Magic Shop

11 | THE TIMELINE IN WHICH THE PAST WAS THE PRESENT

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The moment Dawn had realized he had returned to the past, he was really happy that he laughed while crying. His eyes memorized once again the faces of his friends. The smell of their old classroom. The chairs and even the people around them. Dawn felt like he was really living in a dream so, he subconsciously pinched his hand and he felt the pain.

This is not really a dream!

Dawn was really overwhelmed that he forgot he was crying moments ago, now that he was finished crying and laughing he felt embarrassed as his ears turned red and his cheeks turning to the color of pink because his friends kept teasing him.

Dawn scoffed at them first, trying to build his almost ruined image for crying out of no where  but as soon as their laughter traveled to his ears he felt more and more thankful. Dawn’s eyes landed on six faces whom he did not see for the last nine years. The six faces who were the caused of all of his anxiety and his traumas. He smiled bitterly trying to composed himself as he wiped his tears with the sleeve of his uniform.  

“You’re really creepy today you know that?” Sejin said as he looked at Dawn with his eyes full of disgust. He was opening a bag of chips.  “If you do not have your face I would assume you’re not the Dawn we know, right?” He then glanced at Reon who was playing in his phone he gestured the potato chip and Reon took a piece without leaving his eyes on his phone while his ears are focused on his friends conversation.

He nodded and play the lollipop on his mouth.

“Creepy” Reon mumbled. Dawn just rolled his eyes not minding their insults. In the past he would have retorted to them but now, even their teasing felt nostalgic for him.

“What year is it?”

“Gasp!” Ayase exclaimed.  He was leisurely sitting on the top of the table as he took a piece of the potato chip Sejin opened. “Did you perhaps have an amnesia? You’re even asking for the year?”

Dawn frowned as his eyes traveled on his friend who was eyeing him with such curiosity. Kiel who was the usual silent type guy was even eyeing at him at the corner of his eyes as he flipped through the pages of the book he was reading.

“Is it not normal to asked the year?” He said as a matter of fact.

“No,” it was Kiel who was sitting right next to him. “Especially when you just asked the year an hour ago.”

“Right!” four of them agreed. “Is this because we visited the haunted house last week and saw a corpse there?” Sejin assumed. He lifted his right leg and put it over his left leg. He then leaned on the tables and lazily looked at Dawn.

“That corpse was so creepy, it was stabbed so many times.” Ayase and Sejin quivered as they remembered the scene they saw last week. The four of them were horrified they can’t even eat few days later.

“Right, but we reported it to the police so there’s no need to worry.” Kiel said.

“Corpse?” Dawn frowned and at the same time four of his friends gasped as if they heard a horror story and he was the protagonist.

“He’s cursed!” Ayase exaggerated and draw a cross over Dawn. Dawn felt irritated and flicked away his hands that was busy drawing a cross in the air.

“You don’t remember?” Kiel peeked at Dawn before filling the page of the book he was reading. He then grabbed his tumbler and drink a gulped of water before looking at Dawn directly. All of his other friends were also looking at him.

At the same time, Dawn had ransacked his brain as he triggered his memories. Yes, back in the past we visited an old house that was rumored to be haunted because we had lost to a dare. Later on after a year the murderer was caught by the police. Dawn remembered the details and realized that he had travel on the year 2010 and him and his friends are currently second year high school.

This was also the time his father had brought home his b***h wife. As Dawn realized those facts. He frowned once again realizing that he didn’t want to go home and see the face of the woman who had accused him of r**e in the near future.

I won’t go home then.

His eyes then traveled again to Sejin who was napping at the table. “It’s 2010? right?” he confirmed and his friends nodded.

Ayase and Kiel begun to talked about the book which Kiel was reading. Ayase was pissing Kiel off as he said the major spoilers of the book. This made Kiel mad and threw the book at Ayase’s face but before the book could land at his face, Ayase catch it with ease smirking at his friend.

Dawn ignored them as he opened his mouth.

“Hey, Sejin,”

“What?” Sejin answered his voice was soft as if he was drifting into sleep and his eyes were still closed.

“Can I sleep over?”

“Huh?” All of his friends were stunned once again. Four pairs of eyes were looking at him as if he had grown two heads at the moment. Dawn’s face turned sour.

 Hey, can’t I not sleep over with you? You’re rich and have the best room! I don’t really want to go home and see thats b***h face. But I can’t continue having sleep over with Sejin and his brother. I don’t want to become a free loader, tsk! What should I do?

“You’re sleeping over at our house?” Sejin asked once again. He seemed like the sleep he was courting a while ago was thrown in the trash as he looked at Dawn with his eyes wide open. Kiel, Ayase and Roen mirrored Sejin’s reaction.

Dawn was puzzled by their reactions.

“Yes? I can’t?” Dawn hesitated. He felt like he was such a push over but he also knew that he needed to study the root why did these people who were his friends had chosen to commit suicide in the end and he’s starting with Sejin.

“You can, it’s actually a good suggestion since it’s weekend tomorrow let us all hangout in our house!” Sejin looked excited as he invite the rest.

“Don’t forget Andien, our youngest.” Roen reminded his brother. Andien was one of their friends but he was a year younger than them making him first year this year.

Sejin nodded as he confirmed Roen’s words. “Of course, we needed to be complete in such occasions. Since it’s the first time that Dawn had agreed on sleeping over.”

I did? Dawn was puzzled but later on he realized that back when he was in high school he hated sleep overs. He did not have any reason, he just hated someone disturbing his sleep but now, he can’t chose comfort over the lives of his friends so he pushed it aside.  He smirked in his mind as he rolled his eyes unto his friends?

I really miss this bunch of idiots!

“What? A person can’t change now?” He sarcastically said and pushed Sejin’s face away from him.

Sejin laughed. “Well, no it’s just weird because you were crying a moment ago we thought you’re cursed.”

I’m not cursed but I travel back in time to save all of you! He wanted to say but he knew he can’t say such things because if he did, their future might be destroyed by the laws of physics.

Time ticked and it was time for their afternoon classes. Ayase, Roen, Sejin and Kiel went back to their seats. The teacher opened the door and got in. Dawn’s gaze landed on the 1.8 meter tall teacher who has his hair dyed in brown. He was wearing a polo shirt with a tie and slacks. He was wearing his signature eye glasses that made him more mysterious. It was teacher Anderson.

If Dawn remembered clearly, Mr. Anderson was just a substitute teacher for their history class because the previous teacher was hospitalized. Later on, he died suddenly at the hospital making Mr. Anderson the permanent history teacher. He always had this aura of someone who has a bookish demeanor and a mysterious aura. He was also good looking that was the reason why many girls around his age have crush on the mysterious Mr. Anderson.

Dawn never really paid any attention to him but now, Dawn felt something was bugging him. For now, he decided to ignore it and opened his text book to page 145 as Mr. Anderson instructed. When Dawn’s eyes landed on the book, Mr. Anderson glanced at him for a few seconds before opening his mouth to teach.

I really don’t like studying! Dawn grumbled and aimlessly draw something on his text book as his mind drifted. Back when he was in this year, Dawn remembered that he felt like everything was smooth sailing but now, when he had realized that Lau and Christine had specifically land him on this time line means to say that something in this year would influence his friends greatly.

All along he thought that he was living his life the best that he could but now, those thoughts had shattered. Right now, Dawn felt like a frog inside the well as he realized how big the problem hos friends might have and all along, he did not have any clue about it.

It was also the same for him right now. Dawn doesn’t know the the root of the problem nor he doesn’t know what are the troubles of his friends. He clenched his first. He only have seven days and time was precious so he can’t really spent it doing such things called studying but he also need to compromised. He’s a student right now and he needed to act one.

Dawn sighed and he leaned on the glass window beside him. He felt the cold breeze and stared at the ground blankly feeling the hot Sun and the cold air. It’s no wonder that Sejin was feeling sleepy just now, I want to sleep too! But I can’t Mr. Anderson doesn’t like students who sleep in his class.

Conflicted because of his thoughts  he tried his best to stay awake and let the time passed by but time after time his eyes would drift off. Like they had their own will and without his permission they were closing. So, he heaved his breath and opened his back to get some papers and pen.

After reading a few fantasy books, he knew that he needed to right down the important details he had experience in the past for it will help him discover the main problem. But as time passed by and Mr. Anderson dismissing the class, only then Dawn realized that he was a completely dumb and arrogant asshole for he can’t remember anything or any major events that happened in the pass.

The only thing he remembered was the sudden news of his friends death and the mourning he never once attended.

Damn it! What a useless brain!

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