[6:30 AM – The Awakening]
My phone vibrated violently against the wooden surface of my nightstand, buzzing for the third time in five minutes. I didn't need to look at the screen to know who was calling. Only one person possessed this level of manic energy before sunrise.
I answered the call, wedging the phone between my ear and shoulder as I frantically stuffed the last few items—a pair of thick wool socks and a portable charger—into my hiking backpack. "Good morning, Jin."
"Good morning?! The sun is practically burning a hole in the sky and you're not here yet!" Jin's voice exploded through the speaker, a chaotic mix of panic, excitement, and caffeine overdose. "The buses are moving at seven sharp! Do you want us to run after them like in those cheesy teen movies? Because I am not running, Ray. I am wearing new boots!"
"Calm down, man. Breathe," I said, zipping up the bag with a struggle. "I'm tying my shoelaces as we speak. I'll be at the gate in ten minutes. If the bus leaves, I'll carry you on my back."
"Don't joke! Just run!" Click.
I rushed downstairs. The house smelled of brewing coffee and warm dough. "Leaving already?" Mom asked, coming out of the kitchen with a small, steaming paper bag. "I packed some extra red bean pastries. Share them with Jin, he's always hungry." "Thanks, Mom." I took the bag, feeling its warmth seep into my cold fingers. Dad lowered his newspaper, peering over his reading glasses with a grin. "Try not to get lost in the woods, son. And don't let Jin navigate; we all remember what happened at the mall last year."
"I'll keep a leash on him," I laughed. "Bye!"
I stepped out into the morning. The air was crisp and biting, a refreshing slap to the face that woke me up better than any coffee. I jogged toward the school, my heavy backpack hitting my shoulders in a comforting rhythm. Thump, thump, thump. It was the rhythm of normalcy. Of a life that made sense.
[School Courtyard – The Gathering]
The school courtyard, usually a place of drowsy students dragging their feet, was transformed. It was teeming with life. Colorful bags were piled everywhere like small mountains. The sound of laughter, shouting, and excited chatter filled the air, creating a buzz of anticipation. Three massive yellow buses were lined up perfectly near the gate, their engines idling with a deep rumble, puffing white clouds of exhaust smoke into the cold morning air.
I spotted Jin from a distance. It was hard to miss him. He was jumping up and down and waving with both hands, wearing that strange safari hat he bought yesterday. It looked ridiculous, too big for his head, making him look like a mushroom. Beside him stood Lina and Sarah. Lina was wearing a soft, fluffy white coat with a faux fur hood, looking like a snowflake that had gently landed on the pavement. Sarah, on the other hand, looked like a general preparing for war, holding a clipboard and checking the attendance list in her capacity as the vice class president.
"Finally!" Jin grabbed me by the arm the moment I got close, pulling me into a conspiratorial huddle. "Listen, Ray... I have analyzed the situation. Bus Number 2 is our target."
"Why Number 2?" I asked, adjusting my bag.
"Because Sarah is assigned to it," he whispered, his eyes darting around to make sure no one was listening. "My plan is flawless. Sarah will board first. I will board immediately after her. I will loudly proclaim that the back seats are 'reserved' or 'dusty,' and then I will sit next to her. You... well, you manage yourself with Lina."
I looked at him, impressed by his dedication to romance. "Solid plan. But what if she saves the seat for someone else?" "Impossible," Jin smirked, adjusting his hat to a 'cool' angle. "Who else would she sit with? I am the obvious choice."
"Good luck, Romeo," I winked.
"Class 2-B! Boarding now!" The supervisor shouted.
The chaos began. Students scrambled toward the doors, eager to grab the best window seats. Sarah got on the bus, ticking her own name off the list. Jin followed her like a shadow, stiffening his back to look taller. Lina and I were a few steps behind them. She glanced at me and smiled, a small, shy thing that made my heart do a funny flip. "Ready?" she mouthed. "Ready," I nodded.
We watched the drama unfold from the aisle. Jin reached the fourth row where Sarah had just sat down by the window. The aisle seat next to her was empty. It was glistening, calling to him. Jin's smile widened to a blinding degree. He cleared his throat. "Oh, what a coincidence! Sarah! Is this seat ta—"
Before he could finish his sentence. Before he could even put his bag down. A blur of motion shot past us.
A short student, barely five feet tall, wearing thick glasses and carrying a stack of books that blocked her vision, dashed in like a heat-seeking missile. It was Hana. The school's most talkative, most energetic, and most annoying student. The one who had borrowed three pens from Jin since the start of the semester and returned none.
"Oh! Jin! Move, move!" Hana screamed, diving past him and throwing herself into the seat next to Sarah with lightning speed. THUD. She landed, adjusted her glasses, and turned to Sarah immediately. "Excellent! I found you! Sarah, I had a dream about mitochondria last night and I need to tell you about it for the biology project!"
Jin froze in the aisle. His hand was still extended toward the seat. His smile was frozen in place, slowly cracking like shattered glass. The "flawless plan" had just been nuked.
Sarah looked up at him, her eyes filled with genuine pity. "Sorry, Jin... the seat's gone. Hana is... fast." Jin looked around in a desperate search for a nearby seat. Anything. Even the floor. But the bus was ruthless. Students had filled the spots while he was frozen. "Hey, Jin! Keep moving! You're blocking the way!" the driver yelled.
There was only one empty seat left. Way at the back. Right next to the Strict Monitor, Mr. Park, a man who famously gave detention to a student for sneezing too loudly during an exam.
Jin dragged his feet in defeat toward the back of the bus. As he passed by me, he looked like a soldier returning from a lost war. "I hate my life," he whispered in a tearful, broken voice. "I hate biology. I hate mitochondria."
I chuckled lightly, patting his back in sympathy before moving forward. "Your turn," I thought. I scanned the bus. There was an empty double seat in the middle, right next to a large window. Perfect. I sat down, placing my bag on the overhead rack. A moment later, Lina stood in the aisle next to me. She clutched her small bag, looking a bit hesitant. "Is this seat taken?" she asked softly, her eyes darting to the empty spot beside me.
I smiled, moving my knees to let her in. "Reserved only for you, my lady." Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. She sat down, unwinding her scarf. "Thanks, Ray."
The bus engine roared to life, and we began to move. The road was long, but it was enchanting. We left the noise and gray concrete of the city behind. The tall skyscrapers began to space out, replaced by factories, then small houses, and finally, vast green fields and rolling hills covered in dense trees.
Inside the bus, the noise was deafening with student chatter, but in our little bubble, it was quiet. "Do you want to listen?" Lina asked, holding out one earbud. "Sure." We shared the earphones. A soft, acoustic melody played, creating a soundtrack for the moving scenery outside. Our shoulders brushed against each other with every turn of the bus. Neither of us moved away.
She laughed every time she snapped a photo on her phone. "Look," she giggled, showing me the screen. It was a zoomed-in picture of Jin sleeping in the back. His mouth was wide open, drool was forming at the corner, and his head was resting dangerously close to Mr. Park's shoulder. Mr. Park looked ready to throw him out of the window.
"He's going to kill you when he sees this," I laughed. "He has to catch me first," she smirked playfully.
We arrived at noon. The Pine Mountains welcomed us with their grandeur. Towering peaks pierced the sky, and the air was so fresh it felt sweet in our lungs. We stepped off the bus, stretching our stiff limbs. The scent of pine, damp earth, and freedom filled our chests.
I stood there, taking a deep breath, watching Lina fix her hair in the wind and Jin tumbling out of the bus looking disoriented. "This..." I whispered to myself, feeling a rare sense of peace settle in my heart. "...is exactly what I needed."
Little did I know, the mountain wasn't welcoming us. It was opening its jaws.