BLACKOUT

"Hey Miss, you have been supporting me all these years. I have an upcoming fan signing next week, for you it's free. I would like you to come; it's my pleasure to entertain you. All the information for the fan signing are posted on my account."

Meixiu just ignored the message and pushed the door of the music studio she rented. She's now doing the mixing and is getting her song done before she'll leave the studio.

It has been her escape from all her troubles. She doesn't want to think about Chaoxiang, but he keeps contacting her fan account. Maybe he badly wants so see her; maybe he's also waiting for that day when they can stand face to face. However, Meixiu knows Chaoxiang will be so much disappointed in seeing her. He maybe is expecting someone who is not like her. The fact that he left her that day with so much disappointment and hatred, Meixiu knows it'll be hard for him to accept that she is his number one fan.

"Such a tiring day in the office.", she fulminated.

Meixiu sat down on the swivel and took her shoes off. She is somehow thinking about Chaoxiang. How could she stop thinking about him if he keeps on pestering him like this? She isn't expecting an idol could really be this hands on to his fans. Most idols in the mainstream don't have enough time to interact with their fandom this much.

She leaned her body on the back of the chair and closed her eyes. It has been a long time since she had her personal time like this. For so many years of being on her own, she thought having someone beside her, to accompany her and hold her hands with her ups and downs, with her victory and failures would be a great solution to that feeling of worthlessness and her disgust over herself. However, when she finally got Chaoxiang, it even became more troublesome and even more frustrating to a point that she doesn't even know now what she's fighting for.

She is thinking, what if her mom, Yang Sora finds out she is not staying in Chaoxiang's apartment for some days now? That old, materialistic woman will definitely send her back, to that place she called 'hell'. Her mother is aware that Chaoxiang hates the woman he married to the core, but she isn't acting like she cares for her daughter. After all, Meixiu was adopted only to suffer and even pay for those years that she and her twin sister, Suyin stayed in their house.

"Who could be calling?", Meixiu reacted after hearing her phone's ringing. And so she scampered to the place where she left her phone and immediately answered the call, without even checking who the caller is.

"Meixiu, where are you?"

It was Chaoxiang's voice. The second she heard it, she was wondering why he doesn't seem mad this time. Their last conversation didn't go well. He left the building with his brows almost crossing each other, his teeth gritting and his fists clenched.

"Meixiu, are you still in your office?", he revised his question.

"No. I'm in a recording studio, two blocks away from my office."

"Okay. Don't go anywhere."

"And why?"

"You'll find out once all the lights turned down."

"Turned down?"

"You must be so wrapped up with work. There will be a blackout in our city."

"Really?"

And Meixiu felt some butterflies started roaming around her stomach. A blackout? So it's her versus the darkness? It is her biggest fear. Being alone without any source of light is her ultimate fear. Whenever it gets dark, and whenever she's alone, the only thing she remembers is that span of imprisonment she had in their family's basement. Everything was dark, everything is hopeless.

"Meixiu, are the lights still on?"

"Yeah..."

"And you're scared already?"

"I am."

And the moment she finished those words, all the lights suddenly turned down. There's nothing she can but the vast darkness and fear is slowly overtaking her. And the worst thing is upon knowing that Chaoxiang ended the call. Now she is completely alone.

The silence is so disturbing. All her fears rose up from the dead, came back to life and now she's seeing and hearing what happened in her past. Her father... He is the only one she's seeing. She cleared her throat for she feels like he is already choking her to death.

Meixiu hid her wrists behind her as if she's trying to hide them from someone. A certain night in her past made her reflexes go wild every time the darkness takes over her eyes. She can't breathe and she keeps crawling to the corner of the room. She knows she is the only one here but her mind keeps throwing back her memories.

"Meixiu, it's me."

And she saw a certain light from the door. The voice is really familiar to her. She started crying after hearing his voice. Suddenly, Meixiu felt safe even if she is not sure whether the guy is here to help or not. And as soon as he started clinging to her, she wrapped her arms around him and cried in his chest. The man keeps patting her head, comforting and is trying to calm her down.