DAY 00

There was an audible click heard as the doorknob turned to open. You quickly grab your home keys dangling from the lock and shuffled a bit too hastily heading inside your dorm. The sound of the door banging harshly on its frame had cut the deafening silence that once enveloped the room. You stood there, with your back leaning by the entrance while you felt everything that you’ve been carrying a while ago coming down all at once. Being in this state you are right now, you didn’t even care if all those paper bags filled with this week’s groceries, the plastic bag carrying your art supplies to replenish the ones you have used, your jam-packed school bag, and the now broken turned-inside-out umbrella that you attempted to shade yourself from the heavy pouring rain were all scattered out on the floor. You heaved a deep sigh, trying to release all the stress and tension you were feeling because of the things that happened earlier that day.

You were currently a college freshman taking Multimedia Arts as your course, and that doesn’t mean that you’re exempted from the impending doom that you’ve experienced over and over again ever since high school – the infamous hell week. It started today, a week before finals where they would unintentionally cram everything into that short amount of time. Almost all your professors gave you a truckload of requirements that even you yourself couldn’t imagine if you would be able to finish them all just in time. But, you knew you had to keep a positive mind about this. That was the only way you knew and you always did to cope up with it. So as of the moment, you were drowning in a sea of readings, papers and plates that needed and hopefully to be accomplished by next week.

And that didn’t end just there. Because right after your class, just as you were making your way to the nearest supermarket, the weather decided to give you a sweet surprise by letting you cool down your head for a while. In the rain. Well, it wasn’t really that bad. You weren’t that drenched since you were already close to the shop when it started to pour down. What really made it terrible was while you were on your way home already, striding hard through the now heavy rainfall with both of your hands occupied with your bought goods, a gust of wind tried to blow your umbrella away. You, of course, held on to it firmly in order to keep you and your things safe and dry. Unfortunately, your umbrella wasn’t as strong as you thought it would be so you had no choice but to run all the way home, getting soaked in rain water.

You felt all the remaining energy from you become completely drained as you couldn’t help but slide down the door into a sitting position. You couldn’t help but feel sticky in every way, with parts of your damp hair clinging to your nape and forehead and the feeling of your wet sweater and jeans hugging your body so tightly than ever. You so badly needed a break. Even if you were just starting out as a college student, you were already given so much workload (plus, you admit that you tended to procrastinate your work from time to time too) that you haven’t had the time to sleep soundly, leisurely watch TV, eat properly nor meet-up with your high-school friends and even, your best friend. Also, your freeloader groupmates and lack of time management weren’t exactly helping either. If you could sleep and rest for just one entire week, you definitely would. You somehow didn’t care anymore. That’s how exhausted you were at this point. You knew you had to fix yourself and your things before resting but all logic left you as your eyes slowly shut itself, so you instead let the returned silence lull you into a good light sleep.

-0O0-

Darkness everywhere. You opened your eyes yet you couldn’t still see a thing. You silently cursed at yourself, not sure whether it was because of your poor eyesight or it was really just too dark to see anything. You tried to straighten your whole body up but instead, you realized your feet couldn’t reach the floor no matter how you try. It seemed like you were floating. Floating in what? You moved around the matter you were drifting in, trying to guess where you were. Not that dense to be swimming in water and not that light to be floating in air. You had no idea what was happening. You were too worn-out to even make sense out of the situation so, you ended up remaining lifelessly drifting in nothingness.

Not a few minutes later, you found yourself swimming-slash-moving from place to place, trying to know where you really were. Even if you wanted to rest, you couldn’t seem to relax and fall asleep, and having a short attention span just made everything seem more agitating. You suddenly felt a slight tug at your ankle, earning a curious glance at your lower body. But, you saw nothing. You still couldn’t let something like that go because you clearly felt it. You knew that you weren’t imagining it. What if it’s – no. You stopped yourself immediately before you start thinking any creepy and scary imagines that might come and haunt you later. You really wouldn’t like that. Instead, you held up your right feet high enough for you to inspect it more closely. And at that moment, at that very angle, you see something shine just for a second. You squinted your eyes to see what it was but it never returned. You tried to move your foot back at that same position in hopes of seeing it again. And you did. Just as you tried to reach for it, something clicks at the back of your mind. All of a sudden, you see everything clearly. Clusters of thin web-like strings were tied loosely to your wrists, limbs, waist and fingers.

“What the –!” were the only words that found its way out of your mouth as you tried very hard not to freak out. ‘Being tied up isn’t something to be worked up,’ you repeated to yourself a hundred of times in one breath until you calmed down. You realized how wrong it sounds but didn’t care and just went on with your little chant. Once things have simmered down, the only thought that remained in your mind was: ‘What?’

What’s happening?

What am I doing here?

What the heck are these strings for?

If they tied you up to try and keep you in place, they weren’t doing a very good job. You could actually move around quite freely, with the strings following you around. It came from different directions and stretching far that it disappeared into the vast nothingness you were in. You wondered the places where they lead to, or if it even leads to some place. Your fingers found its way to one of the strings on your left hand’s thumb and you gently held it as you examined it. Suddenly, you felt a familiar warmth lovingly embrace your whole being and your thoughts are all of a sudden filled with countless memories with the most important woman in your life, your mother. You remembered how she would playfully cuddle you out of the blue, how surprised you were the first time you two cried over a good movie, how she would make your favorite mac & cheese when she knows you’re feeling under the weather or going through problems of your own, and of course, you wouldn’t forget how she doesn’t give up on nagging and telling you sermons to correct your wrongs and ending it by telling you ‘it’s because I love you, sweetheart.’ Somehow you knew this string represented your mom. You couldn’t tell or explain how you knew. You just did. And that’s how dreams work, don’t they?

And there you go. You finally understood your current situation. You were in a dream.

This realization however didn’t change anything. You snap back to what you were doing a while ago. You touched a different string by your right wrist and this time it reminded you of that grade school History teacher who was also your class adviser that time. You weren’t really that close with her and just spoke to her a few times (mostly because of school stuff), but you looked up to her. Then, out of the blue, that one precious memory appeared in your mind.

You and your parents just finished getting your report card and inside the car, your dad suddenly told you how he talked with your class adviser. You tried to act completely normal but inside, you were terribly nervous whether she would spill all the beans about you not doing well in her class but instead, you were surprised at what your dad told you.

“See, I told you! You were a natural born leader.” Your dad exclaimed as soon as he finished telling you all about their encounter while awkwardly adding, “Just like your papa.”

He got a playful smack on the arm from your mom in reply. You all laughed, as you were left still taking in the fact that your History teacher/class adviser told your dad how you were a good leader and someday, she wants to see you running for a position in the student council.

“She just needs a little push and a bit of confidence in herself.” You were amazed at how she knew you so well, even knowing your insecurity that you only kept to yourself. Even if you weren’t aware, that one little moment in a way changed something inside of you.

You proceeded to fumble with the other strings attached to you, each of it representing different persons you’ve met through the years. However, there were times when the string you felt held nothing at all. No feelings nor memories with it. You found it strange at first but then, you guessed it might be reserved for the people you’ll meet in the future.

With nothing to do in mind, you randomly picked a blank thread and swam, following the direction it came from. You thought that maybe, if you were to follow the string, it would lead you to the person you shall meet in the future. Minutes passed, and you almost wanted to give up because nothing was happening but following a long winding thread that seemed like it would never end. Not until some more threads appeared around you as you went on with your journey, but it didn’t look like it was attached to you. You come to a stop in front of one of the strings and held it on your palm for you to see a knot. Well, this was something new.

A knot? What’s this about this time?

But before you could think about it more deeply, you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder. You couldn’t help but jump at the unexpected contact and immediately spun around to be face-to-face with another person. You thought you were the only person around here at this moment, considering that this was your dream.

Wrong.

At this point, the panic you have tried so very hard to suppress inside couldn’t be contained anymore and a lot of questions ran through your mind. Judging by the expression his face had, so it seemed with the person in front of you too. He was in the same situation as you, all covered in threads. You didn’t know where to start. But as soon as you opened your mouth to say something, the words overflowed, finding its way to the unknown person. You knew you were having a conversation right then and there but somehow, you couldn’t hear anything. You could see his lips moving and so was yours. His expressions changed from time to time and soon, you saw his hand extended out to you. It was as if your body was moving on its own. You held out your hand in response and shook his hand as you told him something. You didn’t want to be cheesy (because it makes you cringe so hard, you just can’t) but… no matter how cliché it sounds, the moment your hand touched his you felt something. Not a spark nor a click. It was something simple, something anyone can recognize when they listen to it carefully.

A heartbeat.

Everything went completely dark before you even finished what you were saying.

-0O0-

A good several minutes had passed, until a faint sneeze broke both the silence and your sleep.

“ACHOO!”

Some unwanted snot was trying to escape your nose, and even if you still wanted to continue your rest, you knew you had to get up and fix yourself already or else you might catch a cold or worse, a flu. And there’s absolutely no way you were going to let that happen. Heck, not during this week.

As you clutched the door’s handle to steady yourself as you stood up, the room suddenly seemed to spin in circles. Luckily, you were able to catch yourself in time now that you’ve regained a small amount of energy, but not before you felt a shot of pain take over your head. You shuffled to your feet and mentally took note to drink lots of water and sleep it off after eating and taking a shower. You finally took off your sweater, revealing your (thankfully) somehow dry tank top, as you headed over to the farthest right corner of the room where the bathroom is. You took this chance to also change your soaked jeans into some comfy shorts and hang your wet clothes at the back of the bathroom door to dry before putting it in your hamper. As you got out while drying your hair with your towel, you immediately proceeded to your desk to pump up some music through your speakers. Never can anyone take music out of your life. Your passion for it was already running through your blood and veins ever since you could remember – along with art and literature.

You had your playlist on shuffle and the first song that came up was a playful upbeat acoustic one. It was contrast to the gloomy atmosphere the weather was making which was really nice because somehow, it made everything feel lighter and more cozy now.

I think I like long conversations,
Amusing observations,
It’s the single best combination with me.

You actually did. Hours spent on talking about anything and everything that just comes into your thoughts. You didn’t mind whether it would take you until 3 am in the morning or if you were both just chilling by the couch, whether you were both just walking down the streets with no particular location in mind or barely getting out words from your grogginess in the morning. But, the thing is, it has to be with the right person. Just like the connection you have with your best friend.

Let’s talk about the deep and endless ocean.
Hey, what’s your favorite crustacean?
We can go on and on until we fall asleep.

You were usually not that talkative and your friends were all even under the impression that you were that serious and party pooper kind of person (you aren’t, don’t worry), but only conversations with the right person could make you talk like there’s no tomorrow.

Cause this is how things start,
A thunderbolt through the heart,
When we do what we do.

But, that didn’t mean you hated small talks. In fact, you were grateful for it, being that the only escape for when your awkward introvert self decides to show up. Also, it’s how you start getting-to-know a person or for any kind of conversation at that, so why would you even hate it?

I want to whisper to you when the whole world shouts,
Find the things that you’re about,
It won’t be hard,
It won’t be hard,
If you would like to start.

Your train of thought is suddenly interrupted by the loud crackling of thunder outside. You didn’t think that the rain showers were going to continue until it became like this, pouring down heavily on the only window you have in your dorm room. Was there a storm coming? Then, you remembered you forgot to watch the news last night and this morning before you left for school. How could you remember that you forgot and not actually remember stuff?

I tell you I’d like going in exploration,
Recounting scenes in animation,
How we wish our aspirations could grow wings.

Upon hearing and feeling your stomach grumbling, you then made your way to your little kitchen area by the left side of the room near the entrance to get your last pack of chicken-flavored instant noodles. No matter how delicious beef is, you were a chicken person all through and through. While waiting for your ramen to be ready, you finally gathered the scattered mess you left by the door and fixed everything into place – groceries into the cupboard and refrigerator, art supplies and school bag by your desk, and broken umbrella in the trash can. You took another mental note to buy a new umbrella.

Let’s talk about all our strange fascinations,
Or what we hate, our admiration
For aliens and languages and things.

One quick whiff of the delicious scent lingering all over your room and you immediately knew that your ramen was ready to eat. You right away got to your seat, said your thanks and started chowing and slurping the warm food that graced your empty stomach. In the middle of eating, you couldn’t help but wonder about that strange dream you had. That dream a while ago was surely weird. Not because there were peculiar creatures and odd stuff popping out all over the place. There wasn’t even any of those, just strings. And clusters of it. It was weird in the sense that nothing made sense to you.

Oh, cause this is how things start,
A thunderbolt through the heart,
When we do what we do.

Well, somehow things stopped making sense when you decided to follow that ‘blank’ string. Plus, you couldn’t remember that person’s face nor his voice. You just knew that he was just like you. Besides being a person, he was tied up in strings and clueless about what was happening.

I want to whisper to you when the whole world shouts,
Find the things that you’re about,
It won’t be hard,
It won’t be hard,
If you would like to start.

You couldn’t decide whether you would be creeped out at its sketchiness or weirded out that nothing made sense. A bit of both, maybe. Before you could even have your last slurp of your hearty ramen, continuous loud knocks on the door invaded your space. To be honest, you’ve had enough of surprises for today. You wondered what it was this time, as you groaned and stood up.

Now, I would like to go
Where our feet can go.
Only you would know the way.
When we start our plans,
Let me take your hands
And we’ll make something that rhymes with adventure.
Are you down to start one big adventure with me?
With me.

While making your way to the door, you heard some muffled shouts that seemed irritated, annoyed and pleading at the same time. You were able to make out some of the words the person was saying – something about a ‘Jun,’ and a ‘Yah.’ Um, what? The rest of what he’s saying came out as alien language for you. ‘Ugh. Why didn’t they have built peep holes for the door? What are they thinking?’ you thought. What if it was a modus operandi or a criminal waiting for you outside?

I tell you I like breaking your concentration,
Just to say out loud my speculation
About the worlds that spin beyond our atmosphere.

You pressed your ear against the door, trying to listen to the person on the other side of the door before opening. You recognized a guy’s voice, but not something you were familiar with. Another new voice joined in. Now, there were two of them. What did they want from you? This time you hear a ‘Yah hyung’ and a ‘Josh.’ You observed how they articulate their words, and realized they were probably Korean.

You get my less than normal disposition,
And this puts me in an obligation
To like you just for being here.
Just for being here.

You were actually proud of this skill, being able to tell a Chinese, Japanese and Korean apart. Most people would just put them in one category. Special thanks to your interest in foreign languages! You’ve actually mastered a few, including Korean.

Oh, no, but this is how things start,
A thunderbolt through the heart,
When we do what we do.

You didn’t know any Jun or Josh. They must have mistaken your room for someone else’s. You decided that you just have to get it over with and prayed to the heavens, hoping that they were nice people. Not robbers or delinquents. You mustered up all your courage and reached for the door’s handle. You turned and opened it just enough for you to see the faces of your ‘visitors.’

“Excuse me, but I think you got the wrong –”

I want to whisper to you when the whole world shouts,
Find the things that you’re about,
It won’t be hard,
It won’t be hard.

As if on cue, the song ends, replaced by a chorus of shouts, unfinished noodles and an unexpected turn of events. This is how everything started.

And it surely was a thunderbolt through the heart. 

Author's Note:

Hey guys! It's Sammer ₊·*◟(˶╹̆ꇴ╹̆˵)◜‧*･ 
Not Winter. Not Spring. Not Autumn. 
SAMMER! *✲ﾟ*｡✧

And now I give you the very first chapter! TA-DA! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
I really didn't know that this would turn out to be a really looong chapter... I was expecting something short since I'm still testing it out whether you readers would like it or not hehe~
So, how was it? (⁎⚈᷀᷁▿⚈᷀᷁⁎)

Comments, subscriptions, views and upvotes are greatly appreciated! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
Hope you enjoyed reading! Thank you very much! ヾ(o✪‿✪o)ｼ

Featured song/s in this chapter:
> Exploration No. 5 - Reese Lansangan

Check it out, guys! I'm telling you she's awesome! *✲ﾟ*｡✧٩(･ิᴗ･ิ๑)۶*✲ﾟ*｡✧