Kaizer's POV
The road stretched ahead in a long, quiet line, the kind that felt endless even when you knew it wasn't.
I sat beside her, leaning slightly toward the window, watching the streetlights pass one after another in blurred streaks of yellow. There was something strangely calming about it… the steady rhythm of the car, the faint hum of the engine, and the silence that existed without needing to be filled.
"Mumma…"
I spoke softly, not because I had something important to say, but because I wanted to hear her voice in return.
She glanced at me for a moment, a small smile forming on her lips before her eyes returned to the road.
"You're still awake?" she asked, her tone gentle, almost teasing.
"I'm not sleepy," I replied, even though my eyelids felt heavier than I wanted to admit.
She let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head slightly.
"You say that every time… and then fall asleep before we reach."
I didn't answer this time.
Instead, I kept looking ahead, letting the silence return.
It wasn't uncomfortable.
Not with her.
---
And then,
something shattered it.
---
A loud crack exploded against the front glass, sharp and sudden enough to make my entire body jerk.
"Mumma—!"
The car lurched violently, the tires screeching against the road as control slipped in an instant. The world tilted, twisted, and blurred all at once, the sound of metal and friction filling my ears as the vehicle skidded.
Her hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"Hold..."
---
The rest never came.
---
The force threw me sideways, then forward, and in the next second,
I wasn't inside anymore.
---
The impact came hard.
Too hard.
The ground slammed into me, knocking the air out of my lungs as everything around me blurred into fragments of light and sound. My body refused to respond, every part of me frozen between pain and shock.
"Mumma…"
My voice barely came out.
It didn't reach anyone.
---
And then,
I heard it.
---
A voice.
Not hers.
---
A child's voice.
---
"Why do you follow me everywhere?"
---
The pain disappeared.
Just like that.
---
The road vanished.
The night dissolved.
And suddenly,
I was standing.
---
A playground.
---
The swings creaked softly, moving on their own as if touched by an invisible breeze. The ground beneath my feet felt real, but everything else… felt distant.
And beside me,
a girl.
---
She stood with her hands on her waist, her brows slightly furrowed, her expression carrying a kind of irritation that didn't quite match her age.
"Why do you follow me everywhere?" she repeated, turning toward me with an accusing look.
I stared at her, confused.
"I don't…"
"You do," she cut in immediately, turning away and taking a few steps forward. "You always come where I am."
Something about her voice…
felt familiar.
---
I took a step after her.
"Wait..."
---
Knock.
---
The sound broke everything.
---
My eyes snapped open.
---
The ceiling came into focus slowly, my breathing uneven as reality rushed back in all at once. My chest rose and fell faster than it should have, and for a moment, I just stayed there… staring upward, trying to steady myself.
A dream.
It was just a dream.
---
But that girl,
---
I pushed myself up, running a hand through my hair, trying to recall her face clearly. There was something there… something I knew I had seen before, something that felt just out of reach.
"Why do you follow me everywhere…"
The words echoed faintly in my mind.
I almost had it.
Almost remembered,
---
Knock. Knock.
---
I exhaled sharply, the thought slipping away completely this time.
"Yeah," I said, getting up and opening the door.
---
Lux stood there.
Like usual.
Unannounced.
Unbothered.
---
"Why are you here?" I asked, stepping aside as he walked in without waiting for permission.
"I got bored," he replied casually, dropping onto the chair like it was his own room. "Thought I'd come and chill."
I closed the door behind him.
"You don't have to study?"
He looked at me like I had insulted him personally.
"Wow," he said slowly, leaning back. "Someone is changing. This is what happens when you study with toppers, huh?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Say what you came for."
---
"Okay, fine," he said, suddenly leaning forward with excitement. "Come here. I need to show you something."
I walked over reluctantly as he held out his phone.
A video played.
A girl sat across from a boy, confidently guessing everything he was thinking.
Every answer,
perfect.
---
Lux snorted.
"This is obviously scripted."
"Yeah," I said, watching the screen for a moment longer than needed.
Then I spoke.
"…what if we try it?"
---
He blinked.
"What?"
"Let's try," I repeated calmly.
---
For a second, he just stared at me.
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
---
He straightened in his seat.
"Alright then. First question. What's my favourite colour?"
---
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I focused.
Not on him.
But on everything else.
The noise.
The constant flow of thoughts that never really stopped.
---
And then,
one thought stood out.
Clear.
Simple.
---
"Red."
---
Lux blinked.
"…I told you that."
I frowned slightly.
"When?"
He opened his mouth.
Then paused.
"…I think I did."
---
"Next," I said calmly.
---
"Favourite food?"
"Sundae."
"…okay that could be a guess."
---
"What was I thinking just now?"
I looked at him.
"You were thinking this might actually be real… but you don't want to admit it."
---
He froze.
---
"That's… coincidence," he muttered quickly.
---
"Your favourite movie," I continued before he could recover.
I paused for a second.
Then almost smiled.
---
"A Disney princess movie."
---
His expression broke completely.
---
"You—"
He stood up immediately.
"No. This is not happening."
---
I leaned back slightly, crossing my arms.
"You asked."
---
He pointed at me like I was some kind of dangerous discovery.
"You're not normal."
---
"I never said I was."
---
He took a step back.
"I'm telling you right now… this is black magic."
---
I couldn't help it.
I laughed.
---
Iris's POV
Numbers never lied.
That was the only thing I trusted about them.
---
I sat at my study table, pen in hand, carefully writing down every expense, every detail, every amount that mattered more than I wanted it to.
Hospital bills.
Medicines.
Daily needs.
---
I paused.
Calculated again.
Slower this time.
More carefully.
---
The result didn't change.
---
My current salary would barely cover the hospital expenses.
And the medicines,
weren't even included yet.
---
My gaze shifted toward the cupboard.
Inside, a small strip of tablets lay quietly.
Two… maybe three left.
---
I looked at them for a long moment.
Then looked away.
I could manage.
Pain wasn't something new anymore.
---
I continued calculating.
I needed more.
At least thirty percent more than what I was earning now.
Which meant more work.
More hours.
Three… maybe four extra hours every day.
---
But then,
studies.
---
If I didn't study properly, my grades would drop.
If my grades dropped,
my scholarship would stop.
---
I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes for a second.
"This is… frustrating."
---
My phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen.
Landlord.
---
My breath hitched slightly.
Rent.
---
I had forgotten.
---
Slowly, I turned my head toward the photo frame placed beside my table.
I picked it up carefully.
Me.
Mumma.
Pa.
---
I was small.
Smiling without thinking.
Without knowing anything.
---
My fingers traced the edge of the frame.
"Mumma… Pa…" I whispered softly.
"I want to grow up."
---
Because growing up meant solving things.
Handling things.
Carrying things.
---
I placed the frame back and stood up.
---
At the café, everything felt the same.
Busy.
Loud.
Unforgiving.
---
I approached the manager slowly.
"Ma'am… I wanted to ask something."
She looked up.
"What?"
---
"I… need a little more salary," I said, my voice quieter than usual.
---
For once—
she didn't interrupt.
---
"What happened?" she asked.
---
I explained.
Briefly.
Carefully.
---
She listened.
Then sighed.
"We can't increase it," she said. "Even if I want to."
---
I nodded.
Expected.
---
"What if I work more hours?" I asked quickly.
---
She shook her head.
"That's not allowed. You're too young."
---
Too young.
---
I gave a small nod.
"Okay."
---
I turned,
and stopped.
---
Grace stood there.
---
"There's an online job," she said quietly. "Content writing."
---
I looked up instantly.
Hope.
Sharp.
Sudden.
---
"Tell me."
---
She did.
And I listened.
Carefully.
Even if I didn't fully trust it yet.
---
That night, I searched.
The site was real.
Looked real.
Too real.
---
I frowned.
"Still…"
---
I closed it.
I needed to check more.
---
I stood up,
and then froze.
---
Pain.
---
It started at my neck.
Then spread to my shoulder.
Then—
my head.
---
Sharp.
Sudden.
Unbearable.
---
I gripped the table tightly, my fingers digging into the wood as the pain intensified, tearing through my thoughts, leaving nothing but a burning pressure behind.
"Not now…"
---
My vision blurred.
Tears slipped down without warning.
---
I tried to move.
Tried to reach the drawer.
The medicine—
---
But my body refused.
---
The pain grew.
Stronger.
Heavier.
---
My hand pressed against my head as if I could stop it.
I couldn't.
---
My legs gave in.
---
And slowly,
I fell.
The world faded.
And the last thing I felt,
was the sting of tears as everything went dark.