Rem Of Sleep

Why I don't like him

I'm way below the decent standard of a human being. I look like a cat stuck in a hurricane. If only I could meow my way out of here, it would have been rad. But I've been standing here for two hours and I'm pretty sure all of the students went home already which is weird right. Because none of them ever got here. As if they vanish... or maybe I wasn't aware?

'Ur still here?' I sent a message to Daniel.

'You're still there?"

'Obvi'

'I thought ur already home. I could have given you a ride'

'It's ok... the bus is coming anyway'

It was a lie, the streets are empty. The rain is pouring like crazy and the cold is getting under my skin. I feel so hopeless that my legs give up. I'm not soft, but I feel like crying. It was so random, I don't even know why I'm crying. Maybe the stress or the loneliness but either the factors are vague and I really, really want to get out of here. Then suddenly I heard footsteps.

"You're still here?" He looks so stunned that I feel like laughing. He left me earlier didn't he?

"No sh*t" I buried my face in my knees.

"Ok..." He didn't even bother to ask me if I needed help or If I'm ok. He just walks past me like nothing.

"Yes, thank you have a nice night. I'm obviously ok right here" I snap. The way he stares at me makes me want to punch him. Break a couple of his bones, take out his heart. Then maybe, maybe I'll be satisfied.

"Look, don't paint me as a bad person but there's nothing I could do for you to help you" He said nonchalantly.

"How about not running away from me, share an umbrella or something. There are endless possibilities but you just ignored it"

"I didn't run away from you. Why would I?"

"You just did"

"Sorry?"

"Forget it, just get out of my face"

I waited for him to leave but the crazy thing is he didn't. He just stands there with his stupid face holding a stupid umbrella. I'll laugh at his face if this is another day but it wasn't. I'm so pissed and stressed. Stress—pissed. I'm gonna throw my fist at him If he says another insensitive word. Fortunately for me, he remained quiet. The sound of the breeze breaks the awkward barrier around us. We just stand here, doing nothing. Waiting for at least one of us to say anything or do anything. God, this is awkward. Say something... but what am I gonna say and why do I have to say it. We're not buddies, we're far from friends not even enemies. Just acquaintance— close to strangers. If I ignore him long enough that is. The silence thickens every minute we spent together. Not a word nor muscle spent. Until a wet paper hits my face.

The sound of his stifled laughter irritates me. I'm so close to hitting him but I remained passive. Barnie Steven is not an aggressive guy, he's a pacifist. Defender of unjust and prohibitor of violence. So I remained calm. The paper gradually falls to the ground. And what shocked me is the name printed in bold letters. Missing: Mara Nguyen.

The invincible girl in my dreams. Even in the conscious world, she's unseen. I pick up the paper and memorize every detail of her face. The single mole on her upper lips and the smile she gave in the photo. She's a lovely child, beautiful even. The black and white image of her didn't give much of her appearance just a smiling child. Unbeknownst to us where she went. But I feel I know where, this is not a wayward child case. I think she's kidn*pped. Suddenly the empty room and the color brown eyes of another person cross my mind. The image is vivid. Like I have seen it face to face, like I have been there when I wasn't.

My eyes drifted to the guy standing beside me. He looks perplexed, staring at the piece of wet paper on my hands. And when our eyes both meet we both wonder.

"What—?" He starts but I cut him off.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked straight to the point. I really don't want to talk to him. Especially what he did earlier.

"I'm waiting for the bus" His voice gave off a 'duh' tone. Like it was the obvious reason why he's still standing here. Nothing more.

"Ok... then wait—ten feet away from me"

He turned his head. Staring at the wet pavement. The waiting shed can't stretch itself for a little five feet more. Which I literally asked him to stand in the pouring rain. That was stupid but I'll pay good money to see it happening.

"Sure, it seems like we're having good weather today" He deadpanned.

I rolled my eyes and choose to ignore him. I whip out my phone from my back pocket and enter the site's domain in my browser. But I refresh it so many times, yet it didn't appear. This is weird, Jamie showed it to me like a week ago. Maybe it got turned down, but why? The site is obviously harmless. It didn't ask for an account or your sss. It's so simple that it's suspicious why I can't access it anymore. I even tried using VPN but to no avail. I still can't search for it. I used to live with my grandmother and her spiritual beliefs kind of rub into me. I know there's something fishy about the ritual. It's almost too close to home. I went to the Philippines for summer vacation and I got sick from jetlag. My Lola asked for a mystic to heal me and the prayer and materials he used to me are almost identical to the ones on the website. So I normally got curious, what if the ritual is real?

And it did grant me the power. How much will I pay for it?

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