this took longer than expected 😅 sorry about that

Happy New Year! even though it's twelve days late. We`re still in January so I guess it's fine 😂

as always stay safe, wash your hands, and enjoy the chapter !!

P.S. TW on Dahyun's part, it's not really obvious and very small but there's an implied suicide attempt

Osaka, Japan – 7:00 A.M. 1/1/21

They’re back at Sana’s apartment, the sun’s peeking from below casting an orange gradient hue on the horizon. Her brain is in shambles, tiny Sana’s running around throwing paper and burning cabinets. Inside it’s complete and utter turmoil, but outside it’s perfect calm and rest.

Well for Sana it is to her benefit, Tzuyu on the other hand reluctantly hugged the former while they sat on her bed. The younger figured that it’s the least she could do after thoroughly destroying everything the Psych major was told and taught.

“I’m telepathically connected to you,”

“More than that, but yes.”

First words spoken between the two for the last thirty minutes or so and still the same question Sana’s asked nearly a hundred times now. It’s just a difficult thought to wrap your head around, to be able to connect with a person on a whole other level, but it does make a lot of unanswered things clear. Things that scientists and doctors are still biting each other’s heads off for.

“and to six other people”

“Yes”

Sana hummed scooting closer to Tzuyu, wrapping her own arms around the younger woman, slotting her head at the juncture between Tzuyu’s neck and shoulders. Tzuyu lets her, it’s been a while since someone was this close to her, it made her heart swell with pride. This older, probably smarter considering she’s in med school, and more mature human is seeking solace in her, protection in her embrace.

“Do you know who they are?”

“Nope, just you.”

“Why me?”

The chance of meeting Sana is one is to six and yet she’s where the universe led Tzuyu to, spending her layover physically in Spain but mentally in Japan. The lady that talked to the attendant gave her a run through of what it meant to be a sensate, hence she was able to explain it to Sana, as best as she could anyway.

Joohyun Bae said that there are instances when sensates subconsciously visit a cluster mate, usually when troubling thoughts plague their mind, when in distress. Sudden news of her biological difference didn’t bother Tzuyu, confused at the least, skeptical at first, but not enough to cause an existential crisis.

“I’m not sure. When Ms. Bae told me to reach out, you were who I connected to.”

“Who’s Ms. Bae?”

Who is Joohyun Bae? Tzuyu didn’t really ponder on the fact that a woman she doesn’t know but apparently knows her would reveal something as unbelievably baffling as that. How even her own parents wouldn’t be able to know about it unless they were of the same is a thing Tzuyu finds kind of unsettling, but nevertheless she accepted it. More so now that she’s experienced what being a sensate meant.

“She’s the one that explained all of it to me”

“She’s like us?”

“Yup”

The silence enveloped them once again, they watched Tiger play with his yarn ball on top of Sana’s medical books. Both basked in the quiet and in each other’s embrace. In a way, they’ve both been feeling lonely the past year. Sana with shutting everything out to focus on her final year of med school and Tzuyu fresh out of college to being in the air most of the time seldomly sees her family.

Sana is the type of person to be very physical, always clinging on to someone whenever she can. It’s the fact that she’s an only child that made her yearn for constant affection and companionship, someone of her age to talk to, share her worries and new discoveries.

Tzuyu on the other hand is the opposite. She’s shy, not one to express herself well. So, it’s uncommon for her to let just anyone get close, let alone hug someone she barely knew this long, but it`s probably the fact that they’re one in the same. Their bond genetically and quite literally stronger.

“There’s one thing I forgot to mention,” Tzuyu leaned down to check whether or not Sana fell asleep, but two soft honey orbs stared back willing her to continue. “we need to find a person. Park Jihyo, her name was, I think.”

The elder’s ears perked up; she didn’t expect that becoming a detective came with the mutation. “Why us?” A doctor and a flight attendant aren’t really the first people you’d go to when looking for a missing person.

“Remember I told you that each cluster has a ‘mother’ that births them. Apparently, she’s our mom.”

It still doesn’t explain the question why it has to be them though. “Did that Joohyun tell you about this as well?” Tzuyu gave a curt ‘yup’ in response before the conversation died down.

Sana felt the younger shift, pushing her to sit upright and away from her body, much to the former’s dismay. Tzuyu held her at arms-length, “How about this, after my flight back to Singapore tomorrow I have about more than a two-week off. I can fly to you here and we can work on trying to get in touch with the others.”

Excited would be an understatement, Sana is thrilled, elevated, exuberant, and every adjective synonymous. She studied Tzuyu’s face, eyes reading whether the girl is being serious. “You’d spend more of your time off with me?” Her tone now different from the one Tzuyu’s used to, ever since they started talking Sana spoke nothing but sternly, now obvious teasing coloured her words.

The attendant’s taken aback by the sudden change, even the intern’s face could be unrecognizable with how different it looked. Her previous knitted brows now hung low; tantalizing heavy-lidded eyes that used to hold such distress gazed back; the ghost of a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

“Well, I mean – uhm – to let you know as well that I – uhm – I’m actually real.”

Tzuyu’s heart raced inside her ribcage, pushing hard to be freed. Her hands still on Sana’s shoulders shook, sweat beginning to seep out. The young woman isn’t sure why she’s suddenly feeling this way. She was the one supposed to be acting all tough, the one who knew more, be the one who’s confident. She’s not supposed to act like a crush-stricken school girl seeing her Language teacher for the first time.

“Honey, I think your rapidly beating heart alone is enough to persuade me.”

------

Orchard Central, Singapore – 4:39 P.M. 1/2/21

“Your apartment’s haunted?”

White and glass surrounded Chaeyoung and Yeri, the smell of fresh pastries and cakes wafted, filling the room with divine scents. The high ceiling and open space enchanted the young artist, it remined her of those House of Mirrors in fairs or theme parks. Not to mention they sell amazing crepe cakes, which assures to have Chaeyoung as a frequent costumer here, especially when she’s stressed.

“How else can you explain a pale girl suddenly disappearing after I blink. Blink, Yeri! I close my eyes for less than a second and she’s gone.”

Chaeyoung had a hard time getting the much-needed shut eye when she got to her unit, which isn’t exactly uncommon. The girl’s sadly been plagued by insomnia ever since she started college, but she did get a handful of inspirations from the lack of sleep so at least there’s something good from it. She spent the first day of the year sleeping away her massive hangover then.

“A lot of old people do live there, maybe they attract spirits waiting to come get them.”

Kim Yerim is Chaeyoung’s best friend, the little troublemaker did not hesitate one bit when the younger asked if she’d go to another country with her. Though it took a lot of convincing from her parents, they were worried that one day they would get a call from the embassy saying that their daughter’s been detained, but it’s been four years since they reluctantly let her go and thank every deity that no dreaded call has reached them… yet.

“It’s just so weird, she looked so real, and I even talked to her! Kim Dahyun. How would a Korean ghost be lingering around here?”

Yeri forked a big piece off of her cake, chewing it as slow as she could while staring into the distance before answering. “I don’t know. Immigration?” Chaeyoung snorted, smacking the other girl in the head.

“Hurry up, the boys said to meet them at Sentosa.”

The mention of the island struck a bell inside Yeri’s head pushing her buttons to move at a speed that it’s surprising she didn’t choke from shoving a mouthful of gâteau nuage down . Not a minute to waste, the two are already heading out the boutique to start their ten-minute walk to the station.

“We’re going to the beach, right?” Yeri couldn’t hide her excitement, adding a bounce to her step as they walked through Orchard road.

Towering buildings alongside odd shaped ones lined the street, high end brands shinning with their gold walls and fluorescent lights. Chaeyoung simply nodded at her friend, unable to match her enthusiasm.

“We should get a change of clothes then”

“They already brought the ones we have at their apartment.”

So, off they went, riding the purple line to the harbour, going up the mall and on another train, that’ll take them from the mainland to the tiny offshore island. Hopping off at the last station and finally on the beach tram.

A good number of people occupied the white sands enjoying the cool afternoon breeze, families spending the last days to bond before work and school resume, groups of friends just lounging, some running around, most playing beach volleyball.

It was easy to spot their own band, eight tall unruly boys are a pretty hard thing to miss. Yugyeom lifting Bambam above his head and throwing him down, Mingyu shouting orders at the latter, Jungkook patting the former in the shoulder, Eunwoo acting as the referee and the remaining three laughing their asses off at the quality entertainment displayed for them sticks out like a sore thumb from the peace and order around them.

“I’m surprised no one’s broken a bone yet.”

They all simultaneously paused, whipping their heads to see Chaeyoung and Yeri holding in their own laughter at the ridiculousness before them.

It’s like having eight five-year olds who just newly discovered that there are other five-year olds. Seokmin’s the first to greet the two girls followed by Jaehyun who swerved directly to the older girl. The others crowded them as they sat down on the makeshift blankets made of plaid shirts and hoodies

The sun sat low on the horizon painting the sky with soft pink, orange, and blue. Plush clouds passing through adding texture and dimension. Chaeyoung sat back with her sketchbook switching between letting her hand work on the paper and watching her friends drown each other in the water.

Dust from the sand kicked by the running teens filled her vision, as the group passed a lone girl is left standing right in front of her. The stream of sunlight mixed with the dissipating smoke shrouded her silhouette creating the most quintessential subject for an expressionist painting.

Imagine ‘The Scream,’ but less of the iconic figure and more of a misty, foggy image of a modern day princess. Chaeyoung didn’t need any device to capture the view, her own two eyes are enough, the beauty of it permanently etched into her brain.

------

Dark and quiet. Shredded papers littering the floor. Books thrown from the shelves. Drawers of cabinets yanked off from their hinges. A petite woman stood in the middle of it all, dressed in white robes and a white dress. The city outside of her vast glass window cheered loud for the coming year, far and unknowing of the woman’s impending doom.

She spun in her place, uncertain where to start first. Blazing orange by the corner of the room hissed at her. She burned much of her dissertations and ripped her papers in haste after getting that god awful faxed picture. Someone’s out to get her and they know exactly where she is.

Heavy boots marching down the hallway pulled the woman from her trance. Keys jingling, rattling in the slot deafened her. One of the heavy steel cabinets kept the door shut, but she knew they could get in even then. The only light in the room came from the fire and her computer.

A drafted email waiting to be sent to eight people, among those her friend. This is not how she would want to finally contact her but it will do. She just hopes they won’t meet each other in worse circumstances.

As she hit send her door comes blowing open, ripped off the wall. Uniformed individuals came rushing in, two held her down while the others seized her office. She didn’t struggle, there was no use. She laid pliant, face down on her desk.

Minutes passed, shouting all around her, barking commands left and right. She felt a needle being stabbed into her bicep and everything went back to dark and quiet.

------

Manhattan, New York, USA – 10:14 A.M. 1/2/21

Dahyun awoke this morning sweating buckets despite it being 2 degrees and thick blankets of snow covered the streets. She remembers feeling her stomach twist in knots and her head pounding but it ended before she could even take something for it.

Bits and pieces of her dream flashed through her eyes but not enough to get a grasp of the whole thing. She tried hard to remember it, curious and all, though that uneasy feeling would return and she’d shiver in chills down to her bones.

It was surprisingly a nice day to walk around, the sun shined bright and wind didn’t blow hard. Dahyun and Wendy decided to head out, walk around the theatre district. Gawking up at the posters of current shows and imagining how it would like to be seated inside watching all those performers, hearing those masterwork soundtracks. The vocals, the melody, the rhythm, the music dancing around coursing through your body.

Alas, that’s all they can do right now. Imagine, picture, dream.

Their first stop is a white classical inspired building with the words “History is Happening in Manhattan” written in black on gold background. Silhouettes of the main cast decorated the doors depicting scenes from the show.

Hamilton, an immigrant coming to New York with nothing but his mind singing of the future, the new world as they defeat the British and finally establish their own government. Fighting a revolution to fighting in the cabinet, working hard and doing everything to make his own mark, a legacy. Dying in the hands of his first friend, his enemy.

Like him, Dahyun came thousands of miles away from home to achieve something greater. Open the doors to her new life by taking a risk and gambling her everything. She flew with a one-way ticket and emergency money for when things don’t go as planned, not sure whether she’s good enough to stay but pushed through nevertheless.

You can say the dark-haired girl experienced a case of impostor syndrome in her earlier years in college. Something Hamilton obviously did not