The dream was always the same. A younger version of Minji was sitting in a large room in what appears to be an abandoned warehouse. The place was completely dark, except for the light coming in from a skylight in the ceiling.
She is sitting at the table in the center of the room, on which there is a book. The blue leather-bound volume had a curious symbol engraved on the cover, an hourglass in the center of a circle very similar to a globe.
"The universe is divided into many dimensions." It's the phrase on the first page of the book, and when she turns the page, she finds once again the drawing of an hourglass, this time, hand painted on the page covered with characters that she didn't have time to read, because her attention was attracted by the sound of footsteps echoing through the warehouse.
As she looks towards the sound of steps, she sees a silhouette emerging from the shadows, walking towards her. Her heart tightens, it's as if suddenly she can't move. As she gets closer, she realizes that the silhouette belongs to a boy. He would look very normal if it wasn't for his blue hair.
Dressed in black and carrying the curious object portrayed in the book, the blue-haired boy calmly approaches Minji, a faint smile on his lips, as if to transpose her.
She feels like she should run, that's what she wants to do, but her body simply won't move, so she continues sitting, just staring at the boy, who just reaches the light, extends his hand, nodding his head so that the girl takes the golden hourglass he carries.
Minji reaches out and takes the artifact. The boy smiles at her and nods. He doesn't say anything, but something seems to click when the girl picks up the artifact, as if the object should be with her. The boy takes a step back and a bluish light begins to emanate from the hourglass and Minji wakes up, sweating and panting, sitting up in bed in a sudden movement.
"Are you okay?" Siyeon, who was sitting on the bed on the other side of the room with a book resting on her knees and a small flashlight in her hands, asked.
Minji nodded. She didn't remember the first time she had that dream, but it had been with her for years. And the feeling she had when she woke up was always the same. That she couldn't escape, that even in the real world, when she was awake, he would find her. The blue haired-boy.
Which was ridiculous, since Minji had never seen anyone even remotely similar to the blue-haired boy in her dreams. How could someone who didn't exist pursue her? Persecution didn't seem like the most logical word to describe the situation, but that was exactly how she felt.
Siyeon was still staring at her, more curious than worried, she pointed the flashlight at her roommate, who squinted her eyes.
"Had a nightmare?" She asked.
"Kinda." Minji answered, with a confused expression.
"How can you kinda have a nightmare?" Siyeon asked and Minji just shrugged, trying to find a more comfortable position on the bed.
She signaled to her friend that she was going to go back to sleep, or at least try, and instructed her to do the same. Siyeon agreed that she should,since the light might bother Minji and their new roommate, the girl who arrived at the mansion that week, and still didn't exchange a word with any of the girls from the school.
But it still took her a while to abandon the book in her lap, she had to finish it, since it would be discussed the next day at the book club, a book that she should have already finished, but wasn't even halfway through, what made her worried that Sua would get mad at her for not finishing the reading in time.
What she didn't know was that Sua hadn't finished the book either, and was very busy at that exact moment, in another corner of the mansion, with other books and a not-so-benevolent purpose.
****
"Maybe she can't speak, just like Minji?" Gahyeon suggested.
"Gahyeon!" Handong scolded the girl, poking her with the elbow. "You shouldn't say things like this."
The girls were at their usual table at the mansion cafeteria, and Minji was sitting right in front of Gahyeon, drinking a cup of tea, beside her, Yoohyeon, Minji's best friend, was looking with an annoyed face at Gahyeon.
"I'm not mocking her or being mean." Gahyeon protested "Is it wrong to say the truth now?"
Handong couldn't believe the youngest. She just turned to Mnji, saying that she was sorry for her friend's behavior. Minji just brushes it away. Gahyeon wasn't trying to hurt her, they were friends, she was just a little unconsciously mean from time to time, a lot of the richest girls were sometimes, but it wasn't the case at that moment. And it wasn't like she said something wrong, MInji couldn't talk, she was mute. But assuming the new girl was mute too just cause she didn't approach anyone, was kind of wrong.
"Maybe she's just really shy, or nervous." Siyeon suggested "It's normal not to feel so comfortable around new people."
They were talking about the new girl, the one who was sharing the room with Minji and Siyeon. She arrived at the beginning of the week, and all the girls knew about her was her name: Dami.
The girl was attending all classes since she arrived, but never talked to anyone, even to the teachers, she just ignored everyone and kept walking alone through the school.
"I heard she came from a mental hospital." Gahyeon whispered.
"Okay, I had enough of you for today." Yoohyeon said, getting up.
"What? I'm just saying what I heard." Gahyeon protested.
"You shouldn't spread everything you heard from your rich mean friends." Yoohyeon scolded her.Then she turned to Minji. "I see you in class."
"Are you coming to the book club meeting later?" Siyeon asked as the girl walked away. "Sua will get mad if you don't."
"I'll be there." She answered without turning around.
Siyeon sighed, less worried.
"Where is she, by the way?" Minji asked, not obtaining an answer. The one who could give an answer was the one who just left: Yoohyeon, who was Sua's roommate.
"She's probably in the library, or in the photography club room." Handong pointed. "She's spending a lot of time there lately working on a project."
"I don't understand how she stands to stay in that dark room for so long. I find that room suffocating." Gahyeon commented.
"I have to agree with you on that." Siyeon said. She was still with the book in hand, now a lot more close to the end. She would have finished it by the evening before dinner when the book club meeting was scheduled.
The bell announcing the end of the breakfast and beginning of classes rang, interrupting the girl's conversation. The girls started to get up with their trails.
"Are we going to the corner shop tonight?" Gahyeon whispered to Minji after they left the cafeteria. "I'm running out of snacks."
"I don't think it is a good idea." Minji pointed out.
"But it has been more than two weeks since the designated break! We always go to the corner shop after the book club meetings!" Gahyeon sulked.
"I think Minji is right." Handong pointed out "We can't go out and break the curfew when there is someone else we don't know well enough sleeping in their room.What if the new girl snitches us?"
"WAIT?" Gahyeon said. making the other three girls stop in the hallway. "So you having a new roommate we don't trust means we are never going to sneak out of the academy again? UNTIL WE GRADUATE?"
"I hadn't thought about it." Minji pointed out, seeming worried about that possibility.
"We need a solution, really quick." Siyeon said, as the girls headed to their respective classes.
****
"So hum... Dami, how were your first days?" The counselor asked.
Dami was sitting in his fancy office, the room filled with bookshelves would be very cozy and inviting if the circumstances were different. The counselor seemed like a decent guy. Hair well cut and neat, clothes clean and ironed. He wore a placid expression as he watched, waiting for an answer that didn't come.
It didn't matter that he seemed like a nice person, she had already learned not to trust anyone. Dami didn't want to talk about how her first week had been. In fact, she didn't want to talk about anything.
And yet, everyone around her continued to direct questions at her.
What is your name? Where are you from? Why are you here? Do you want to sit with us? Almost everyone at the academy seemed so friendly, always kind and curious, willing to help her with whatever she needed. Of course there were also some people talking shit on her back. She heard some girls in the bathroom speculating about her and the circumstances that led her there. But they were a minority, as far as she knew.
She didn't expect that when she found out she was going to a boarding school. She expected spoiled rich girls, hateful teachers and a horrible place.But the academy was a pleasant place, an old house but very well maintained and cared for.
Many of the girls who lived and studied there were very rich indeed, but there were also girls like Dami, who were lucky enough to end up there after not very fortunate circumstances.And they all recognized how lucky they were to be there, being well cared for and receiving a good education.
Everything there seemed perfect, and that was what bothered Dami the most. How could a place like that exist?
Coming from where she came from, after what she'd been through, all the perfection of that place seemed elusive. The real world wasn't like that, was it?
"I know new beginnings can be difficult" the man who seemed to realize he wouldn't get an answer began "But I hope you start to feel at home here soon."
Home... Dami didn't understand the meaning of that word.
"I'm sure the girls are excited to meet you." he guaranteed. "Your roommates..."
"About that" Dami spoke for the first time, causing the man's eyes to light up.
"Can I have a room of my own?"
The glint in the counselor's eyes disappeared.
"The girls weren't nice to you?" he wanted to know.
"Quite the opposite" She had to admit it "They are very kind and polite."
The counselor smiled, proud of his choice to her roommates. But soon his smile faded in confusion.
"But if they are so nice, why do you want a room of your own?" he wanted to know.
"I still don't feel comfortable sharing a room after... You know." she didn't finished the sentence, she didn't had to, he knew what she was talking about. "I'm not sleeping well yet, and when I fall asleep... Sleepwalking starts again."
"Are you still having sleepwalking episodes?" he asked, worried, taking notes on his notepad.
"Yes." Dami lied. She hadn't had any sleepwalking episodes since arriving at the academy, at least she hadn't had any signs of it when she woke up, but she didn't want to share a room, so she needed a convincing excuse.
"It could be dangerous to the girls, I don't want to hurt anyone" she added.The counselor pondered for a moment.
"Having roommates is important for your socialization." He commented "But if sleepwalking worries you I can see if we can get you a private room. On one condition.
Of course, everything was going too well as she'd planned.
"You need to socialize in other ways... Join a club, maybe?" he suggested.
Dami didn't want to socialize, she wanted to stay as far away from everyone as possible, until she could think of a way to escape that place.
"I can try," she agreed, just to try to reel the man in.
"That's great" the counselor said, opening one of the drawers in his desk and taking out a sheet which he handed to the girl. "You can choose and fill out the form." he said, handing her the list of clubs and sports teams. He really wasn't willing to be tricked, but Dami wasn't about to give up a room of her own, so she skimmed through the list, analyzing the available options. Dancing, music, volleyball, photography... Everything seemed to require a lot of effort, until her eyes found the right words.
"Reading Club". she announced, and the man smiled, satisfied, handing her a form to fill out.
"That's great" he said "I'll ask Siyeon, your roommate, to accompany you to your first club meeting, she's one of the founders of the club, she'll be very happy to welcome you as a new member."
Dami didn't answer. She wasn't the least bit interested in the club, she just thought it would be the easiest to deal with on the list.
"Actually, I think they have a meeting tonight before dinner." the counselor announced, making her even more disappointed with her decision. "You will love it, the girls are very smart and always choose amazing books."
She wasn't really interest in all of that, bit she would have to pretend for a while if she wanted to be free. And God, how she wanted it.
****
Sua caressed the black leather cover of the book she was holding. It was a really old and rare exhibit. She had been taking care of the book for a while but soon it would be in someone's else hands.
It was almost time.That was all Sua could think about. She had been working on that for so long...
She was stuck in her own world when the bell announcing the beginning of classes rang. She had to go to class, so she protected the book, putting it on a velvet bag and hide it in one of the drawers of the studio table, locking it with a key.
If anyone entered the photography club room, they wouldn't find the book. Not that anyone wanted to be in that room recently, or that anyone could do something with the book.
She left the room and ran to her class. She still had a lot to do for her project, but it had to wait. Soon everything would be ready as she planned.
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