PROLOGUE

The darkness surrounded me, stretching endlessly before me, leaving me stumbling in uncertainty. Then, like a haunting specter, I came upon it; a coffin, bound in chains, standing as a foreboding sentinel in the void. My heart raced as I approached, the weight of fear pressing down on me. The chains, worn and rusted, offered no clues, their secrets hidden by time. Yet, in the silence, I felt a whisper urging me,

"Free me."

Driven by an unseen force, I reached out, fingers trembling as they brushed against the cold metal. And then, as if guided by an unknown hand, the chains gave way, allowing me to open the coffin and confront its mysteries. But before revelation could take hold, I was ripped from the darkness, thrust back into reality by Hilda's voice, shattering the illusion of my dreams.

"Wake up, bitch," Hilda's voice pierced the darkness, her pillow crashing against me, jolting me from slumber.

Gasping for air, my heart raced, struggling to shake off the remnants of sleep.

"Sorry, didn't mean to," Hilda's apology floated in the air, a feeble attempt to soothe my jangled nerves.

Accepting the water she offered, I quenched my thirst, each gulp a reminder of the reality awaiting beyond dreams.

"Same dream?" Hilda's concern cut through the haze of confusion.

"Yeah, but different," I confessed, weighed down by unspoken fears.

"How?" Hilda pressed, her words heavy with anticipation.

"I opened the coffin, couldn't see inside," I admitted, fear prickling my skin.

And Immediately, Hilda's face paled, her composure slipping as she stared into the void. Desperate, I reached out, calling her name, but she remained lost, her grasp faltering as if robbed of breath.

"What's wrong?" I asked, the silence suffocating. "Hilda?" I called out, my voice echoing in the silence as she stared into nothingness, her grip faltering.

"I don't know," Hilda's voice trembled, revealing our shared vulnerability.

"But something really bad might happen soon," she confessed, and I can see her face full of  fear..

"There she goes again, with her bad feeling," Venessa's voice sliced through the room like a dagger, her frustration evident as she interrupted our conversation. "Can't you please feel something good for once? I want today to be good, but you're already predicting doom and gloom, just like always."

As Kira danced in, her movements fluid and carefree, but noticing the tension in the room, she stopped dancing. "What's up this time?" she chimed in, her tone light and teasing. "Let me guess, Emma had her casket dream again, and Hilda saw something bad again?" She guessed right and they both burst into laughter.

"But the dream changed, I opened it," I interjected, hoping to dispel the dark cloud looming over us. Their expectant gazes bore into me, awaiting the revelation of what lay within the coffin.

"Wow...you should have told me that before. Oh my gosh, so what exactly do you see?" Vanessa said, moving closer to me with eagerness on her face to know what is inside. "Is it filled with money so we can quickly find the location and... you know, pack it or maybe steal it because I'm definitely sure that the money must belong to some crazy dude," she added happily.

"Maybe we should call Marcus immediately, he is good at locating things like that," Kira suggested, and those two started giving a lot of suggestions.

"I wasn't able to see what's inside before Hilda woke me up," I confessed, the weight of uncertainty heavy in my chest. "Will you say something now?" Curious about what they would suggest again, but Vanessa stood up and proceeded to the wardrobe, as if she didn't hear me.

"Kira, which dress do you think I can wear for the freshman party?" She asked Kira as she strolled through her wardrobe, and Kira also went over to the wardrobe side.

"You shouldn't be surprised, you know how crazy they are," Hilda remarked with a reassuring smile, her words a balm to soothe my troubled mind.