Kevin got really early to school. Not because he liked to go early or anything, but because it has been a few days where he feels stared. He hasn’t been able to sleep either. For some reason, he thought the fastest he got to school, he would feel more protected.

Sitting on his desk, a sudden cold ran through his back. Again he felt been stared at. He took out his journal, looked around for anyone and when he saw no one he started writing in his blue journal.

“Only One page left” he whispered to himself.

“Dear Diary,

              Have you ever felt like you’re being, well…stared. I can’t sleep. It’s been a few days now. What should I..”

“hey Kev!” Eli said scaring the younger.

“oh! Eli ! hi!” Kevin said desperate. He was trying to hide his journal. “ Had a good night sleep?”

/////////

School went incredibly slow, at least to Kevin. Right now, he was sitting  in English class looking outside the window. Next to his school was a Learning Center for little kids. He watched as the little kids played in the sand box or in the swing sets. He smiled to himself at the thought that those little kids reminded him of his little sister. He felt so guilty now for having snapped at her. She really didn’t do anything wrong.

Suddenly, as Kevin was looking out the window a black cat sit in front of the window looking at Kevin. Kevin got scared for a moment, since he doesn’t know how the cat got there, but then smiled at the little fellow. “Hello, mister cat, are you having a good day?”

The cat simply stared at him. He moved his head from side to side, revealing a little bell on a red chocker. Then, the cat jumped down from the window. Kevin gasped and stuck his head out the window. He wanted to know if the cat was okay, but the cat was nowhere in sight.

“Mr. Woo! Can you please explain to me why are you interrupting my class?” The teacher said in a furious tone.

“Sorry, teacher. It won’t happen again.” Kevin said as he sat down.

School was finally over, and as always, they were going to the coffee shop. Kevin stretched his arms and closed his eyes as a sign of how long and tiring this day was. When he opened his eyes, right there, in front of them, was that black cat. The one he saw on the window. He just sat there staring at Kevin like if he could read his mind.

Kevin stopped his pace. Eli and Soohyun looked confused as why his friend suddenly stopped walking and looked back at him. “Kev?”

“That cat…” he whispered.

“What?” said Soohyun. The cat suddenly stated to run. It seemed like the cat was in super fast mode.

“That cat!” Kevin said out loud. He didn’t know why, but he needed to catch that cat. He felt the urge to run after him, and just as his urge felt, he started running behind the cat. Soohyun and Eli running behind him trying to figure out why he was chasing a black cat. They ran for about seven minutes, and found themselves in front of the coffee shop.

“The coffee shop?” said Eli. “ Kevin if you just wanted to be here sooner you could’ve told us.”

He ignore the two of them. He was focused on the cat, but mostly in shock to see where the cat was heading. It was a blind alley next to the shop. In the distance you could see a black door with a light on top of it. How could he have never seen this alley before? He has come to this place for the past year and never took notice of this place.

He started walking behind the cat. Slow steps from him and his friends. The place was spooky. It seemed like the perfect place for the killer to kill his victim, just like in horror movies. “ Are you sure we should keep going Kev? This place is scary” said Soohyun.

The cat stopped in front of the black door. He looked at Kevin and enter through a little door at the bottom of the black door. The logic told him to opened the door and come inside. He didn’t know why he was following this cat, or why the cat made him follow him to this spooky place, but he sure wanted to find out.

Inside, all three of them, looked around for a bit. The place was dark and had all weird objects on wood tables with cloths that where long enough to cover a whole town. Crystal balls, magic spell books and lots of other stuff where laying on every single spot you lay your eyes on. The rattle of jingle bells could be heard all over the place.

“ A magic store?” “Gift shop?” Eli and Soohyun said still looking around the sinister place.

“Welcome.” a voice was heard from nowhere, making them jump and scream. “aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!” Eli fell into the ground.

Kevin’s eyes fell upon a figure of a man coming from behind the store, walking slowly toward them. The man wore an 1800 century tuxedo and a top hat, a dark red cane in his hands that were covered with white gloves. The man hold unto the tip of his hat and looked up at three high school students in front of him. “I’ve been waiting for your arrival” he grinned. “Are you looking for something expecific? Perhaps,” In a blink of an eye, the man was inches away from Kevin’s face. “ Magic cards?”

Kevin fell to the ground. What was up with this guy? “We’re just looking for..” he glanced around and saw a burgundy color journal and took it with both hands, and shoved it unto the man’s chest. “ …this. I want this!”

The man smiled. The smirk across his face sending chills through Kevin’s back. “Are you sure? Do you want to know the story about this…journal?” he smiled once more. Kevin didn’t know why this guy smiled so much. It was creepy. Without their response he began speaking:

“This journal is one of a kind. It was said to have a pair exactly like it. Just one more copy. Centuries ago, a magician fell in love with a lady. But even when she loved him back, she was already the fiancé of a prince.” He turned around but kept talking. “The magician then, thought of an idea. He made a special pair of journals, full of magic, just for her and himself. Everything they would write, would be seen in the other one’s journal. Everything they felt and what they wanted to happen. She didn’t knew about this of course." he duted the journal off with his hand and kept talking." Years passed, and the lady stop writing. The magician later, got the news that she had died. He was devastated, and he swore to never love anyone, until he would meet her again.”

The man turned around to see the three students. Eli and Soohyun wanted to laugh. They seriously thought this guy was a joke. “That’s just a made up story. Magic..does not exist.”

In the moment Kevin said those words out loud, everything stopped. The jingle bells stopped playing, all noise possible was now gone. “You don’t believe in magic?”

The man gave Kevin a pitiful look before calling someone. “Dongho, get this wrapped up for our clients, will you may?”

A young man wearing a large vest and black plants appeared from the back of the store. Dongho took the book from his master’s hands and did as he was told. When Kevin was about to pay, he noticed something particular on the young boy. “That…that chocker.”

Dongho smiled at him and then looked at his master, who was walking towards the group of students. “I will make sure to change that opinion you have and make you see the magic in real life.” The man took Kevin’s hands and placed a white card with a top hat and a name.” My name is ..Lee Kiseop” and with that they left the shop.

That night Kevin wasn’t sure what the man wanted to say with those words. But they sure made him feel a little uncomfortable.

He wasn't sure if what he said about the journal, but he didn;t believe it. Still, he didn't wrote anything in it that night. He just left it wrapped up in his desk.

The next morning, Kevin saw Soohyun really early at school. He went and sat down by his best friend. They had a few short talks until Kevin couldn’t take him anymore and said, “Soohyun, what about that guy from yesterday? I couldn’t even sleep well last night.”

There was a small pause as Kevin looked at Soohyuns confused face.“Kevin? What guy from yesterday?” Kevin gasped to himself. He couldn’t have heard right.

“The guy from yesterday…at the gift shop.” Kevin said.

“ Kev, yesterday we didn’t go out. I had to go home early remember?” he smiled.

Kevin felt his heart speed up. He felt a knot in his throat. He immediately called Eli.

“Hello?”

“Eli, do you remember what we did yesterday after school? The gift shop? The strange man with the top hat?” His voice seemed desperate to Eli. He giggled.

“Kevin, yesterday we didn’t went anywhere. Soohyun had to go home and I had a study date at the library. You just went home. Why? Is everything okay?”

Everything was spinning in his head. “ Yeah. Maybe it was just a dream” he whispered, loud enough to be heard by Eli through the phone.

Once class started, Kevin wasn’t paying attention to the class, but to a little white business card with a top hat on it. The card spelled clearly ‘Lee Kiseop’ on the middle. It couldn’t have been a dream? He had the proof right here. So, why does his friends not seem to remember? Everything was just…weird.

Kevin was to focused on his own thoughts to noticed when the teacher started talking introducing a new student. “ Good Morning everyone. Today, we have a new student. Why don’t you introduce yourself to the class?”

The guy gave a few steps to the front and spoke.

“ Hello everyone..”

Kevin’s eyes widened at the guy’s voice. He slowly looked forward. ‘It..it can’t be.’

No way.

“ My name is Lee Kiseop.”