A/n

The first part of this mini project. Hope you enjoy! Have a nice day.

August 3rd, 12:17 P.M.

The park near my house is always so clean. The pristine fountains, the lush greenery, even the people in it. It all puts me at ease. I'm at the park right now. Right here, in the center of the park, sitting on the swings with my best friend. It's really hot out, almost unbearably so. But it doesn't matter. It's summer after all, and heat's to be expected.

I open my phone and see I have no new messages. No one's texted me since this morning, and the person who texted me is right beside me, sitting on the swing adjacent to me, her pet cat, Orchid, resting in her lap.

I close my phone and look to my left. My friend Hiyori is there, quietly checking her own phone. Her black hair shines in the sun, and compliments her pink dress. Hiyori and I have been best friends ever since we were little kids. We're in the same high school and in our second year, even though we're twelve. The reason we're in high school is because we skipped a few grades. The work can be hard, but that's why the two of us study together.

"So Hiyori, how's your summer been so far?" I ask, trying to break the awkward silence.

She closes her phone and looks up at me. "It's been fine, I guess," she says, stroking her cat.

"Only fine? Is something bothering you?" I ask. Is she alright?

She looks up at the sky. "Well, I guess that I sort of hate summer," Hiyori says with melancholy.

"Why's that? Summer's the only time of the year we don't have to worry about all the homework, all of the projects, or that annoying history teacher," I say, smiling.

She blinks, and then smiles at me. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she says, a little smile at her lips. All of a sudden, Hiyori's cat springs out of her lap and runs off.

"Orchid, come back!" She shouts, chasing after her cat.

We should probably get her cat before it gets hit by a car or something. I'd hate to see Hiyori cry. She can be really sensitive. I chase after Hiyori, who's chased her cat to the park exit. Her cat dashes across the street. Hiyori follows behind it and is halfway across the street when I see the truck. The truck flies down the street, and before I react, I hear Hiyori scream.

I'm covered with blood as the truck hits her, and I see Hiyori fly up in the air and fall to the ground with a thud. The smell of her blood makes me gag, and my knees fail, causing me to crumple to the ground. My vision begins to grow hazy. Across the street, I see a person. A person dressed in all black. He looks just like me, only all of his clothes are black. He gives me a condescending smile.

"This is all real!" He shouts, smiling at me. My vision blurs completely, and I pass out in the heat.

There's a wall full of clocks, all their hands spinning. One abruptly stops. The person in black brushes his hand over it, and it is covered in blood.

"Let's see how you do the second time."

I wake up, hearing the sound of a cricket. I'm in my room at my house. Glancing at the clock, I can see it reads 12:05. I guess I just had a nightmare. It's weird, but it seemed so lifelike. Well, no use worrying about it now. I'm still tired. I'll sleep a while longer…

8:13 A.M.

I sit up and stretch. That snooze was just what I needed. I'm hungry now, so I'll go grab something to eat.

I get out of bed and throw on a white shirt, black pants, and my blue hoodie. Then I walk downstairs to the kitchen. Nobody in my house will even be up, so I don't have to worry about anyone disturbing me while I eat. I reach in the fridge and grab the jar of strawberry jam. I then proceed to grab the bread out of the pantry. Taking a knife, I spread the jam onto the bread and indulge myself in the taste of the delicious jam. After I finish eating, I flick open my phone.

One new message from: Hiyori

I open the message.

Hey Hibiya! Can you meet me in the park around 12:00? It'd be fun!

I send a reply message saying "yes", and then close my phone.

I look out the window. It looks like it's going to be another scorching day. I've been meeting Hiyori almost every day this summer. I've known Hiyori for a long, long time. That's why we hang out together. The way we met was a little unusual. How could I ever forget it? It's as though it happened yesterday…

December 4th, 2006.

I'm waiting patiently for the city bus to come, watching the snow as it falls steadily everywhere. My elementary school doesn't have city funded busing, so I have to take the public bus instead. The bus pulls into the station, and as I board, I see a girl wearing the same red and blue school blazer that I'm wearing. I guess she goes to the same school as me.

When I step on the bus, I give the driver my money, and start looking for a seat. I find one towards the front, and sit down. Just as I begin to get comfortable, I notice some commotion towards the front of the bus.

"Listen little girl, I'm sorry, but I can't let you ride without the fare. It's regulation," the man says.

"But, but how am I going to get home?" The girl asks. She looks like she's about to cry… It's probably a really long walk to wherever she lives. Plus, it is snowing…

Before I know it, I find myself in the front of the bus.

"I'll pay for her," I say, handing the driver the proper fare. He looks at the money I handed him, nods, and starts up the bus.

I return to my seat, thinking about what I just did. Why was I compelled to do that?

"Hello? Is it okay if I sit here?"

I turn to see the girl looking standing in the bus aisle. Well, there's probably nowhere else left to sit…

"Sure. Go right ahead," I say, moving my bag.

She takes the seat next to mine. We ride in silence.

"Thank you so much for what you did for me just then. It was really nice of you. I haven't formally introduced myself. My name's Hiyori." Hiyori says, smiling at me.

"Oh, it was no problem. My name's Hibiya. It's a pleasure to meet you too." I reply.

"I guess we both go to the same school," she says.

"I suppose so. We do have the same blazer after all. We just never bumped into each other before." I say.

The two of us talk to each other for the rest of the bus ride. A few minutes later, the bus comes to a halt. I stand up.

"This is my stop." I say.

"Mine too." She replies.

"Do you want me to walk home with you?" I ask.

"Sure, that'd be nice." She says.

So I walked home with her that day. And after that day, I walked home with her almost every day I could. It turned out that she only lived a few blocks away from me. We hung out at school, took the bus together, and became really close friends. Sure, people teased us, but it was the sort of childish teasing you could brush off. We shrugged all the teasing off, and eventually, it all stopped. It all had started seven years ago, and now, the two of us are twelve. Our friendship is so close, I could never imagine anything bad ever happening to her.

That's why I'm really confused about the dream I had. Why would I dream about my best friend dying? I don't hate her. She's the best friend I have in the world. Why would I think of such a horrible thing like her dying? It makes absolutely no sense…

Never mind the dream though. I should get going. Hiyori might scold me if I'm too late. It's already 12:10, and it'll take me ten minutes to get to the park.