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Aira sat upright on the bed, gasping for breath.
Her chest felt unbearably tight, as if an invisible rope had wrapped itself around her lungs and was slowly tightening. She clutched the blanket, struggling to breathe. Tears streamed down her face before she even realized she was crying.
The room was dark and silent—too silent.
The kind of silence that pressed against her ears and made her heart race.
Her trembling gaze shifted to the clock beside her bed.
2:47 a.m.
The same time.
It was always the same time.
Her hands shook violently as she pressed them against her face, trying to block out the images still burning behind her closed eyes.
In her dream, her parents had been smiling at her—standing across the road, their faces warm and familiar. They waved at her like nothing was wrong.
She had tried to run to them.
She had screamed their names.
She had begged them to wait.
But then—
The blinding headlights.
The deafening sound of metal crashing.
The scream that never left her throat.
"Mom… Dad…" she whispered, her voice breaking as sobs escaped her lips.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, but dizziness hit her immediately. The room spun as she forced herself to walk toward the window. Pulling the curtain aside slightly, she stared down at the glowing lights of Crimson City.
The city looked beautiful from above—bright, alive.
But to her, it felt cold.
Distant.
Uncaring.
Just like everyone else.
Aira hugged herself tightly, her fingers digging into her arms as if she could hold herself together that way. Slowly, she returned to the bed and lay down again, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her body wouldn't stop shaking.
Minutes passed.
Or maybe hours.
She couldn't tell.
Suddenly, the sharp sound of her alarm shattered the silence.
Aira flinched, then slowly pushed herself up. Exhausted but unable to stay in bed any longer, she grabbed her towel and headed to the bathroom. Warm water poured over her in the shower, but it did nothing to calm her racing thoughts.
The dream replayed again and again—every detail painfully clear.
She couldn't focus.
Couldn't breathe properly.
Couldn't escape it.
Then, through the sound of running water, her phone began to ring.
Startled, she quickly turned off the shower, wrapped the towel around herself, and rushed out. Grabbing her phone, she saw the name flashing on the screen.
Liza.
Aira hesitated before calling her back.
"Hey, Aira," Liza said. "When are you going to school?"
"A little later," Aira replied softly. Her voice sounded weak—even to herself.
"Okay. I'll wait for you at the bus stand. Come quickly."
"Okay."
They hung up.
Aira dressed as fast as she could, tied her hair, grabbed her bag, and rushed out of the house. The cool morning air brushed against her skin as she headed toward the bus stand.
When she arrived, she saw Liza sitting there, scrolling through her phone, completely relaxed.
"Did I get too late?" Aira asked quietly.
Liza looked up and smiled. "No. I think the bus will come any minute."
"When will it come?" Aira asked, rubbing her temple.
Liza looked down the road. After a few seconds, she pointed ahead.
"Look. It's coming."
The bus appeared in front of them. They got inside and sat near the window. After a moment, the bus started moving.
Aira leaned her head against the window, pressing her hand to her forehead. The headache throbbed painfully.
Liza noticed immediately. "Are you okay?"
Aira forced a small smile. "Yes. I'm okay."
But she wasn't.
After a while, the bus stopped in front of Crimson High School.
They got down and entered the school building. Liza kept talking, but Aira didn't reply. She walked beside her in silence.
Liza frowned slightly and glanced at her.
Did something happen to her?
Inside the school hall, they saw Maira approaching them.
"Did you two bring the English assignment?" Maira asked.
"Assignment?" Liza blinked. "Did sir give an assignment?"
"Yes," Maira replied. "Last class."
Aira remained silent.
Not a single word.
Both Liza and Maira looked at her, confused, but Aira didn't notice. She walked toward the classroom and sat at her bench.
The headache grew worse.
She tapped her fingers against her head again and again, trying to stop the pain. But it didn't help. Slowly, she lowered her head onto the desk.
At 8:00 a.m., students began entering the class.
Rayan walked in and sat beside Aira.
Jake Sir arrived.
The entire class went silent.
"Did everyone bring their assignment?" Jake Sir asked.
He began calling names, collecting notebooks. Students who didn't bring theirs were told to stand outside in the hallway.
Then—
"Aira."
No response.
"Aira."
Still nothing.
Rayan glanced at her. Her head was down. She wasn't moving.
"Aira," Jake Sir called for the third time.
Slowly, Aira lifted her head. Her vision blurred. The room spun.
She stood up, trying to walk toward the teacher—
And suddenly—
Her legs gave out.
Aira collapsed to the floor.
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