57 Night terror

Jolting awake from the nightmare, Minho gasps. He wipes the sweat on his forehead with his trembling hand. Why did he dream of that day again? He reaches for Wakana, trying to sense her mind. His blood becomes cold when he realizes that he can't sense her. 

Is it happening now?

In Wakana's room, Sei has been watching the videos. He doesn't notice her twisting her body on the bed. Struggling to open her mouth and scream, she thrashes her arms and legs on the bed. That attracts his attention at last. Sei hurries to her side. Is she having a nightmare? 

"Wakana!" Before he could touch her, he's pulled away from her. He looks over his shoulder. 

"Why are you…"

"If you touch her, you will die." Minho lets go of his collar. "Don't go close to her."

A layer of sweat glistens on her skin. She clenches her teeth in pain. Only muffled screams leave through her pursed lips, trying to open her eyes. Her heartbeats slow down as her body goes numb.

"She's having a nightmare." Sei pushes him away. "I need to wake her up."

Choi Min Ho shakes his head. "She will be sad if you die because of her."

All of a sudden, piercing pain shoots in her chest. Her heart starts beating erratically. She feels like a tumour is growing inside her heart, ready to burst apart.

"I will not listen to you." Sei pushes him away and takes a step toward Wakana. Then, his body wouldn't move. Paralyzed on the spot, his pupils shift to his right. What is going on?

Choi Minho walks past him. He climbs the bed and moves closer to Wakana. "It will be over soon, Wakana."

Though she could hear him, she still couldn't open her eyes or utter a word. Wakana snivels in misery. This agony is unbearable with every passing second. How long is she going to be in this hell? 

She feels a hand on her forehead. A soothing sensation expands in her skin. She hears his voice, "It's going to be alright." 

As soon as he says those words, the pain begins to subside. She feels the tumour in her chest becoming smaller. Wakana opens her eyes slowly. In her blurry vision, she could see his turquoise eyes. She murmurs, "Choi Minho… I saw you..."

"Don't speak," He tells her with a soft voice. "Take some rest."

Her eyelids become heavier again. Wakana closes her eyes, falling deep into slumber. 

Minho staggers toward the door. Why did she dream of that? Is it because of him? Breathing heavily, he steps out of the room.  

Sei feels his body being released by strange hold. He rushes to Wakana and checks her pulse. Her skin is cold and pale. What happened to her? What did that man do? "Wakana!"

Wakana mumbles something in her sleep. Sei takes a breath of relief. Her pulse seems fine. She doesn't look like she's in pain anymore.

In his room, Minho collapses on the floor. Every inch of his skin is a sharp pain. He curls into a fetal position, clenching his fists.

***

After a few hours, Nakashima Wakana is staring at Sei, confused. His arms are wrapped around her, holding her fighting to his chest. When did he come to the bed? Wasn't he going to check the videos? She's not used to waking up next to someone.

Wakana touches her forehead. The cool soothing feeling is still there. 

Choi Minho.

Why did she think of him? 

When she tries to get up, Sei is awakened. He scrutinises her face. There's some colour on her skin. "Wakana, are you feeling okay?"

"I feel a little tired." There's a dull ache in her body, especially her chest. Is it indigestion? She yawns. "I feel like I have run a marathon."

"What happened last night?" He asks her with a grave voice. "Do you have an illness that I don't know about?"

"What?" Wakana frowns at him. She used to be sick when she was young.  It wasn't that bad after she stopped looking into people's memories recklessly. "Did something happen last night?"

She doesn't remember. Sei furrows his brows. Why is that? Was it a dream? It doesn't feel like that. Why would she calm down after Choi Minho touched her forehead? Besides, why couldn't he move at all? Sei has many questions. He tells her with a solemn voice, "You looked like you were having a nightmare. Then, you were thrashing your body. I thought that you were in pain. I wanted to get closer to you, but then…"

She doesn't remember anything like that. Wakana widens her eyes. "Then?"

Come to think of it, she used to visit the hospital frequently when she was in elementary school. Sei creases his forehead. Is she hiding an illness from him? "Did you have a seizure before?"

"Never." She tilts her head. "It must be the night terror."

It was more than a night terror. Then, why did that man say that he would die if he touched her? Sei purses his lips. Choi Minho went ahead and touched her forehead. She even calmed down after that. He wasn't even able to move until Choi Minho left the room. "Why did you visit the hospital frequently when you were in elementary school?"

"Ah… that…" Wakana scratches her ear, looking away. "I get a little sick if I use my ability a lot. Back then, I used to be curious about a lot of things… Haha… I troubled my family a lot."

He hasn't forgotten how she passed out after touching his hand that day. She was also taken to the hospital. Had she really seen the worst night of his life?