2-2 Our Past

Date: August 20

Place: Sendai, Japan

[Misaki]

"Rise and shine Rei. We're here," I say trying to wake her up.

"I didn't notice that I slept. Sorry," she says rubbing her eyes and ready to get out of the car.

"Can you help the others unpack and go to our reserved cottage? We rented those places so we can stay here until the morning because we thought that you'll be pretty exhausted if you have to go home later" I said to her while grabbing some things in the back of the car.

"Okay," she replied.

    I like her aura, it makes her look so cool even if she is a cute girl.

    She puts her bag on her and carried some of the boxes that have our food in them and went out to where the others are headed. I did the same too.

    Soon after, we finished unpacking.

"Alright!" I clapped my hands and shouted.

"It's almost afternoon, and I'm sure all of you are hungry, what do you say about eating first before we hit the pool?" I suggested.

[Haru]

    We finished unpacking and I saw everyone just sitting anywhere: the sofa, the bed, the floor, and others are just standing.

"It's almost afternoon, and I'm sure all of you are hungry, what do you say about eating first before we hit the pool?" says Misaki with an energetic voice.

    I'm really hungry and so are the others, I think.

"How about Ced, Kazuma, and I prepare lunch and you girls can hit the pool first? How does that sound?" I proposed.

"Come on, just take your girl time somewhere and we will take ours too" I added when I saw disapproval on their faces.

"I'm fine with that"

"Me too!"

"Sounds cool"

    The boys and I see them out with their bags with them.

"What now?" I whispered while waving to the three girls who were disappearing from our sight.

"Let's just grill some barbeque, I'll go get the grill and start the fire. You two, get the meat and veggies ready, " ordered Ced.

    We did what Ced told us to do. Kazuma and I are at the kitchen, cutting meat and poking it to the sticks with the veggies. When we were done, we changed our clothes to get ready to swim later.

    Walking outside with Kazuma by my side, we carried the meats that we are about to grill.

"Ced, sorry to keep you waiting" I shouted while I see him fanning the flame on the grill.

"Great! Let's hurry up, I'm hungry, " he smiled.

    We finished grilling the barbeques and setting up the table. We were about to get the drinks on the fridge when suddenly we saw Rei walking in our direction with just her t-shirt earlier, tied up in the ends in a ribbon where you can see her well fit body and just really short black shorts, soaking wet.

"What happened? Why are you soaking wet?" I asked.

"Long story short: They finished changing faster than me and when I went outside the changing rooms I couldn't find them. I guess they went in first. Then when I decided to look around, some kids who were roaming around didn't intend to push me and I fell to the pool with my bag. So everything in it is soaked but luckily I forgot my phone and wallet in my apartment," she said while twisting her t-shirt on the side with a very gloomy expression.

    Ced runs inside and got a towel for her. Undoing the ribbon of her t-shirt, I saw it was torn apart.

"What happened to your t-shirt?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Those two broke my t-shirt in half so that I can tie it in a ribbon. You see, I wasn't supposed to swim so I didn't bring any swimwear" she replied while Ced handed the towel to her.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. So you don't have dry clothes or anything dry to wear?" Asked Kazuma while Rei wrapped the towel on her body.

"Unfortunately, Yes," she said.

"You can borrow some of my t-shirts if your fine with it" Ced suggested.

    Kazuma and I exchanged a look for a second before returning our look to those two who seems so close with each other.

"Sure, thanks. I appreciate it" she says with a big smile on her face.

    I agree with what Kazuma said in the car, she does look cute when she smiles.

[Cedrick]

"You can sit on the bench Rei, and you two finish preparing what we will eat and drink," I said and went inside to get her some t-shirt for her to wear.

    Looking through my stuff, I picked a black oversized t-shirt with a skull printed on it. I guess this will suit her just fine. I ran outside and gave it to her.

"Wear this and give me your wet clothes. I'll hang them to dry," I said with a big smile on my face. I hope I didn't overdo it with my smile.

"Thanks, I'll go change now," she says walking inside.

"Ced, are you starting to like her?" says Kazuma smirking.

    They were almost finished setting everything on the table.

"Just hurry up so we can eat," I said as I walked into the apartment and saw Rei with my oversized t-shirt.

    I can't see what's under because the t-shirt is long and big enough to be like a dress. Rei's coming up to me and gave me her soaked ripped t-shirt and shorts.

"Here, even though this t-shirt is ripped up, I still want it so please take good care of this," she says handing them to me and went outside.

    After I hanged it, I took my leave and went outside too.

[Yui]

    I'm with Misaki right now. We helped a child who got lost and couldn't find her mother. And as soon as we found his parents we hurriedly walked to get to the changing room.

"Do you think she's still there?" I asked Misaki.

"I'm not sure" Misaki answered.

    We saw nothing when we got there and decided to go back to the apartment. Who knows, maybe she's already there.

    After a few minutes of walking, we arrived and saw the others already sitting on the benches that surround the table.

"Did you saw Rei?" Misaki asked, putting some barbeque on her plate that her boyfriend handed.

"She came back not too long ago, " Kazuma replied.

"She's also getting the drinks out of the fridge with Ced right now, " Haru answered.

"Thank goodness," somehow I feel relieved.

"You guys don't look like you hit the pool yet, what's wrong?" asked Kazuma.

"When we finished changing, we saw a kid crying, we helped him find his mother, and unfortunately Rei wasn't done changing yet so we kind ofーleft her," said Misaki.

"Ohh" he replied.

"So that's why," said Haru touching his chin and let out a chuckle.

"Since everyone is here, let's dig in" he added.

    Not long after, Rei and Ced walk in our direction holding some soda, ice buckets, and paper cups.

    We ate and drank. We did some games, small talks, and even confessing. After that, we hit the pool.

    We went and tried slides, wave pool, swim race, and a lot of things. Misaki and Haru are always together so are Kazuma and I and I'm really glad that Ced is there for Rei. I see her smile, laugh, and do things she never does before.

    I'm kind of happy for her.

    This day turns out great.

    But before I noticed it, things got weirder and weirder at every second that passes. I see people running, crying, and screaming.

    I and Misaki are on the wave pool, and the rest are at the swimming tracks. Rei helped the boys record their time and see who the fastest swimmer of the three.

"What do you think is going on over there?" I asked Misaki.

    But she didn't hear me. I didn't mention it again and swam with her as if there's no tomorrow.

[Rei]

    I'm getting worried.

    Maybe because I see people running, screaming, and crying. They are all headed in the direction where the exit is at.

"Guys, aren't you feeling something?" I said.

"Ready setー" Ced stopped and looked in my direction.

"Feel what?" he asked.

    I pointed in the direction of a crowd who were running to the exit.

"Right there" I added.

    They came beside me and took a look.

"Your right, I wonder if there's a show over there," Kazuma said.

"Like what? BTS?" Haru added.

"Guys really?" added Ced.

"I mean BTS is what makes girls cry and run in their direction," said Kazuma laughing.

    They said more jokes and laughed. But I couldn't feel the urge to laugh at this moment I feelーnervous. Like there is something about big going to happen.

    Soon after, I felt raindrops pouring down.

"It's raining. But I thought it's not going to rain today," said Kazuma in disbelief.

"Nature is an unpredictable thing, " shrugs Cedrick.

"Something's odd" added Kazuma.

"Does this look like rain at all?" Haru showed us his arms that are full of green liquid.

    They look gooey, disgusting and they smell bad. I took Haru's arms and tried to touch the green liquid. It's just like what it looks like, so gooey and disgusting.

    But after I touched it, I started to feel like throwing up.

"Ahー!Ahhー! Urghー!" my head starts spinning and I started shouting.

    I dropped on the ground and crouch my knees on my stomach while brushing my head with my hands back and forth. I closed my eyes and kept shouting.

    It hurts. It hurts.

    I heard the boys saying something but I couldn't care less and I can barely hear them.

    Then all of a sudden, my surrounding got all white, and my headache is magically gone now.

    I see no one.

    I stood up carefully and started walking, looking at everything but I couldn't see someone or something.

    Just whiteness and emptiness.

"Is someone there? Can someone hear me?" I yelled hoping someone would hear me.

    I panicked and run. But I still couldn't see any sight of life surrounding me.

    I stopped and took the time to catch my breath, desperate to get out of this vast and empty space.

    I kept running and shouting until I saw someone ahead of me. Someone who looks like he's in his 40's.

    Someone tall, wearing what looks like a lab coat, hair is blacker than darkness. Then when he turned around and walked in my direction. As he gets closer I can see he's wearing a broken glasses and he precisely looks familiar.

    We have the same shape and color of eyes, the same shape of the nose, the hair, and the vibe.

    When he came closer, he knelt and looked at the ground near where I'm standing.

"Things are about to get dangerous my dear," he says raising his head slowly, smiling.

    Coming back to my senses, I went on my knees and found myself looking at him.

"What do you mean sir? And who are you?" I touched both of his shoulders with his eyes staring directly into mine.

    He held my cheeks and touched his forehead into mine and closed his eyes.

"I need you to remember. Remember everything from the very beginning, " he mumbled.

    Somehow this feeling feels nostalgic. Like I've felt this warmth and heard this voice somewhere, before. I locked my eyes widely, not missing a single glance at someone who is in front of me.

    Tears.

"Huh? Why am I crying?"

    I tried to wipe the tears off of my eyes. But more tears kept flowing, rolling down my cheeks as they dropped to the ground.

    I saw the person in front of me smiling. Then soon followed by blood coming out of his mouth with his life draining in front of my very eyes.

"No..."

    My voice is shaking uncontrollably.

"What's happening? Are you okay sir?" I asked trying to keep my composure as I try to help him.

    But it's no use.

"Remember," he said weakly and patted my head with his unstable hands.

    Then he dropped to the ground.

    Dead.

    Not breathing.

    My tears kept rolling down my face. But this time it's color red, blood.

    It keeps flowing. A pool of blood pours out of my eyes.

    The man's body started to become ash, taken away by the cool breeze of wind that has just appeared out of nowhere. The whiteness that I witness earlier changed to a horrifying bloody redness. Flashing like a light as it emits some kind of sound, an alarming one.

"Wake up! Wake up, Rei!" I hear a voice, calling for me.

    A familiar tone screaming to warn me. A voice that I have been hearing every single second of my existence.

    I picked myself up and brushed the idea of the dead man, the ashes, and the bloody tears as started to run towards the voice that's been calling out to me.

    I woke up and aggressively gasp for air. I looked around me to find myself sitting on a bed with someone by my side.

"Ouch," I say feeling my cheeks.

"Sorry, you won't wake up so I had to slap you several times, " Yui said grinning like she wanted to slap me for a while now.

"Another nightmare?" Yui asked.

"It was our past, " I replied.