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"Is this yours," the voice that belonged to my sister said to me.
Huh?
Didn't I just die?
I felt around my neck and there was no sticky blood.
There also wasn't any injury on my shoulder.
But how?
And wasn't I just on the floor right now?
But now I'm standing here in front of my sister.
The sister that ran out and abandoned me.
"Are you ignoring me?" my sister said.
"Huh?" What is she talking about?
"I'm sorry," I apologized first even though I didn't understand what's going on.
"Then answer the question," my sister said.
"Sorry, can you repeat the question?" I asked.
"Is this yours?" my sister dangled the hairpin in front of me.
Wait, haven't I heard that before?
Before I was attacked, we were talking about the hairpin.
Then after resolving the issue, the stall opened and then that student came out.
Stall... isn't it the one I'm standing in front of right now?
I froze and turned to the occupied stall in front of me.
The stall that houses a monster—the same monster that killed me last time.
I was trembling, with my hands over my mouth to block the scream that seemed like it was about to erupt.
"What's wrong with you?" my sister said to me—not out of care, but in a voice filled with annoyance.
Like, why has this stupid girl gone crazy?
"Mmmonster," I stuttered through choked sobs while gazing at the stall.
"Have you finally gone crazy? Why would there be a monster at school?
Or do you think you can scare me into giving you back the hairpin?" My sister didn't believe me.
But it was to be expected.
Would you honestly believe that monsters exist?
Plus, someone as weak as me, who has also been bullied a lot, lacks credibility.
"No... no, it's true," I tried to get her to believe me.
"Really? Then how do you know that it's a monster in there?
It's not like we saw anyone or anything come in.
Plus, she looks like a normal student to me," my sister said this as she came to examine the stall.
"I saw it," I said.
"When?" my sister asked.
"That... that..." I wanted to say just a moment ago.
But technically it happened in this bathroom right now.
Well, not right now, but a few minutes or seconds after this.
So it hasn't happened yet.
Then I can't say that it will happen.
That sounds like clairvoyance—seeing the future.
Honestly, the idea of me having superpowers is harder to believe than saying there are monsters.
"You obviously have finally gone crazy, there's no other explanation," my sister said.
Have I really gone crazy?
Or did I go back in time?
Honestly, going back in time—that's kinda ridiculous, right?
Yeah, I must be hallucinating from being overworked and exhausted all the time.
Maybe I should take a day off and recuperate.
"I guess you're right," I said, attempting to put the idea out of my head.
"Hmm, but this joke of yours isn't very scary," my sister seemed to resent me for trying to scare her.
I seem to remember her saying something like this in my vision.
So I went to the bucket of dirty mop water and poured it on my body.
Even if the vision was just a symptom of stress, it did provide me some insight.
I already know that I'm not going to get the hairpin back.
So what's the point of arguing?
Once again, someone slipped outside, but this time I realized that there were a lot of people in the hallway.
I hadn't noticed that because I was too absorbed in trying to get the hairpin.
"Well, hurry to class," my sister said.
It's not any of my business why the school is so active before the first period.
I went to the sink and began to squeeze the water out of my blazer.
The room fell into silence except for the footsteps from outside and my sister's fingers pressing her phone screen.
Then a loud noise interrupted this silence.
It was the sound of the stall door opening and that animalistic growl.
I froze once again and used the bathroom mirror to look behind me.
Just like in my vision, the student turned to my sister, who was the closest, and attacked her.
And everything in my vision repeated itself.
My sister pushed me to the monster and I died.
........
"Is this yours?" my sister's voice said.
It was like blinking, and the next thing was that I'm standing in front of that stall.
I hurriedly felt around my shoulder and once again there was no blood.
It's impossible that I would hallucinate the same thing twice.
That must mean that it's real, and in the stall in front of me lies a monster.
I trembled and stumbled back from the stall.
"What's wrong with you?" my sister's voice was once again mocking me with this question.
"There's a monster in there," I said, pointing at the stall.
"Oh, how does it look like?" mocking tone.
"It looks like a student, but she has black spots all over her body and her eyes are bloodshot," I described the monster to her.
"I don't believe you," my sister said.
"I'm really saying the truth," I said this desperately.
"Then prove it," my sister had her hands crossed as she said this to me.
"Huh... me?" I was beginning to panic at the thought of going close to that monster.
"You said there's a monster inside, now go and check." My sister even knocked on the stall door just to make sure the person inside was awake.
I looked at her in horror, and my head turned from side to side in refusal while my legs felt weak at the idea of it.
"I thought you were sure there's a monster inside.
You weren't lying now, were you?" My sister sounded disappointed.
But I still didn't dare to get close to the stall.
Instead, I went to the bucket with shaky feet and dumped its content on myself.
"I'm sorry," I apologized.
"Tsk, whatever." She let it go.
I sighed in relief and tried to think of a way out of this.
I moved away from the stall and told my sister that maybe we should leave.
"Why, is it because of the monster?" my sister teased me.
But I still tried to get her to leave with me when the stall door opened.
This time, it lunged straight at me, who was standing in front of my sister.
Once again, I was dead.
......
"Is this yours?" my sister's voice was back once again.
I almost screamed, but my hand covered my mouth to stop it.
I was in tears at this time, and my gaze was focused on the stall.
"What's wrong with you?" my sister's voice brought me back.
"We... we need to leave," I said, stuttering because my teeth were also chattering in fear.
"Have you finally gone crazy?" my sister said.
"Please, just trust me," I was practically begging.
"Why do you want me to leave so bad?" my sister sounded curious.
But I just kept repeating that we should leave.
"Does it have to do with this stall?" My sister moved closer to the stall and examined it.
"No... don't get too close," I said this while trembling.
"Why?" my sister questioned.
"Because it's dangerous." I can't say there's a monster inside.
"Look, the hairpin is yours, everything is yours, so can we please just leave," I said.
"Hmm, but I'm still curious," she said.
I didn't know what to do and thought about the bucket.
My sister enjoys it when I'm uncomfortable.
So I poured the dirty water on my body to appease her.
"Haha, it's always so funny when you're in an embarrassing situation." As expected, she laughed at me.
And I smiled at her with a strained movement of the mouth.
Then I still took some time to convince her.
She finally agreed, but it was too late, as the monster pounced once again.
......
"Is this yours?" once again, my sister's voice said this to me.
I screamed, but my hand muffled it as soon as it came out.
"Are you actually crazy now?" my sister said, staring at me like I was a freak.
"We need to go," I said, scared.
"Why should I?" my sister said.
"Please... please... please..." I was begging at this point, choking on my sobs.
My sister looked at me disgusted and tried to open the stall door.
Out of fear, I grabbed her hand to stop it, but the next thing that happened was a slap landing on my cheek.
"How dare you touch me," my sister sounded angry.
My mind went blank at the stinging sensation of my cheek.
"I'm sorry," I said this reflexively.
My sister glared at me and told me to dump the water on myself.
I was relieved that she didn't open the stall, but she was waiting for me to complete my punishment.
After that, I told her we should go immediately, and she agreed.
But the same thing happened—the monster lunged at me, who was behind my sister.
I died.
....
"Is this yours?" my sister's voice.
That same sentence.
This time, I did scream.