As she takes in her surroundings, Selene suppresses a yawn. She is presently situated atop a small hill, a little stroll away from her home. Snow dips his head to rest at her feet, then fixes her with an icy, unwavering gaze—his large, ice-blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight—as he elongates his lean, black body. Selene's lips slightly curl upward in a smile. She jumps down on the ground next to him and, with the warm grass brushing against her skin, looks up at the sky.

Selene chose to remain still for a moment, attempting to absorb the energy emanating from her environment. It had only been a matter of seconds when she began to fidget in unease.  Discouragement and the growing suspicion that this is a poor choice are overwhelming Selene. Frustrated, she lets out a moan. A subtle flick of Snow's whiskers towards her hands and a brush of his paws across her jeans give the impression that he is scolding her.

“I know,” Selene mutters. “It was my idea to go out.”

Despite her best efforts, she can't tear her gaze away from the cotton candy-like white clouds. Whenever Dorothy feels herself growing bored, she constantly tells her to go out and spend time with other people. But her heart remained empty regardless of her efforts. These past few days, not even taking pleasure in nature—which typically works—has been particularly helpful. But that would be a change; instead, she is uneasy. Typically, she feels absolutely nothing.

As the cotton candy-like white clouds part, a gentle breeze touches her face and the brilliant sunlight descends upon them.

"It's kinda blinding," Selene whispers low.  She tried desperately to block the sun's rays with her right hand, but it didn't work. She sighed and shifted her focus to the side, where she met Snow directly. He couldn't take his gaze off of her. The enormous tree and the thick leaves that wave in the wind are insufficient to entirely encase them. On this, like every other ordinary day, he appears calmer and icier than any other day. He seems too smart for a dog, in Selene's opinion. His intense gazes might be unsettling on occasion as well.

"Should we head back?" Selene asks him. As if answering her question, Snow yawned, exposing razor-sharp gleaming white teeth. She cringes. "I guess we should stay for a little while."

"What are you doing here?" a familiar voice calls out. Dorothy stares down at her while trying to keep a distance from Snow. Her body somehow blocks the sunlight, which is a relief.

Without moving an inch from her place, Selene answers nonchalantly. "Experimenting"

"That's weird. You are never a morning person. Besides, isn't it too hot today?" Selene glances toward Dorothy, who looks ultimately out of place. She wonders how she managed to climb the steep hill with her heels. Her outfits make her look uncomfortable, even though she is gorgeous from head to toe.

Selene thinks it's best to head back, considering how Dorothy looks. She's already sweating bullets. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm visiting my best friend, whom I haven't seen for a long time. Don't you miss me?"

Selene openly glares at her feet, and Dorothy's eyes follow suit. Dorothy clears her throat and smiles.

"You could have at least changed your shoes before coming here. You could have fallen and broken your neck," she reprimanded while shaking off some dirt stuck in her jeans. 

Selene's mansion sits atop expansive, hilly terrain. A beautiful landscape with a pond, trees, bushes, and flowers encircles the house, which is adorned with an elaborate greenhouse. Even though the mountain isn't particularly steep, getting to the top in this region is no picnic. Several large rocks and bumps can send a person tumbling to the bottom if they aren't careful. Dorothy's ability to walk while wearing such a get-up startled her.

"I'm happy that you are worried about me, but I cannot change my heels. I must be graceful and stunning at all times, no matter the circumstances. It is part of my ensemble."

I snort. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Leaning forward, Dorothy put both hands on her waist, revealing her bust, which was protruding from her figure-hugging dress. Her blond hair subtly brushed against her face. As soon as Selene feels threatened, she ducks her head and closes her eyes.

"Let's go to the house, and please change into something decent. I still have the clothes you left last time you slept over."

Dorothy laughs heartily. Selene slowly opens her eyes and can see the twinkle in her eyes. "What a prude."

"Is that how you talk to your best friend?" Selene replies morosely.

"What are you talking about?" She turns her back on her question and crosses her arms over her chest, leaning backward. Selene begins to descend the hill while Snow lets out an ear-piercing howl, causing Dorothy to let out a scream of terror. As soon as Dorothy sees her, she rushes forward and firmly grasps her arms. Snow stealthily trails behind them as they walk the entire way with Dorothy, who clings to her like glue. Being someone who's always in her house, Snow's presence is nonetheless strange to her. Even for someone who dislikes dogs, Selene finds it excessive.

The house of Selene was visible in a few minutes. The house's design is an eclectic blend of contemporary and traditional elements. From the outside, the house appears to be two stories tall and shaped like a truncated U. On each side, the two additions extend into a fashionable garden. Selene has a yard that looks like a meadow that extends extensively up to the hills, and there are several balconies on the top floor and sides of the home. Seeing it from the balcony makes the scenery even more picture-perfect. A living room with a retro style greets guests as they step foot in the house. Various antiquities, such as ceramics, clocks, vases, and mirror frames, adorn the space. Some living room corners are adorned with a bouquet in a crystal vase, which is a clever arrangement. The inside color scheme of lavender, white, and beige sets the mood even further.

She loves being alone and this house is her refuge. While she stays at home, caregivers come at least three times a week to tend to the garden and house, which is quite a burden. But due to her hectic schedule of business visits and charity activity, she spent much of the past few months in a hotel. Only two days ago did she get the opportunity to sleep in her bed.

Selene goes straight to the kitchen to grab a cold drink. She places a glass of orange juice on the counter, and Dorothy happily snatches it away. She drinks it in one swig and immediately asks for another one. Selene shakes her head in disbelief. After refilling her glass, Selene opened the fridge to take out the cake she baked the previous night. It is Dorothy's favorite flavor, chocolate mousse. She set it on the counter before pulling out two pieces of plates and silverware.

"How many slices do you want?" Selene asks distractedly while skillfully slicing the cake in even sizes.

"Three," Dorothy answers almost too childishly.

Selene snorts. "Don’t blame me if you gain weight,” Selene replies jokingly. She neatly places the cake slices on the plate and pushes them towards Dorothy. She also refills her glass upon seeing that it’s almost empty.

“Then, stop offering me food. If you can just stop baking cakes, I won’t get fat,” sullenly replied while gobbling the cake.

“What kind of logic is that? Besides, I’m not baking just for you. I pick up this hobby because of the kids.”

“Then why are you leaving a pile of stocks in your fridge?! Your sister’s kids can’t possibly eat all of that.”

“That’s because I know you like it. I even prepared your favorite.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Dorothy yells indignantly.

“Have some self-control,” Selene chides flippantly.

“Damn it! It’s hard having a best friend that is too perfect” Selene ignores her remarks and takes a slice before settling in one of the seats. She sits in front of Dorothy, who's still busy digging in. They fell into a comfortable silence left with their thoughts until Dorothy shatters them with her annoying remark.

“You have huge ass eye-bags. You already look like a panda,” Dorothy suddenly commented.

Selene’s eyes twitch. She regards her with a smile. “I can’t sleep well.”

“That is because you’re a workaholic! I was surprised when Patrick called me earlier, informing me that you’re finally home. How long are you going to do this?”

“What are you talking about?” Selene asks innocently while slowly munching her food.

“Stop acting, clueless! Working in the company, finishing your manuscripts, and doing a lot of charity work. Do you want to become like Mother Theresa? Do you want me to build a statue for you?”

Selene forces out a laugh. “Stop overreacting. Besides, my sister is the one who does a lot of work when it comes to managing the company’s affairs.”

“I’m not overreacting. Your face is all over the news and magazines. The people’s positive opinion of you is skyrocketing like nobody’s business. They even joke about you running for a government position.”

Selene choked on her food. She quickly grabs her glass of orange juice and drinks it in one swig. Selene gives her best friend an incredulous look. “You of all people should know that I’m only doing this because of my self-interest.”

“Yeah, I remember. It is a punishment for what happened in the past. Since you can’t just die as you’ve always wanted, you decided to live for others without thinking about yourself,” Dorothy smoothly replies as if reciting lines from a book.

“I know you’ve always wanted to run away from this. That is why I’m asking you. It’s been years already, and you’re not getting any younger. How long are you going to do this?”

Selene bends her head to avoid her best friend’s intense gaze and starts jabbing her food. She is, indeed, getting old. Selene will hit thirty by next year, and she can’t find the correct answer to her question; instead, she blurts out the very thing that she has always regretted saying.

“I don’t know why, but I still feel empty.”

A look of complete disbelief spreads across Dorothy's face as she sets down her fork.  She halts her eating and looks at her awkwardly, unsure of how to console her. Selene was taken aback when she did it. Dorothy simply struggles with tasks such as this. She feels herself being choked by the tension between them. Changing the subject was Selene's decision.

“Did you look into it? It’s about the favor I talked to you about over the phone last time.”

Dorothy blinks as if breaking out from a stupor. “Are you still having nightmares?” 

Selene nods. Dorothy clears her throat before answering. “I already looked into it. A friend of mine knows a shaman. I can set an appointment, and if you’re free, we can go there tomorrow.”

Selene exhales loudly. “It feels weird talking about it out loud like this”

“And it’s scary to talk about something like this with just the two of us.”

Selene responds with a laugh. Fortunately, Dorothy's customary demeanor returns as the gloomy atmosphere from earlier begins to lift.

 “If you only know, Dorothy, I always hear this childlike voice calling out to me when I'm alone. It also feels like someone is watching my every move. The medications are not working. I still can’t sleep, and even if I did, I always wake up from nightmares.”

Those terrible dreams, yes. For Selene, the dreams just make everything worse. For the last several months, her dreams have been her source of agony. Despite Selene's best efforts to disregard the dream, it eventually became almost too much to bear. It was also painfully realistic; she seemed to be experiencing those horrific events to her very bones. It all started with Selene dreaming that she was confined to a pitch-black room through which not a single light could shine. The sole source of illumination that remained in her memory was the blazing, crimson eyes of a massive beast peering directly into her. Its ravenous appetite for flesh is palpable in its gleaming eyes, and she can still feel its slippery tongue tracing her entire face. Frightened to death, Selene did not move a muscle at that instant. It seems like she can't get away since her body is so shattered and bruised. She has no energy left in her body to even lift her finger. Selene felt a mental and physical weight crushing her and it made her helpless. She had no choice but to accept her destiny. Selene awoke from her nightmare drenched in sweat, though, before she could feel the agonizing agony of being devoured alive.

The dreams persisted thereafter. In Selene's subsequent dreams, she was pushed off a cliff and nearly drowned. In another dream, she was running for her life through a dense forest when a pack of hound dogs raced after her, and her feet started to bleed. There were a lot of other nightmares she had, and she felt like she was cast in a horror movie. One thing she did notice, though, was a pattern among her dreams. The criminal never changes. Every detail of the tortures had been meticulously orchestrated, and now she is being addressed by a name she has forgotten. The dreams are becoming unbearable and unmanageable. It was becoming increasingly clear to Selene that she had to take action before she went completely insane.

“How about Patrick? Does he know about this?” Dorothy asks as an afterthought.

Selene’s eyes widen threateningly. She felt the metal fork sting her hand. She must have grasped it hard without her knowing. “Don’t even think about telling him. He will freak out. Let’s go there tomorrow, just the two of us.”

Dorothy rolls her eyes. “Are you even sure you can keep it a secret from him?”

“We will keep it a secret from him, no matter what.” Selene enunciated heavily, staring at her evenly.

Dorothy groans, defeated. “Damn it! All right, but if he finds out about this, don’t even think about mentioning my name. You know how much of a nag he is.”

Selene smiles faintly. She couldn’t agree more. As if Patrick is aware that they’re talking about him, Selene suddenly receives a text asking her to go out for dinner. She read the message, again and again, to confirm if she read it correctly. His message is as clear as day. He is never the type to make unplanned schedules, and Selene can’t help but get a bad feeling from it.