Prologue: To Wake

There are a lot of things that people question in this world; miracles, tragedies, life, and death. But no matter how hard we try, we never find an answer. Maybe because there’s nothing to find. I told myself to remember that. I did. I did…..

And then one day…

I just didn’t. 

****

“It’s curious what the mind will do to you. What you think up, don’t you think?” Came a girl’s voice.

I tried to get a good look at her, but she was just a blurred out silhouette. Her voice…Her voice sounded so familiar, though. I know it.

“Rani, what are you talking about?” I heard myself say.

Where were we? I, myself, seemed to be sitting on a stool and twirling it from side to side. And Rani, the blurred out girl, seemed to be across from me near a desk. She got up out of her chair suddenly, though, as if she had come to a sudden thought. I thought she was about to speak, but all she did was stare at the cream walls that surrounded her. They were filled with hand drawn pictures and when I stared upon Rani again I realized she was holding a colored pencil.

“Rani? Rani? Are you alright?” I started to get up out of my seat but she didn’t respond. In fact, she stopped moving her body altogether. My eyes lingered on her stature. She wasn't breathing. She wasn't breathing?

The beats of my heart accelerated.

“Rani are you alright?” Her skin began to turn a sickly pale.

“You shouldn’t be here you know. You gotta leave.” She said.

For some unknown reason, her words felt like a stab in the heart.

“ I know how much you don’t want to,” she continued, “but I’m happy, you’re happy. You have to leave now.”

“Rani, I can’t.”

“Go!” She screamed

Everything went black.

****

I woke up gasping for breath but not finding a lot. My heart was pounding inside my chest and in a frantic motion, I clasped my hand over it.

I was welcomed by drops of rain hitting my face, some going into my eyes. They were cold just like the weather and to make matters worse, I was freezing to death. A harsh breeze smacked into my face, a crunching sound rustled from underneath me. I moaned a bit and moved my body in a straightened position hoping this dizzy spell I seemed to have would blow over.

I looked underneath me and saw that it was leaves I was sitting on. Dead leaves. My back leaned against a tree that was ashy white, with peeling black bark. The leaves were all brown and lifeless, some pale as if death itself came to swoop their life away. I looked down at my legs and saw that I was wearing dark blue jeans with a rip at my right knee and when I turned my head towards the sky, it too was pale and dreary.

Where was I? How did I get here? Things I wanted to know but had no answers to. The cold breeze hit my body again and I shuddered, clasping my arms around my shoulders and hugging myself tightly. Wherever I was and however I'd gotten here, I wasn’t thinking straight. I had no jacket on for this kind of weather. Just a white short sleeved t-shirt that fitted around my body.

I tried to push myself up, but the strength in my legs or what little I had, was gone. Without a warning, I collapsed back onto the muddy ground. I switched my head around, left and right, but there was no sign of any cars or even people for that matter. It was just me. Alone. This place where I sat was strange looking. A town maybe? The buildings were worn down with wet debris covering the ground. The streets seemed as though peoples’ feet hadn't touched them in decades.

I tried to speak and call out for help, but there was nothing coming out of my throat; just a hoarse noise. The cold breeze blew again and again I shuddered. I could still hear that girl’s voice echoing throughout my head. Telling me that I needed to leave. I did my best to ignore it. Again, I tried to move my legs, but they were hurting and every time I tried to get up, I fell down again.

I gave up and squinted my eyes closed. There was no helping it, I couldn’t move and there was no one around to even hear me cough. I was going to die here. So I kept my eyes closed, at least I wouldn’t have to look at this place as I died. And that’s when I heard him.

“Taemin, wake up.” He whispered.

****

“Kai!” I yelled as I jumped up.

“Woah, woah, easy.” Came a man’s voice.

I turned abruptly, surprised and frightened all at once. A man walked up to me with a huge grin on his face.

“Onew actually.” He laughed, pressing his hand against his chest but I only looked at him in confusion. His smile immediately went away and he cleared his throat.

“Sorry, wasn’t funny. Shouldn’t be joking right now. He told me not to joke around all the time in situations like this.” He chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

“W-Where?” Was all I could get out.

“Are you?” He finished.

I turned my head from side to side. The room was a little bright with sky blue walls. There were ridged curtains separating me and other patients. I was in a hospital room. A cord was hooked up into my arm and connected to a machine.

“You’re in a hospital. Me and my boyfriend found you lying on a tree. You were pale and you looked sick. Maybe all you needed was a good nights sleep cause you look all better now.” He chuckled.

His words grabbed me immediately.

“A tree?” I questioned and instantly the picture of the ashy whitebark entered my mind.

Onew nodded his head.

“Yeah. We found you in those clothes over there.” He pointed towards a chair that had clothes hanging on the head of it. Exactly dark blue jeans and a short sleeved white t-shirt but dirtier.

So I was there, it did happen. All of it?

“T-Thank you.” I stuttered out.

He smiled and placed his hand in a stopping motion.
“No need to thank. Anyone in this town would have done the same thing. We’re all nice people over here, you know. I hope you do feel better now.”

I smiled and nodded my head.

“Still, thank you and yes I do.”

I looked over at my clothes one more time.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure. My clothes,” I pointed over, “did someone dry them or something? I would think they would still be drenched when you found me. Or have I just been out that long.”

The man looked at me with a strange gaze. He scratched the back of his head again, then answered.

“You’ve only been out for a day. And your clothes weren’t wet or anything, why would they be?”

“Because it rained.” 

“Rained? It hasn’t rained here for about a month.”

“What? It’s Fall or something right? There were dead leaves on the ground and-“

The man continuously shook his head.

“It’s summer and has been for a minute. Maybe if you remember how you got here, it would help you put some things together.”

“But I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“Remember,” I answered and that’s when it struck me. “I can’t remember anything.”