Chapter 9: Sealed

One day the rumour is out and nothing had been the way it was supposed to be. If I were to put it in a way, it was almost like Harry Potter turned out to be Voldemort’s illegitimate child. Because the world just could not comprehend that impossible fact so all of human beings protested and became vampires. The world was cursing on me.

I once believed that rumours would somehow, in a way, cools down and fades away by itself by using time as its medicine. But I guess this was the time I learned the flaws of life, it doesn’t. Especially when I do absolutely nothing to work this problem out.

Hana advised me to speak about it to the one that had a similarity with me on this matter, which was Kai. However, life just doesn’t favour me that much because even on the third day after he last talked to me the said dude was nowhere to be found. With completely no news of his whereabouts, I walked to school trying to control my embarrassment.

The minute I stepped inside the school’s compound, I raised my head up high. It was an attempt to convince myself that I had enough strength and guts to go through the day. Also to assure my brain that high school life was temporary. ‘Whatever happen, happens’ I muttered under my breath.

But all of the motivation went into the drain when I reached my locker.

I stopped. Hastily.

I tried to stabilize my breathing though it felt like my chest tightened my airways.

My eyes wandered around, reading each and every one of the post-it notes and nasty permanent remarks made by humans who also, like me, complained of how painful life is. How painful was theirs that they could affect others with it?

A sudden slam on the locker woke me up from my trance of thoughts. Kim pulled out all of the post-it notes aggressively before she turned around to look at me. Her face showed how mad and furious she was. The wrinkles on her forehead clearly portrayed her undeniable fuming anger.

“How long were you planning to stand there? Until Einstein crack your head open? Gosh Vi, wake up!” she yelled catching others’ attention. Then again, their attentions were already on me the minute I stepped into the school compound.

I let out a heavy sigh. “I was just shocked, that’s all. It’ll stop soon so don’t worry too much” I spoke out nonchalantly as I brushed her shoulder and neared my locker. I tried my best to ignore what I saw. I told myself to continue getting my books but the image was too extreme, almost like it burned the fragility in my soul. “Also don’t go around finding who did this, probably just Kai’s diehard fans” I added and slammed my locker shut softly before I walked away to class.

There’s a fine line between acting to be cool and trying being cool about it. See, I was neither.

Class ended in a blur, I focused what I had too and I spaced out whenever I had the chance to. The only thing that was running in my mind was how I could get in touch with Kai, which was something quite impossible unless he’s the one who finds me first or I’m Barack Obama.

The exact moment the bell rang, I strode outside and quickened my pace towards his locker. In hopes that maybe he came to school a bit late. But even his bag was not there and the silence hallway without his screeching fangirls is enough to know that he was absent.

I maintained my face, trying to not show my disappointment. I stared at his locker and like a kaleidoscope of memory, my brain spaced out little by little. Pieces by pieces.

‘How do I talk to him…?’

The pushes and pulls on my shoulder from anonymous students walking along the hallway woke me up, with a heavy heart and a deep sigh I walked away glumly. The cafeteria was not so that far away from his locker, which was something I thanked the heaven for.

My friends’ smiles greeted me once I entered the cafeteria. They’re like a virus spreading through thin air, magically giving me strengths and happiness. I grinned at them as a reply and hastened my pace.

“Hey guys!” I cheered and looked at them. Only then did I realize Jaehyun was not there with us. I unknowingly gave Kim a stare and she looked at me trying to analyse the secret glancing codes I was sending to her.

Kris’ voice stopped our unspoken conversation, “Go buy something to eat Vi” he said with mouth full of beef burger.

I rolled my eyes sarcastically at him, “Don’t speak with your mouth full Kris. Anyways, where’s Jaehyun?” I asked.

Kris and Kim looked at each other and shared a stare before looking at me with wrinkled eyebrows. My eyes grew larger, I asked a question and somehow no one bothered to answer.  I turned my head to look at Hana who was eating so innocently and diligently at the side. She turned and stared at me questioningly, “hmm?” she hummed.

“Where’s Jaehyun?” I asked her softly.

She look so calm and peaceful when she answered, “Oh we haven’t talk in a while so I don’t really know” the said girl then took another bite from her pasta. Sometimes she wears the mask of Darth Vader.

“Oh…” that was the only respond I could mutter before I turned around awkwardly and left to buy myself some food.

After lunch break finished, I pulled Hana out of the crowd and went into an empty classroom. I locked the door and spun around to lock my eyes with her.

Hana was looking at me weirdly, “What are you doing Vi?” she asked.

“Kill you and eat your flesh” I answered, in which she her eyes grew larger to in responds. “No Hana, I need your help with something” I added.

She sighed and cross her arms, “what kind of help do you need that you had to drag me inside here? And even our class is starting soon” she said and was about to take leave. My hand pulled and stopped her before she could make another move.

“I just need your help, can you ask Suho for Kai’s phone number?” I whispered.

Her reaction clearly showed that she was so surprised and undeniably disgusted by whatever idea she had in her mind, “You’re not really hitting on him are you?!” she hissed.

“No! Of course not! Gosh, what made you even think that I would ever like that douche?” I raised my voice a little bit too high. “Look, I just need to talk to him about the pictures. I am so not comfortable with the stares I get around the school and it needs to stop. That’s it” I explained.

She nodded her head slowly and inhaled a deep breath, “I see what I can help… Now let’s go, we’ll be late for class”