☆20. fever
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[ACT. 2]
« Some dark things sleeps in me, i'm terrified »
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THE PROTAGONIST CAME DOWN from his back and stood in front of him. She squinted, searching for his gaze, which was hidden under his cap. She was feeling many things at once.
"Are you serious?"
Despite the pain, she remained motionless, her eyes locked on the boy who nodded gently.
"That was before, don't worry! That was... Before."
He panicked at seeing her so embarrassed.
"How?"
That was all she could reply, and the ghost stared at her, frowning. "I mean— Look at me, why?"
Previously confused, he laughed out loud, finally understanding what she was trying to explain.
Her face was neutral, frozen, but inside, it was like an explosion.
"I don't know."
He seemed to be thinking, "I thought you were cool, I loved your hair color, your clothes, your attitude... You didn't care about the others and you knew what to say when people teased you."
The teen felt her heart leap; she thought he was making fun of her. Hair, clothes, attitude.
These were the things that earned her criticism and mockery. Could she really please anyone?
"They thought you were weird, I thought you were cool and... Pretty. Very pretty."
Nana instinctively lowered her eyes, never having thought that anyone would ever compliment her so much, or in general, that anyone would have a crush on her.
She wasn't confident enough to believe him and sighed. Even if he was serious, she couldn't help feeling uneasy.
The young man removed his cap and lowered himself to her level.
"Is it that surprising to know that someone fell for you?"
"Especially you."
In her endless thoughts, the heroine hadn't even noticed that Sunghoon had sneaked up on her.
Nana tensed as she felt the boy's warm hands grasp hers. Although it's always embarrassing to admit one's feelings, the ghost was no longer afraid. It was too late anyway.
That's why he no longer wanted to hold back and create more regrets.
Nana's eyes sparkled as her friend placed his hand on her cheek and scrutinized her with a smile.
"I never dared talk to you, it frustrates me so much. One of my biggest regrets."
In a flash, his face was slowly coming closer. It was as if he had lost control, as if a strong feeling were guiding him.
The protagonist felt his breath against her skin and remained dumbfounded.
How could they have ended up in this situation? What was Sunghoon about to do?
The teen squinted, he was about to kiss her. She also lost control and gently closed her eyes as she felt Sunghoon's lips lightly brush her mouth.
"Shit... I'm totally fucked up. I'm so sorry."
The ghost stopped and let out a nervous laugh before stepping back. "Almost made a mistake."
The girl blinked several times, realizing they'd dodged a catastrophe and an even more embarrassing situation.
"It's okay."
She coughed and shook her hand to get rid of the heat that enveloped her face.
Nana was a little bewildered, and without saying anything more, set off in the direction of the school. Sunghoon followed close behind without flinching.
They've finally arrived in front of the school and during the walk, Nana had said very few words.
The black-haired man looked at her out of the corner of his eye and inwardly slapped himself. Even after several seconds, she still didn't speak.
"...You don't have to take me any further, you can go home."
His voice broke the silence.
"Oh. Sure."
"Thanks again for everything and sorry for..."
"It's okay."
She smiled at him, "See you tomorrow."
"But—"
He didn't even finish and just watched her turn around and walk away.
His hand itched, and the moment he tried to catch up with her, he felt all his humanity leave. He was dead again, the ritual was over.
As soon as she got home, the pain back had caught up with her and the headache wasn't helping; She closed the bedroom door and removed the towel from her hair.
Even after a hot shower and a good meal, the young woman still felt a strong pressure in her head. It was as if a violent fever was slowly taking hold of her.
She lay back on her bed and placed a hand on her burning forehead. Then she closed her eyes, hoping the pain would subside, but it was even worse.
Just as sleep was about to soothe her, Nana felt a strange new sensation: that of being watched.
The protagonist tried to ignore this disturbing impression, but it was persistent and terrifying.
Her brain forced her to open her eyes to see if she was in danger or not, but fear took over.
"Sunghoon..."
She had unconsciously whispered, which startled her.
Nana thought of him because whenever she was afraid, he was there.
Her eyes opened wide and her mother appeared in her field of vision, looking worried.
"Are you all right, Nana?"
She settled down on the bed.
The girl breathed, reassured to know that it was only her mother. Strangely, she was convinced that what had been watching her for a while was nothing normal, nothing human.
"You're burning! Do you have a fever?"
"Um... Probably."
Mrs. Suzuki rolled her eyes and hurried to the kitchen, where she retrieved several medicines.
Once alone in her room, Nana seemed hallucinated. One more time, she had the sensation of being watched by someone, or something. There was no one there, so why?
Tiredness blurred her vision and she seemed to catch a glimpse of a thick black shadow, which disappeared as soon as her mother returned to the room.
Was she in a nightmare? Nana rubbed her eyes and trembled with fear. She thought the fever was making her see things.
"Mom..."
"Here."
She handed over a glass of water and some meds.
The heroine ignored what she saw and took the medicine without hesitation. Then she slumped onto her bed and waited for sleep and healing.
Her mother was still there, very worried, and looked at her insistently. So much so that Nana noticed and questioned her with her eyes.
"If there's anything you want to talk to me about Nadeshiko, just know that I'm here."
"Everything's okay, don't worry."
"I just say that. I feel like something's wrong, you've been very... Different lately."
The protagonist was surprised at first and then straightened up. Mrs. Suzuki sighed deeply and took her hand.
Was it that obvious? Her life had been turned upside down for a while and she couldn't talk to anyone fully about it.
Only Rachel knew what she was going through, and even then, she only knew a small part of the truth.
Should she be a little more cautious but risk her health even more or start talking to people she trusts?
It was complicated, especially since she knew that no one would believe her entire story.
"I swear, I'm fine. I'm just exhausted from school."
Nana decided to choose the first option, in order to protect Sunghoon till the end.
Her mother smiled, a little more reassured, and began to get out of bed. Just as she was about to leave, her daughter intercepted her.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
Mrs. Suzuki waited and crossed her arms when she saw that her daughter still wasn't speaking. In fact, she was hesitating.
The protagonist observed at her wound, which she had previously treated with a bandage then looked at her mother again.
"Do you believe in black magic?"
The question was surprising, but Mrs Suzuki didn't play hard to get, and decided to answer it as seriously as she could.
"Hm... I'm not sure. I don't really believe in it, but I'm still afraid of this. I think it's something you shouldn't play with."
The young woman bit her lip; her mother was right. We shouldn't be played with, and yet that's what she had done.
She had entered a whole new world and would soon pay the consequences.
a/n : don't you think nana forgot an important step in the ritual?🤔🤔🤔