Part 1- Descending into Dreams 

I don’t understand how one can say they had a good or bad dream at night. How are they so sure that they are awake? Maybe that dream was reality, and that reality they think they live in is nothing but a dream, or that we live in a reality that is but a dream, or a dream within a dream which is actually reality? We may never truly know, for nothing is truly certain. All that is certain is that dreams are real, and that everything real is but a dream.

- Xin Yi

Prologue 

“Nica! Hurry up! We’re gonna be late for class!” a girl with short ebony hair yelled from the bathroom.

Nica groaned and buried herself deeper into her pillows and blankets, trying hard to fall back asleep and continue her lovely dream about bunnies and wheelchair-obsessed kittens. The kittens were just about to catch the elusive wheelchair when it suddenly poofed into a yellow mouse. Frightened, the kitten scurried away from the yellow mouse who suddenly sported electricity from it’s rose-red cheeks. The mouse started chasing the kittens and shocked them into oblivion as it spat fire on the poor, innocent bunnies and squeaked adorably as it watched them burn. 

“I swear , if you don’t get up, I will leave you right now to miss your midterm exam and free milk tea day—“

Nica sat up quickly at the words “Free Milk Tea”, pillows and blankets flying off the bed, and on the floor. “That’s today?! Shoot!” 

Nica scrambled off the bed and hastily threw off her pyjamas and blindly put on the pale-purple button-up dress that was lying on the floor. 

“Nica, that’s—“

“Free Milk Tea Day is today?!” She glanced at her watch and swore under her breath. “It’s eight-thirty, oh cod. It’s still too early!”

“Not for me it’s not,” Kira rolled her eyes and slipped on a pair of black flats. “You were going to help me review for 

Nica ignored her and grabbed a brush. “Kira, comb your hair with you. You look like a witch!”

“Really? Thank you!”

“It wasn’t meant as a compliment,” Nica growled and forcefully yanked Kira on a chair and combed her hair. Kira yelped in protest as the brush got entangled in the thicket growing naturally out of her best friend’s scalp, but Nica paid no attention to her squeaks and squirms of pain as she tamed the beast that is Kira’s hair.

“I honestly don’t see why you have to fuss over my hair. I mean, it’s just hair!” Kira complained loudly, wincing in discomfort as Nica had to forcefully pull the brush down to untangle her hair. If even the force of gravity can’t keep her hair down, what makes Nica think a stupid brush can? “Besides, we’re going to be late for our midterms! And free milk tea day, remember?”

Nica silenced her with a quick, forceful stroke of the brush that took a few strands of Kira’s hair with it. “Just hair? Keiralynn, you will never be able to catch a boy’s attention with that kind of hair.” Kira opened her mouth to protest, but Nica quickly cut her off. “And don’t tell me you don’t care because you obviously do. I see how you act every time he walks in the room.  And midterms start at nine something, we still have half an hour or so.”

“But I really don’t care. He’s just a guy, and it’s just a crush! It’s not like I’m in love with the guy!”

“Oh pshh! You murmur his name in your sleep! I’d hardly call that just a crush,” Nica “You’re obsessed.”

“I don’t need to fix my hair. It won’t make me cute or anything anyway. So I don’t care. If you want to fix something, fix me lunch. With lots of meat and potatoes. I’d appreciate that more.”

“You are cute. Just… the messy kind of cute, and I’ll fix you dinner instead, alright? Just let me finish your hair. It looks better now, see?” Nica held a mirror in front of Kira. Her hair did admittedly looked nicer now, and fell in smooth, waves just above her shoulder.

“No, I don’t see,” Kira huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. She did look… a bit better, but she still has the same annoying-looking face and scattered pimples across her cheeks. “But if this is what it takes to have good food, then I suppose the pain’s worth it.”

Nica rolled her eyes and threw the brush to the side where it landed on the bed with a soft thump. “You and food. I can't understand how you, with that bottomless pit of a stomach can be so thin, while I diet and still get these!" She groaned, gesturing to her thighs.

"Get what?"

"Fat."

"I'm a girl, but I can't understand other girls, much less women," Kira shook her head. "You're thin, you have nice white legs, you don't have to worry about shaving in unsavoury areas---"

"Hey!" Nica flushed a dark red.

"I was talking about armpits," Kira stuck her tongue out.

"Oh."

"And, you have these nice curves! Boys are all over you! Well, not all over you, but they like you, like you!"

"Like me, like me? What are we, twelve?" Nica rolled her eyes and puts on a pair of white mary janes. 

"I am, but I suppose you're not."

"Oh ha-ha, you're so funny," Nica said crossly. "Where's my bag? I know I placed it around here somewhere… Dammit Kira, clean up every once in a while would you!"

Kira stood by the door and yawned lazily. She glanced at her watch and pouted. Five minutes to nine. "We had an agreement remember. You clean the room, and I take out the trash, do the dishes, kill the cockroaches and get rid of all the pests."

Nica growled in response, but said nothing. She finally found her bag under Kira's bed and shot her a glare. Kira either didn't notice, or ignored it, she was already waiting outside their dorm when she saw Nica pull her bag from underneath the bed.

"We're gonna be late." Kira said irritatedly as the two made their way down the hall and into a waiting elevator. "And you know Forneas doesn't take tardiness lightly."

"How did you know he was going to be our proctor?"

"Jona texted," Kira laughed quietly, but loud enough to be heard in the small, quiet elevator.

"Whoa, Jo used his phone in class?" Nica exclaimed. "That's a first for Mr. I-refuse-to-break-the-rules!"

"Well technically it's not a class, and midterms haven't started yet so he's technically not breaking rules," Kira laughed. "Plus it's really short." 

"Here," She handed Nica her phone.

Nica took her phone and read the message.

Ten minutes. Proctor = Forneas. Hurry!!!

"Short and sweet, huh? That is so Jo," Nica mused and handed Kira her phone back. "Ten minutes, he says. We practically live across the school, Kira! We won't be late."

"I hope so," Kira was still staring at the text with a worried frown when the elevator door opened. The two of them hurried out of the dormitory and had to stop by the curb when the light turned green.

"Chill, girl!" Nica laughed and poked her friend's shoulder. "We'll be able to cross soon. See?" She pointed at the convenient countdown timer beside the stoplight. "The timer says twenty-one, twenty, nineteen, eighteen…"

Seventeen, sixteen, fifteen fourteen, thirteen… Nica counted in her head, her friend was looked impatient and she's not sure if it's because Forneas was going to be the proctor for her favorite subject or if she was eager to see Xen, now that she's finally making progress with him. Nica shook her head and smiled. Honestly, her bestie was such a tsundere. If she were to star in an anime and people would love her adorable attitude.

Twelve, eleven, ten… nine… eight…

Nica saw Caleb on the other side of the street and glared. He glared back. The man was infuriating. He was handsome yes, with ebony locks that seem darker than Kira's but his attitude was darker still. She was glad that they weren't classmates anymore, the antagonising bastard.

Seven… six… five… four…

Nica couldn't stop glaring at the man as he walked away and into the nearest McDonalds. She guessed he was done with his midterms, and was already on his way to a nice, hearty breakfast at McDonalds. That would explain why he was out of school so early. Midterms exams are stressful for the most part, but once your done with it, you can go home or anywhere you please… as long as you make it back for the next exam, which she guessed that wouldn't be for the next few hours for Caleb.

Three… two… one…

"Zero!" Kira said happily, snapping Nica from her thoughts, and hopped off the sidewalk. What she didn't notice was that the light had changed from green to yellow, and that the timer had started counting down again.

Three…

She refocused on reality just as she saw the oncoming car about to hit her best friend. "Kira watch out!"

Two…

Kira looked back to see her friend running towards her, and a car speeding in her direction. She couldn't react to anything as she felt herself flying… up or down, she wasn't sure. Caleb looked out the window just in time to see a car screeching to a stop.

One.

Kira could hear her heart beat loudly like the fluttering of wings inside her head. Her eyes were glued onto the bright, blue sky and her head was throbbing. What happened? She couldn't feel her limbs, but she felt her body slowly being lifted up. It took all she had to turn her head sideways, and when she did, a strong wave of nausea hit her. 

She fought the black spots from invading her vision, but darkness was swallowing her. The last thing she saw was  Caleb running towards… a girl sprawled in a pool of red in the middle of the street, her limbs twisted in a grotesque angle. She couldn't scream, couldn't cry, couldn't move, as darkness enveloped her in soothing bliss.