Chapter 2: Ch.02-Is this happening again?
As I walked to school for the first time since the accident, I felt a strange sense of detachment. Nothing had changed in my life, except for the fact that I had almost died a week ago. I doubted anyone at school even noticed my absence, or cared about what had happened to me. But I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I reached the spot where the truck had hit me, and shivered. It still seemed unreal, like a bad dream. But I had to face the truth, and move on with my life.
"Come on, Suzi, put the ball away. You know it's not safe to play here," a mother scolded her daughter nearby. I glanced at them, and wondered if my mom ever worried about me like that. Or if she ever regretted leaving me alone.?
"Suzi, stop it! You're not listening to me. It's dangerous to play with that thing."
"Mama, I'm bored. Please, just let me play until the green light comes on."
The girl ignored her mother's warning and continued to toss the ball in the air. But then, the ball slipped from her grasp and rolled onto the street. She ran after it, oblivious to the traffic. I felt a surge of panic as I saw the familiar scene unfold before me. It was the same thing that had caused my accident a week ago. My body trembled as I relived the horror. I had to face it again.
What should I do? I kept asking myself over and over. I had two choices:
The first one was to look away and let the accident happen.
The second one was to intervene and risk getting hurt again. Besides, I didn't know the girl. She was a stranger to me. And it was her own fault for not listening to her mother. She could have avoided this situation.
She deserved this... Why should I risk my life for someone like her?
There were others who could help her, right? I glanced around and saw the indifference in their eyes. They had decided to abandon her to her fate. I couldn't fault them for wanting to survive. I...
All I had to do was look away and forget about her. If I could do that, I would be safe.
I turned to the girl. She was struggling to escape, but it was hopeless. I shut my eyes and braced myself.
"So this is your decision? Are you certain? If you are, then fine. But if not, you might regret this later. Think carefully, okay?"
The voice echoed in my head. The voice that I had heard after my accident. What was she trying to tell me? I just wanted to save myself.
"Damn it..."
I sprinted towards the girl and shoved her out of harm's way.
I saved her. But what about me?
Will I have to endure this nightmare again?
"WHY? Why does this keep happening to me?" I shut my eyes.
I was terrified. I needed help. I needed someone.
"Someone, please rescue me..."
That was the only thought in my mind.
"Ah, there you are..."
I heard a voice. It was not the voice that haunted my dreams or the voice that I had just heard. It was a different voice.
When I opened my eyes, I was on the other side of the street and the girl I had pushed was lying next to me, unconscious. I checked both of us and found no injuries. Then I looked at the road and saw the truck.
"What the hell happened?"
I couldn't believe that the truck was smashed like it had hit a wall. But there was no wall. What was going on? All I knew was that I heard a voice and then I was here, on the other side of the street.
As the girl's mother ran towards us and embraced her daughter, sobbing and thanking me, I noticed the other people staring at the truck. They were as shocked as I was. But their reactions confirmed that this time, it was not a figment of my imagination. I left the scene and headed to school. Along the way, I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.
"Shh, my mind is not working."
I put on my earphones and tried to block out my thoughts. I reached my school and opened the classroom door. Nothing had changed, as I expected. Nobody knew about the accident. I took my seat and waited for the class to begin. The teacher called the attendance and announced the test for tomorrow.
Great. I didn't have the notes for this week. They might come in handy for the test. I could ask someone for them, but I knew they would make excuses. I decided to study the topics on my own. But then, a familiar figure appeared in front of me.
"Look who's here, Mr. Loner."
"I have a name, you know. And stop calling me loner, Zen."
Zen was the only person I could call a friend. I met him in middle school. He was a nice guy and good at sports. He was in the basketball club and quite popular. He was the complete opposite of me.
"So, where were you, loner?"
"I told you, stop calling me that. And well, there was something going on, so I took some leaves."
"Really? Then why didn't you tell me anything? You ignored my messages and calls."
"Hey, calm down. It's not like you're my mom. My phone was broken, okay? I couldn't contact you, and don't worry about it," I said
"If you say so, well, I have to go to the club. Meet you later," Zen left for the club.
As school ended, I left and went to the market to buy dinner ingredients. As I mentioned before, my landlady takes care of me, but I can't burden her, so I do part-time jobs. Unfortunately, due to an accident, I think I'll have to take some time off.
After buying snacks and other things, I headed back to the apartment.
As I opened my door, I was shocked to find my clothes and other belongings in disarray. Perhaps someone had broken into my house.
As I checked my things, I heard faint snoring noises coming from the bedroom. I cautiously entered, baseball bat in hand. There, I saw a girl around 8-10 years old. She had the same pale complexion as the lady I saw in my dream, but something felt off.
As I tried to remember, she was the girl from that time when I hit badly by the truck. But everyone said I was crazy, that I jumped in front of a truck for no reason.
"The girl groaned and stretched as She woke up from her nap. "Oh, you're finally home, papa!" A cheerful voice greeted me.
She blinked and saw a me and smiling at me.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second! Who are you and how did you get into my apartment? And papa? I'm not your papa! I'm just a student and I'm way too young to be a father!"
"But you are my papa!" She insisted.
"I'M NOT YOUR PAPA, OKAY?" I yelled.
"B-But... papa is my..." She started to sob.
"Hey, hey, don't cry, alright? Ugh..." I scratched my head and tried to calm her down. "Look, if you stop crying, I'll give you something yummy, okay?"
"R-Really?" She sniffed and wiped her tears with her hand.
"Yeah, sure. Here, this is what I bought from the market. It's a limited edition pudding."
"Pudding?... Is it delicious?"
"Of course, it's delicious. Very delicious. You'll love it, I promise. Here you go."
She took the pudding and started to eat it. Her eyes sparkled and her mouth curved into a smile. She clearly enjoyed it.
"Papa, more, more... I want more!" She said.
"Hey, hey, easy there. Here, take this." I gave her another pudding.
I watched her eat and decided to ask her some questions.
"So, hey, what's your name?"
"Name?... Oh, my name is Bell. Wishing Bell."
"Okay, Bell. So, where are your parents and why are you in my apartment, Bell?"
She pointed her finger at me.
"Papa." She said.
"No, no, I mean your real parents. Where are they?"
"Papa is my papa."
"This is going nowhere. How about your mother? Do you have a mother?"
"Mother... I don't know."
"Alright, then. How about this? Why are you here?"
"A lady told me that if I waited here, papa would come."
A lady? Could she mean the landlady?
"Oh, I see. You came back from school, W H I T E."
I felt a chill run down my spine as I heard that familiar voice. The voice that haunted me in my dreams and in my nightmares. I turned around and saw her. The lady from my dreams. Standing right in front of me.
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