Chapter 3. Question Number One (1)

Question number one: What do you hate the most?

Answer: Cloudy weather

*

2015, August.

Everyone has all kinds of ways to fall in love, such as when they walk down the corridor, then stopped each other's footsteps simultaneously, looked back, and stared at each other's eyes. However, to her, it was like a strange curiosity creeping into her slowly.

The weather in August is getting colder, the rainfall is increasing. However, that day, to signify that it was a special day, the temperature was not too cold and the sky, which was usually gloomy, was now just cloudy but still bright enough to indicate that it would not rain any time soon.

In the White Hawk Academy, there are two separate buildings, separating high school students –building A with elementary and junior high school students –building B, with one suspension bridge to connect the two buildings.

When they were on their way to enter the building B, while enjoying the ice cream they bought secretly from outside the school, there was an unusual object in the front lawn of the building A, a transportable whiteboard filled with various scribbles of names caught her attention, especially the name that comes at number two.

"Albert Vince Senan"

With a few people still circling the transportable whiteboard, which was smaller than a typical hanging whiteboard in the classroom, one of the four people, who surrounding the whiteboard holding a marker, was drawing a crown next to his name.

At that time, she, who was supposed to be listening to a story from one of her friends, turned her attention and instead watched the interaction of the seniors who were joking beside the whiteboard from distance, with distracted attention, she stopped her footsteps, and read the name that had been bothering her inwardly.

"What a small head."

She mumbled, commented a young man with a small head, who was observing his friend, who was drawing a crown on the whiteboard, also with shorter height than his peers.

Cute.

She who ignored her presage at that time, subconsciously grinned, fell into a twist of fate, in her own curiosity.

"Reese?"

One of her friends called her name, confused.

She who regained her attention, stared back at her friends, giving back the confusion look they gave her.

"What happened to you? Our class is about to start."

While chuckling, Siena's gaze still fixed on her but moved her head to point towards the main door to their classroom's building.

The unusual feelings on that unusual day also remained within her, left behind, drowned, for a long time without her realizing it.

Time can be a friend, a foe, and also a place to escape. When seconds turn into minutes, and minutes turn into hours, days suddenly become weeks.

For her time is like a friend, time flies so fast, without realizing that every time she opened her eyes the seasons have changed. However, without her knowing time can also be a hidden enemy, secretly hiding without being noticed before aiming your back without being detected.

...…

2016, July

The girl who had long straight brown hair stopped her footsteps, when an image from the whiteboard she saw a year ago appeared before her along with a lingering feeling that had resurfaced in her from a year ago.

This is gonna be interesting.

In the new academic year, Reese Shane, is one of the junior high school students who have now graduated and entered high school, excited to move to a new building after being trapped in building B for nine years, since elementary school.

Reese was in class 1-1, with one class having a total of 18 students. Among the familiar faces, there were only three faces she didn't recognize, Reese chose a seat on the left side of the third row right next to the wall. Reese chose the seat because she wanted to sit next to a girl with short hair, Sienna Grey, her close friend.

Like the other students did, Reese and Siena were busy talking about their long holiday they had spent.

Suddenly there was a knock on the classroom door, making everyone in the class turn their attention towards the door that was slowly starting to open.

"Please gather in the hall on the second floor."

Announced a young man in a silver gray jacket confidently.

Without wasting much time, we each started to move. We exited the class that automatically formed a long line, which then met another long line before slowly blending in.

Reese Shane, started to feel uncomfortable as soon as the surroundings became crowded. Shoulders touching each other, feet moving back and forth, and smells starting to mix together, starting to make her feel dizzy.

However, luckily Siena who was beside her, started to talk to her to distract her.

In the large hall, the distance between one another was wider, Reese who found her composure again, began to daydream, staring blankly regardless of her boisterous surroundings.

Without any warning, Reese found a back that felt familiar, when the owner of the back turned around, Reese found that he was the cute young man with a small head that she had noticed a year ago.

"Sienna, do you know that person?"

Unwittingly, Reese had asked a question that she shouldn't have said at that time.

"You don't know?"

Sienna asked back.

"Even though you've been studying here since the fourth grade of elementary school, at least you've been in the same building as their generation for five years."

She continued.

Reese just looked at Sienna in confusion, causing Sienna to sigh.

"You're quite famous for going to school in sandals the first day you moved, how can you be so apathetic?"

Reese was silent as she recalled her dark past, and she started blaming the administration lady for forcing her to attend the class. Even though, she knew that she wasn't ready at the time.

Reese still clearly remembers what really happened that day, because her parents registered her late, it should have been the day she measured her school uniform, but instead it turned into her first day of school.

When the administration lady told her not to take off the gym clothes she was trying on, and convinces her to attend the class, even though the administration lady knew she was in sandals at that time, and saying 'it's okay' to her.

"Albert Vince Senan."

And just then, Reese heard something she shouldn't have known, and learned of an existence that should have remained hidden.

...…