"Don't trust anyone, Minzy."

Darkness. That was all that filled my vision, a glaring darkness. I could hear raindrops endlessly pelt at the window, a distant sound of a car door slamming and harsh winds howling through the night. But all I could see was darkness. It had taken me several minutes to realise that I had woken up from sleep.

Something was wrong.

I looked around once only to become aware of the fact that everything was cloaked in a menacing, deep black as shadows reached out to all four corners of the room. My breaths had become uneven, my pulse raced and my heartbeat was deafening to my ears as panic threatened to stricken me. I reached around my bed trying desperately to feel for my phone; eyes shut to block out images of figures stirring in the shadows creeping towards me, trying to draw me further into the darkness cloaking my room-

My phone lit up beneath my palm and almost immediately I felt a wave of relief wash over me. The small light was not enough to illuminate the entire room but cast enough light to calm me. I tried not to linger at thoughts of the areas still shrouded in shadows and looked down at my phone. I almost let out a groan as I read the numbers 3:00 sprawled across the screen.

How could I have woken up so early? The nagging feeling that something was not right remained. The realisation came quicker this time as I observed my surroundings urgently.

Something had woken me.

It was then I could hear it. It required a lot of concentration to make it out as it was almost inaudible against the storm raging outside. Yet the more I focused on it, the louder it seemed. Someone was sobbing.

My imagination reeled as images of ghosts, figures of black and voices without bodies threatened to invade my mind. However, as the sobbing continued I couldn’t help but think it was more human. Quickly dismissing my previous thoughts, I climbed out of the bed, ventured out of my room and through the hallway towards the source of the sound.  The sight I was met with left me beyond speechless and a part of me wished that for once my imagination was right.

At the top of the staircase mother sat against the wall, her face in her palms as they rested against her knees, trying to muffle the sound of her tears.

She was crying.

It took me a while to register what I was doing but I had found myself seated beside her, staring up at the skylight above, watching raindrops flood down the window and onto the roof. No words were spoken between us; I was almost uncertain whether mother had noticed my presence. How could she hear me over the furious and violent wails of wind from the storm? Over her tears?

“Don’t trust anyone, Minzy. No one is ever what they seem.”

It was the first time mother had spoken to me since I had sat down, finally acknowledging me. It was the only thing that was said that night. My mother turned to look at me, eyes set back into the familiar cold, dark ones I was accustomed to, the darkness covered the streaks of tears along her cheeks;  nothing to suggest she had been crying mere moments ago except for the slight crack in her voice as she spoke to me. We both made our way to our bedrooms after that.

I checked my phone and was almost surprised by the fact that only five minutes had passed. It felt as though I had sat there for hours. As I lay back in bed, I tried to focus on the sounds of the storm; hoping the tempest would soothe me, hoping the darkness would shelter me, hoping they would drown out the sobs that haunted me. 

“MINZY!”

Chaelin waved her hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my reverie. She frowned as she sat back down in her seat across the table before looking up at me with one eyebrow arched, eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

“Were you even listening to me?”

“Of course I was,” I replied and urged her to resume her rant on a disagreement with a teacher in the previous lesson. As she carried on, I found myself lost in my thoughts once more.

For an entire week I had been haunted by the same dream. Or should I consider it a nightmare? The incident had put my emotions in turmoil; my conscience heavy with feelings of confusion, guilt and helplessness. Not entirely sure that I was completely comfortable with the new sentiments I had built for mother that night, I had tried for several years to suppress the memory, along with the emotions that had arisen alongside it. Years. Yet within the space of a week, as though a floodgate had been opened, the memories continued to drown me every night.

A week.

“I bet you’re thinking about him again,” Chaelin smirked at me as she sipped on the straw of her coffee, immediately bringing all my thoughts to a halt. “Have you finally moved a level up from infatuation?”

“I have no idea who you are talking about.” Yet as I tried to desperately subdue the habitual response my body had developed, the moment Chaelin uttered your name it had overcome me all at once. I closed my eyes briefly to try, in a futile attempt, and pacify the tiny explosions of butterflies in my stomach.

Song Mino.

Immediately, I was forced to relive our last conversation and much to my dismay, I seemed to remember it vividly. The way his eyes raked over me, the way his lips curled to one side as he smirked, the way he stood towering over me-  

“Stop it,” I said to Chaelin. I could not think about the effects of that conversation. I refuse to acknowledge the effects of that conversation. 

“Anything happen since last week?” Chaelin wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, a grin plastered to her face. She had clearly observed the effects of her words on me. Damn.

But there was something else in Chaelin’s words that had irked me. It had been a week since our last conversation, since our last encounter, since I had last seen him in fact. Well almost a week, as tomorrow would be the one lesson we shared together.

Since when have I started to count days?

No, it was not my fault that I had been on edge. Ever since his bold declaration assuming my feelings for him, he had simply disappeared. Not once, since then, had he spoken to me, had he faced me or had done anything to suggest that he would want a friendship or any form of relationship at that. I quickly dismissed the disappointment that was threatening to take over.

Don’t trust anyone, Minzy. No one is ever what they seem.

My mother’s words rang through my head – a warning. This time I could not stop the disappointment that seeped through me. A part of me, I could no longer deny, had been eager to talk to him and to form a friendship with him. No, not a friendship. The word friendship did not seem right but for now it would have to do. I would not think deeper into that train of thought, however.

In fact, it doesn’t matter at all does it?

It had been a week since we last set eyes on each other, how could a friendship even begin to form at this rate?  And every night, when I was tempted to confront him the next day, I would be plagued with that dream, smashing my confidence into pieces. I almost wanted to laugh out loud at the irony of the situation. If he doesn’t want to talk to me, then so be it.

“He was not what I was thinking about.”

“Oh?” Chaelin’s eyebrows arched inquisitively.

I opened my mouth, overcome with temptation to tell Chaelin what had occurred that night, but at the last minute decided against it. I had come close to telling Chaelin several times, over the course of our friendship, yet I could never follow through.

I looked at Chaelin as a line between her brows appeared as she regarded me, her lips set into a thin line. She knew I was holding back something. She always knew. Yet, she never pestered me about it, about anything because she knew that eventually I would tell her. But not this. I couldn’t tell her about this.

It was not the fact that I didn’t trust her. If the years of our friendship had taught me something, it was that Chaelin would stand loyal to her friends, even if they were spouting utter bull. There were secrets shared between us that she would take to the grave. And I would do the same for her without thinking twice. Over the duration of our friendship she had become a pillar of support for me, she had taken the elder sister role that was absent from my life, she had become somewhat a surrogate mother.

Despite everything, however, I just could not bring myself to share this one memory with her. This one secret that I had buried so deep into my mind that rather than completely forgetting it as I thought I had, it had become embedded into me.

It was the mere thought that once I form this memory into words, I would be forced to relive it. Forced to relive the images and emotions that I had tried so hard to overlook, to overcome, to overpower; it would cause an onslaught of feelings, I was neither ready to nor wanted to handle.

 I knew that Chaelin, of all people, would be capable of knowing exactly what to say to calm and subdue the emotions that would have arisen within me.  My trust in Chaelin would never waver; rather, I couldn’t trust myself. I would have to expose a part of me I was not ready to confront. It would cause me to become vulnerable, a state I could not afford to be in at this moment.

The line between Chaelin’s brows deepened as she continued to stare at me. I shook my head and muttered a small apology, trying to assure her that it was nothing. She knew that I was holding back something but, as always, did not press for more. I felt a wave of gratitude once more for this girl. She has done enough for me over the years, and it was time I had started to pay her back.

I couldn’t make her worry about me, anymore.

I couldn’t make anyone worry about me, not like that, not over this. Especially not someone like Mino – perhaps it was for the best that I hadn’t seen him. Perhaps the dreams were a caution.

…perhaps it’s for the best that we haven’t been around each other.

The sudden entrance of a herd of students trampling into the canteen and gluing themselves to the plastic screens of glass that prevented them from diving straight into the food signalled that it was time for lunch. With a sigh, we both stood and meandered our way through the throng of students to the exit.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you?”

Begrudgingly I had refused, aware of the fact that Chaelin had revision sessions to attend. The goose had cornered me during break, earlier, and had forced me into helping him with some paperwork. I didn’t mind too much, considering Chaelin was busy during lunch which meant I had something to do. But the more I had pondered over it; a part of me became repulsed at the idea of spending an hour with him. Alone. I shuddered and decided to take the long way around to the familiar classroom.

I reached the door and sighed as I grasped the handle. Just as I was about to open the door, it swung inwards and my face crashed into someone’s chest. My senses were clouded with an all too familiar scent; I could already feel my palms dampen as I looked up.

Song Mino.

A/N: I am SOO sorry it had taken this long. I experienced somewhat of a writer's block *sigh* this early on. But on the bright side, I have gained an editor/friend that helped me out of the writer's block and will be motivating me and helping me to update sooner as well. She's one of the main reasons this chapter is up so soon, so I THANK YOU!! Your comments have been helpful as well as entertaining. Thank you for being so patient as well. And I have gained so many subscribers in my absence. Yaaaaay :) Also I would like to thank the upvoters as well. Love you guys xxxx

Until the next chapter :)