[https://i.ibb.co/yk9gKzn/ch5-2.png]

With a great gasp, Lucy sat straight up as she found herself in a clean, pristine white, yet cold room. which furthered her confusion.

“You're awake,” an elderly woman said. “I am the school nurse and you are in the infirmary.”

“What happened?” Lucy asked in a bit of a panic. “Why am I here? I was just standing a minute ago and-”

“Calm down, dear. You were found on the ground and a teacher carried you here. You must have fainted.”

“I fainted?”

Lucy tried to recall what happened the last time she collapsed, and gasped when she remembered a heart-wrenching scene that flashed before her mind. She wanted to cry then and there but held her tears as she turned away from the nurse, trying to hide her face with her hand.

“You appear to be okay. How are your legs?” asked the nurse.

“I can feel my legs.”

“Then I'm guessing it was stress. Everything okay at home?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you certain? One doesn't just collapse in public. The only time I've seen this is from heatstroke, but the weather is fair and you don't seem to suffer its symptoms. If you are having trouble at home, it's best if you let someone know.”

“Everything is fine. I'm doing well.” Lucy turned a bit to see the nurse give a doubtful look, which made her turn away again. “I'm doing okay.”

“I guess I'll trust you on that, but I suggest you at least talk to the counselor.”

“Will you knock it off, already? Why are you so obsessed with my home life?”

“Do you think you can attend classes?”

“Yeah.” Lucy got off the bed and when her feet hit the floor, she grasped the bed's railing when her legs wobbled.

The nurse sighs. “I'm going to suggest you take the rest of the day off.” She headed toward her desk and took her seat. “I'll let your teachers know. Call your mother right now so she can pick you up. Your phone is in the desk tray right in front of me.”

As the nurse started writing a note, Lucy took her phone and proceeded to dial her mother. After a few rings, Lucy was greeted with a beep. “Mom, are you there? I need you to pick me up. Actually, I'm sure you're busy at work. I'm heading home on the bus then. I have a slip from the school that explains everything. Goodbye.” She hung up and turned her attention to the nurse. “She's not home but I can take the bus.”

“Are you going to be okay by yourself?”

“Yeah. I come to school every day on the bus.”

As she continued to eye Lucy with uncertainty, the nurse tears the slip of paper from the pad and offered it. “Show it to the security at the front gate and they'll let you pass. Make sure you get your mother's signature to show the teacher tomorrow. I'm sure it's nothing serious, I'm just taking precautions.”

“Thank you,” Lucy accepted the slip and started heading out.

Her hand hovered over the door handle when the nurse said, “Lucy, I highly suggest you talk to the counselor or the school psychologist. I don't know what's going on, but it's best not to keep things bottled up. Your worries will eventually come out in even more destructive ways.”

“I get it. I understood you the first time,” and she stepped out.

--

All was quiet in her apartment and everything was as she left it early in the morning. Lucy glanced at her phone. Two percent of the battery had drained since she left school. Not even a system notification was present.

She passed by the dining room where her room on the left was adjacent to her mother's. Knocking on the door to the right, “Mom, I'm home. Did you get my message?” No answer. She turned the knob and the door opened. Clothing strewn about everywhere, bottles of beer and champagne, some empty and some half-full, stacked in a corner. The bed unkempt, smelling like sweat. This room had remained undisturbed since morning.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She left this room and turned towards hers. The sheets on the bed hugged the mattress as perfect creases of its edges could be seen, her possessions were all lined up on the shelves and desk, and her ironed clothes within her closet organized in a rainbow fashion. Other than her forgetting to close the closet door before she left for school, everything in the apartment was as static as she had left it.

She dropped her bag onto the floor, sat on the bed, and stared at the window that showed nothing but the buildings across. “This place is boring...” she told herself. “If only I had my old friends, but they probably forgot about me by now. I might as well have stayed in school. Except I collapsed. People are probably freaking out or something. But it doesn't matter. I don't have any friends, so nobody at school cares about me anyway. Nobody.”

Her fingers twiddled which she put a stop to by getting up. She headed over to the window and peered at what little of the neighborhood she could. Not a single person outside nor could she see anyone through the glare of the windows. No birds sang and no cars passed by. It was as if in this very moment sound ceased to exist.

The silent atmosphere put her under a spell as she closed her eyes. The world before her vanished. All was empty, void of any existence. But in the distance within this darkness, she saw a person. He was a lone indistinguishable figure and was approaching. Looking at her with his soft eyes and a gentle smile, a word was about to emit through his lips.

“UGH!” The sudden sound of a grunt snapped her out of her illusion. “My head. Ugh!”

Lucy raced out of her room but only achieved hearing the lock turn on her mother's bedroom door.

Closing her own door and turning its own lock, she turned on her own phone. Other than one percent less battery, nothing else changed.

Her fingers turned red from gripping her phone before dropping it onto the carpet. “Who are you?” she asked wiping the tears from her eyes. “You've always been there but I don't know who you are! Where are you? Why are you always following me?”

She closed her eyes. Once again, he was there, waiting for her, with those gentle eyes and that warm smile.

She headed to her desk, turned on her laptop, opened up Chrome, and started typing on the search bar, 'What is the meaning of dreams?'

--

Mangled hair, baggy red eyes, wrinkled clothes, and a walk that resembled a zombie's strut. This was the frightful scene that appeared before Wendy when Johan stepped out of his bedroom.

“Johan, is that you?” Wendy said as they approached him.

“Wendy?” he said hoarsely.

“You look like a mess.”

“I fell asleep and didn't wake up till noon. Or did I go to sleep at noon? The hour hand was on 12...”

“Did you go to class today?”

Johan took a seat at the dining room table with Wendy joining him. “I didn't leave my room since yesterday and I was too tired to go to school. I stayed up all night just looking up things online.”

“I know you like to study a lot but this is too much.”

“No. It wasn't studying. I was just simply trying to figure out something about my life. Just looking up a bit of info here and there, seeking answers wherever I could, posting on my blog site.”

“You have a blog?”

“I guess I have one now. I just made a post because I couldn't find answers on my own. I was deep into my research that I stayed up late into the night and ruined my sleep schedule. I feel terrible.” His stomach rumbled. “I haven't eaten either.”

“I bet you haven't. Take a shower and I'll make you some tea. No, actually, I have to go to the store right now. I guess I can take this time to buy something to eat. Just hit the shower and I'll be back.”

Seeing no reason to object, Johan does as told and proceeded to cleanse himself.

Around the time Wendy returned from the store, Johan was sitting on the couch with his hair visibly damp.

“I got some lavender tea,” Wendy said. “This should be good for anxiety.” Wendy entered the kitchen and prepared the kettle. Waiting for the after to boil, they joined Johan on the couch and handed him a panini. He looked at it confusingly before looking at Wendy. “It's okay. You don't have to pay me back.”

“Thank you,” he said as he accepted and took a bite.

Getting comfortable, Wendy asked, “This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with what you talked about on the weekend?”

He continued to eat as he replied, “I told you to forget about that. It's nothing, really.”

“In any case, you need to go out. Being cooped up in your room for two days straight can't be good for anyone. Hey, why don't you come with me and my friend Francesca.”

“Francesca?”

“She's a friend of mine, along with another gal-pal, Hera. We're going to hang out together tonight. Why don't you come with us? It'll clear your head.“

“I don't know about this.“

“Staying home a second longer won't do you any good. In fact, It'll do you better if you can start being social again.” Johan eyed Wendy as they continued, “I didn't want to mention this but you haven't been friendly in years. I've noticed that you seem to be avoiding human contact for some time.”

“That's not true. I talk to people every day. I'm always courteous to everyone I see.”

“That's nice, but it's not the Johan I used to know. You were so outgoing, so energetic, you were always trying to make new friends.”

“Back in high school, yes. Now I'm in college. Things have changed.”

“Have they? I don't feel any different. Well, from within, at least. Clearly, I've gone through a more... physical transformation, let's say.” They laugh a bit at their own expense.

“Yes, Wendy, I'm aware. You don't have to mention it every time.”

“My point is despite the change of time and my body, I'm confident in saying that my personality has remained, and I'm still making friends. That used to be you.”

He looked down at the last bit of his panini as he swallowed the portion already in his mouth. “I'm just growing up, that's all.”

“Growing up doesn't mean you have to give up everything from the past. Come on, let's go. Let's have some fun, like old times.”

Johan smiled a bit. “Like old times.”

“There you go.” Wendy slapped Johan on the shoulder who ended up coughing up his panini. “Oh gosh, I'm sorry.” The whistling from the kettle caught Wendy's attention. “Let me make you that tea right now,” and gets up from their seat.

Johan pounded his chest and laid back on the couch as he told himself, “Like old times, huh?”