CHAPTER 1

DECEMBER 3, 2021.

Adriana's POV.

I breathed heavily and tore my dim eyes open straight to the wobbly mirror that hung opposite my bed. I had the horrifying dream again. I quickly stood up and switched off the ceiling fan in my room when its booming sound kept remembering me of my bad dream, its sound was just like a background soundtrack of my dream. I've had the dream several times and had told my mom about it but she wouldn't just take it so seriously all she could do was stop me from watching Horror movies, moreover, what else could she have done?

I have heard a lot of stories about dragon shifters, werebears, werewolves, and feral humans from my late granny but a scenario where a dead would come back again to live was a one in a million I least expected. How does it even happen? Is it scientifically proven?

There was this guy who have been appearing to me in my dream since I was eight years old. He comes to me in a Martial artist uniform and calls himself my love. He even said he had waited for me to be reborn again after waiting for hundreds of years. I had a dream yesterday and I saw him again.

I exclaimed as I turned my face to the wall clock beside me, the long hand of the clock just struck 12, it was 7:oo am already. It was on a Monday morning when all the junior students of the Campbell academy would go for their transition examination to further their studies. I didn't know why I slept that much despite my anti-sleep pills, thank God for the bad dream that woke me up from the supernatural world.

I applied a paste to my brush, hung my pink towel over my neck, and moved to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I moved out to my room for my school dress.

I was wearing a canvas to my left leg when I heard the horn of the school bus outside. I descended the stairs of my room but toe-walked when I got to the front of my dad's room.

" Adriana!!" My dad called my name when my neck jewelry fell from my neck.

" Morning dad, I am late for the transition examination already, see you later" I muttered in a motion immediately I heard his voice else he would ask me where I went to last night with my friend Zoey, and not even at that time when I was late for my examination already.

The faces I saw in the front seats of the bus were new, I was so timid to just look up to where I was going because all their eyes were on me.

I bent my face down and moved faster to the seat allocated to me until I finally got to my seat.

Andrew slide his hand over my head backward, it was annoying not until he slid his hand to my sight and showed me the comb that I forgot in my hair in the process of me rushing to meet the school bus.

"Thank you!" I smiled back at him but was embarrassed.

I moved my head to dilly-dally and looked around shamefully when I heard laughter from behind. I taught the students were laughing at me over my forgetting comb not until I saw them pointing their fingers at a guy approaching a seat on the bus, meanwhile, I was timid when I saw that the only place the guy could seat was beside me and I had no choice but to adjust and allow him to the seat.

I gasped in fear when I discovered that the guy approaching a seat on the bus was the guy who have been appearing to me in my dream a few years ago. Could he be the one I was seeing? I doubted. I had never believed in such mysteries but the consternation unfolded in my eyes made me two-minded. I wiped my face with my hand maybe I was hallucinating, taking my hand off my face made the guy glare at my sight again. Now I was convinced he was the one.

He was broad, cute, tall, and wearing a Martial artist uniform just as he used to be in my dream world.

He walked majestically to his seat with his hand clasped behind and not even minding how people were making a jest out of him, he wasn't even shy. He made his way to his seat and sat while his leg was crossed over the other.

I sat down well and redress when I discovered the students weren't laughing at the Martial artist guy sitting close to me but the crippled girl that arrived later.

" Good morning!" I greeted the martial guy that just sat down beside me not that I was so scared of him but I was trying to call his attention to a black guy staring at him suspiciously by the left. The black guy's look was evil and terrifying but he couldn't just understand the gesture, " Morning!" He replied without looking at my side.

Andrew turned at me suspiciously as I speak to the air but he pretended as if he didn't see me. It seemed the guy in Martial artist uniform was invisible to everyone except me but I didn't know. I was so curious to see my horrifying dream sitting close to me so I couldn't think of anything else.

At this time, I chose to mind my business and tried to recall what I'd read so far.

The school bus was closed and the journey began.

A few minutes later, I dozed off when I was finding it difficult to recall what I'd read and tilted my head sideways to his shoulder unknowingly, the martial artist sitting close to me.

"Oh sorry" I quickly said when I regained my conscience, but he wasn't answering, he was maintaining the same position he was before I was lost to my thought.

Is he deaf?" I asked myself because I was becoming scared of him at that time.

The school bus landed.

"Where is he, and the black guy?" I asked myself when I couldn't find the Martial artist guy and the black guy who was staring at him suspiciously on the school bus.

I was amazed because I could gaze high at the first person in the front seat taking off her last step to the floor from the bus, so how did the Martial artist guy and the black guy move out of the school bus?

I began to think as we moved in alignment to the door of the bus, it seemed I was the only person that observed the magic that just happened, and not even Andrew could detect my forgotten comb. Well, I didn't blame Andrew the comb detector for not noticing the magic that happened a few minutes ago because it seems I was the only one that could see the Martial artist.

The western cool breeze of Li welcomed me as I took my last step off the bus, and sighted the Progressive School of Li where all the students would write their transition examinations.

"Are you okay at all?" Andrew asked me as he snapped his hand across my face and asked in pretense. Surely something must be happening to me after he caught me talking to the air even if I try to pretend.

"I am fine, thank you". I quickly regain myself and say and acted as if everything was fine.

I still marveled at the magic scenery that happened on the bus on the spot I was in while other students rushed to the examination hall.

"Andrew, please wait for me!" I called Andrew when I saw him taking bold footsteps to the examination hall. Though he was surprised I knew his name, he was my friend's longtime crush.

*****

I entered the examination hall and found a guy with a striking resemblance to the martial artist guy sitting in front of the hall. The guy was wearing a silky kimono suit with large sleeves from his shoulders down to his heels. His eyes were tempting and jaw-dropping. His smile caught me. I have never seen a guy so cute as he was till today.

The Martial artist guy! I shuddered extremely but was amazed at his cute face. He looks cuter when he was not in his Martial artist uniform. I wished he could be coming to my dream in this extravagant dress instead of the old Chinese Martial dress. Besides, how did he manage to change his dress in a few minutes? Or maybe this I was seeing was his twin brother, I taught and giggled.

"Hey, little girl, are you here for the examination?" Madam Yilva who was the mistress in charge of the examination paper snapped her hands to my face, calling me back from my taught and asked.

"Yes, yes.... yes, madam!".

"Then, take your question paper and move to sit at the back".

I moved sluggishly to her gesture direction but quickly turned my face at the cute guy again, and blushed extremely.

"Are you done?" Madam Yilva asked the cute guy that was sitting in the front barely a few minutes after I had my seat.

Though I saw him standing up when I was heading to sit at the back but I never expected him to be through with the examination at that time.

"Yes!" He replied and moved forward to madam Yilva, staring straight into my eyes from afar. I wish he could wait for me outside till I finish my paper but all he could leave behind was a suspended smile.

I turned my paper over again and saw the multiple questions and got amazed at how the cute guy could answer all the questions in a few minutes but I quickly focused on answering at least one question because all the questions were new to me.

After about an hour of struggling with question number 2 of the paper, madam Yilva said, "submit!", and of course, no one dares to copy from his colleagues. I had no other option but to stand up and submit my paper to her. Moreover, we were only 4 students remaining.

I submitted the paper and moved out of the hall not minding what I wrote. I expected the least because the answer paper was as empty as it was before.

My mind was far away from where I was, I was ashamed in advance of the results not that my parents will insult me over my failure but my kid brothers may have me as the topic of the day if the result comes out. Do my parents care about my academics? All they cater for was my feeding and clothing.

I stumbled forward while I was waiting for the cab man to take me home by the roadside but hung in the air for some minutes. I looked back and saw the Martial artist guy that disappeared again holding me by my waist. The Martial artist guy has the same resemblance as the guy in a silky kimono suit, he saved me from falling to the ground.

I was becoming more confused and didn't know what was happening to me again. Am I dreaming? Maybe anyone should tap me and wake me up. I taught him he was in a kimono suit a few minutes ago. How come is he on his old Chinese dress again?

"Hmmm.....thank.... you" I quickly say and shivered but he didn't respond.

I took courage and held his hand when he wanted to go, of course, I was talking to a human and not a statue but he took off my hand from his body and parted his way.

I angrily entered a bus amidst confusion and headed back to my house around 12:45 PM.