Darkness stretched endlessly
A boy drifted through it, he felt weightless. There was no ground beneath him and no sky above. He felt heavy, as if he were sinking.
His eyes snapped open.
Suddenly, he stood on dry land.
"Big brother! Help me!"
The cry cut through the air.
He turned, and his sister was far out at sea. Waves rose high, crashing down on her small body, dragging her body beneath the surface again and again. She reached out, hands trembling and eyes wide with terror.
The boy tried to move, but his legs refused him.
A deep voice echoed inside his mind, faint and amused.
"You're returned."
The sea roared louder.
"Still drowning in your own fear."
"Hanami!"
His voice broke.
The voice chuckled.
"Face it, you're too weak to change anything."
Suddenly a sharp alert rang throughout the world.
The sky fractured.
Space twisted, the ocean floated inwards as if being swallowed by nothingness. The voice faded, distant and mocking.
"Come back again soon."
Beep! Beep! Beep!
He jerked upright.
An alarm clock near his head blared, heart pounding, hands clenched damp with sweat.
He slammed his hand on the alarm.
"Ugh… I can't catch a break."
He groaned sleepily, barely a whisper.
The dream still clung to him as he slumped forward, resting his forehead against a textbook.
In a dimly lit room, books and papers were scattered on the floor as if a mini tornado entered the room. Behind a desk, sticky notes, note pads and candy wrappers littered the desk. In the center of the chaos, Mizunagi Rei, a sixteen year old boy, breathing slowly he steadied himself.
He glanced at the clock,
5.30am.
"It's too early."
Standing up lazily from his chair. A sticky note on his left cheek he didn't bother removing. Yawning, he exited the room.
His messy green hair stuck to his face, his deep blue eyes reflecting his tiredness.
Rei entered the bathroom, undressing before he stepped into a shower.
Turning the water on, the droplets rained down on him, he flinched and took a step back. Rei sighed.
"It's just water dude, calm down."
Reassuring himself, Rei stepped back in the shower, the water washing over him, he took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.
"I'm fine… I'm fine."
—
In the kitchen, Rei was dressed in his school uniform, masterfully flipping pancakes like a chef.
Errr-it!
In the hallway a door creaked open revealing a young girl dressed in panda pajamas, four years younger than Rei, walked out.
Tiredly rubbing her eyes, the sweet scent of pancakes hit her nose. Rushing to the kitchen, screeching on the floor her gaze fell on the plate of flatjakes on the kitchen counter.
Leaping like a predator she tried to snatch the plate, Rei quickly reached out, taking the plate before she got to it.
The girl puffed up her cheeks angrily.
"Hey! I was just trying to eat that"
Rei smirked, pointing his finger in the direction of the bathroom.
"Shower first Hanami, those are the rules or would you prefer going to school on an empty stomach"
Hanami huffed before storming off to take a shower, murmuring.
"I can't believe this wise guy…"
"I heard that!"
Rei turned off the stove, he sat down by the counter enjoying his pancakes with whipped cream. Minutes later Hanami appeared dressed in her school uniform, battling to brush her long green hair.
"Can you help me out big bro"
"Alright, I'm coming."
Rei standing up, stretched the back of his neck. As he gently brushed Hanami's hair.
"Ow."
"Stop squirming."
—
In the mirror Hanami was staring at her reflection, looking for any imperfections while Rei washed the dishes and then stacked them up again.
Taking their school bags, they stepped out to leave. Hanami, halting, ran back into the house.
"Almost forgot."
A picture sat on a small corner stand by the door. A framed picture of their late parents, neatly placed between candles and several items.
Staring at the picture, Hanami smiled proudly.
"We're heading out! We'll be back later okay!"
Rei tried to hide his smile, he checked his watch.
"Hana! Let's go we don't want you to be late on your first day of middle school"
"Coming!"
Hanami darted out the house, Rei locked the door. Exiting the yard they looked up at the sky.
The sky was clear, the sun slowly rising from the horizon. Birds chirped, dogs barked, people were going to their jobs or going to school.
Making their way down the street, Glancing at Hanami, Rei sighed.
"Sometimes you can be such an air head."
Hanami ignored the comment and walked beside him.
"Oh, tell me something you haven't told me, Sherlock."
"Shut up…"
Hanami giggled as they walked down the street.
"What's wrong big bro? Choke on your words."
Mimicking as if she was being choked, Rei flickered her forehead.
"Ow."
"Sometimes you worry me, stop playing around, please."
Hanami massaging her forehead, sighed.
"Aye, Aye, Captain!"
—
Hoshimi high school, an ordinary public school, was clean and warm. The tall buildings catching the sunlight, its halls were filled with the noise of students chatting, routine of going to class and boredom.
By day it was just a normal school, unaware of the strange things that were going to unfold in its halls.
"I'll meet you in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Try not to get yourself in trouble."
Placing a head on Hanami's head, Rei gently petted his sister, startling her as she took a step back.
"Okay, okay, stop treating me like a kid."
As they went their separate ways they both looked back at each other, Hanami smiled faintly then waved at him before running off to class.
Rei sighed then smiled.
"What am I going to do with you?"
—
In the aquatic center for gym class, students went to the pool for swimming lessons. Some students were excited to be swimming while some hated having to exercise in the morning.
Far from the pool, Rei was in his school swimsuit sitting on the bench, pale like a ghost as he stared at the splashing water in fear.
"Why do they have to make us take swimming lessons? I'm fine being a land locked child."
Rei groaned, running his hands through his hair trying to calm himself down.
Suddenly in the pool, a student started splashing uncontrollably like he was drowning.
"Help! I'm drowning! I'm drowning!"
Everyone instantly froze, watching their classmate helplessly swash around. Rei's heart dropped, his mind being flooded with painfully old memories.
Rei tried to jump in but his legs were shaking uncontrollably.
"No… it's just like back then."
Suddenly a teacher dived in the water to rescue them.
The student coughed, sitting on the bench widened eyed as if his life flashed before his eyes.
"I… almost died."
The teacher handed him a towel, smiling gently.
"And that's why you have to learn how to swim, I'm talking to all of you."
Everybody nodded silently, clearly shaken.
Rei with a grim expression felt useless as he walked out the aquatic center moving through the hall. Everyone in the hallway stared, whispering amongst themselves.
"Who is this kid?"
"Is he lost or something?"
Feeling all the stares, Rei went to a water fountain for a sip of water.
Turning on the faucet, he flinched from seeing the stream, taking a step back.
"Damn it, damn it, what's wrong with me?"
Taking a deep breath he sat on a nearby bench on the corner.
"It's just water, it's just water."
Rei's eyes flashed faintly, staring at his shaky hand. He looked up to see Hanami in the sea, being tossed around by the tide.
She was helpless, crying out to him.
"Big brother! Help me!"
His hands trembled, reaching out to see his small useless hands.
"It's happening again… no, No!"
His vision blurred.
And suddenly it wasn't tile under his feet anymore. The ground beneath him became distorted, waves appearing.
The air around him began to bend.
Slowly, the walls warped.
Sound grew dull as footsteps echoed, hollow and distant.
Being fully submerged.
There was no water, yet everything around him moved as if there was.
Rei hearing muffled screams look down the hallway, to his horror. People tried to run but they moved in slow motion trying to resist.
The victims' screams were drowned out as if shouting underwater.
The victims started clutching their throats. Their lungs were filled with air but their bodies believed that they were underwater, gaging rabidly.
They were drowning, on oxygen.