The Cafeteria Scandal
A ringing sound echoed unto my ears. As my vision gradually regained, I was flabbergasted to fully visualize the ceiling of my room. I jerked my head to every corner of the room and was now ascertained that I was Philip again. But honestly, I was even surprised that I'd woken up in the world where I truly belonged. I've been in Hardovia for a short time, but it felt like forever, as so many have happened. When I was in Hardovia, I was convinced that all that was happening there were real, but I couldn't stop asking myself when I returned. I was then confused and terrified to discover that I could also dream in that world. That broke the differentiation that I concluded for both worlds. I just didn't live Arthur's body. It was Arthur I embodied. I believed in multiple universes or other dimensions. After all the information I recently acquired, I could definitely say that I am a variant of Arthur in this world. But I now wondered where Arthur was all along. There must be some reason I suddenly live in his body or his own world.
We couldn't possibly switch places because if so, Arthur must have woken up in my world and lived my life just like what was happening to me in his own world. If I remember correctly, I started waking up in Hardovia after Merlin used teleportation magic at the cliff. Merlin wasn't a pro in that spell, so he must've accidentally created a glitch that teleported a variant of Arthur from another dimension instead of Arthur himself. Merlin was overpowered if that was the case. I bet Merlin also didn't know that his version of Arthur wasn't around.
"He mustn't be dead. I can't live his life forever. It will tear my brain apart. Besides, he has royal blood. Arthur is the next in line for the throne if the King only had a son." I mumbled as my body gradually regained strength.
The mission awaiting me in Hardovia quickly passed on my thinking. I even slept, thinking about the next day so we could start the task. It was a critical mission, and I mustn't miss it. But it seemed like it had to wait. Now that I'm in my world, I must live with it.
"If I continue waking up as Arthur, I will live his life at best."
It was already 6:30 in the morning, so I stretched my body up to relieve myself from sleepiness. I took the towel and went to the shower to start the day. I dressed, grabbed my bag, and went to the kitchen to eat breakfast. A sizzling sound got louder together, with an appetizing scent that got stronger as I stepped closer.
"Good thing you're back to being early," said my mom as she cooked breakfast.
"Good morning, mom." I greeted. "Where's dad?" I added.
"He headed to work very early. Oh! Before I forget. Your dad has a present for you."
"What? Where?"
"On the living room."
I quickly headed to it and searched for the said gift. A small white box tied with a red ribbon was at the table near the couch. I took a seat and opened the present. My eyes widened, and I gasped when I saw what was inside. It was a black watch with a touch of silver. The expensiveness couldn't be denied as the brand was a well-known luxury in the market. I'd always been saving for it since my high school days. I could only see it behind the store's glass pane before, but now — it was lying in my bare hands, and my wrist was never this ready for an accessory.
"Your father is sorry because his birthday gift for you is late," Mom said as she stood behind the couch, watching me.
"It's okay, but... how did he know I wanted this watch?" I ask.
"Because you're his son, our son."
"That's not a valid reason, mom."
My mom giggled and responded, "I sometimes check the browsing history on your computer. I saw you searching for that watch for years, honey."
"What? Mom, you're already trespassing on my privacy." I exclaimed.
"Sorry." Said mom, and then she laughed.
That was a statue-worthy moment for me. I panicked inside but stayed cool outside. Good thing mom didn't think to check on my phone. I would be doomed if mom found out about my browsing history. Well, lesson learned. I have to be responsible. Anyway, I'm genuinely flattered by my parents' truthfulness, and I could say that they truly loved me. It was annoying sometimes, but it was bearable, so I let them be. I kept the watch in my room because I didn't want to use it immediately. I was anxious about keeping a present fresh after the week it was given. Finally, I began eating with my mother, talked shortly about life, and then, of course, I was the one who washed the dishes.
"Mom, I'll go now," I said after cleaning up.
"Alright, then. Love you. Take care."
"I love you too, mom."
I went to the garage, but I cussed when I saw the scratches dilate my eyes quickly as I reached the car door. Covering the damages must be the most of my concern, but my memory failed to jog last night. I admit that letting it be exposed in the garage overnight was careless. My father would be so mad if he knew about it. At least I have to prepare for the worse, I guess. So I got in the car and drove to school. This time, I parked smoothly. Perhaps there weren't many parked cars now — talk about being early.
"Ah! Early again, Mister Archwood." The security guard said.
"Of course," I replied brightly.
Because I was too early for my first class, I decided to hang on to the cafeteria, and I might meet Jane there. She was an early bird more than me. Just as I predicted, Jane was in the far corner of the cafeteria. Jane was on her phone with her face wrinkled in high seriousness. I went to her and gladly greeted her, "Good Morning." She flinched out of surprise and narrowed her eyes at me. I let out a short laugh and then took a seat.
"Hey, don't be mad at me. That wrinkles might stay in your face permanently." I playfully said.
Her face quickly changed to normal, and she sighed deeply. She turned off her cellphone and looked into my eyes — poker face.
"It's about you." Jane plainly said.
"What? What's about me." I confusedly said.
"About your dreams."
Light suddenly flashed in my thoughts. A series of images swirled in my head, and my emotions suddenly changed, making me gasp. Merlin... Bevyn... Adenydd... Tref.... Hardovia. My heart became wild in my chest, and my lungs couldn't breathe properly when I remembered all that had happened in my dreams. I'd been there for two days and had encountered a lot. Even if I was in my own world, Hardovia kept hunting me.
"You've dreamed about it again?" Jane asked — which cut me from swimming in my thoughts.
"Y-yes," I said dolefully.
"Last night, I've been researching your dreams—"
"I never thought you were interested in my story."
"I didn't... at first, but what interested me is how precise your dream was."
Typical Jane. Always curious about something.
"What I told you last... day is not really that precise—"
"I know, but last night... you're in control of it, right?."
"Y-yes. Wow! How did you know?"
"As I've said earlier. I researched about it." Said Jane as she raised her eyebrows.
"And?"
"And I found out that you" — she pointed a finger to me — "have been dream walking."
"I'm confused. I have never heard of such a word since birth. Well, I know sleepwalking, but dream-walking?"
"Philip. I also found out that dream walking is lucid dreaming. Scientifically, it's Oneironautics."
"So it's a real deal after all?" I asked.
"I can tell you, yes. I know that you had experienced more last night — based on your reaction when I said about your dream."
— Crrrrrriing —
The bell stopped our conversation, and I felt sad about it. Jane had already gained interest in a weird phenomenon I am currently experiencing. To think that she even researched more deeply than I do. I couldn't even remember the last time Jane called me Philip. She must be earnest and had much more to tell me. She said she would meet me at the cafeteria at lunch. I want more on what Jane researched, but honestly, I can study it independently. There was no need to bother her. It was just that I liked spending time with Jane. I went to my first class — which was the literature class. And oh my god. I forgot about the examination. I took a quick review while walking in the hallway and entered the room. I finished my rapid review not long after my professor went in.
"Are you all ready for the examination?" said my professor.
"Yes, sir." The class said in unison, and as usual, we sounded dead.
My professor giggled and said, "Okay, let's begin."
The lengthy examination took almost an hour. It was so long that I had to use the entire page of my pad paper — including the back, just for my answers. Not to mention that the essays were separate pieces. Thanks to my brain. I remembered all the lessons on the test, so it wasn't that hard to answer — just long. Several classes went by after the examination until the bell rang at last. Break time went on. It wasn't lunch already, so I spent my time in the library instead. I might get hungry when I stay in the cafeteria. I signed the logbook and sat in the far corner of the library. I remembered what Jane had told me earlier, so I picked up my phone and searched for it. Lucid dreaming is the act of awareness of one's own dream. The dreamer had a specific control of the characters, settings and situations. If that was the explanation, my case was different. I have no control over my dreams. They just come and go whenever I sleep. Everything in my dreams seemed to happen on its own, especially in Arthur's... backstory. If this information was accurate, all the people and the world of Hardovia were just created by my brain? That couldn't be.
— Crrrrrriing —
The quick break was over, and I attended my following classes. I paid attention, especially to the classes I didn't participate in on the last day. Time flew by until the bell rang again. It was lunchtime. I went to the cafeteria to meet Jane, but she wasn't there. However, I saw Gab and Reign in the far corner of the cafeteria. I went to them and took a seat. There was already food on our table.
"There's our lucid dreamer," yelled Gab and giggled.
I smiled bitterly and said, "Why do you always have to be loud?" Although Gab was loud, he wasn't loud enough to outsound the cafeteria.
"Sorry," Gab said timidly.
"Where is Jane?" I asked.
"She said she can't come. She had an examination to review in the library," explained Reign.
"But did she eat already?" I worriedly said.
"I guess she'll eat after her exam. She had no class to attend after, anyway."
"Okay," I agreed.
"Anyway, Jane told us about your lucid dreaming stuff." Gab interfered while eating too.
"Yeah, about that. I've also researched it." Reign said as she gulped a milkshake. "It's said that most people do lucid dreaming, or they have been lucid dreaming at least once, and the dreamers have the power to take control over it," added Reign.
I let out a deep sigh and said, "Sadly, it doesn't work that way in my dreams." And I took a big bite of my burger.
"What do you mean?" asks Gab.
I swallowed the food and said, "My dream has its own time and... situation, and I can't control it. I felt like... I'm a different person. It's like Arthur's feeling sync with mine."
"That's strange. I mean, sure that you will now feel like a different person when you're dreaming, but how could you not be in control?" said Reign.
"I agree... and I think your case is different, Phil. Your dream is way too deep. If you can't control it, it means it's just a plain dream, after all. You just have to get over with it." said Gab.
Reign suddenly stopped eating and stared at her food. Gab and I noticed her actions. Gab reached for Reign's hand and then asked, "Reign? Are you okay?" Reign suddenly clasped at the end of our table, her face turning red as she unwantedly gagged. Gab quickly stood up and patted Reign's back. Of the sudden situation, I couldn't do anything but stare at Reign but not long until Gab yelled, "Phil!" I got back into my consciousness and assessed Gab on Reign. My poor friend suddenly gasped for air and her vision slowly faded. My eyes went straight to the food she was eating. The students in the cafeteria also started noticing the commotion at our table. Some of them ran to the emergency button and pressed it simultaneously, and the others stayed calm, but fear and worry masked their faces. After that, Gab and I carried Reign to go to the clinic. We went outside the clinic, but we stayed quiet to not cause mass panic. A nurse pushing a wheelchair suddenly appeared behind the crowd and went straight to us. She said nothing but took Reign from us and let our friend sit in the wheelchair. The nurse then hurriedly pushed the wheelchair and went straight to the clinic. Gab and I then followed the fast and furious nurse.
"Why, Reign," muttered Gab.
Gab and I didn't attend our remaining classes to accompany Reign. The school couldn't assess Reign's condition as it was too severe for a clinic to handle. Now, she was in the hands of the medical professionals in a nearby hospital. We'd been sitting in the waiting area for an hour and a half. No one between Gab and me dared to talk. We were both shocked, and we still couldn't get over it. Jane suddenly showed up with Reign's parents in our sight — panting.
"What... happened.... to Reign?" She worriedly said as she caught her breath.
"We still don't know." I sadly said.
Jane flumped on the chair beside Gab, sobbing. Gab surprisingly ignored Jane on his side and continued staring into space. He didn't even flinch when Jane came. Reign's parents also wept as they went to the other side of the waiting area. I moved to Jane's side, patted her back, and said, "It's okay. She'll be fine." The doctor left the room, and we all stood up quickly.
"Are you the mother of the patient?" The doctor asked.
Reign's mom responded and asked back. "Yes. What happened to my daughter?"
"Your daughter is poisoned."
"What?" Gab, together with Reign's mother, said in unison.
"We ran a series of tests and detected a poison on the patient's body." The doctor explained, and it made Reign's mother shed more tears.
"H-how is that possible?" Gab suddenly asked.
"I believe it came from the last food she ate."
"Gabriel. You are the one who's always with Reign. What happened?" Reign's mother asked.
"Ma'am. We just... ate at the cafeteria with Philip, and then she suddenly...."
It must be a tricky situation for Gab. Gab was known to Reign's mother as the closest friend long before Jane and I entered their lives. Reign's mother wanted Gab to be blamed for what had happened to Reign, but she couldn't do that because Gab had nothing to do with Reign's eating. She entrusted her daughter so much to Gab, to the point that she would let her daughter go whenever she wanted as long as Gab was with her.
"How could the school let this happen?" The loud, modulated voice of Reign's mother echoed.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," said Gab — sobbing.
"Please don't talk to me, Gabriel. I don't wanna see you for now."
While they exchanged conversations with the doctor for more information, Jane and I silently listened. I also noticed that Jane was still shaking, so I patted her back again and offered to sit. I was hurt. Yes, I was, but I didn't want to add more agony to the situation, so I remained calm outside, but I was shattered into pieces deep inside. The doctor said Reign would be okay after a series of medications and rest, so we went home — except for Reign's parents. Even Gab, with a heavy heart, left. I went home, still thinking about the horrific scene I had just witnessed. Then I remembered what Gab had told me before we left the hospital.
"Phil. The food that Reign ate wasn't for her. It was for you."
"What? What do you mean?" I asked quickly and agitatedly.
"Reign already had two trays on our table when I saw her. I even attempted to take a bite of a burger, but she hit my hand quickly. She also did the same when I attempted to drink the milkshake. She said it was for you. I was even jealous at that time. I decide to get my food. As I returned, Reign switched your drinks even though you both have milkshakes with the same flavor."
"But... why did she do that?"
"She said she just wants to annoy you."
"Does Reign order the food herself?" I asked.
"I don't know."
And so. The entire fault was on me. It made me guilty that Reign accidentally saved my life. The shocking thing, I was the one who meant to be poisoned. As I slowly opened our house door, my father's exasperated figure on the couch greeted me. My mom was sitting on the armrest of the sofa — worried.
"You have time to explain, Philip!" My dad's deep voice echoed in my ears, making my legs wobble.
"Dad, please, not now. You can scold me all you want tomorrow. Just not now. " I adjured.
My mom suddenly went to me and hugged me tightly. A bombshell exploded on me. My mother hugged me as if dad was going to kill me later. More bombshells burst when dad hugged me too.
"Please, Philip. Be more careful." My mom said.
"The school already told us about the incident," said dad.
It looked like Gab had already told the story to the school, and the school was quick enough to inform my parents, except that I was the one who was really in danger. I bet Gab didn't tell them about it, which was good. They said the school would take full responsibility for what happened and investigate the situation. However, the classes will usually go on. It will be too crucial for the entire campus to stop working.
"But of course. I'm still mad at what happened to your car." Dad changed the topic.
"Sorry, dad."
Mom and Dad talked to me for a while, and then I went to my room, changed clothes, did the rest of my routines, and lay on my bed. I remembered what happened to Reign earlier. The milkshake was for me. Someone was trying to kill me. But who? I have no enemy except for Adrian. That was it. I have no one to be blamed but Adrian? Could that be Adrian? He must be overreacting if he was the suspect. A scratch on his car was equivalent to my death? Well, I hadn't known that guy. If he was, he should be the one who ordered the food and gave it to Reign, but that would also be impossible. Adrian and Reign were not on good terms. As far as I knew, they didn't even talk at least once. After a long period of thinking, I finally hit the snooze.
==========================================================================
"Henddyn!"
A child's voice echoed in the woods. An old man — wearing a robe approached the child and asked what had happened.
"The bugs ate my plants," said the child, on the verge of tears.
"Did I tell you to kill those bugs before they breed?" The old man said in an authoritative voice.
"Yes, but the bugs seemed to aid my plant's growth. My plants quickly grew when I let those bugs wander on it." The child disagreed.
"Those bugs aren't helping the plants grow... I mean, yes, they help it grow but... they help it grow for themselves." The old man explained calmly.
"What do you mean?"
"Every time those bugs crawl on the plants, they leave a liquid that penetrates inside the plants. Those liquids will force the plants to grow faster than normal. And... if the plant has fully grown... the bugs will turn them into their food."
"That's cruel," said the child, pouting its lips.
"That's not cruel at all. We also do the same with our food. We make it grow faster by putting some fertilizers in it so we can consume it all ready for supper." The old man said and let out a short laugh after.
"Yeah, you're right — as always. But it is just... sad. I entrusted my plants to those bugs... to help my plants bloom faster, but they ended up eating it," said the child, already calming down. "They are like.... Traitors," the child added.
"Traitor? To who?" asked the old man.
"To me," said the child cheerlessly.
The old man laughed. He patted the child's shoulders and said, "You know what, Arthur? Sometimes the people you trusted the most are the people who will hurt you the most."
"Then I will trust no one," said the child.
"I did not say you will not trust anyone," insinuated the old man.
"I will only trust the trustworthy once," argued the child.
"Arthur. It is impossible to recognize anyone trustworthy. Even the person you know a lot cannot be trustworthy enough. Even the person you treasure the most and yourself. There is always something in every person that cannot be trusted." The old man said — and it made the child mute.
"Then... what am I going to do. If I have a friend, and that friend has me signs that I should not trust him? Should I still trust that friend?"
"Trust in that person no matter what."
"That is foolish. Why would I even trust that person? I cannot ignore the signs.".
"You said that person is your friend, and friends always trust each other."
"Maybe I just thought that person was my friend."
The child was now drowned in confusion, and the old man giggled when he was the child's reaction. Henddyn then elaborated, "In the near future, Arthur. You will/encounter good and bad people. But... if you come across a friend, a friend that will make you wish to be with him, even if you both have your own families. That is rare. If something came and it haplessly made that friend untrustworthy, trust in him still."
"But why? That friend could have brought danger to me."
"Even if a friend will end up hurting you the most, he is still a friend. Do not lose your trust, even if you are the only one left trusting."
==========================================================================
I regained my sight out of shock as I woke up. Wait... What? That was it? What about Hardovia? I didn't wake up there. It was another flashback dream instead. It was me... I mean Arthur. Young Arthur and Henddyn in the woods. I suddenly felt cheerless when I recalled my dream. I felt like I miss Henddyn suddenly. I still dreamed about Hardovia because Eithaf was part of it. So, it means I could still go back. Maybe another sleep would take me to the current time in Hardovia, where my journey there would continue. I still had a mission to complete. Although I thought I would only dream of Arthur's memories on quick naps or when I sleep in Hardovia. That dream with Henddyn felt hefty in the heart. Henddyn was giving me words of wisdom, giving me some guardian vibes.
"Trust a friend no matter what," I muttered.
Although it was still a strange experience, I was slowly getting used to this phenomenon. I turned to my side and saw my alarm clock. It was 6:32. My thoughts were cut off when my phone rang, and it was Gab. Though my finger nearly pressed the accept button, the call abruptly ended. Then a message appeared. "Arthur, let's meet. Same time, the same place". It was from Gab too, but why so urgent, and what about the classes. Our talk will probably be about Reign's incident and me.
"Oh... I forgot. It's the weekend already." I said as I realized the date.
I arrived at my squad's favorite hang-out place outside the school — the café. It was just a couple of walks from our house, so I didn't ride in my car. I almost celebrated my birthday in this café, but the manager said no. They don't accept birthday celebrations, and that's sad. Anyway, I arrived and saw Gab in our favourite spot — the far corner of every place. I sat right in front of Gab, and the latter didn't greet me. I noticed the changes on Gab since Reign's case happened. The Gab in front of me wasn't the Gab that I knew. No loud and jolly Gab. He was weary, and it looked like heaven and earth were falling on his shoulder. He was affected so much that even his personality changed. I guess that was how notable Reign was to him.
"Ah... Thanks for informing the school about the story." I said to break the ice, but Gab quickly changed the topic.
"Phil. I know you've already had a suspect in mind," said Gab.
"Yes, but... I'm not sure." I replied.
Gab's veins on his neck were already visible as he spoke, "That person is still a suspect, and that might wander now freely —"
"Gab, calm down, okay. You're completely a different person right now —"
"You're the one who is different." He said, making my mouth zip for a minute. "Why do you look unbothered? Why aren't you complaining about pieces of stuff? Dude, your life's literally in danger. You are the actual target. But it doesn't affect you at all, huh." He added.
With all Gab's words that hit my ears, all I can say about it is, "I'm... sorry."
"Why are you saying sorry —"
"You're blaming me, right," I said, turning his gaze to his side out of frustration. Then he turned his sight back at me and said, "I'm not blaming you —"
"Yes, you are. That's what you are pointing at right now. I'm not dumb to not notice. You want me to blame myself because the real problem is on me, but Reign's accidentally involved?" Now I'm also in a rage."
"N-no." Gab utterly said.
"No? Oh, maybe you want me to pity myself? Or do you want me to be scared because someone's attempting to kill me?" I said almost loud enough to draw every people's attention to our spot.
"Phil —"
"You know what? This conversation is over. Talk to me when you're in a moral condition. Talk to me like the Gab I knew."
Gab stood rooted on his spot as I headed out of the café. I even heard him punch our table out of frustration. I couldn't talk to people like that, but somehow, Gab's words suddenly hit me. Why was I not that affected by what happened the last day? It seemed like I was much influenced by Reign's condition. My life was literally in danger, but I was here wandering around. Meeting a friend. After a minute of realization, a scene from my dreams on Hardovia suddenly appeared in my thinking. That dream was when two armed guys tried to catch or kill me. That dream where I thought I'll die because of a slave master and that dream where I thought I would be bought by a lethal woman in an auction. Many life-threatening scenes happened in my dreams, and I was hysterical. What about here? Why do I feel like I was already used to life-or-death situations? This was the actual world. A world that can make me dead for sure.
My phone suddenly rang. It was my father, so I didn't hesitate to accept the call.
"Philip. Come over to the house. Right now." The call ended. Those words were the words that were only to be told when an emergency occurred.
I rushed back to our house for the said emergency. My eyes dilated at what I saw on the far street. A man was arrested on the spot. They forced him to get inside the police car, and his parents wept and begged the cops to let their son go. It was Adrian. My moment of surprise was cut by the ringing of my smartphone. I picked it up, and a deafening voice echoed in my ears.
"Philip! Where you. What makes you so long," yelled dad.
"I... I'm-I'm on the way, dad." I wobbly said, and I dropped the call.
I rushed much faster, and a police vehicle parked in front of our house drew my attention. I ignored it for a while to get to dad. As I entered, dad was with a cop. Dad went to my position with his face crippled by his anger.
"Why didn't you tell me."
I couldn't say a single word to respond to dad's rage.
"We can't afford to lose you." Dad surprisingly said — calmly and grasped at my shoulders.
"Dad. Why is Adrian held and captured by the cops?"
"Adrian is the primary suspect for attempting to poison you," said dad sternly.
"But Dad, we're not sure. A scratch in his car, you let him turn murderous."
"Sadly, yes. Adrian turned murderous. That's the result of your carelessness."
"Adrian wouldn't do such a thing, dad."
I never really knew Adrian well, but I know he was a good friend to Jane, and I doubt he could do such a thing.
"We have evidence." The cop interfered with my and my dad's conversation. "Your father went to the school to help with the investigation. He said you and the suspect had a minor commotion, and the school confirmed that. Such little misunderstanding somehow leads to a deadly situation — just like in your case." He added to explain.
"But how can you prove that he is the suspect?" I argued.
"We have CCTV footage of the scene. Before and after, your food is in your friend's hands."
The cops went, held his laptop, and showed me the video. In the video, Adrian approaches Reign at the cafeteria counter, and they have a conversation. Reign went back to Adrian's back while Adrian was now on the counter. Adrian received two trays of food and gave the other to Reign. They both slowly walked away from the counter, but Adrian halted and diverted its direction to the far side of the island counter, and his arms movement showed that he had put down the tray. Adrian's body blocked the back view, so the video couldn't reveal Adrian's food. Not so long when Reign noticed Adrian wasn't following her, so she turned to her back and then saw Adrian moving fast to her spot. Reign continued walking until she reached our usual site. After they put down the tray, Adrian signed goodbye to Reign, and he left quickly. A lady approached Reign not so long after Adrian left. It was Jane. Reign surprisingly left the table for something, and now Jane was alone. Like Adrian, Jane's back was the only visible view from the camera. She got something from his bag, and based on her arm movement — she let it out near the food. She then returned it to her back when Reign arrived at the table. Jane suddenly left Reign after a brief chat, and then Gab came. Like he told me at the hospital, he attempted to eat the food on my tray — which was the other tray. Gab left for Reign to order food, and I arrived at the scene shortly after Gab returned to our place.
"Wait, you said Adrian is the primary suspect. It means there are other suspects." I said after the footage ended.
"Yes, apparently, your friend Jane is under our investigation and home quarantine, and we are also ordered to put your friend Gab under investigation. They're the people you mostly spend time with, so it's reasonable to suspect them." responded the police.
"But they are my friends. I trust them."
"I have a tip for you, Philip. The people who you trusted the most are the people who'll hurt you the most."
"What about the kitchen staff? Aren't they suspect?"
"Yes, they are, but... kitchen staff have cleared their names already. No suspicious acts on their side. However, the remaining suspects have... that might be when they put the said poison." The police explained.
I couldn't believe it. Okay, maybe I could accept that Adrian might be the suspect, but Jane — no. I couldn't even think of her as the suspect. After what I heard, I asked permission from my dad to go to my room. My thinking was in chaos. From all that happened today, I felt like I was going to get crazy. There was so much going on here and even in my dreams. What is happening to me? I now even wish that all these problems were just part of a dream. Gab and Jane were also involved, so I became worried about them. The cop's words suddenly passed on my thinking. It was similar to what Henddyn told me in my last dream. After deep thinking, I didn't notice that I'd fallen asleep.