Rain poured endlessly, drowning the night in coldness. Thunder raged across the sky as traffic on Marcos Bridge barely moved an inch. Cars honked. People shouted their frustrations as the storm swallowed every voice.
Lory's husband sat in the driver's seat, gripping the wheel. Lory sat beside him with tired eyes, staring through the blurred windshield. At the backseat, little Zizy sat quietly, playing a game on her phone—oblivious to the storm.
"Honey, when will this traffic end? We've been stuck here for an hour!" Lory complained.
"Just be patient," her husband said calmly. "Looks like there was an accident up ahead."
They both leaned forward, squinting through the wall of rain. Thunder boomed again, louder this time. The rain turned harsh, slamming against the car like tiny stones.
Then suddenly, Zizy's expression changed.
Her face paled.
"What…?"
She stared out the window, eyes wide.
---
I jolted awake to the same thunder—only this time, I was in the hospital.
Rain hammered the windows. Cold air crawled across the room, brushing against my damp clothes.
"What a weird dream…"
I grabbed my phone.
5:00 AM.
Then—
The lights went out.
Darkness swallowed everything. I hid my phone under the blanket, scared its glow would attract something. My heartbeat raced when I saw a silhouette behind the curtain beside my bed.
A human figure.
Standing still.
Unmoving.
"I'm… alone… right?"
My throat tightened.
"W-who are you?"
The curtain shifted.
A hand appeared.
I froze—ready to scream—
—but the tension melted instantly.
It was Mom.
She opened the curtain gently and gave me a tired but warm smile before hugging me tightly.
"You're going back to school next month," she whispered.
"What!?" I pushed her away, shocked.
"Zizy," she said—her voice sharp for the first time in my life. "No matter how much you hate it… you need to face it."
She cupped my cheek softly.
"Just because we're comfortable in life doesn't mean school doesn't matter. You're seventeen. You're still young."
The words echoed.
I didn't know what to say.
"I… guess I can try," I whispered. My smile felt empty, but it was the best I could give.
Mom hugged me again, whispering an "I love you," then left the room.
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
School…
Her…
Everything felt confusing.
But somehow… I felt warm.
What happened to the girl in the red dress?
Would I see her again?
---
One month later.
Turns out the universe has jokes.
Because she's literally following me on my way to school.
---
"You said you wanted to meet me!" I hissed.
"Yeah, but it's weird you're reacting like this…" she replied shyly.
"WEIRD!? You're LITERALLY in someone else's body!"
I pointed both hands at her like she was a wild criminal. "How even!?"
"Oh… sorry…" she mumbled, lowering her voice.
"At first, I thought you were a stalker…" I added. "And you look completely different now! Where did you get that body!?"
My brain was overheating.
---
Flashback
I was getting ready in front of the mirror.
"It's been so long since I last went to school… showing up suddenly is going to be so—"
Then I saw her.
A girl's hand gripping our backyard wall.
Wearing a school uniform.
Brown hair.
Dark eyes.
I ran to the window.
"HEY! Are you trying to break in?!"
No response.
She just kept climbing.
"You're trespassing! Who are yo—"
Her face shifted.
Black.
Completely black.
It hit me.
It was her.
She looked at me, fingers trembling against the wall—
Then slipped and fell.
I yelled "WAIT!" grabbed my stuff, and rushed downstairs.
Mom was packing my lunch. When she saw me, she smiled and handed the box over.
"Thank you, Mama!" I shouted as I ran out.
And without thinking—
"I'm off to school, Mom!" I yelled at the door.
Lory smiled, relieved.
---
Back to Present
And now here she is, standing in front of me—
in someone else's body.
"Why are you here anyway?" I asked.
"I wanted to meet you. For a very—"
She lowered her head, voice fading.
"Well… I'm happy to see you again," I admitted.
"But I'm going to be late. You can stay here until—"
"No! Wait!"
---
Current situation
And that's why she's following me now.
"Fine… you can follow me. I don't mind. Actually… I'm happy."
I sighed, cheeks heating up.
"But shouldn't you… I don't know… be ENROLLED? You're literally in someone's body."
"Zizy," she said softly, "you're the only one who can see me."
I stopped walking.
"…WHAT."
"And people keep staring not because we're talking… but because you look like you're talking alone."
"You SHOULD have told me earlier—UAGHHHH!"
I covered my face.
But that warm feeling returned.
As I entered the school gate, I whispered to myself:
"This morning… is kinda fun."
I glanced beside me and smiled at her.
"I'll ask you a lot of questions after school, okay?"
I mouthed the words silently.
"Okayyyy!" she said, smiling brightly.