Childhood Friend?

"Hey…" I started. "What are you doing?

"I'm drawing."

"I can see that, but…"

Why?

Sitting across from me, separated only by a round small table, was a girl with long black hair. Her ruby eyes focused on the paper on the desk, while her white small and soft hand holding the pencil, scribbling on the paper.

If anything was weird, the pencil hardly made any sound, it was as if she was drawing on the air rather than the paper's surface. Also, her drawing skill…

Her drawing skill was… uhh, suck.

Looking at the paper, I couldn't even tell what the drawing was about. There were two stickmen, one without hair and another with long hair and red eyes. The background, I was not sure what it was actually but, it looked like somewhere in a room, maybe? A hospital room, to be precise.

When she was done, she grabbed the paper and showed it to me, and said "Look!"

Her finger pointed at the two stickmen.

"This is you, and this is me."

I nodded.

"We met in the hospital, a few years ago. You found me crying in the corridor."

She smiled warmly as she said that, though the fact that I couldn't precisely figure her out was bothering me.

Even the Clairvoyance skill. It was the second time I had failed to get information from the target when using the Clairvoyance, the first time was when I used it on the cat during the entrance exam…

'Come to think of it, the cat that day also had red eyes, right? And before that too… when I was in the flash dungeon… The strange girl with red ruby eyes…'

Realizing something, I immediately looked at the girl in front of me. She didn't flinch at my sudden motion, instead, she met me with a smiling face.

Our eyes were locking on each other. The silence engulfed us, trapping the girl and me in our own's world, where only the two of us existed.

The strange girl I encountered inside the flash dungeon. I was sure her eyes were red like a ruby, and her hair was long and black…

The black cat too, that I found in the park. That cat too had red eyes…

And now this girl, who claimed to be a friend of mine when we were a child.

I might be thinking too much, but what if all of them were actually the same person, and that very person was the girl that now sitting with me, in the dorm room, as a roommate?

"Did you get dragged into the flash dungeon that occurred a month ago on this island?"

She responded to me with a dumbfounded expression, and a moment later, she laughed.

"Haha. No, of course not! I was in my hometown at that time."

Did I wrong?

This girl, said that her name was Zia Vonzy. Her name, was somewhat alike to mine when spoken, as they share similar phonetic elements. When I heard it the first time, I thought that she was calling my full name when I asked for her name.

She claimed to have met me when I was young–which I wouldn't ever remember because that wasn't me who she referred to, but rather the real Zio Varrez.

I asked her a few questions about the details of our first meeting, and her overall thought about Zio in the past. It was a chance for me to know this body's past. To know about Shannon, and Zio's lost sister too.

But, the answer I got from her left me with a bitter feeling, unsatisfied. She was saying that she actually didn't remember that much about the past meeting. She only remembered the place where we met, and who she was meeting.

I thought that was a bit strange. How could you forget everything but retained the memories about me alone? About how I was kind, my favorite food, and what I had spoken to her about at that time.

I eyed her suspiciously. Did she really Zio's childhood friend, or a stalker?

"Why do you ask though?"

Her eyes looked innocent when she asked me. Somehow, it made me calmer though.

"Nothing, just curious."

As I said that, her mouth pouted. She crossed her hands and held her chin high.

"You're mean, Zio. How can you even forget me when you are the one who promised me that you will not ever forget about me."

My face changed to a deadpan expression immediately, staring at her in disbelief.

'Haven't you also forgotten about it, why blame me?'

The atmosphere between us had turned lively once again, but it was not the 'lively' I expected. Rather than anything, the situation just made me awkward as the only thing she did when we were silent was just stare at me with a smile.

I pinched my nose bridge, trying to get out of this awkward situation.

"By the way, you're also admitted to this academy, I guess?"

She straightened her body and replied, "That's right." Her cheek was now resting gently on her palm.

"Did not you bring your luggage here?"

in stark contrast to my side of the room, which was now cluttered with the things I'd just taken out of my suitcase, hers was empty. If someone was to come to check on this room, they might think that I was living alone.

"Ah no. I just bring some spare clothes. It's already inside my wardrobe," she said, pointing at the dresser beside her bed.

Looking in the direction of her side of the room, I couldn't help but feel that she was suspicious. But, at that moment, when I was about to ask her another question, the throbbing pain in my head was back.

"Ugh!"

I held my throbbing head, feeling dizzy as time went by.

"Zio! Are you alright?"

Oh yeah. A very reasonable question. Did you think I was fine, huh? Could that eyes of yours see what was happening in front of you?

Suppressing my annoyance with her worries, I held my other hand high, gesturing for her that I was alright.

"Just a bit of headache, it will be gone soon…"

Her face looked worried as she clenched both her hands in front of her.

I did not know if it was because of my headache or not that I was seeing her form turned a bit transparent, like a ghost or something.

I stood up from my chair and headed straight to sit on my bed.

"I think I'll be resting first…"

Zia stared at me in the distance, still sitting at the table. Looking at her from this perspective, where her back was to the window where the moonlight was shining on her, she really looked ghostly, and transparent.

"Okay, good night…"

Her voice trailed off in my ears when the throbbing feeling in my head continued to torture me.

"Good night," I said before I lay down on my bed.

Hoping that the throbbing pain in my head would subside, I closed my eyes and tried to wander to the dream world.

As I drifted into a fitful sleep, I could hear someone's voice, whispering softly.

"Have a sweet dream, I'll always be by your side…"

I did not know what that meant, but I weirdly found solace in their words.

The room faded into darkness, and my dreams were filled with nothing but an endless void of darkness. A dreamless sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, the throbbing feeling had gone.

Yawning, I looked around the room. My side of the room was still in a mess, cluttered with my unorganized belongings. Meanwhile, Zia's side of the room was clean, even the bedsheet looked like it had never been used. Also, the person herself was nowhere to be found.

I looked at the time on my Nova Watch, "It's still seven in the morning… And she's already going to class? so diligent."

The class usually started at nine in the morning, so waking up at this hour was considered early you know? So, let me make it clear, I didn't wake up late but it was Zia who woke up too early.

Knowing that the class would start in two hours. The first thing I did after waking up was to organize my belonging, then after that, shower and breakfast. Finally, attending the class.

An hour had passed since I woke up, and my side of the room was now organized, looking pretty neat and clean.

Today marked my official enrollment as a student at the academy, and I was determined to make a good impression. I made sure to dress impeccably, as I didn't want to risk messing up my first day by appearing untidy.

As I stood in front of the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement as I flashed a smile to my reflection.

The black blazer hugged my shoulders perfectly, adorned with red buttons and lines. The black tie with a red striped pattern was neatly knotted, adding a pop of color against the dark background.

"Uniform… check!"

For today's occasion, I specially combed my hair to fit my attire. Though every hairstyle would suit me even my attire was just a t-shirt and short pants. That was how handsome and good-looking I was.

"Hair… check!"

With a final glance in the mirror, I took a deep breath and headed out the door after I grabbed my sleek white sling bag that was resting on my bed.

As I made my way to the lift, I swung my bag effortlessly by my side.

"Lupus Class. Here comes the trouble!"