🐼-Albert

“So, you brought me here just to introduce me to my KI classmates whom I’ve already met?” asked a very familiar raspy voice.

“Aiyah. Isn’t that even better? That means we can have better connections with each other. Hey, Nori. Maybe you can become a fake KI student yourself,” joked Nora’s own heavy voice.

I shot straight up and turned around. I almost spat out my fish soup when I saw Minori walking straight in with Nora and Sam flanking each of his sides. How did my KI classmates know my best friend? They weren’t kidding when they said it was a small world.

“Hey, Alb. Well. First time talking to you outside of class, I guess,” said Sam, his arms folded.

I scooted towards the edge of the bench, patting the area beside me for Nori. He grinned and placed his bags down while our classmates followed. Then, I found myself examining all three of their faces. I suddenly looked like a ghost compared to their enviable tanned tones.

“Wait. Nori, how do you know Sam? Nora, I kind of get since you guys are in the same class,” I remarked.

“Sam? Oh! You didn’t see us getting punished on stage for not getting the mass dance moves right?” he asked. “Heng ah.”

Sam’s cheeks flushed a deep maroon. He nudged Nori by the sides before standing up to get his wallet. With that, he stomped his way towards the nasi lemak stall. Ah. Right. It made sense now. He was the Cat High boy with the super hairy legs queuing with Nori the other day.

“You know, Alb. If you can’t help us with the campaign, it’s totally understandable since you have TSD and all,” said Nora as she faced me.

“Yeah, Alb. It’s okay. We’ll find someone else who can help,” said Nori with his trademark smile.

A few minutes later, Sam returned with his own plate of nasi lemak. Sambal was smothered all over the coconut rice. That was one stomach-ache-inducing meal. I continued slurping the noodles and watched as Nora and Sam more or less began spearheading the discussion.

“So, Nori. How did you get to know Alb?” asked Nora back.

We glanced at each other, and I brought my arm over Nori’s shoulder.

“We’ve been friends since primary school. He taught me English and really helped me to adjust to life here,” said Nori as he beamed.

The four of us relished in our little ice-breakers, surprised at how we were somehow magically linked to each other. Then, with the entrance of Nora’s notebook in the middle of the table, we knew it was business.

“Wait. Why are you dragging me into this again, Nori?” I asked as she settled her pencil case down as a paperweight.

“Remember that time when we did the Victoria Challenge? Maybe you can help them come up with some tips to make their campaign interesting. I really want them to get elected,” said Nori before pouting his lips.

“Hey. I like them a lot too. They’re very sincere and clearly know what they’re doing. Unlike my other classmates,” I lamented as I stared at the beams hanging above us.

Would they have the necessary resources to launch a successful campaign – and for exco positions at that – in just one week? What we did took weeks of planning. There was no way they could wing it, right?

“Maybe I can help you guys with a theme song!” said Nori as his right hand shot up.

“And we can make it a music video!” I chipped in.

Woah. Did that just come out? Nora nodded and wrote those ideas down. The words written with the biggest letters though were the main foci of their campaigns and ambitions for the college: Sustainability and Inclusivity.

“Now, we need to find a way to mesh these ideas into a coherent theme so that your campaign can help you guys look like you’re on the same page,” said Nori as he peered over the little mind-map that she had drawn.

“Well, if the four of us are going to do this together, we might as well give our little group a name,” I joked to myself.

“Aiyah. The name can come later. If we get elected, Sam and I will definitely treat you to something nice!” said Nora.

We burst into laughter before diving back into this strange realm of campaigning. For a moment, I looked out of the canteen and just admired the view of the neighbourhood around us. The sea was far from here, but I smiled.

🧸-Frankie

“You wanted to see me, Nathaniel?” I asked as I shut the door from behind me.

He gestured at the swivel chair on the opposite side of his desk. I hugged the tablet close to my heart and sat down, wondering if I had already messed something up in the first week of internship alone.

“I’ll have to apologise for stealing you away from Morgan again, but I feel that you might be the only mage up for this very special task that I have for you,” he said.

My feet kept swivelling sideways as I looked at the photographs that he had hung on the wall. Was it right? He wasn’t my reporting supervisor after all. Yet, he was the director of our department and technically Morgan’s higher-up.

“I think you’ve developed a strong understanding of reading the statistics in our patented systems and deducing data during your assessments,” he said.

My cheeks turned warm. I pressed my hands hard against my thighs and let that compliment sink in. The smooth mechanism of his in-desk drawer rattled the desk a bit. He pulled out a file and pushed it towards me.

“Project Elemental? What’s this? You never told this to any of us during the briefing,” I said as I picked it up and flipped through the pages.

“Have you ever heard of an Elemental, Frankie? You might just think they’re a fairy tale, but nope. They’re just as real as you and I,” he said.

I looked at the timestamp over at the bottom-right corner of the page. 2009. I raised an eyebrow, wondering why he would hand me a document from two years ago.

“The project came to a temporary halt after some…accidents,” he said.

“Then wouldn’t it be better if you stopped it? I mean, it was put on hold for a reason, right? And this doesn’t feel right. I’m still a kid. Why would you put your youngest intern through a dangerous project?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The door clicked open. Morgan stood there, her face red and holding her work shoes with her fingertips. She panted and called my name out with her haughty voice.

“Morgan! Why didn’t you knock?” asked Nathaniel.

“I need…Frankie. Now! You may be my director, but that doesn’t mean you can keep stealing him away from me!” she said.

I crossed over my heart and stood up, excusing myself. Ah, right. I also put the document on the table and slid it back towards Nathaniel.

“No, you may keep it. Give it a read back home and let me know if you change your mind,” he said.

I clutched it tight and followed Morgan out of the room. Morgan pressed her hand against the wall and tried balancing herself as she put her shoes back on. A huge blister rested against her heel.

“Morgan, I don’t feel so comfortable around Nathaniel,” I whispered.

With both shoes on, she dragged me towards the pantry and offered me a cup of hot milo. I took it with both hands, thanking her for the morning perk-up. With that, I finally let that hot air out with a huge puff.

“You look really shaken. Next time he tries to steal you away from me, just tell him that Morgan Jie-Jie already has something for you to do, okay?”

I nodded. The malty flavour stung my tongue. I grabbed the kiwi from the free fruit day bowl and bit into it, skin and all.

“Morgan, do you know anything about Project Elemental?” I asked.

Her eyes shifted all over the room. She hunched down and asked me to keep my voice low.

“A failed past project that wanted to investigate how Elementals work. Not many know about it, but they live amongst us. It’s just that they’re much better at keeping their powers hidden because their magic comes directly from an organ. It’s a part of them. Because of that, you’ll never know where they’re hiding,” she whispered.

“Then, why was the project stopped?”

“Isadora decided that it was better we didn’t mess with forces we don’t know much about. Elementals are human, yet they’re so much more than that,” she said.

Ah, that made sense. I tapped my fingers over the counter as I attempted to ruminate over all the new information given to me. I think for now, it would indeed be better to stick to Morgan after all.

“Anyway, I was in a rush to find you because I have a very big job for you. A few days ago, we received news of an extremely strange occurrence at Ang Mo Kio. Can I trust you to investigate and get some clues for us, please?” she asked.

“So, look for things like magical residues, eyewitness accounts?” I asked again.

She nodded. I did the same and fired up my tablet. First patrol duty during the first week of work! Just what I needed!

🚲-Yu-chi

Ah-bu, Yu-hsuan, Yu-wen and I are seated on that round dining table. The steamed milkfish porridge sits in the middle, with plates of seasoned vegetables forming the petals of this decadent feast. The seat beside Ah-bu’s is empty.

A knock on the door sends Yu-hsuan rushing to his feet. The chopsticks clatter as they hit the protective glasstop. Yu-wen screams at him to slow down as he turns to doorknob. Ah-bu drops her bowl of rice upon seeing the figure standing by the doorway.

“Ah-pa! Chiak pa buey?” asked Yu-hsuan as he rushed into his arms.

Yu-wen gasps in disbelief as tears started welling up in her eyes. He steps out of his shoes and walks into the house, giving all four of us awkward smiles.

“Chiak pa. Tsio-hoa, li ho bo?” he asks as he gazes at Ah-bu with the sickening tenderness that made all three of us groan whenever they had a private moment.

She runs into his arms as her high ponytail comes loose. Yu-wen and I just stare on as they kiss in front of us, as though none of us existed at that moment.

“I’m sorry for coming back so late,” he says.

“Where have you been?” she asks.

I draw my hands underneath the table. Yu-wen places her hand on my toned shoulder and looks at me with sadness brimming through her already watery eyes.

I look at those scarred knuckles again. The images swim through my mind again. Blood – mine and his – dripping through the gaps of my fingers.

“Giok-bun, Iok-kia! Say hello to your Ah-pa,” Ah-bu says, still locked in his tight embrace.

When I look up though, I find myself no longer in the comfort of my home, but in that dark alleyway instead. The boy is clinging to my leg, still shivering in fear. The other gang member lies before me, blood oozing out from his head. His muscles are frozen, though his chest is heaving.

“You should come meet my friends,” says Kenny’s voice.

I turn around, and the alleyway is gone. I’m at that very spot at NEX where we last spoke. His friends flank his side, their faces blank. Literally.

“Why would we want to be friends with that ex-gangster?” says one of the paper cut-outs.

“You’re violent. Unpredictable. A bad influence. We’ll never accept you,” says the smaller cut-out.

I press my bloodied hands over my ears and sink to my knees, begging to Mazu to cast these demons out from my mind. Still, the voices keep coming. The images of backs turned keep flashing.

I shrieked and found myself right in the comfort of this narrow single-sized mattress, the metal grilles of Yu-hsuan’s bunk above my sky. I crept out of my blanket and hugged my knees to my chest. What was I thinking? What was I thinking telling Kenny that I wanted to meet his friends? My phone sat on my side table. I could pick it up. Tell him I had a sudden work shift to attend.

“Ah-hia, are you okay?” Yu-hsuan groaned from the upper bunk.

“Si. I’m fine. Go back to sleep. You’ve got another day of school tomorrow,” I told him.

With that, I threw the blanket over my half-naked body and tried to get some sleep.

🎼-Dae-hyun

The piano keys were still dancing in my mind as I raced up the stairs towards the dance studio. I glanced at my right hand, only to realise that there was no watch on my wrist. I kicked off my shoes and pushed the door into the studio.

All eyes were on me. To be expected. Everybody else was already in their PE attire, sweating from what I presumed was a workout. I was still wearing the white shirt and olive-coloured trousers. And an awkward hand waved at me. The Aussie with blonde locks. Though this time, she tied it into a messy bun.

“Hello. Are you…Dae-hyun?” said the slender but toned woman standing in the middle of the circle as she read off a checklist.

“Yes, I am,” I said as I put my bag down beside all the others.

I gave a sheepish smile as I tiptoed towards Éclair. The tall Indian boy leant in closer towards her, asking who I was.

“Oh. He’s Dae-hyun. Just an acquaintance,” she whispered.

“So, for the only one who came late, my name is Harini. I’m the president of the professional dance crew. The other group is where casual dancers come together, but since you were assigned to be part of us, please come early next time. Discipline is vital in dance,” she said as she adjusted her high ponytail.

Well, that was one way to mess up the first practice session ever. The entire room laughed as Harini decided that I would be the first to step forward for our icebreaker dance battle as punishment for my tardiness. She dipped her olive-coloured hand into the top hat, alerting me to the rustling of paper within.

She pulled out a strip and unwrapped it, holding it high above her.

“Well, Éclair, you’ll have to dance against Dae-hyun!” she said.

Everyone around us cheered. I haven’t even gotten to know any of their names yet. Oh wait. Right. Because I was late. I rose to my feet, rolled my socks out, and dashed straight towards the middle of the circle.

The other seniors who were not Harini turned on the stereo and instead of a generic KPop or EDM song, The Swan played through the speakers instead. Éclair and I stared at each other, mouth agape and wide-eyed, not knowing what to do. The Indian guy that she sat next to mouthed something at her, but she responded by shaking her wrists.

“You know what, just let your body speak for itself,” Harini cried out, combating the volume.

Éclair began to approach the floor with a tiptoe, while I went with a heavier approach with an audible foot stomp. Not exactly swan-like, but that was how I interpreted the music. I should be focusing on my own movements, but the way she moved intrigued me. Every step she made seemed to be reflecting some sort of pain.

Unlike her legs, her arms were not as fluid. Rather, they moved in precise manner, like she was a marionette. Little by little, the energy in her legs fizzled out, and she fell on her hands. The music played on. Was I supposed to continue dancing or what?

“I can’t do this,” she whispered.

The music came to a sudden stop. The Indian guy ran up towards her, with Harini tagging behind. Everyone started murmuring to themselves about the sudden change in atmosphere. I crouched beside her. Her breathing was heavy, like something was pressing against her chest.

She pushed us all away and headed straight out towards the door, not bothering to put on her shoes. Harini shook her head and followed her out.

“You guys continue with the dance battle. Ginny, please take it from here,” Harini cried out as she ran.

I just stared at the half-shut door and watched as her tall friend rushed after them. I shrugged my shoulders. I knew she was emotionally unstable, but not to this extent.

“What’s up with her?” one of the Chinese girls mumbled to her other friend.

I wish I knew too. I wish I knew.