Finally, Nolan yanked Helena inside so nobody would see her standing in front of his door. After closing the door, he turned, leaning back against it, watching Helena look around his room.
"I-this isn't a violation, right? I mean, I can't fucking die because of this... but there's no rule about sleeping in someone else's room... as long as we don't fall in love... right?" Nolan wondered, panicked and starting to freak out.
Then, Helena turned around and stood in front of Nolan. After that, she looked fidgety and bowed her head.
"Um... thanks. I... I'm just not used to it yet. Just for tonight, please," Helena said slowly.
"Okay, okay... just tonight. I really don't want to get into trouble by having you in my room," Nolan replied.
"I understand. Just for tonight," Helena repeated.
"Why didn't you go to Selma's or Ingrid's room? Why mine?" Nolan asked.
"Um... I tried Ingrid's room; she wouldn't open the door... and Selma turned me away. I couldn't go to Zack's room because he's terrifying, and Alvin... because he's terrifying too," Helena answered.
"And I'm not terrifying? I'm a guy, and you know what happens when a guy and a girl are in a room alone," Nolan pressed.
Helena looked at Nolan, who seemed terrified, annoyed, and genuinely confused in front of her. Then she looked down.
"I understand," Helena said.
"Thud." Helena dropped her pillow and started to unbutton her pajama top. Nolan saw this and became even more shocked and scared. He immediately grabbed both of Helena's hands; she looked completely startled.
"What are you doing?" Nolan demanded.
"Um... if I want to stay in a room with a guy, I have to be naked and... we have to do that?" Helena asked.
"No, that's not... Ugh, never mind. You sleep on the bed, I'll take the couch," Nolan ordered, letting go of Helena's hands.
Helena stared at Nolan, who was rubbing his face, then running a hand through his hair. Then she looked at the bed and back at Nolan.
"Fine, if you want to be on the bed too, that's fine. The bed's big enough for both of us," Helena offered.
"Forget it. Don't push it. You're on the bed, I'm on the couch. End of story," Nolan insisted.
"Alright. I'm sorry, okay?" Helena said.
"But why me? Why the hell did you come to my room?" Nolan asked.
"Because you seem... nice, and brave. After what happened, and when everyone else was yelling earlier... you stayed calm. I felt like I could trust you," Helena answered.
"But if you were suddenly stripping your clothes off, why didn't you go to Zack or Alvin, who are clearly much more 'manly' than me?" Nolan asked, annoyed.
"They would have taken me up on my offer, but I was pretty sure you wouldn't. Again... I'm sorry, and I promise it's only for tonight. I'm genuinely freaked out after seeing that murder right in front of me and being stuck in this creepy villa," Helena stated.
"Fine. Let's just get some sleep, it's late. You're on the bed, I'm on the couch. No more talking," Nolan said, resigned.
"Yes. Thank you again, Nolan," Helena replied.
Helena bent down to pick up her pillow, then walked to the bed and lay down. Nolan locked his room door so no one could enter, then turned off the light. He walked to the sofa and lay down, but a moment later, he turned over, his face flushing red because he'd caught a glimpse of what was under Helena's pajamas just now. He covered his face with his hands.
"Geez... I'm always at home. The only places I go are school or the hospital... I've never dealt with anything like this before. I only read about it in books and watched it in movies... She didn't even button her pajama top back up... goddamn it," Nolan thought.
After that, the room was quiet and cool, and thoroughly exhausted from everything that had happened since he arrived at the villa, Nolan finally fell fast asleep.
***
"Crraack!" A deafening clap of thunder struck, causing two small children waiting at a bus stop to suddenly jump in terror. Without realizing it, they were hugging each other. "Shhhhhh... brrrrrr..." Heavy rain poured down, trapping them under the shelter, which was shrouded in the lightning's light, the dark sky, and the strong, chilling wind.
The two sat there, clinging to each other, not realizing they were complete strangers. Although they wore kindergarten uniforms, their clothes were different because they attended different schools. They didn't speak, but their hands were clasped tightly together. Eventually, they looked up and studied each other's faces. The little boy saw the small girl in front of him, who had blonde hair and looked incredibly cute. The little girl also saw the boy, who was shivering with fright.
"Um... what's your name?"
"Nolan. What's yours?" Nolan asked.
"Um... I'm Bzzzz. Just call me Bzzzz. (She looked behind him) Do you go to school here?" Bzzzz replied, following up with a question.
"Yeah. (He looked at Bzzzz's uniform) Do you go to the one across the street?" Nolan asked.
"Yeah, I haven't been picked up yet. Thanks, Nolan. I'm not scared anymore," Bzzzz answered.
"You're welcome. Thanks to you, I'm not scared anymore either," Nolan replied.
They fell silent but remained hugging, watching the heavy rain fall around them. Their schools were across the street from each other, but the difference was stark: Bzzzz went to a rather fancy and elite private school, while Nolan attended the public school right behind the bus stop. The social gap between the two schools was obvious, even if the curriculum was the same.
"How old are you?" Nolan asked.
"I'm four years old. What about you?" Bzzzz asked.
"I'm five years old," Nolan replied.
"Crraack!" The conversation halted as another thunderclap made both of them jump again on the bench, grabbing each other and clinging tight. They started to shiver from the cold and instinctively squeezed their embrace even tighter.
"D-don't be scared. I'm here... I'm with you. I'll always be with you," Nolan whispered, trying not to be scared himself.
"Y-yeah. I'm thankful you're next to me. I'll always be next to you too," Bzzzz replied, hugging Nolan.
They were silent again, still holding each other. Nolan could feel Bzzzz's body trembling fiercely, and he saw both of Bzzzz's hands covering her ears. It looked like Bzzzz was genuinely terrified of the thunder and the flashes of lightning. After a few moments, Bzzzz finally seemed calmer. Nolan loosened his grip, but Bzzzz's hands wrapped around him again.
"H-hey," Nolan said.
"Sorry. Just let me stay like this for a minute," Bzzzz whispered.
"All right," Nolan replied, finally giving in to Bzzzz's hug.
"You promise, right?" Bzzzz asked.
"Promise what?" Nolan asked, confused.
"That you won't leave me and will always be with me," Bzzzz answered.
Nolan paused for a moment. He looked down at Bzzzz, who was staring up at him with her big, blue eyes.
"Yeah, I promise," Nolan replied.
Bzzzz smiled, her hand came up, and she extended her pinky finger, holding it out toward Nolan. Although he didn't understand the gesture, Nolan wrapped his pinky around Bzzzz's.
"I promise to always be by your side, too," Bzzzz said.
"Okay," Nolan replied with a smile.
"Crraack!" "Aaaaaah!" Both immediately jumped back into a tight hug after hearing the thunder, followed by a brilliant flash of lightning. Once the thunder passed, they looked at each other and laughed, then settled back into an embrace.
"Every day here?" Nolan asked.
"Yes. I'll come here every day," Bzzzz answered.
"All right. I'll wait here for you every day," Nolan replied.
A moment later, a fancy car pulled up to collect the little girl named Bzzzz. A woman dressed like a maid stepped out, holding an umbrella, and sheltered Bzzzz beneath it. Bzzzz turned to look at Nolan, who hadn't been picked up yet, and waved. After Nolan waved back, Bzzzz got into the car, and the car drove off, leaving Nolan alone in the pouring, thundering rain.
***
"Whoaaaah!"
Nolan woke up and immediately sat upright, gasping for air. His eyes were wide, and his entire body was covered in cold sweat. His face looked utterly tense and scared.
"Just now... was that a dream? Or an old memory? But who was that girl with me? I don't remember her name," Nolan wondered to himself, rubbing his forehead.
Nolan glanced at the window. He could see sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains. He stood up, walked to the window, and "Shhhk," he opened the curtains. The sun was high and bright. Nolan paused for a second, then quickly turned around, remembering Helena came to his room last night, but when he looked at the bed, it was neatly made, and Helena wasn't there.
"Huh... she's already gone, I guess. Oh well... that dream last night... felt so real," Nolan muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.