightening. He walked by portraits and statues, shivers running down his back. It was like they were watching him.

    Regretful for leaving the dining-room alone, Woohyun found the library. It was the biggest library he had ever saw. There were two floors and a window that gave him a view of the garden outside. As he walked up the steps, he noticed that the garden was made up of roses in different shades of red.

    Reaching the second floor, he walked through the aisle. There were so many books on the shelves that he didn't know where to start. He didn't even know what he was looking for. A loud thud behind him made him jump. He turned around and saw a book lying on the floor.

    " Is anyone there?" Woohyun called out, trying to keep his voice firm. No one replied. He felt the pace of his heart quickening now as he picked up the dusty red book," A Sign," he read out loud. Thud. Thud. Thud. A book hits his head and he looks up. They were falling from their shelves. Alarmed, Woohyun runs towards the stair but before he could reach it one of the shelves collapsed on him and everything went black.

    " You'll be okay," someone whispered. A female's voice. He tried to open his eyes but he couldn't . Everything was just...dark.... Who's holding my hand? Woohyun wondered. It was a soft and delicate hand that made him feel calm. Who's there?A blood curling scream erupted through his head. The hand instantly lets go of him and he heard running vanishing in the distance.

    When he managed to opened his eyes, he was laying in his room. Everything was turned over. The curtains were ripped apart, the desk was thrown to the floor. The sheets were torn and the door was left wide open. But what had caught his attention the most was what was scattered around him. Whatever was happening to him he knew it was real. Whether it was a nightmare or a vision. It's real, he told himself, picking up the red petals with his hand.