Oxy had tried to survive the sleepiness. But she still had to stay in class. And when she fell asleep, she returned to the Cerebra dimension.
Helio welcomed her again.
"Morning," said Helio. "Apple?" He showed a bitten apple in his hand. "Oh, not this one. I still have plenty of apples." He shoved a fruit basket on the messy desk, which was cluttered with food wrappers and books.
Oxy got up from the sofa where she had woken up.
"Damn it, I don't want to wake up in this world again!" Oxy protested, looking so irritated.
"Have you met Mr. Dome?" Helio asked then took a bite of his apple.
"Tsk, It's confusing me." Oxy immediately sat on the chair. She took an apple from the basket and ate it. But she could taste anything from the fruit.
Oxy gasped when she heard screams in the distance.
"It's foggy out there..." Helio commented as he talked about the weather. "And Uron looking for their prey," Helio said.
"Is there anyone trapped here again?" Oxy asked worriedly. She remembered what happened to Mr. Folks yesterday.
"Sound like," Helio shrugged his shoulder. "Just hope they can hold it."
"Maybe I will die here too..." Oxy sighed, thinking about how tiring she was because she couldn't get much sleep.
"But you are safe here. You are lucky to found the Red Castle. Just hurry up to meet Mr. Dome. He will explain anything to you."
Oxy sighed. "Why do I feel less tired when I'm here?" She asked confused. Realized that she felt a little lighter.
"I think... It's because you only brought part of your body here," Helio guessed. "You passed it at the path of dreams gate. So I believe your body is not full went here."
"It's confusing... By the way, I remember what Mr. Dome said to us yesterday. If I can help you."
"Oh yeah, do you have any more ideas?" Helio shrugged nonchalantly. Sarcastic.
"He said you need help with this," said Oxy.
"Unfortunately, only me who can open and close the gate," Helio said.
"But you can not do anything in my dimension," Oxy said too.
Helio was silent for a moment. "Okay, I'll listen to your idea." He nodded at last.
"We must kill Urons. Maybe we could find some help from my world." Oxy explained her idea. She always had many ideas.
Helio chewed his apple briefly, swallowed, then tossed the rest of the apple into the full trash can.
"You made a mess of the principal's office," Oxy complained, who didn't like the messy office.
"This is not my cleaning schedule," said Helio, who didn't care about the trash. "Back to your brilliant idea. I appreciate it. You may indeed be able to help in your dimension. But that's up to you."
"You doubt me?" Asked Oxy. "But we have to stop Uron!"
"Okay, then how do you kill those creatures? We can't go out of the Red Castle at night."
"We can go out during the day. You said the fog made them hard to see."
"Not only Uron, but we'll also have a hard to see," Helio said.
Oxy sighed, and she bit her apple.
"Maybe I must see Mr. Dome first. You don't want to hear me anyway."
"Of course, I hear you, but I don't like your ideas." Helio sighed. "Mr. Dome must be waiting for you. And you already have so many brilliant-impossible ideas."
"Don't make fun of me. I just wanted to help," said Oxy irritably.
"Well, I don't mean it. I appreciate your concern."
"Of course, people will care about this danger. You don't know about the situation in my dimension. People are starting to panic. My adoptive father hasn't come home yet. My adoptive mother is very worried."
"Okay, in your dimension there are a lot of people. But here, it's just me and Uron."
Oxy frowned. "Are you sure? Are there no humans here beside you?"
"As long as I live here, I never meet humans except for Uron." Helio shrugged. "Mr. Dome said that I have to protect this world. Isn't that enough to show my concern for your dimension? I protected your dimension from Uron."
"Okay, you're right. And thank you."
"You're welcome."
"But you said yourself that humans could enter Cerebra, and Uron was after them. It's all out of your control."
"Yeah, it's been like that lately." Helio nodded doubtfully.
"You don't know what caused it?"
Helio nodded. "Earlier everything seemed safe. But then suddenly some humans appeared in the night. They were trapped here, and Uron was after them, chasing them. One by one they died. It was terrible." He retrieved the apples from the basket. "Mr. Dome said he will find some help."
Helio turned to look at Oxy.
"And you showed up. A girl at my age. That's not what I imagined." Helio snorted, looking very disappointed.
"You're looking down on me just because I'm a girl?" Oxy looked a bit offended.
"Aren't you also looking down on me because I'm just a boy?" Helio replied.
Oxy sighed in exasperation. "I want to go back. Talking to you wasting my time."
"So, go back to your dimension anyway!"
--
Oxy was woken up by the ringing of the bell. She rubbed her sleepy face. She felt very tired. Unlike when she was in the Cerebra dimension, she felt lighter there than to be here
She realized she was being watched. She turned her head, and found Darren with his gang, laughing at her.
"Geez, Darren. She's a girl, right? She's so messy." one of Darren's friends made fun of her.
"She slept during class. Terrible."
"She's the most terrible. Come on, let's go to the cafeteria." Darren went out of the class, followed by his gang.
Being called terrible irritated her. But Darren's gang wasn't a group she liked. So she tried to ignore anything they said.
Oxy walked out of class with a heavy head due to sleepiness and a tired body, caused by lack of rest. She stopped in front of the hallway window, she looked down, and saw one of the seniors who caught her attention.
That's Argen. One of the popular students that Oxy liked. Of course, Oxy was a normal girl too, who liked boys. And Argen was different from Darren, the senior was awesome.
Argen was sitting with his friends on a bench in the yard. Then Darren and his gang joined them.
Oxy sneered because of Darren. She turned away, continuing her steps towards the principal's office.
Oxy knocked on the principal's office door. She faintly heard the principal's voice, inviting her in.
"You've finally come here," Mr. Dome welcomed her. "Sit down," he said to Oxy.
Oxy sat hesitantly in the chair opposite Mr. dome. It seemed odd because she had just come from the Cerebra dimension, sitting in the same spot in the principal's office. But in her dimension actually, the principal's office was brightly lit by sunlight and everything was in order.
"You must be sleep-deprived," said Mr. Dome.
"What exactly is going on?" Asked Oxy. "People died and..."
"Shh," interrupted Mr. Dome. "You need to rest, Oxy."
Oxy blinked her eyes.
"Take this," Mr. Dome thrust
a green pill in front of Oxy. "Eat and you can lie down on the couch."
Oxy turned her head to the sofa where she was used to waking up in the Cerebre dimension. She turned back to Mr. Dome, she was a bit doubtful and scared.
"Don't be afraid, it's not a dangerous drug. You need to take a rest before you hear my explanation."
Oxy took a breath, and she took the pill, looking at it, still with a doubtful look.
"Is Helio really real?" she asked.
Mr. Dome nodded. "Yes, Of course. He's real. He's trapped in that dimension."
"Since when?" Asked Oxy.
"Since he was born. He can't get out of there. Unless someone saves him."
"Is he from here?" Asked Oxy.
"Oh yeah, Helio is an ordinary human just like us. So don't worry about Helio. He's fine. What I'm worried about is that you haven't rested since yesterday."
"So I just have to take this medicine then I can sleep?" Asked Oxy.
"Yes, my dear. And it's not just ordinary medicine. You won't find it in any pharmacy or hospital. It works like a sleeping pill but it's more than that. It will give you a lot of energy so you can stay awake longer."
"Re... Really?" Oxy was flabbergasted.
"Yeah, and once you wake up you can stay up for 48 hours."
Oxy sighed. It seemed there was nothing she could do. She wanted to hear Mr. Dome's explanation about Cerebra, but she was also very sleepy and tired.
"Okay."
"Go ahead. I won't bother you. But I'll be here, watching you."
Oxy nodded. She hoped this medicine would not kill her. But she could only trust Mr. Dome.
Oxy immediately left the chair, and she walked, carrying the drug on her finger. She sat on the sofa and felt the texture of the sofa which was the same as Cerebra's dimensions. She looked at Mr. Dome who looked busy at his desk now.
Oxy immediately swallowed the pill. For a moment she did not feel any effect. And after a minute had passed, she felt like she had lost his energy, she couldn't control her body anymore. She fell to the sofa. Her vision blurred and then became dark.
Finally, she could sleep, soundly.[]
Oxy woke up. She sat up and stretched her stiff body, but she felt very satisfied. The drowsiness and tiredness had disappeared. She blinked, still a bit sleepy but thinking she should wake up now.
She was still in the principal's office, on the sofa. She did not find the principal who sat in the chair in front of the desk before.
"Sir?" She called. She got up from the sofa. Her leg stumbled on her backpack which was on the floor, leaning against the side of the sofa. She quickly took it and slung it over her shoulder.
"Mr. Dome, are you here?"
The room was very quiet. She was alone in this room.
And that wasn't the only thing that surprised her. She looked at the clock on the wall and found that now was around three pm. Even though she remembered very well when she entered the office was still in the morning.
The red light streamed in through the large office windows. That clock was not a lie. It was evening.
She immediately rushed out of the principal's office. She walked into an empty corridor streamed by the reddish light of evening.
She heard her cell phone ringing from inside her bag. She immediately took out her cell phone.
"Where are you?" it was Darren's voice.
"Eh, I... at school?" Oxy replied while looking around her.
"Don't lie! Stop joking!"
"No, I'm really at school. I... I'll be home soon."
"Wait for me at the gate!" Darren ordered.
"But..."
"Wait there, or if I don't see you there, I'll ruin your life!" Darren threatened her, and the phone ended.
Oxy was getting more and more nervous. It was unusual for her to hear Darren in such a panic. She continued walking while reading some of the messages sent to her today. It was all from her adoptive mother. Grace must be worried. And that's very bad to make her worried.
Oxy reached the gate. She tried to calm herself because she was walking too fast. Darren was still not here. She wanted to walk home now, but Darren had threatened her to wait here.
"Hi."
Oxy looked up in surprise. For a moment she was afraid of the person who called her, but then she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Argen who was the one who called her.
"Oh, hi..." Oxy replied nervously. This was the first time she greeted Argen.
"It's late, why you are still at school?" Argen asked, looking surprised.
"Eh, yeah. I was... at the library."
"Oh. Looks like you left behind," said Argen.
Oxy couldn't lie if she was so happy to see Argen here. Argen is unbelievably dazzling from this close. Argen was so handsome, he had baby blue eyes and blonde hair, the boy was truly an idol in their school.
Argen took a step closer to Oxy, then said in a friendly tone. "You look confused?"
"Uh, yeah. I just woke up. I fell asleep in the library." said Oxy.
"You? Asleep?" Argen's eyes turned worried. "Be careful, you don't know what's in the news today, do you?"
"What?" asked Oxy not understanding.
"People die in sleep."
Oxy widened her eyes.
"They... die?"
"Yes," Argen nodded. "Two persons."
"What... two persons?" Oxy was getting more and more surprised.
"School is starting to close. So you don't have to worry about your unfinished homework," said Argen, smiling friendly. "Where's your house? Want me to drop you off?"
Oxy would have loved to be driven home by Argen, but Darren had appeared, riding his bike.
"Damn it, here you are!" Darren exclaimed, he looked holding back his anger.
"Hi, Darren," said Argen, apparently he didn't expect to meet Darren.
"Oh, Argen, are you still here?" Darren suddenly became awkward seeing Argen standing beside Oxy.
"Yeah, I'm cleaning up the clubroom," replied Argen. "Because we don't know how long they will close the school."
"You should have told us to help you," Darren said, looking uneasy.
"No problem. It was just my initiative. Why do you come back here?" asked Argen.
"I want to pick up... this girl," Darren answered, glancing at Oxy.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Argen guessed.
"No!" Darren snapped, looking offended.
"Oh yeah? Then why are you must pick her up?" asked Argen, looking confused. He must have never seen Oxy at school.
"She ... this girl ... She is an adopted child in my family," Darren had to admit it, uneasy.
"Oh, so she is your sister. Thank goodness your brother picked you up," Argen said kindly back to Oxy.
"I'm not her brother," Darren evaded exasperatedly.
"What's her name?" asked Argen. But he immediately turned to Oxy. "What's your name?" he asked Oxy directly.
"Oxy," replied Oxy immediately. She felt her cheeks heat up. She was very lucky to be able to talk with Argen, forget about how Darren was glaring at her now. "I am Oxy Jane."
"Oh, hello, Oxy Jane. My name is Argen." Argen introduced himself suddenly. He was very a nice person, wasn't he?
Oxy nodded, a bit shy.
"That's enough. Come on, you, girl. And you, Argen. Just go home. Your parents must be looking for you." said Darren to Argen.
Argen nodded. "Everyone's scared huh?" he said. "But there's nowhere to hide. Wherever nightmares can find us."
Oxy and Darren fell silent hearing Argen's weird words
"Well, see you later. Hopefully, this mess ends soon and we can get back to school." Argen nodded his head to both of them, then turned to leave.
"He's crazy sometimes," said Darren, clearly not liking Argen. "Wonder how he can be so popular."
"Of course, he's popular, because he's amazing." Oxy protested, defending Argen as fan girls.
"Tch, what a stupid." snorted Darren. "Come up!" he ordered Oxy.
"Don't tell me you're going to ride me," said Oxy because he knew Darren was always disgusted with her.
"Well, I want to leave you here. But Mama and Papa are anxiously waiting for you. So hurry up before I change my mind!" Darren ordered impatiently.
Oxy rolled her eyes. She also didn't want to be carried by Darren, but she had no other choice because both of Darren's parents seemed to be panicking waiting for her. She forced herself to sit on the back of Darren at his bike.
--
"Thank goodness you're okay, Oxy!" Grace hugged Oxy tightly, almost choking Oxy.
Bill was finally at home and he looked a bit unwell. He felt so relieved too seeing Oxy back home safely.
"Come on, you haven't had lunch yet, have you?" Grace immediately led Oxy to the dining table. "Bill just arrived too, and he has to eat." She patted her husband's shoulder who seemed to have lost weight in an instant.
"What happened?" Oxy whispered to Bill while Grace was preparing a meal for the two of them.
"Bad, kid," said Bill. "Two people died today, it was because of the Brain Fog Effect."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Oxy desperately wanted to tell Bill about the Cerebra and Uron the monsters. But she was scared if Bill didn't believe her.
"I don't know. We've done everything we can by spreading warnings to anyone with insomnia and tiredness from lack of rest. Then the hospital became a mess because people came asking for sleeping pills and stuff."
"Then what are you going to do?" asked Oxy.
"Stop discussing anything about death in here, Bill." interrupted Grace, looking so annoyed.
"Oh, sorry, honey. I didn't mean to." Bill nodded nervously at Grace.
"Can't you just stay at home, Bill? You don't have to join the scientists and work on this strange death phenomenon. I'm afraid something will happen to you." said Grace, who seemed unable to let Bill go any more than last night.
"If not us, who will do, honey? Scientists are trying to figure out why. Please don't worry because we'll be fine." Bill immediately stood up and hugged his wife.
--
Oxy was unhappy to let Bill go, just like Grace and Darren. Grace was crying in her son's arms. Oxy watched Bill leave. This was the first time Skeleta had had such a disaster. So it made Bill, as one of the brilliant scientists, join back his unit at the laboratory of government.
Darren had just come out of his parents' room after bringing his mother inside. Grace was really sad because Bill left.
"What will you do?" Darren asked.
Darren seemed to be able to see Oxy's strange behavior.
"Don't do things that make my parents worry," Darren warned Oxy.
"I won't," Oxy was forced to stop halfway up the stairs. "I just want to sleep."
"Sleep? So soon?" Darren looked surprised. "Whatever, sleepyhead. Just don't let me find you dead with a rotting head."
"Yeah, you too, Darren," Oxy replied. "Tell me if you have nightmares about being chased by a big-scary-black creature."
Darren rolled his eyes. "Don't try to scare me!"
"Hey, I'm serious," Oxy said from the stairs. "Just tell me if you dream about that. And please tell your mother too, okay?"
"Whatever," Darren went into the living room.
Oxy was still standing where she was, not satisfied to warn Darren. But she decided to go straight, back to her room. She entered and closed the door. She sat on the edge of the bed. She didn't expect that today there would be two people who died because of the Brain Fog effect. She had to tell Helio.
Oxy laid down on the bed. She closed her eyes, trying to get sleep.[]
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