#26 Nightmare

My still half awake sister slammed the door closed annoyingly and went back to bed despite the time. I went to the living room since I had nothing better to do. Alice was resting there too so I sat beside her.

"Miss, have you told Miss Andrea?"

Yes, at the worst timing ever.

I nodded and she seemed to have understood the situation.

"Was she in a bad mood?"

"You bet."

Alice blinked and chuckled. She told me it wasn't too bad. After all, at least she answered me, not just remain ignorant whenever she's in a bad mood like how she used to.

I thought about it and agreed with Alice, when a maid called me for dinner. My sister just woke up when I went to wake her up in her room.

The dishes served on the dining table surprised me until I doubted my eyes for a second. They were the same dishes as the lunch I had today but lesser in quantity.

Andrea explained that she wanted to try just how good was the food until I didn't want to return for lunch. Mother contacted her earlier and told her about how I loved the food there.

Was she mad at me for not having lunch with her?

She took one bite after another and muttered, "Not bad."

I sighed in relief. I was worried she would snap since she just woke up.

I picked up the cutlery and started eating when my tummy growled. It was indeed delicious, but looking at the plate of meat in front of me let my guard up.

I was afraid my sister would do the same as Eric's mother so I hesitated to take the last bite on my plate. But fortunately, she just asked me to take more if I was still hungry.

Dinner that night was great. Either because of the delicious food or my sister wasn't fully awake and wasn't in the mood to tease me. We had a very rare, peaceful meal. Well, that's good news, I suppose.

"I'm done," I said as I brought the empty dishes to the sink for washing. For the first time, I did not ask for seconds and just returned to my room immediately. Lunch really had my stomach filled, not even water could fit anymore.

There was still some time left before it was time for the moon to show itself. So I decided to read some messages for a while. I skipped all those nonsense texts my dear classmates sent and changed my plan to scrolling through social media apps.

I double-tapped on every post on my feed to like it. I made sure to follow interesting accounts so I would see interesting posts everyday without getting bored.

"Oh, they went to the beach for vacation."

One of my classmates had plans with her family today. She posted a photo of her having fun by the beach side with her family.

That vacation of hers was the reason we did not plan our class trip today. After all, leaving out one person is like missing a puzzle piece.

Is going to the beach for vacation a trend?

Time passed while I was having fun and before I knew it, the clock ticked 10. Just how long have I been on my phone?

I quickly put my phone down and went to the bathroom. I didn't shower when I returned earlier so I thought of taking a bath despite how late it was.

"A late bath once in a while won't hurt," or so I thought.

The next morning was the worst morning I've ever experienced. The morning sun shone brightly into my room, making me squint my eyes the moment I woke up. When I checked the time on my phone, it was already 7.

How long have I slept? What about my alarms? Ah, I must have snoozed all of them!

Let's recall what happened last night that made me so tired.

After my long bath, I played some games despite the sleepiness. I turned off to sleep only after I've cleared all the events and finally ranked up. Guess that was what kept me up, huh?

Anyway, now is not the time to regret my past actions.

I sped up my morning routine, changed into my school attire and combed my hair neatly. I didn't even bother to tie it up and just pinned my bangs to the side with a bobby pin. It was the first time I've ever been this late, so it was normal to panic.

When I arrived at the dining room, pancakes were served warm and fresh on the table. I wanted to skip breakfast but seeing my sister eating made me hungry. That left me no choice but to sit down and eat.

I shoved the pancakes into my mouth hurriedly. The glass of water prepared by a maid saved me when I nearly choked.

"Miss, I implore you to slow down."

"I'm late already. There's no time to waste!"

I finished the crumbs on my plate and grabbed my bag. Alice was already waiting for me in the car when I went to the gate. She opened the doors for me to enter.

"Miss, you're late!"

Oh Alice, don't you remind me of that stressful fact.

Out of seven days in the week, why do I have to be late today? What's more, there's a quiz on the first period! I can't possibly miss it.

I buckled my safety belt and Alice stepped on the accelerator. She drove at the speed of lighting until it felt like the car could leave the road anytime. 

Usually, it would be me who asked Alice to speed up but she would say "speeding is dangerous" then continue her normal speed. It was really surprising to see Alice act like this.

'She's speeding like she needed to use the bathroom,' I chuckled at my own thought. Who knew there would be a day where even Alice would speed?

"Miss, I'll make sure you reach on time, so sit tight," Alice said with a smug and sped up. She was driving so fast until the view outside can't be seen. Everything was so blur until she hit the brake.

We were already in front of my school gate. I got out of the car and the first bell rang the moment I crossed the gate. Alice kept her promise.

Without further ado, I rushed to my classroom without looking back. The quiz will be starting in a few minutes, I can still make it!

The teacher just arrived when I entered the classroom. She gave me a surprised look and welcomed me.

"Miss Asia, you're rather late today, aren't you?"

I just laughed off a little while my classmates giggled. Just when I was about to take my seat, the fire bell rang.

We thought it was just a fire drill so everyone didn't take it seriously. Not until someone yelled out, "Fire!"

The fire spread rapidly and before I was able to flee, smoke filled my vision and I couldn't see anything. I was having difficulty breathing until...

Gasp!

I woke up and saw a familiar ceiling above me. It was the ceiling of my very own bedroom, with me lying on my bed. I opened the curtains to see if there was any fire.

Phew. Fortunately, it was all just a dream. A nightmare, I suppose?