One

The hands slowly caressed her face,pulling her closer. Just as their lips were about to touch-

Hibis screamed, her hands flailing in a sudden reflex as she leapt out of her bed, horrified by the scene that had flashed before her eyes. She glanced around wildly, her pants filling the silent room, before she realised that she had been in the clouds all along.

“It’s just another dream, Hibis. Another dream,” she soothed herself as she ran a hand mindlessly through her hair, trying to entangle the messy strands, a result from the tossing and turning. The girl glanced at herself in the mirror as her reflection stared back from the glassy surface, her face pale.

When did she even start having all those dreams anyway?

She never ever had dreams in her sleep. She was a soundless sleeper and slept dreamlessly. So where did these horrifically realistic fantasies come about?

She could still remember all those moments she had spotted familiar characters reoccur from one to another. The powers that they seemed to have, those quirks that made them magical. The auburn haired girl. The droplets floating out of another’s hands.

That boy.

She shook her head, not wanting to spend another day pondering about them again, then dressed up.

~

“Hibis, dear, we’re going to the mall today.”

Hibis looked up to see her mother, fully dressed as she balanced a plate of pancakes on each hand before settling down opposite Hibis on the polished wooden table. Hibis grabbed her plate and took a bite of the fluffy cake, letting the syrup melt in her mouth. “Are we going to buy your makeup products again, mom?” She rolled her eyes at the thought as her mother chuckled.

“I don’t work 24/7, you know. Nope, we’re going to the newly waxed exhibition today! Thought you’d be interested,” the mother, Chloe, winked before turning her attention to the plate in front of her. Hibis shrugged at the suggestion as she gobbled up the remnants of her meal.

~

The pair entered the mall a few minutes later, gushes of cool air welcoming Hibis as she sighed happily, satisfied to have gone out of the sweltering summer sun.

“Now.. where is that wax exhibition you were talking about..?”

Hibis turned a full circle, her eyes searching for the pitch black candle material, hoping to get a full glimpse of the structure from the horizon before heading in.

That was when she spotted him.

The way her eyes locked on someone who was a stranger yet not a stranger felt peculiar to her, but she knew, in a sudden burst of thought- a split second- that he was the one from her dreams.

That boy. The boy just stalking around the wax exhibition with his hands stuffed in his pocket, the boy that was merely identical to the character in her dream. She…she just knew it.

The boy must have sensed her gaze on him, for he turned in one swift movement, and locked eyes with her immediately. Hibis felt a jolt run through her as her heart seemed to skip a beat. Some sort of chemistry had burst through her veins, and from the lad’s reaction, it seemed like he had felt it too.

Before Hibis knew it, the boy reappeared right in front of her, hands gripping her shoulder to make sure she stayed in her entranced position.

Even that sent tingles down her spine.

Her breath caught when she managed to process what he looked like. The lad had an amazing colour of rover-blue eyes, with dirty blonde bangs swaying slightly above his eyebrows. His hair laid smoothly on his head and just from looking at his rosy red lips and cheeks Hibis could tell he had been pacing around for some time, as if expecting her arrival.

What in the world was going on?!

The boy stared at her quizzically, as if taking her in. He frowned, ever so slightly, before leaning so close that Hibis couldn’t help but gasp in slight shock, wondering, as she held her breath, what was going to happen.

To her slight disappointment, he leaned into her ear, and whispered“ Meet me at the biggest house in the wax exhibition you can find, at midnight. There will be a tiny opening at the west gate of the mall. I know you recognise me from somewhere. Me, too. Don’t be late.”

What a ridiculous order! What in the world was going on?!

As Hibis opened her mouth to interject, a silent stare from the boy made her shut her mouth. That burn in his eyes seemed to tear everything down. She could only merely blink.

Which she regretted almost instantly, for once she batted her eyelashes, he was gone. “Wait-wait..” she finally muttered to no one in particular. “I just wanted to ask your name…” Other than the other hundreds of questions, of course.

As her mind drifted back into her dreams, searching for any source of information, one name floated clearly into her brain.

Ace.

~

Hibis' mind raced with a dozen thoughts as she scattered around the mall in the dark, trying to find the small opening ‘Ace’ had requested . Why was she doing this again?

Oh, yeah. To find out why she was dreaming so much. To find out who that boy was. To find out whether everything was linked together.

To find out if she was hallucinating!

As Hibis wedged herself into the window, she huffed to herself. What had she even gotten herself into? She just couldn’t think anymore.

Gripping onto her flashlight, she darted across the mall, hoping to find the exhibition right in front of her through the endless darkness, the only source of light the one illuminating from her faltering electric lamp. She spread her arms out, as if sleepwalking, trying to touch any surface that appeared right in front of her.

As her hands grazed a waxed palm tree, the girl visibly sighed in relief, before using her fingers to trace her way through the entrance, passing by the traditional hut houses and a bunch of waxed children fixed into a game of soccer. Based on her memory from that morning’s distracted visit, she shuffled through the wide area, finally locating the biggest house of the ancient times. She pushed her way in and slammed the door shut before sliding to the ground, silently congratulating herself.

Until she heard a slight chuckle coming from in front of her, to which she snapped up to look-

‘Ace’ was already there, leaning against a wall and smiling softly.

“You actually made it.”