Chapter 6:

Riley stood in House 1's library; where she had been about to pick up a book until she'd suddenly found herself in a corridor, looking at a sandy-haired boy. Her heart had felt a slight, inexplicable squeeze at the sight of him, and then the vision had vanished abruptly, like turning off the tap on fast-running water.

That was two visions in less than 24 hours. Even when she was high, Riley never experienced such vivid hallucinations.

Grabbing whatever book she could find, she sank into a leather armchair, swinging her legs onto an ottoman. The book was one of mythology, and the first page she turned to was a chapter on the Phoenix.

Something about this mystical creature attracted her, and she'd finished the story by the time her Housemates had returned, much to her own surprise.

"Hey, how's it going?" A girl slid onto the couch left of her, peering at the cover sideways. "Oooh, mythology. I love it." The girl widened her eyes and flashed a smile that would dazzle anyone within a five-mile radius.

Riley closed her book and set it on the coffee table besides her. "Hey Daniela, how are you?"

Daniela Velasquez was one of the richer girls at House 1. Right away she'd seemed to cling on to Riley, noticing how musically talented and mellow she was. Some students gossiped that it was because Daniela's family had bought her an acceptance to the Board, so she tried to hang out with the smart kids to give off a certain appearance. Still, she was nice to Riley…

The girl looked at her smart phone, then back at Riley as if remembering that she existed. "Oh! My day was good. Oh my God, did you know that seven other people actually fainted? Must be some illness going around." At the thought, she slightly scooted away from Riley, and gave a small grimace that said 'sorry.'

Riley wrapped her arms around her legs. "How were lessons? I feel like I missed a lot."

"Not much for the second day of actual classes. And trust me, I've been going here since my freshman year. You don't learn until the third week of school. August just started, so a lot of people slack off because it's still summer."

Riley smiled and whispered, "Right. I almost forgot. My birthday is in three days."

Daniela squeaked in excitement at this bit of news, and quickly moved back to the side of the couch. "Hey, tell me the date so that I can write it in my phone."

"August 8th. It's this Saturday."

Tapping away at her phone's calendar, she energetically replied, "Oh, you'll see, I'm going to throw you the best party ever. With cake and cute guys. I'll go call some people really quick. Good night!" With that, Daniela dashed up the stairs, forgetting that dinner was being served.

Many girls ate dinner at the dining hall after classes. However, someone always found time to cook extra at home in case they were ever hungry. Sliding herself into one of the high backed chairs on the dining platform, Riley ladled herself some vegetable soup. Only a few girls were eating, and the dining room was silent besides the occasional clink of silverware. As Riley took the time to contemplate, she saw a new figure appear in her peripheral vision, one that hadn't been sitting there before. She didn't scream of her own volition, but slowly turned her head to the left. The same boy was there again, but he looked healthier now than before. Without even realizing it, she whispered his name, "Will…"

His gaze held intently on her face, and then he asked, "Riley?"

"Am I going mad?"

Will shook his head as if to say he didn't know. All he knew was her name. He didn't understand what was going on anymore, or if he should listen to Irsa's warning and tell this girl of the dangers. Letting himself flow away from the scene, Will found himself back on the park bench behind the schoolhouse, the taste of vegetable soup in his mouth.

Riley turned back to the girls at the other end of the dining table, all of whom were staring at her as if she'd indeed gone mad. She shrugged as if that would settle it, and everyone returned to their meal.

/

Meanwhile, Sun Bak was in her room practicing her kickboxing skills. Much to her roommates' dismays, she had tethered a large burlap sack to one of the ceiling rafters, creating a sort of makeshift punching bag. None of them were home yet, and she assumed they were purposefully avoiding the room. It was less about Sun's scary hobby, and more about her intimidating personality. As she practiced her side kick, she saw Capheus jump out from behind the bag so as not to be hurt. Sun tilted her head, her expression confused, and stopped.

"Capheus? What are you doing here?"

"I don't know, Sun. One minute I was in my room, and the next, I am here."

Sun narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "Oh, ok. This is just another vision of mine. I fainted again, right?" She continued the kicks, and, in a moment of split decision, Capheus jumped in front of the punching bag. He groaned and fell back on the floorboards as Sun landed a kick directly in his solar plexus.

Sun, realizing that what she had hit felt oddly too real to be false, walked over to investigate.

Looking up at her, Capheus saw only a blur, but heard her say in a somewhat amused but doubtful tone, "So you are real?"

Capheus wheezed as he tried to laugh, and said, "I told you, spirit of Van Damme."

Reaching down to help him stand, she saw that what had once been her bedroom was now his. There were posters of cars and engines near what she assumed was his bed. Sun gasped, closing her eyes and covering her throat protectively at the sudden change. Blinking, she was back in her own room, Capheus nowhere to be seen.

Taking off her gloves and throwing them on her bed angrily, she lifted the mattress and took out a small tin box. Inside were a few cigarettes and a lighter she'd snuck into the Board. Letting the mattress fall back into place, Sun left her room and walked up the stairs to the third floor.

The third floor was mostly used as storage for old, abandoned furniture. There were only one or two bathrooms; everything else was an open studio space. A set of double doors on the house's east side led out to a small, ornate balcony, with wrought iron serving as the handrail.

Sun sat cross-legged on the cold floor, lighting one of the cigarettes and rubbing her temple. Turning around, she saw a handsome dark haired boy blinking his eyes rapidly in astonishment. He looked over at her for the first time and almost jumped. At this point, she wasn't even surprised. She'd come to terms with the fact that she no longer had control over anything that happened in her imagination. That perhaps she'd gone insane from loneliness, and her mind was making up for it.

"Joesonghamnida," she said to the boy, letting out a puff of smoke into the cold night air.

"No, no, no; why are you sorry?" he spoke in a pleasant Spanish lilt, his brow furrowed at the sight of the girl.

Sun laughed cynically, "All you hallucinations. Can't tell if you're real or not. So I'll pretend you are not real. Is it a punishment because I left my father and brother? Hmm?"

"No, I'm real, I swear. My name is Lito Rodriguez. I'm from Mexico City. Are you real?"

Shaking her head, Sun put out the cigarette and flicked it over the side of the building. "Too many damn hallucinations," she muttered, and left Lito on the balcony to stare up at the dark, starry sky.

Back in her dorm room, Sun began to work at the punching bag again, the hits and kicks becoming a relentless beat until her hands were calloused and red, the skin on the knuckles peeling away. What had she done to deserve these relentless voices in her head? She would have to speak to Capheus tomorrow during school, tell him what it was that had happened. He would probably laugh and reassure her that it had simply been a dream. Looking down at her shaking hands, Sun wondered how a dream could hurt so much.

A/N: I love writing about the interactions between each of these characters. Next chapter coming on the 9th. Review if you wish, and have a wonderful rest of the day!

~C.o.D.