The Magic Shop

Chapter Three

Mirae laid in her bed, she had fallen asleep after returning home. In the corner of her small bedroom sat the same white rocking chair. The chair was decorated with a white button-down shirt and black pants and was illuminated by a sliver of pale-yellow rays. The brash screeching of her phone's alarm vibrated throughout the small apartment. The tired girl pulled herself up from the warmth of her bed and yawned deeply. Her hair fell over her face and was a sloppy bird's nest over her head. She trudged into the bathroom and started her day with a steaming shower.

After she showered, she dressed herself in her school uniform. She had not had time to press her clothes last night because of her adventure with Jungkook. The thought of that mysterious stranger brought a smile to the young girl's face. She was so glad she had a new friend. Her pleasant thoughts of the forest boy were violently interrupted by harsh pounding on the door. "Hurry up and get to school!" the groggy raspy voice of Mirae's mother bellowed through the wood. "Okay." She groaned adjusting the navy-blue tie around her neck. In the living room, Mirae's mother sat with a smile on her face. Her hair messily thrown in a top bun.

"I made you some tea, I left the bag in the cup." She announced sinking into the couch. The woman was uncharacteristically happy. She must have a man over... Mirae concluded grabbing her mug from the kitchen and rushing out the door. She did not think much about her mother this morning, if she was not yelling at her or beating on her, Mirae was happy. The air outside was brisk and the streets were busy. On her trip to the bus stop, she could not help but wish she had another jacket to wear, but the tea was keeping her warm enough.

The bus pulls up not long after she had arrived, screeching loudly to announce its arrival for the girl. The driver was a young man with orange-brown hair, he smiled politely as Mirae entered the bus. "Good morning." He said his voice was solid, firm, and rhythmic. It sounded almost foreign in a way. Mirae smiles and swipes her pass and wades toward the back of the bus to an empty window seat. A boy dressed in a school uniform moved slightly to allow her to sit by the window. The boy looked a bit odd, but everyone looked odd to Mirae. The boy had ash-grey colored hair even though he was school student. He also had long dangling earrings in his ears. To avoid staring at the boy any further, Mirae turned her gaze up to the sky. The skyline looked amazing. The sun peaked just over the tall buildings and there was not a cloud to block out the pristine pearly blue.

"Excuse me," the boy muttered catching the girl's attention. His voice was kind of deep but had a higher tone to it as well. Mirae turned to look at the boy to see him pointing to her feet. She hopped up; she had been stepping on the boy's backpack. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, he gave her a shy smile and headed towards the exit. The girl flopped back down in her seat and took a huge gulp of her tea. The boy smiled at her through the window while he passed by. She turned her attention back to the sky and the bus rode on. Once the bus reached her stop, Mirae was feeling a bit off. She shook the feeling back and waddled into the school building.

The lights in the building begin to fade in and out. The girl had broken into a sweat and her throat was becoming scratchy. She stumbled into her classroom like a drunk stumbling from the bar on a weekend. Mrs. Lee's eyes widened at the girl as she swayed toward her seat. "Mirae, you should go to the nurse." The instructor suggested, but the girl was determined to sit in the class. She fell into her seat and gave a weak smile. Mrs. Lee began her lesson, reluctantly. Her words were nearly inaudible to the sweating girl and the word on the board were fading like the lights early. Her body felt as if it was being pulled down by weights. Her extremities began to tingle. How is this happening? The girl wondered to herself. She threw her hand up into the air.

"Mrs. Lee," she slurred barely able to speak. "I need to go to the nurse." She announced struggling to raise from the chair. The woman nodded and excused herself to assist the girl out the door; however, Mirae's legs refused to carry her any further. The dark-haired girl hit the ground amassing a bunch of concerned gasps and grumbles from her classmates. The feelings of butterflies fluttering on her arms and legs calmed the girl. It was a familiar feeling, but a new feeling washed over the girl, her breathing became labored and her chest hurt. Through blurring vision, she watched as Mrs. Lee called for help. I don't need anything. The girl thought as she was surrounded by darkness.