After a few minutes of lying there, no sound was heard apart from the loud thumping of my heartbeat. Slowly, I lifted my head from my arms. My eyes darted from one end of the room to another. There was no one around but I had a feeling something was behind me and ready to seize upon on me once I have stood up. Using my sore arms, I pushed myself up and sat on the floor. By looking around me, I guessed that I was in the library or the study room because books covered every single space on all the walls. The ceiling was so high up that twenty of me could be stacked up vertically in order to reach it. Leaning against one side of the bookshelf was a long ladder. Some books were thick, some were thin but majority of them were dusty.

I stood up and looked around. There was no one here. The pair of hands has disappeared as well. Or it could be lurking in any corner of the room and ready to drag my body back in again like a ragdoll if I tried to escape. I bent my arms and examined the injuries. Luckily, it wasn’t bleeding, just red and very sore. I winced in pain when I accidently hit my arm on the desk. It was a large wooden desk. On the table were a small black lamp and a pot of pens and other stationeries. There was also a photograph in a simple white frame.  I leaned over to take a closer look. It was a picture of a middle aged man and a young kid. I think the kid was the guy. He hasn’t change much.

Carefully, I placed the photo back down and wandered around the room. There was also a black leather sofa in the far corner of the room. There was a wooden coffee table as well; it was placed underneath a medieval design looking rug. Sitting on the table was a thick book. The string was placed on the page which it was opened on. I lifted the book and peeked at the cover. It was brown, written in neat calligraphy was the phrase ‘Now’. Curiously, I looked at the page which it was opened on. The passage read:

            The time will come when nothing will be able to prevent it. Both must work together to accomplish such task. The eleven, their deaths must be explained and their dreams must be fulfilled. And you my son should seek for her, the one and only who will resurrect your brothers. Powers combined, and then will there be peace. Forget about rivalry, forget about revenge, forget about hatred and let the two join as one. Otherwise, this world will be in the hands of…

I placed the book back where I found it. I stopped because it made no sense to me. Then I wandered back over to the desk. There was a small book on the right hand side of the table, on the front read the word ‘diary’.  I quickly placed it down again because it is rude to read someone else’s diary. I didn’t know what to do as I stared aimlessly around the room.

“Hello?” I finally called out but there was no reply, my voice was hoarse and abscess from all the shouting and screaming.

I was getting impatient and I have no idea why the hand pulled me into this room for.

“What do you want from me?” I shouted but the only reply that came back was a deafening silence.

I sighed and the sat down on the sofa. I actually wanted to go and get some disinfectant for my arms but I don’t think I would be getting out of this door. Slowly, my eyes began to feel heavy. Should I sleep?

Time might pass faster that way but I forced my eyes open and tried to find something to do. I fiddled with the hem of my shirt and then retied my shoelaces. I felt the smooth leather from the sofa and inspected the quality of the wood. Everything in this house seemed so expensive, so breakable as well. Then, the diary began to hover. It came closer and closer towards me, I wanted to smack it away but it just placed itself in front of me and opened onto the first page.

            8^th January, 2010

I have tried looking, everywhere, but I just can’t find her. Time is closing every second and I don’t know whether I will be able to do it. She could be anywhere; the world is not that small you know. She could be in Asia, or Europe or Oceania. Please give me a clue.

I felt bad reading the diary but it was so intriguing, who is this girl this person is searching for? I flicked a few pages forward and landed on Christmas day.

            25^th Dec, 2011

Time has passed so quickly and there’s nothing new. I have been out at dawn and back at midnight searching for her. Where could she be? I want to give up but after many years of searching, I can’t possibly give up now can I? Merry Christmas, I only have one wish and that is to find her.

            15^th May, 2014

Today, I hit a girl in the head with the door in the café. I was going in to greet my friends but I didn’t see her standing behind the door. I apologised and took her in because she needed somewhere to stay tonight. She was quite pretty. Long, silky brown hair, her fringe clipped back with a small blue clip. Her eyes sparkled when she’s amazed and opened really wide when she is in shock. Sadly, the eyeless ghouls scared her. I thought she would stay in my bedroom but she wandered out and attracted one of the clients. Those things freak me out sometimes but it must have been horrible for her. Blood was all over her hair and clothes and she couldn’t stop shaking let alone from crying. She’s probably still awake; maybe I’ll go and get her something to drink.

I turned to the next page but it was empty. What is his name? I keep forgetting to ask. I mentally made a note in my head to ask him the next time I see him. I closed the diary and placed it back onto the desk where it hovered from. The lock suddenly clicked and the door gently eased open.

Am I set free now?

I dashed over to the door and slipped out before it shuts again. There were no hands to drag me anywhere so I jogged down the hallway, turning back every few second to make sure there wasn’t anything following me. I went downstairs to see where the first aid box was. Beside the kitchen was a toilet and I found the box in the cabinet above the sink, there were other toiletries in there as well. I gently cleansed my wounds and cringed whenever I dabbed too hard. Afterwards, I put everything away and walked into the living room. There was a massive black sofa in the centre, surround a black coffee table. The tiles were white. Though black and white complement each other, they can also contradict each other so the living room was a little too over exaggerating for me. There was a television mounted onto the wall. Using the remote, I switched it on. There was no signal so why was there a television?

The screen showed a video, it was paused so I pressed the play button.

“Mummy, push me on the swings!” a little boy shouted happily.

A woman walked over to the child. Her hair was tied back and she was wearing a plain white dress with a pink cardigan. The little boy was the guy and that was his mother.

“Come over here and take a picture of me and my Xing Xing!” the mother said.

The person holding the camera didn’t pause the recording but took out a camera instead.

“Say cheese!”

The mother and child smiled sweetly at the camera. It was such a loving scene.

“Push me up higher!” the little boy exclaimed, “I want to touch the clouds!”

The mother laughed, “Oh, my little Yixing!”

I was so engaged with watching the video that I haven’t realised someone had walked into the living room.

“Yixing,” I repeated to myself out loud.

“Yes?”

I turned around to the reply, he was home.

“You’re called Yixing?” I asked.

“Yes, Zhang Yixing.”

I nodded, placing my hand out, I finally knew his name, “and I’m Raine with an e on the end!”

As soon has his finger tips touched my skin, a jolt ran through my body and I collapsed onto the white tiles. The last thing I heard was him calling my name. 

It is Lay! Was your guess right? Thanks for reading! ^^ - Cheeeeeries