Chapter 1: Prologue

The teacher has been droning on and on for 30 minutes. What a boring class. Who cares about our interpretation of the author using roses as a symbol for betrayal? Why the hell does it matter? Is it so hard to accept that roses are pretty and that's why the author wants to write about them? Ugh. Annoying.

I yawn again, swatting an angry wasp away from my mouth. Someone swallowing it would cure my boredom, sure, but I'd rather not be the sacrifice for that.

My eyelids start closing on their own, but a rude kick to the leg interrupts me. I grunt in pain and look up in anger at a pair of fierce brown eyes. I scowl back.

Valentina continues to glare at me. Why is she glaring at me when she bothered to reach across the aisle and kick me?

What, you idiot? I mouth at her.

Pay attention, dumbass, she mouths back, along with some expletives that make me flinch.

I roll my eyes and turn away from her, only to receive another kick which I ignore. I should have just done that from the beginning.

And then, the bell rings. Brilliant, now I have to wait till I get home to be able to sleep.

God I hate Valentina.

I groan and curse her under my breath. As I get up, stuffing everything on the desk into my bag, I receive yet another kick.

I wince in pain and glare at her with hate.

"Do you have super hearing or something, you evil witch?!", I shout. She smirks and ignores me, walking towards the door and her group of friends.

My mouth opens and closes like a fish in water. The nerve of this girl! Sure, she's insanely smart and always secures a top 5 position in the exams but...ugh!

"Haha, you two really do belong together!" says Augustine as he walks up to me with a charming smile.

"Shut it, August. You really have no clue how romance works. No wonder you've been dumped thrice in the last month."

"God damn, you're mean, aren't you?", he says, wincing.

"Hey, I'm just messing with you. Though I'm not wrong, am I?", I say while grinning cheekily at him. He pretends to look at me with broken-hearted eyes, but we both laugh before long.

August really is one of the main reasons I still come to school. His infectious aura makes me feel like life really does have a meaning. What a cool guy. If only everyone was like him. Life would be way easier.

"Hey, didn't the new science teacher call you to her office after-school? Probably shouldn't keep her waiting, stud.", he said to me with a sly wink.

I elbow him in the ribs but he effortlessly dodges my blow. Clearly, my physical abilities aren't enough.

"Hey, you really dyed your hair blonde huh? I couldn't really tell, it looks like you smeared some turmeric in it. Bold choice."

I glance at him surreptitiously, and grin. "The damage has been done!", I announce.

"You ass! That's it. We're not friends anymore. Never again shall I be subjected to this humiliation!!", he yells dramatically, causing heads to turn at us. I blush furiously, and give him a kick which he dodges yet again.

"MWAHAHAHAH! You cannot catch me, stud who is about to rendevouz with a special someone for an after-school meeting~", he says as he skips away towards the school gate while waving at me.

I turn redder than a tomato and quickly make my way to the teacher's lounge, ignoring the snickers and the disbelieving glances aimed towards me as a result of August's proclamation. God, how annoying! Who skips away into the sunset like some Disney Princess in real life?!

I shudder, imagining Valentina as the Prince to his Princess for some reason. What a terrifying imagination I have. I shudder again as a chill passes down my spine.

Then, I realize that I accidentally walked past the lounge in my reverie. I skid to a halt and look around. Curiously, no one is around. Even the hallway feels a bit chillier than usual…

Oh well, it is almost winter now. Obviously it's gonna be cold. Idiot me.

I shrug and walk back towards the lounge, a bit faster than normal. I don't need to piss off the new teacher and make her hate me prematurely.

And then, I crash into someone.

I fall on my butt and wince for the second time today. It really does hurt.

Wait a minute...could this be?! My meeting with a fated someone around the corner of a hallway. All anime have this moment!! Yes, no longer would I have to live through life all alone! My soul mate has arrived!

I look up excitedly, into the gorgeous face of a…Valentina.

"OH COME ON!!", I yell, disappointed. What the hell was with this development? Stupid world creators and their obvious plot.

I prepare for an angry kick to the face for daring to cause her to fall but am instead attacked by a hug.

Wait what?

I hurriedly push her away, and ask," What the hell? Why are you hugging me?!"

But before she answers, I notice something. She's crying. Immediately, I curse my lack of thinking. To ease the situation, I gently pat her head. Or try to anyway. My hand hovers above her hair in fear of being bitten.

"Everyone just...disappeared…", she says while sniffling, before breaking down again. I feel my heart skip a beat. How didn't I notice?

I start panicking. If I'm not hallucinating right now...where the hell is everyone? What the hell happened here?

I rub my eyes, blinking quickly. Quickly, I try to stand up but Valentina holds me down, unwilling to let go. I give up fighting against her iron grip, and instead crawl across the floor and peek into a nearby classroom. There's...nothing. Not a soul. Granted, school was over for the day, but it was incredibly unusual for not even a single miscreant to grace the classroom with his presence.

And again, I feel my heart skip a beat. And another. What the hell was going on?! Anxiety washes over me in waves. I close my eyes and attempt to breathe in and out slowly, to calm my nerves but to no avail. This can't be real. I probably fell asleep in class and am having a vivid lucid dream. Yeah, that's it! It's not possible for everyone to disappear!

And yet, I can't deny the fact that bright yellow sunlight enters my eyes when I open them. A green grassland stretches all the way to the horizon with the occasional mound of land rising up as if it were defying the flatness of the plains. A pristine blue river meanders through the plains, creating a pleasant bubbling sound. A few sheep are grazing near the river bank. The smell of fresh soil enters my nostrils, snapping me out of my daze.

This isn't my school.

"What…?" I manage to mutter before the ground hurtles towards me, and my vision goes black.