MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: RUNAWAY BY AURORA.
The chapel was bright, decorated with white lilies. Beautiful grand chandeliers hung from above, the bright light of the day passing through the chapel windows. Rows of seats were completely filled with nobles not belonging to this time, but of a distinct era long gone. At the altar stood the groom, dressed sharp and crisp, waiting for his bride. The wedding music played, and soon the large double doors opened, and in stepped the bride. She was dressed beautifully, her dress adorned with shining diamonds and pearls, her hair styled in a bun, her veil sweeping the floor behind her.
But what Elaine saw beneath the grandeur and beauty of the wedding and the bride, whose face she faintly saw through the veil was sadness. The bride held no iota of joy sadness clouded her being, sorrow and anguish visible. Still, everyone seemed not to notice, or at least did not care, as all faces were graced with smiles, including the bride's father, who walked down the aisle with her, holding her arm as though she were a precious gem. Elaine's heart ached painfully watching the bride, who looked no more than eighteen years old.
Soon the bride was standing before the groom, who looked eager and happy about the wedding. Elaine watched her eyes unblinking but still, the scene before her dissolved almost naturally. Now she was in another scene, still the wedding, but not the same as before. Everywhere was in shambles, everybody gone from the hall, leaving it deserted. But there was one person still in the chapel the bride. Not as before, she now lay on the floor, her sparkling white dress drenched in blood, her head missing from her body, having rolled down the aisle. Her eyes were still open. The sight was so horrifying that Elaine screamed loudly, jolting up from the dream she had just witnessed.
She was covered in sweat, shaking greatly, in so much fear that she didn't notice Allan holding her securely within the warmth of his grasp, trying to calm her down.
"It's okay," he said, whispering close to her ear. He tugged her head under his chin, patting her back and running his hand along her back. Soon her trembling stopped, and he slowly released her to see her tear-streaked face. He didn't say anything but still kept her close to him.
"Do you remember?" he asked, as she was now in a daze.
"W… wedding," was all she said before confusion clouded her expression.
"T… that's all I remember," she added, her voice hoarse.
He knew she had forgotten her dream. He waited until she was completely calm and composed before asking, "Should I tell you what happened?"
She nodded in affirmation to his words and listened attentively. But as expected, she couldn't place the emotions anymore neither the fear nor the grimness of the dream.
"The bride was the same as the one you have been dreaming of since the one whose throat was slit and the one who burned in the house," he said, nodding to her understanding.
"How did she die?" she asked, taking a deep breath. He noticed her worry before he said, "Don't worry too much, it will all come together."
She was still deep in thought, and he wasn't going to stop her, but it was slightly disturbing to him. "What are you going to tell your mom tomorrow?" he asked, changing the topic and the mood.
"Uh?" she asked, not understanding.
"About tomorrow," he clarified.
"Are you really serious about staying at my house?" she asked in disbelief.
"I wasn't joking," he said lightly. "It's the only way, unless you want to stay back at school, but I can't anyways," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"To reduce suspicion," he said vaguely, and she knew that whenever he answered her questions like this, it meant it was a discussion he didn't want to talk about, but still didn't want to leave her too curious in the dark.
"Allan," she called his name. He hummed in response.
"Do you live near the beach?" she asked, talking about the time she saw him at the beach with the black cat.
He paused, looking at her deeply, but she couldn't see his face clearly in the darkness of the room, as the lights were off, which was normal because the school turned off all power at night.
"No," he answered calmly.
"You don't?"
"Then where do you live? And what were you doing there?"
"I don't live anywhere," he said.
She didn't believe him. "There's no way you don't live anywhere," she said. For some reason, the way she said it made him chuckle lightly.
"You don't believe me?" he asked with a playful tone
"Yes, I don't," she confirmed.
"Well, I always stay at school," he said truthfully.
"Why would you do that? The school would be empty, lonely, and boring," she said, but on second thought, "It wouldn't be like that for you, I guess. That's what you like calmness and solitude, being left alone," she added.
"What makes you think I love being alone?" he asked, turning to face her completely.
"Well…" she paused, thinking before she answered. "It's just the way you behave," she said, looking at him fully.
He smiled lightly before saying, "Whenever I stay at school alone, it's the best and worst time."
She didn't say anything, trying to understand what he meant by the best and the worst. Her words stopped halfway as a searing pain shot up behind her neck, spreading to her head and shoulders. Her eyes shot closed as she let out a painful cry. He noticed her clutching her neck tightly and knew the spirit's mark was getting stronger.
He moved closer, holding her in place. "Sorry… it's okay," he cooed, but her body was now warm, as hot tears ran down her cheeks, wetting his shirt.
"It's okay, it'll stop soon," he said, holding her tightly. Soon her tears stopped, and she began panting lightly, trying to bear the pain.
"It's gone now, isn't it?" he asked in a caring tone. She nodded slightly, still clutching his shirt tightly, crumpling it. He gently wiped the tears off her face.
"It'll go away completely, soon," he said, his voice almost as silent as the night. She didn't say anything, as the pain she felt earlier now felt like a phantom, an illusion that never happened. She looked up at him, still in his embrace.
He noticed her silence and looked down at her. Their eyes met. She was lost in his beautiful grey eyes. She felt her heart spike as she couldn't look away. The distance between them was small, their lips not far from each other, and her mind went back to the previous night, when she had accidentally pecked him on the lips. Her cheeks flushed red.
"Do you still want to sleep?" he asked, his voice bringing her back to the present.
"Uh? Oh… um… no," she said, not knowing why.
"Why are you asking?" she added.
"Nothing," he said. She had been looking at him directly in the eyes and noticed he had told a lie. His expression shifted, as if he was going to say something. She wanted to pester him, but seeing him change his mind was enough for her to know it wasn't something he was comfortable with. It warmed her that the thought crossed his mind; it meant he saw her as someone he could confide in.
"Why are you smiling?" he asked, noticing a subconscious smile etched on her face.
"Oh… it's… nothing," she said.
He stared at her for some time before laying back on the bed, covering his face completely with the blankets. She laid next to him, but with enough space between them. Still, she yanked the blanket off his face, making him narrow his eyes at her.
"My dad told me it's bad to do that," she said, before turning back with a wide grin on her face.
---
The sun was high in the sky, its heat warm on the skin. HERBERT WILBUR was bustling with life. Almost everyone was outside with their luggage in hand, boarding multiple buses heading to different destinations.
Allan was standing next to Elaine, but it was as though he wasn't. He nodded and hummed to her words. His eyes were distant and empty, which was just a fake cover for the anxiety, fear, expectations, joy, and turmoil beneath.
"Our turn," she said to him as their boxes were taken from them. She had almost completely walked into the bus when she noticed Allan not following, but looking elsewhere.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
He turned his head back to her. "Come, don't keep the line waiting," she said, which made him walk onto the bus and sit next to her by the window.
"This is it," he said to himself.