The class was unbearably dull, the kind of silence that drags time instead of letting it pass. The teacher's voice echoed softly across the room, steady and slow, like a lullaby designed to pull everyone into sleep rather than learning.
I turned slightly and looked at Alex.
He was already gone.
Fast asleep, head tilted to the side, a faint smile resting on his face as if he had escaped to a much better place than this classroom.
"He must be having a good dream…" I muttered to myself.
Just looking at him made my own eyes heavier. The room felt warm, the air thick, and the teacher's voice slowly blurred into the background until it sounded like distant humming.
Before I knew it, my head dropped slightly.
And I fell asleep.
Somewhere in that darkness, I heard it.
A whisper.
Faint… unfamiliar… yet clear enough to make my chest tighten.
"harsh… harsh… harsh… mām paśyatu bhavān… kṛpayā…"
The words echoed around me, layered and distant, as if spoken from another time.
My eyes snapped open.
Everything felt… off.
Lian was right in front of me, his face filled with worry, his lips moving quickly as he said something. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hear a single word.
My head felt heavy, like it wasn't fully mine. My thoughts were scattered, slipping away before I could catch them.
And then-
tears.
They started falling.
Slowly at first… then uncontrollably.
I didn't even realize why.
It was as if my body had decided something on its own, something I didn't understand.
"Lu… Lu… LU!" Lian's voice finally broke through, distant but clearer now. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
I wanted to answer.
I really did.
But nothing came out.
Around me, the class started whispering. Heads turned, fingers pointed, voices overlapping into a blur of noise. The teacher began walking toward me, concern written across his face.
And then-
I saw him.
Zhan.
He was moving quickly through the classroom, faster than anyone else, ignoring everything around him.
I was sitting at the edge of the bench when he reached me.
Without hesitation, he got down on one knee in front of me.
The entire class went silent.
He took my hand into his.
Firm.
Warm.
And looked straight into my eyes.
Not just at me…
Through me.
"Are you alright… Lu Ying?" he whispered.
Something snapped back into place.
My voice returned.
My body responded.
"Yes… yes, I'm alright," I said quickly, wiping my tears. "I'm sorry for disturbing the class."
The teacher stepped closer. "How are you feeling now? Do you want to go to the nurse?"
"I'm fine, si-"
"He's not fine, sir."
Alex's voice cut in suddenly.
I turned, surprised.
He was awake.
Wide awake.
"He was like this on the way to college too," Alex continued seriously, standing up. "I think I should take him to the nurse."
The teacher hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Take him."
Before I could protest, Alex had already grabbed my hand and thrown it over his shoulder like I couldn't walk on my own.
We stepped out of the classroom.
The moment the door closed, the noise faded.
"Lulu… what happened?" Alex asked, his tone softer now. "Why were you crying? I was actually worried."
"In your dreams?" I said, pulling my hand away from him.
He laughed lightly. "Come on… but seriously, the way Zhan rushed to you… that was something else. It looked like he really cared about you."
I looked down at my hand.
It was still shaking.
Even after everything had calmed down.
"Cared… or scared," I murmured. "I don't know which one it was."
Alex tilted his head. "I don't get it."
"Me neither," I replied quietly. "I think it was just a bad dream."
I glanced at him. "What about you? You were smiling in your sleep."
His face lit up instantly. "Oh, that? I was dreaming about the school trip. We were swimming, playing, eating Indian food… it was amazing. Oh and you were just standing on the beach because you're scared of water."
"It's not even officially announced yet," I said. "There's a chance it's just a rumor."
Alex placed his hand dramatically on his chest. "I, the great Alex, am never wrong about information. Trust me."
He paused for a second.
"…Wait. Weren't we supposed to go to the nurse?"
I stared at him.
"You're just trying to skip math class, aren't you?"
He smiled.
That was enough of an answer.
We entered the nurse's room, and I lay down on the bed, the cool surface helping my body relax. Alex stayed around, pretending to care while clearly just killing time.
My eyes slowly closed again.
But this time-
there was no dream.
Just a strange heaviness in my chest, like something was trying to reach me from somewhere far away.
Two hours passed.
"Lu… Lu… it's lunch time. Do you want to eat something?"
I opened my eyes slightly.
Lian.
"I want to sleep more…" I mumbled, slowly sitting up.
"Somebody said my information was wrong," Alex suddenly jumped in, full of energy again. "The teachers just announced it. The trip is confirmed. We're flying to India in seven days!"
I blinked, the sleep instantly fading.
"Really?" I said, a small smile forming. "Seven days feels so far… but if I'm meant to go there, I guess it's worth the wait."
I turned to Shaan. "What about you? You're going back to your home country."
Shaan grinned. "I'm going to show you everything. They said we're going to Kerala. It's one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see."
For a moment, everything felt light again.
We all smiled, excitement slowly building inside us, imagining the place, the journey, the memories we were about to create.
But even then-
something wasn't right.
Because while we laughed and talked…
I kept seeing it.
That dream.
Over and over again.
Blood falling like rain.
A man standing in silence.
And something inside me… calling out.
The seven days felt endless.
But now-
only one day remained.
The night before the trip arrived, and all of us were busy packing, lost in our own excitement, imagining the beauty of the place we were about to visit.
Not once-
not even for a second-
did we stop and ask ourselves…
why we were going there.