When I could finally open my eyes, I was surrounded by darkness and underneath my feet felt like water. Where am I?
"Hello?" I shouted out into the darkness, slowly walking around aimlessly as I continued to call out.
Suddenly the water underneath me vanished and I was falling down into more darkness. I try to grab onto something- anything but there was nothing but emptiness. I continued falling and falling until my surroundings turned bright.
Unable to keep my eyes open, I shut my eyes tightly, shielding myself from the light before I felt something underneath me. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see a strange yet familiar surrounding. I looked down to see that I was wearing a blue sweater and jeans. Looking around more, I noticed that I was in a bus filled with a decent amount of people. Not too many nor little.
I heard a loud buzz coming from my pocket. Taking it out, I unlocked my phone to see a text from my mother.
"Where are you?" she texted.
Texting back, I replied, "On my way back home. Will be back in 10 minutes."
She quickly responded back, "Alright, I made your favorite dish. Be careful."
Smiling at the text, I left the app and clicked on another. The book I was reading came up and I lazily scrolled through it, finishing up the last few chapters of the book.
'Something feels off...' I thought to myself as I finished the last bit of words.
"Lilyana Kimberleye..a character who deserved better..." I softly mumbled to myself before freezing up.
"Lilyana....Kimberleye..?" the name rolled off my tongue perfectly and easily as if...I was her.
The bus suddenly started shaking vigorously causing me to snap out of my trance, looking out of the bus window to see what was happening. The bus wheels were going out of control and the driver was trying his best to control it.
I could hear screams and panic voices all around me as we continued to sway dangerously until the bus was out of control. The bus flipped over and crushed everyone who were in it. Including me.
The saying where your life flashes by your eyes just before you die? It happened to me as I instantly died by the impact.
As I now stand outside the bus, watching police and ambulances coming, trying their best to save the people in the bus that were barely holding on to their lives desperately. It finally clicked in my mind.
"I died..." I whispered to myself as I watched everything unfold in front of my eyes. I could feel my vision turning blurry as tears slowly flowed out. I fell onto my knees as I cried but nobody could hear my cries.
After all, I was dead in this world. And alone.
'No I don't want to be alone...' tears continued streaming down my face as I sobbed.
"yana..."
'Please..I don't want to be alone..' I gripped my head, covering my ears tightly, afraid of this loneliness.
"Lily...ana.."
I could hear voices speaking. I look up to the sky, hearing the voices coming from upwards. Slowly, I removed my hands from my ears, trying to listen to hear what they were saying.
"ana..."
Who's that? Who are you calling?
"Lily..."
Lily? Who's Lily? My name isn't Lily. It's-
My eyes widened as everything clicked in my head. The world around me slowly froze, turning into a blur as I stopped crying. The ground started shaking before it tore into half, letting me fall once again.
"Lilyana!" the voice rang loudly as I felt the world swallowing me up.
Yes. I'm now Lilyana Kimberleye. I died in my real world. I didn't want to die. I want to live.
"Lilyana! Lilyana!" I could hear the voices shouting for me.
Even if it meant to another world.
I reached my hand out to the voices before the darkness engulfs my body. Opening my eyes, I gasped out. Looking around, I was back in my room, back in the world I now live in.
"Lilyana!!" I hear everyone screaming as I finally regained consciousness.
I turned to the side and weakly smiled at them, "Did I worry you all?"
Catherine's eyes watered up before bursting into tears as she cried into my arms. I lightly stroked her hair, letting her cry. I turned to the other three and asked, "How many days have I been asleep?"
Ralph shakily lifted three fingers, lips quivering as he tried not to show his emotions but it was shown all over his face. I lightly laughed, "If you want to cry, you can. Nobody here will judge."
"I'm not going to cry...!" he weakly answered but after a few seconds, tears slipped out of his eyes.
Blaive slowly walked up to me before softly caressing my hair. "Don't do that ever again." he warned but I know he meant well.
I nodded, "Okay."
Catherine continued crying in my arms until she finally calmed down and fell asleep. I looked at her with guilty eyes. She must have stayed here this whole time, not sleeping well enough. I could see dark circles under her eyes. Blaive slowly lifted her up, carrying out of the room, Ralph tailing behind him.
"We'll leave you two alone." Blaive said as Ralph slowly shut the door after him, waving goodbye to me.
"Rest well Lilyana..." Ralph muttered, tears stinging his eyes. He looked like a sad kicked puppy.
It was now Phillip and I alone in my room. I glanced over at him, he hasn't said anything since I gained consciousness.
"...When you started coughing out blood," Phillip started speaking, his voice visibly shaking, trying his best to be calm.
"I was so scared and you didn't wake up for three days. Do you know how worried I was!?"
He ran his fingers through his hair, finally gazing down at me. His eyes showed sadness and pain in them. Eyebags noticeably visible, "What if you never woke up? What if you died Lily? What do I do if...."
I tugged on his sleeve, "A crown prince shouldn't be thinking about those types of things."
He bit on his bottom lip, "But-" I squeezed his hand tightly- "I won't die. That I promise."
Phillip wrapped his arms around me tightly, "Good. You better not or else I will personally drag you back."
I laughed, wrapping my arms around him as well, "We'll see about that."
We stayed in that position for a long time until Phillip moved away. "Sorry.." he awkwardly said, looking away from me as his cheeks started heating up.
I silently giggled at the unusual sight. Phillip cleared his throat before looking back at me but not even a minute had passed, he once again looked away.
I laughed wanting to tease him just a bit, "Is the crown prince feeling shy out of sudden?"
"S-shut up."
"Pretty boy's shy now~" I said in a teasing tone making him glare at me.
"Enough with your teasing!"
"Okay okay."
He regained his composure and spoke again, "Lily,"
"What is it?"
"The healers that healed you noticed you had a strong poison in your system. Did you eat something with poison?" he asked as he sat down on the side of my bed.
I thought about it before remembering something, my head turned to him so fast I nearly cracked my neck, "I ate a cookie that was given by Miss Pratt! That was the only thing I ate the whole day before I ate dinner."
"A cookie?" he asked.
I nodded, "Yes, she gave me some as an apology for what happened at the garden but I was suspicious of her so I only tried one before throwing the rest away."
I paused before sighing at my carelessness, "I shouldn't have thrown it. It could have been evidence for it."
Phillip nodded, "Indeed."
"If you only ate one cookie, that would mean she already guessed you would be cautious about it and only try one so she must have used a strong poison in each cookie."
I sighed, brushing my hair back, "That's messed up."
He nodded, placing his hand on top of mine as he lightly squeezed it, "But at least you're safe now."
Looking down at his hand which was on mine, I felt my cheeks heating up out of sudden. Retracting my hand quickly, I cleared my throat. "If-if that is all, I would like to rest up more."
Phillip lightly chuckled, getting up from my bed, "Alright, I'll check on you again later. The dorm lady allowed me to come over to take care of you."
Lightly caressing my hair, following the flow of my hair and picking up few strands of my hair, he kissed it before warmly smiling at me. "Rest well, Lilyana."
Closing the door behind him, silence filled my room. My cheeks grew hotter by the second as I recall what he had just done. I groaned into my pillow as I realised something different.
I used to be fine whenever he did those kinds of things yet now it was different. My mind was now more aware of the things he was doing and I couldn't help but react. Maybe it was because I realised his feelings towards me and how he nearly confessed to me.
"Ah don't think about it!!" I slapped my cheeks with a lot of strength causing my cheeks to turn red but I could care less about that.
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Author's note: extra update because tomorrow i might be busy!!