Sometimes what you look for the most is either right in front of you, or only resides in your dreams. But it is also sometimes that maybe you are not the one who is supposed to find it, maybe you just need a vessel...a medium to connect the dots.
China, Fujian, Zhangzhou, Longhai City
(2029/10/20)
(Zhangzhou No.1 High School)
The students run here and there, making noises and creating mess. The classes are about to begin after lunch break but it is not the reason why the students are rushing.
(Rooftop)
A girl stands on the parapet, her eyes hollow and red from crying. She looks straight, lost in thought. She closes her eyes and recalls all the ugly memories that have pushed her up to that parapet, making more tears stream down her cheeks.
Agony.
Pain.
Sorrow.
Abuse.
Emotional torment.
A hundred reasons more to choose death.
But her eyes twitch, as if some sort of energy flowing around her head. She forces her eyes open and her breath gets caught in her throat. Otherworldly events start to occur. All the moments she has never seen in her life, unfold in a thin layer of air, about a feet away from her position. It doesn't make sense to her to see her little brother cry, holding her soft bunny toy.
"Jiejie....why did you leave?" the boy cries.
Her grandma sits on the patio, eyes lost into the frost. She looks much thin and petite than before as if she stopped eating a long time ago.
And the guy who tries to always help her out, has lost his job. As he walks on the road at night, a gang of goons get him, beat him up badly and leave with his wallet. Unable to get any help, he succumbs to his injuries sometime later. His mother loses her mind upon losing her only child in the hospital room.
The girl shakes in her stance, the loop of incidents happening again and again. Then for some unknown reason, she looks back. Another set of memories unfold into the thin air, but this time on the side of the roof.
She has graduated from her school with good marks. On the day of NCEE results, her grandma, brother and that guy wait on the entrance. As she appears, smiling ear to ear, they all rejoice and welcome her with happiness and drinks. She gets into her dream university with scholarship and leave her parents' home, taking her brother with her. After becoming a lawyer, the guy proposes to her and they get a lovely wedding. The guests are well wishers. Her life keeps going on with blessings of love, children and success. An absolute dream.
Her breathing accelerates, eyes wide with horror as the unnatural set of events tear her in two directions. She gasps and fumbles backward, landing flat on the roof's floor. Her whole body is filled with cold sweat. She keeps breathing, shallow and ragged.
Someone stands by the rooftop door, her long brown hair loose and face etched with exhaustion, like she's just returned from battle. Her eyes glued on the blue butterfly flying high after getting out of the other girl's body. As she sobs on the floor, curled up with her knees to her chest, she quietly takes her leave seeing the butterfly vanish, just as silently as she once arrived.
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She has arrived the 1st floor when the school authorities run upstairs to get to the rooftop. She keeps her expression relaxed and joins the class a bit late but no teacher is there yet as a tension spread among everyone upon seeing that girl standing on the parapet, ready to jump.
"Did you see the girl? I heard a few students say she is a student of 5C. She was about to jump! It was so scary!" one of the students say.
"She is bullied in school and at her home too. I can understand why she felt like that." another one adds.
"Thank God she changed her mind. Oh, I can't even think about dying like that!" the third one says, face laced with sorrow.
"You're right, it must hurt a lot." the first one replies.
They keep chatting about it as the girl pretends to be asleep, head on her hands, crouching on the desk.
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(Evening, 3:35 PM)
The last bell rang about five minutes ago. The girl tidies her bag as someone approaches her with a water bottle and places it on her desk. She looks up to the person.
The two stare at each other before the other person who gave the bottle breaks the eye connection and leaves the classroom, without saying a word.
She reads the note pasted on the bottle.
['You know you can talk to me anytime. I don't like this Luya. Something is bothering you, just tell me what it is. I'm still your best friend.' - Zhang Fang.]
Luya takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. Before leaving however, she gulps the whole bottle down as if thirsty for years.
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(Evening, 6:30 PM)
Luya walks on the sidewalk, neatly dressed, a tote bag slung across her shoulder. She is on video call with a woman.
"I can't believe, I had to literally put you on video call to make you shop a dress!" the woman says.
"And I don't understand why this is so important. My closet is filled with dresses." Luya sighs.
"But you don't have a ruby colored one, it's the dress code." the woman whines.
"It's useless to argue with you, I-" Luya stops on track.
She sees the same blue butterfly flying across the street....it's wings glowing.
"You've got to be kidding me." Luya says.
"What?" the woman asks.
"Uhm, I will call you later." saying, Luya cuts the call.
Crossing roads, she then follows the butterfly through the crowd. Soon, she reaches some people on bikes in a dark alley.
"Hey baobei!"