~A female stands facing the wall. Water is dripping down her bare back. Every drop that hits her wounds only adds to their pain. Her breath is heavy and her heartbeat's fast --- TIME'S UP!~
"Hmmm...hmmmm..hmm" I pant, tightly gripping my throat. Breathe! Breathe! I command myself forcing the air into my lungs. It was a dream....nothing more.
But where am I? I look about the room, "Kris?" I call his name walking over to the window. The scene isn't one I know, we must still be in Africa, "Kris?"
"No, it's me." Ted comes in and I look around once more. Aren't we still in the hotel? "You're in my room. Want some coffee?" He asks pressing the espresso machine.
Why am I? My eyes frantically search the place- "He's not here." Ted says turning it off, "I didn't want to start from the morning, but what exactly happened?"
What happened?
'We came to warn you.' 'Usually the setting doesn't change.' 'Has anything weird happened?' 'We've been having constant visions of fatal accidents involving both of you.' 'Stay away from me!' 'What do you suggest we do?' 'Death surrounds you...and him.' 'As long as we're together either you or I die!' 'Why should I trust you?' 'Get out!'
"I....I.." I look at him going over the thoughts in my mind, "I don't know." I sit on the floor grasping my head, "I'm so confused."
"It's okay, shhh." He crouches down patting my back, "There....relax." He gently strokes my cheek and my breath stabilizes. "Why don't you go take a bath, hmm?" He lifts my chin and smiles gently, "Go on, I'll get breakfast."
Ted's (POV)
"Yeah she's awake, she's in the shower now. Listen Mia, take things slow. Don't scare her so much, she's confused enough already."
David's (POV)
'Why should I trust you? When have you told me the truth?'
'All the time!'
Stop thinking about it......Stop! You're not at fault here David, you're not! You've done absolutely nothing wrong. But why do you feel so miserable?
I place my forehead against the wall and let the water run over my body.......
........why?
"Here, this is yours." Ted places the breakfast tray on the table, "eat up. You'll feel better."
I give him a half smile and open the lid. There are eggs, a toast, jam, orange juice and........a blueberry muffin-
I didn't know what you'd eat,
And I don't like wasting money,
So I asked your friend Diane what you like.
You better eat this
A memory from my time in Italy rushes through my mind. "I'm not hungry." I say shutting the lid, "Where's Mia? I need to talk to her." My expression is determined as I ask him, but he doesn't reply. He just stares at me with his concerned eyes and I hear the clicking sound of heels.
"I'm here."
"Mia wait." Ted stops her and starts speaking in Chinese. What are they saying? Both of them are immersed in their own talk, which seems to get intense, forgetting that I'm even there.
"Could someone tell me, what is going on?" I burst, unable to bare the ignorance any longer, "Please..." I beg them with my eyes and drop my exhausted body on the bed.
"Listen," Mia shakes of Ted's hand and looks at me with sorrowful eyes. Although her posture is confident her expression looks like she could break any minute, "After your discharge from the hospital, my mother and I've had continuous visions involving you and Kris. And in each of them...one of you died."
"Great! So we're destined to die?" I ask in annoyance.
"You see the thing is, it was one of you. You would always appear together at the start of them, but by the end of each one........either you or Kris ended up dead." She explains and I look at her with a confused expression, "IN THE VISIONS YOU DIED, BECAUSE..." She rephrases her words for me to understand, "....BECAUSE YOU WERE TOGETHER..." Her voice shakes and I clasp my head, breathing heavily.
"I don't understand! .....didn't you say that we had to be close? That we had to be together! Why are you saying something else now?" I yell in rage, this is bullshit! I could comprehend the whole 'there are gifted people' and them seeing future, but this! I just don't get it.
"Some things are beyond our understanding. We just have to believe in them. Try to understand David."
Believe? Believe what exactly? "NO! Why? Why is this happening to us? Why can't we be just like everyone else-"
"You think you're the only one with whom this is happening?" She interrupts, "Millions of people are going through the same or even worse fates......they just have no one to warn them." She looks at me with red eyes and clenched fists, as if fighting through something and then it hits me!
So......all the accidental issues in the world aren't exactly accidents. There's a reason behind everything. But if there's a reason..............then there's a way out, and.....I am privileged with that 'way out' because of Mia. Why have I been getting angry with her all the time? It's not like she plans my fate, she just tells me what she sees.
I'm sorry Mia, I apologize to her with my eyes.
"It'll be okay David." She envelopes me in a hug, "Life can be a b*tch.-"
"I just gotta fight through it." I complete her sentence and smile. I think I understand now. This is better than death.
"So where's your mother?" I ask Ted on our way to the reception. "She said she has some business here, so we'll be leaving without her."
He replies and turns to the receptionist asking something.
What about my luggage? It's still in Kris's room. I don't care if he doesn't want to see me, I should get my stuff back.
"He already checked-out, early morning." Ted tells me looking kindly into my face.
Already......
"That's alright," I smile, "I'll just get it next time. Come on! We've got a plane to catch." I push him and take off running, gaining a head start, "Last one there's a grandpa's rotten fart!"
Jae's (POV)
This woman should be around here. I've seen her yesterday, where did she go?
"It's not easy." A loud rough voice breaks through behind me, "Your friend's path is hard." The woman with different colored eyes, whom I've been looking for speaks. "You already know that." She comes closer to me, "Don't you? Hahahaha!" She strangely laughs. "But you don't know everything."
David's (POV)
"This lobster is for me?" I ask the air hostess in disbelief, "For free?"
"Of course. Enjoy." She bright fully smiles and walks back to her post. Woah! When do they give out free seafood? I guess that's the privilege of flying first class.
"So, grandpa's rotten fart." Ted addresses me.
"I didn't know you could run that fast!" I exclaim, "If I knew I'd be losing, I'd make it something like; last one's a beauty queen."
"Wake me up when we'll land." He says getting in a comfy position and closing his eyes, "Oh and grandpa fart! Get some rest too."
Hmmm...I don't why you were there last night Ted. But I'm glad you were, my sun.
Rachel's (POV)
....about Kris Jones and perhaps girlfriend? Is he really dating his assistant? Are those images fake? All your questions will soon be answered. This has been Kristen Halley.
Thank you Kristen! And now back to the main news. Police are on a hot trail of The Code....
"I thought that case was over."
"Me too. Anyway, you still haven't found anything?" I ask Clive who bows his head apologetically.
"The hospital has no record either. Forgive me."
"That's okay. Try your best please."
"Of course Ma'am." He bows once more, "Pardon my asking, but why is it so important to know about her? She doesn't work with us anymore and her loan was repaid."
"I have to know even a little about the person if I'm to entrust her."
David's (POV)
"Slept well huh?" I ask Ted as we leave the airport.
"Yeah! I'm guessing you did too. You even snored." He teases.
"I do not snore!" I retort, at least not all the time.
"I was joking." He laughs, "You could stay at our house. You can use the guest room or Mia's, since she's not here."
I look at my phone in hope for a message or a call.
"I think I'll go back to my apartment. The rent's still on, it's a shame not to use it." I tell him and he stops a taxi for me.
"Thank you. Goodnight Ted!" I wave at him and roll up the window as the taxi drives off. Suddenly loneliness overcomes me. I don't like this feeling. I look at the empty seat on my left and remember-
~"You!" Kris calls me, "You're going to break the glass. Don't lean so much on the window."
I hear him but decide to ignore, Kris just let me enjoy this. "Hey!" He yanks my shoulder making me sit properly, "I'm talking to-"
"Ohhh! Look at that!" I exclaim and lean over him, looking through his window. "Look at that! And that! Kris look!" I grab his face and turn it towards the scene.~
I don't like this feeling....
"Mr. Jones!", "Mr. Yi Fan please, could we have a minute.", " There are rumors saying you're dating your assistant, is that true?" One of the many reporters gathered outside TBS asks. I'm monitoring the whole situation through the second floor window.
"What?" All it takes is one word from him to set them all in silence, "Dating my assistant?" He looks angrily at the reporter who stated the question, and the reporter swallows hard looking flustered in return. "How dare you insult me? Don't you have any shame, to compare me to trash? I don't mingle with common garbage. Rumors are rumors. If I hear one more nonsense question from anyone," he addresses the entire press, "It'll be your last." And they all immediately clear a path for him.
Ouch Kris! Why do you always hurt me?
"I'm coming. I'm coming." I say rushing with the files into his office.
"What took you so long? Do I have to wait for you all the time?" He yells angrily, grabbing the files from my hand.
"It's only been a minute."
"I don't care! When I want something, you get it immediately. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
"....yes.." I tell him and walk back to my desk.
He hasn't said a single word to me until now. He's acting like the Kris I knew when I first started working here, a selfish tyrant.
"You have a meeting on the 25 floor, regarding the casino construction." I tell him as we get inside the elevator. "Mr. Harrison can't be there due to his sickness. But he's arranged a Skype call." I inform him but he just stands there silently like a statue.
"How long are you gonna act this way?" I shout looking at him, who doesn't even give me a side glance, "Even if we're not dating anymore, you shouldn't act like you don't know me!" I push his arm and our elevator comes to a sudden stop.
What happened?
Kris starts pressing the open doors button and I look up at the numbers. Floor 27. We're not at our floor.......so we're..............stuck?
"Hello?" He addresses the camera, pressing the emergency call.
"AAAAHH!" We both scream as the lift drops a floor and stops again. He quickly gets out his phone and calls the security. "Yes the elevator's stuck! I don't care how, get me out of here!" Shoving his phone in his pocket he turns to me.
"This is your fault! Gained so much weight, even the elevator can't carry you. I told you not to eat so much!" He refers to two days ago, when I ate all that food in Uganda.
"My fault?" I ask in shock, "This is all your fault! What kind of company has 48 floors but an elevator that goes up to 40? With such bad functioning, sooner or later someone was bound to get stuck here."
"Our elevators work properly, always have." He looks off to the side and the lights start blinking as we drop another floor.
"You mean..." I specify, catching my balance, "you lied to me?" I remember all the times I took the lift up to floor 40 and then went by stairs.
"Oh! Not as much as you did to me!" He states offendedly and I look at him with a puzzled expression, "I READ MINDS DAVID!" He yells, "I know it's not Diane or a shop that keeps calling you. Just tell me," he heaves a sigh and lowers his voice, "Why does the hospital keep on calling?"
What? He...he... I glare, coming closer to him. "I've told you a million times not to read my thoughts haven't I?" I yell in rage and bite my lower lip, "What's my business is mine! YOU STAY OUT OF IT!"
"How can we be together if WE DON'T HAVE TRUST?"
"You know what Kris? We can't be together......and I am so glad."
Just as I say that a metal bar is pierced through the doors, opening them wide. "Are you alright?" One of the firemen asks helping me out, "yeah." I tell him and glance back at Kris, "better than ever!"
Third person (POV)
A young man in his early twenties watches David leave the building and run down the road. A sly smile spreads across his face and his deep voice rings out, "There you are..."
David's (POV)
Where am I running to? I don't know, just as far away as possible from him, from my problems. Run David, don't stop. Keep running, don't stop! Don't stop! DONT STOP! I tell myself but my legs do the opposite. They're too tired to go on, I'm too tired-
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" I scream letting out my frustration, and get out my phone. I don't want to be alone right now.
Diane and Alex are at work and Mia isn't here. Ted pickup, please. "The number you have dialed has been switched-"
"Ughhhh!!!" I close the line and tilt my head back viewing the sky. There's one more place, please be there.
Rachel's (POV)
"What is it?" I ask the butler.
"Miss David, is here." He bows.
Did I hear right? "David? Let her in."
David's (POV)
The butler takes me to the living room which smells like toasted bread. There's a fireplace and next to it sits Rachel. As I see her warm smile, my body slumps to the floor from exhaustion.
Rachel's (POV)
Oh my! I rush and touch her face, it's all pale. Her body's freezing and her clothes are wet. "Have you been running in the cold in that?" I ask looking at her office wear. A simple black skirt and a white shirt. Doesn't even have a jacket on.
"Get some clean clothes and a towel." I tell the maid who rushes right away. "Come now." I softly place my arms around her shivering body and help her up, "Easy, that's it." I sit her by the fireplace.
"Don't go." She grabs my hand as I head to get some tea. Although, her voice is clear and strong her expression is hurt and her eyes that are desperately trying to hide the pain are red.
I sit next to her and she falls into my arms like a child. Her breath is heavy and I can feel her rapid heartbeat, "Shhhh..." I pat her head and slightly rock back and forth as if calming a newborn baby. "Shhhhhh..."
"Have you ever regretted something so much, it made you wanna disappear?" She asks in a shaky voice, still gently enveloped in my arms.
"I'd like to say, I've lived my life without regrets, but that would be a lie." I joke about and she slightly laughs. "I regret a lot of things. I regret losing my granddaughter. I regret not being there with my daughter when our house burned down. I regret not having even a single photo to remember them by. But I'll give you a good advice from personal experience, you could either sit and regret your whole like I did, or you could go and do something. David? David?" She's asleep.
"Shall I prepare the bed?" The maid whispers and I nod in return. Poor child.....what have you gone through?