[ Yi Mei Lu has fallen quiet. ]
Minutes later, a boy would talk jokes with his friends.
She was giggling, chuckling. Over some unfunny joke again.
"She is such a pick-me girl[1]!"
Oh.
She learned to keep quiet, holding onto her laugh even when it is an actual funny joke.
She'd keep herself distanced towards boys now, she'd prefer being with girls. She'd prefer listening than talking.
Why is that?
She had changed a lot. Now, she could take good care of herself, would befriend with girls more than boys, hanging out with girls, became kinder and respectful, became a lesbian, changed her whole cheerful personality into one that could fit in with the girls.
She loves her new lifestyle! And she would stay like that forever (?)
She is grateful to have more friends, she would be more comfortable with her girl best friends than to befriends boys.
She even said that she loves girls?
Although, it was strange because she's a daddy's girl? She's one to befriend everyone, but why does she wants to befriend with girls more?
It is her choice, right?
The only time she wanted to befriend with boys was that she wanted to feel how they feel.
"I want to feel and understand their feelings, so I don't have to learn things about them and automatically guessed on first try and make them feel more freedom to know that they should be themselves!"
Something like that is unacceptable in this generation?
She was upset.
No, she was happy. Was she?
The smarter she gets, the dumber she goes.
Is that what her experience was suppose to be?
She knew about the actual term of it, but she still went ahead to get along and try to fit in for the girls.
And yet another complain had reached to her brain, calling out to her about it.
From that on, she knew. Whatever identity she goes from, she would still be hanged around with that name.
No matter how much effort she had done to make people see her different, yet they still manage to find the slightest detail of her weird and would call her out for it.
The slightest detail, in which barely no one would point out so easily, yet still being pointed out from her haters.
Whether popular or not, if people knows her. She would be hated in every universe for sure.
It is too poor for a young kid to go through such small experience that's become so big to her.
Her eyes, so empty...
Snapping to reality. looking around to see herself in her class. As usual for an elementary school, the kids there were noisy.
"All of it was just a dream"
She pondered, turning to see both of her friends were sleeping with their head down to their wrist.
"Fina? Winn?"
She called out to them, they were still asleep. I shook their elbows. They didn't wake up.
Why is she trying to wake them up, knowing they will be annoyed of her action?
She wasn't scared, she wasn't worried, she wasn't sad.
So why is she trying to wake them up?
The class teacher didn't bother to look around, he kept writing down. Something. On that paper.
She was curious on what he's writing about, and she was hoping to know he was marking hers a good mark.
"Emiley!"
Someone is calling her, with that name again. Just like how that girl had called her name. Her eyes widened in disgusted, she turned to see it was just her classmates calling her. For at least, that did calm her up.
Did she happen to doze out while they were calling out her name?
She was afraid. She didn't know what to do.
"Yeah?"
She replied back, she was confident they were her classmates, nothing wrong.
Although, there was a smile on their face, as if happy she had answered. After she had replied, everyone in the class started twisting their direction to her. They responded,
"Wake up."
Wake up? What are they talking about?
The only thing in her mind was nothing but confusion, why is everyone acting so weird? Did she do something wrong?
Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.
WAKE UP!
She sat on my seat still, they were repeating it over and over. Forcing her to wake up until my mind was nothing but to wake up quickly before it is too late to go back.
Go back? What are they talking about. Why are they telling her to wake up...?
She blinked once, they had blood all over their face, it was dripping down to the ground.
"Do you wanna be friends?"
One spoked, walking up to her. But their appearance was the same as hers, just blood all over their face and stained on their uniform.
She wasn't afraid of the person in front of me, they were me!
"Answer."
They demanded with a hint of anger in their tone. They slowly hand out both of their hands with a rope on the other and on the other was a small yet sharp knife.
She stared down to the items, feeling anxious. And they were waiting. Waiting for an answer.
Then the classroom started to fill up with blood as the blood from their faces continues to fall.
She panicked, but she couldn't move. She was stuck on her seat, as the person in front her was upset over her trying to escape and finally became the actual "Them".
It was the girl from before, she was smiling sinisterly as ever. The items from her hands slowly falls with the blood as she got her hands to cup her face.
Yi Mei Lu was in fear. She couldn't speak, her throat seemed to have been stuck like a big rock is inside of it.
She tried speaking, but couldn't make a single sound at all. She tried removing her hands off of her face. They gripped tighter.
Tears were running down her cheeks, her throat felt as if someone is invisibly choking her to death.
Finally, she had fainted.
It was strange.
The classroom looked so real, why?
Questions started to sprout around through her head, her hands were on her head as she looked hideous with that "stressed" expression of hers, she rapidly shook her head as in disbelieve.
She can't understand of the fake illusion.
Black sight.
[…]
In the scene where I had already woken up, noticed Yi Mei Lu seemed off while sleeping. I looked around as both Akiyama Suzu and I were discussing about the scenarios.
"Hey,"
Akiyama Suzu called out on me, noticing that I'm slowly dozing out in the middle of our discussion. She slowly placed her hand on my shoulder and shook it.
"Huh?"
"You're dozing out, is something wrong?"
She asked, in worried while her other hand was placed onto her belly. Her expression saddened to know I was not listening.
I stared at her for seconds before answering,
"Nothing's wrong, is just..."
"Is it about Yi Mei Lu?"
She answered in tensed, more worried than before. She had seen the way she had been yesterday, yet she couldn't dare to point it out.
I turned over to her asleep, noticing her shifting every minutes.
My gaze suddenly caught attention to the TV turning on, it said.
[ There will be other survivors ahead to come in a few minutes ! ]
"Other survivors"? I'd be grateful if those people don't disturb us. Although at the same time, as long as the cast are managing well. Then so be it.
I pulled out my phone to check the time and it was almost 10A.M, when did she sleep to wake up this late?
I wondered at first, looking at her fully asleep before I turned back to see Akiyama Suzu was looking nervous after she had listened to the TV speak.
"This sucks."
I pondered,
Having to deal a scenario with a bunch of people costs lots of work as it might need some instructions for them to understand how to survive each one.
"Hopefully, my best friend is alive"
She muttered, cupping her face with her hands anxiously.
Did I hear her correctly?
Why does it sound so wrong, perhaps no one would use "Alive" in a sentence where they talk about friendship?
She does sound as if she doesn't have a hope in her friend being alive.
They must've been close with each other so much then...?
Awhile later, the butler appears in the center. He handed out a bag filled with desserts and drinks we might like.
We were confused of this treatment, looking at each other before looking back at the butler. Unfortunately, the butler had disappeared after we turned to each other.
Who is this butler suppose to be?
And what is this?
Silently looking towards her forth and back to the bag in my hands, simply confused.
[1] "Pick Me" is a term used on the Internet to describe a woman who seeks male approval by regularly belittling other women. In order to increase their perceived value in the dating or social scene, they often depreciate other women.