TEARS IN RED STRING

THE SUDDEN SCENE

LOVEFUL

IT'S BEEN 2 days since the incident in the mall happened. The incident that until now confuses me a lot. Who are they?

Series of thoughts were flowing into my mind. They're peculiar. They're not the kind of ordinary people that I met in my entire life.

Sandra

Maritha

They reminded me of the people in my dream. The blur-faced woman. My head hurts absorbing all the things. I am affected. It was still in my mind about what Sandra had said that she froze all the things except them. But who are 'them'? And if I did not freeze, does it mean that I am also 'them'?

The red string. Of all the people, only I have this kind of situation.

Until it sinks me. 'They' exists. Is it possible that they could help me? Would I need to start discovering them? But how?

"We need to organize the practice hours of the students. Curchi, what do you think?" I snapped back to the present as I've heard Mrs. Ho called me.

I looked at her, blankly. "Pardon?" I muttered. We are in our headquarter, talking about the upcoming Intramurals which will happen 7 days from now yet my mind was preoccupied with the happenings I had gone through.

"Mind's flying~" Lawrence suddenly spoke in a sing-song manner. He was sitting beside me while Mrs. Ho was in front. I glared at him, and even though he's not looking at me, he suddenly smiles.

He always has this routine to annoy me. I just did not respond to him.

Mrs. Ho touched the bridge of her eyeglasses before she spoke, "As I said, students who needed to practice for their particular sports should be given their designated time and place of practice. The field is wide, also there were rooms available. But they should not just practice whenever and wherever they want, so we need to do a schedule." she repeated and I slouched my back on the chair.

"Yes, and...?" I asked again, raising a brow. Since that day Lawrence and she opened the idea last time that I should perform on stage, I always talk less to them. And about what she had said, what's her main point? I mean, what would she was trying to say after that?

"We need you to decide who are those people you wanted to assign for that." Mrs. Ho said, leaning both hands on the table.

I sighed. "We already have a committee for that, right? The Time Keepers Committee." I plainly said.

"Uh, HAHA! Sorry, I forgot," she responded, laughing while covering her mouth a little bit. I just shook my head. "Anyway, who are the Time Keepers?"

Jessica and 5 others raised their hands. "Us, Mrs. Ho."

"I see, okay, you may leave this meeting right now. You need to organize the time and places of each field of sports not later this afternoon. We need to propose it within this day so that they could start practicing tomorrow." Mrs. Ho told them and they nodded.

"Noted, Mrs. Ho," Jessica replied and Mrs. Ho signaled them to go to the committee headquarter.

As Jessica and others take their leave, Mrs. Ho continued. "Now, I think we will proceed with all the designs. We need to level or surpass the fascinating decorations last year."

"Yeah, and the materials that I ordered already arrived. So we can now proceed with the design making." Fiona, the head of the Arts Committee spoke.

"Do you already have a plan, Fiona?" I asked her. I needed to turn my head to see her behind me.

She stood up and played her fingers around her tied hair. "Uh, yes. Our committee already had planned the design. The theme is like a beach setting, right?" Fiona said. "Cris, did you bring the layout?" she looked at the man beside her seat.

"Yeah, yeah. Here," After Cris said that he picked up a big notebook inside his back and gave it to Fiona. The latter accepted it.

"Thank you," Fiona said to Cris. "May I go there, Mrs. Ho?"

"Sure, you may." Mrs. Ho replied and she stepped aside a little bit.

Fiona went in front, holding the big notebook. After a while, she opened it and showed us the layout. "Here's the layout of the designs that we think are suited for the theme," she said, flipping the pages.

The designs were good if I would say. They really are artistic as they should. Everyone was amazed including Mrs. Ho. But as she continued flipping the pages constantly, my head suddenly hurts so I looked down and touched my head.

Prevented to not make any sound but as the pain in my head gets worse, I couldn't help anymore but groan in the middle of the meeting.

"U-Urgh..."

They stopped because they all looked at me.

"Curchi, hey?" Lawrence shrugged my shoulders. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Urgh!" I winced again and everyone gathered around me.

"Curchi, what's wrong?" Mrs. Ho asked but I did not respond because my head really hurts like hell.

I closed my eyes because of pain. They kept on calling my names and asked me what's wrong but I couldn't respond.

And suddenly, I heard deafening silence. But just a moment has passed, voices came into my ears. But the voices are not coming from the people whom I am with earlier.

It's not also the dream that I always dreamed. It's different this time.

'What are you doing?' asked the woman to the old man who was flipping the pages in the book.

'I was reading something that could bring him back.' said the old man. His white mustaches were eye-catchers.

'Bring back who?' asked the woman while moving closer to him. The woman was wearing a white cape.

'Our---'

"Curchi!"

"Urghhhh!" I loudly groaned.

And in just like a snap, the pain that I felt in my head slowly vanished. I was now back at my present mind.

"Curchi, let's go to the clinic." Mrs. Ho suddenly said. "Lawrence, carry her."

I gently set back straight. "N-No need. I am now fine." I said, panting slightly.

"You sure?" Lawrence asked. His serious eyes met mine.

"Yes. Continue the meeting." I said and fixed myself as nothing happened.

They all looked at me. Their eyes scrutinized me.

"No, you nee---"

"I said I am now okay. It was just a quick ache. I am fine now." I stopped Lawrence, and it was like he would still want to say something but ended up shutting his mouth.

I looked at them and they get back to their seats. They really get used to my personality. Once I have said something or I resisted their offer, that's already final. I would not revoke it anymore.

While they continued discussing the plan, my mind was occupied with the sudden aching of my head, and the sudden flash of an unfamiliar scenario. I am used to dreaming about the tragic scene with the blur-faced woman. But the one I had seen a while ago was new. I don't really know why I experienced these kinds of things.

The red string, the sudden flashes of scenarios. My mind wanted to burst out of such thoughts. The sudden aching that I've experienced was maybe due to the scene that suddenly went into my mind.

After a moment, Mrs. Ho told us that we should now start making the designs. The cutting out of art materials, and such.

"Ms. Deh," I suddenly called my secretary who was currently holding a folder that she was about to cut.

She came in my direction. "Yes, Ms. President?"

I put the materials on the floor and slowly stood up. "Tell Mrs. Ho and Lawrence that they shall divide the tasks to avoid waste of time," I told her. "And also, the design of the bulletin board should be done first. Tell them, okay? I will check first the condition of the bulletin board."

It took how many seconds before she replied to me with a nod. "Copy," she muttered.

Without saying a word, I walked towards the door and left the SC Headquarters. I felt their eyes were on me but I just don't mind it.

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