In the depths of rough darkness, I found myself hanging between dreams and reality.

The air stirred gently, suffused with a soothing calm that wrapped me like a warm embrace.

Despite the obsidian veil that buried me, there was a strange comfort I found in my dream.

A gentle hand continued patting my head; this gesture was unfamiliar, but it felt as if it were guiding me through this darkness.

The touch was like a silent promise. A voice called out my name countless times.

I didn't recognize this voice as it remained shrouded in the shadows of this darkness.

{Bia… Bia.}

It whispered, the words drifting around me like an ethereal attraction.

But why did it call me Bia? 

I had never heard of anyone calling me by this name.

As the insistent call tugged at the edges of my awareness, I blinked open my eyes in the heart of the darkness.

All of a sudden, a presence grasped my hand, leading me onward. I rubbed my eyes with my free hand, attempting to bring clarity to my vision. The voice whispered once more.

{Wake up, Bia. It's time to….}

At that moment, the darkness disappeared, and a soft light brightened my surroundings, revealing the familiar setting of the infirmary. The teacher's voice called out to me once more.

"Bian, wake up."

I covered my eyes from the sudden brightness. As I adjusted to the light, I felt a gentle pat on my head.

I lowered my hand and looked at the teacher briefly before rising from the bed.

"This is the first time I've seen you sleep so deeply."

"Thank you, Miss."

Just before leaving the infirmary, I turned back to the teacher and asked her, 

"Miss, were you calling me multiple times to wake me up?"

She looked at me and nodded.

"Yes, since you didn't wake up at my first call, I even had to shake you. You were in such a deep sleep.”

After expressing my gratitude once again, I left the infirmary. Despite her words, it somehow felt like I had been called in my dream.

And by someone else.

…… No, I might have fallen into a deep sleep, like the teacher said.

Otherwise, it doesn't make sense that I can't remember anything after I entered the dream.

After a short walk, I spotted Jia in the distance. She stood at our usual meeting spot.

Her face flooded with relief as she saw me.

"Hey, there you are! I was just going to start hunting you down if you were a minute late.”

Her voice was tinged with a mix of relief and mild scolding.

I smiled sheepishly and hurried to give her an explanation for my tardiness. Jia's demeanor brightened as she looked at me.

"You know what? You look good. Actually, you're glowing.”

My eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected compliment. At that moment, Jia burst into laughter at my reaction.

"Now that's the Bian I know."

Irritated by her teasing, I flicked her forehead before making my way to the classroom.

Rhia leaned back in her seat as I entered. Without exchanging words, I settled into my seat.

"Hey, you're looking way better than earlier today.”

……First Jia, now Rhia. Was I looking that bad?

"Thanks."

After I responded to her, I turned my attention to organizing my homework.

Even in the middle of everything, something lingered in my mind, and I couldn't grasp it.

********

When all the classes were over, I approached Jia to clear my confusion.

I had repeated it in my mind a few times, yet now words seemed to be stuck in my throat. Jia glanced up and met my gaze.

With a deep breath, I steadied my nerves.

“Why are you making such a disgusting face?” 

However, before I could say anything, Jia said something completely nonsensical that left me speechless.

“What did you just say!?”

… I could have misheard. Yeah, that must be it.

"I said, why are you making such a disgu... ouch." 

No, my ears are working fine.

I punched her head before she finished her sentence.

“Haaah, Jia!”

Jia looked at me with tearful eyes.

“What?”

“Have you ever called me Bia?”

Jia rubbed her head with a puzzled expression, clearly not understanding my question.

"I have a feeling someone called me 'Bia' before, but I can't remember who it was."

"I've always called you 'Bian,' not 'Bia,' and I've never heard anyone else call you that.”

Jia promptly replied to me without thinking about it. Just then, someone called out to me.

I gathered my bag. I still felt a sense of uneasiness.

Alternatively, I let go of these thoughts because I might have been overthinking things.

Lost in my thoughts, I hurriedly exited the classroom.

After coming home, I learned that Dad had gone to another place on business matters.

During dinner, Mom informed us that we would soon have a new home tutor, although she didn't say anything further.

However, her eyes conveyed a clear warning not to stir up any more trouble. Without a word, I left the table and retreated to my bedroom.

Click…

Before I drifted off to sleep, Vivi and Zain entered my room, their expressions full of discontent.

I signaled for them to come closer and asked, 

"What's wrong?"

After a momentary silence, Zain spoke up, 

"We don't like that." 

I tilted my head in confusion, struggling to comprehend their puzzling statement. They remained hesitant to talk any further.

A thought came to my mind when I saw them like that, so I questioned them, 

"Are you referring to the new tutor?"

"Yes," they responded quickly this time. 

"What if this teacher is like the previous one?"

Vivi shared their concerns. It's understandable that they still feel fearful about this issue. However, I can't let them feel this way forever, so I tried to reassure them.

"We shouldn't judge before we meet the teacher. And even if they end up being like the other one, then I'll…”

"PLEASE DON'T!” 

I flinched when they started shouting. Their interruption surprised me.

"PLEASE!"

“Wait, calm down. Why are you guys shouting all of a sudden?”

When they realized what they were doing, they went completely silent. After a long silence, Vivi started speaking.

"Don't do anything this time, please, no matter what. We didn't like what Mom did to you last time."

I could find tinges of fear and worry in their voices. Their earnest plea gave me pause. I hadn't considered how they had taken that situation.

After understanding their concerns, a weight settled in my heart. With a heavy sigh, I turned to them.

"I'm sorry; I didn't think about how all of that could have an impact on you."

My voice was laced with genuine regret.

Their eyes were full of concern; however, it was directed towards me. I spoke again,

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen."

To make them forget about this subject, I changed the conversation and asked them, 

"So when are you guys going to sleep?”

Glancing at the clock, they quickly bid me good night and exited the room. I lay down on the bed and looked at the clock as well.

A smile crossed my lips when I remembered how they had dashed out of my room when they saw how late it was.

However, a wave of sadness and regret quickly washed over my emotions.

I didn't want their childhood to be worse than it already was. They had already lost a lot because of me.

Their words replayed in my mind. Despite my efforts, it was clear that everything had left a lasting effect on Vivi and Zain.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and drifted into a restless nightmare.