What does it mean to truly become an adult? Introducing a series of 11 short stories about Malaysian youth from various backgrounds discovering themselves amidst a national landscape plagued by social issues and the enduring conflict between traditi...
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Felix's room reeks with the smell of burning coal. The smoke fogs up the whole room. All possible exits are closed and locked. Dense smoke blocks his vision. He sits at the edge of his bed, staring at the sky in a daze. The night sky is aglow with a lonely star shining bright, catching his attention. It's so much like him, lonely and deep inside. He snaps back to reality and taps Levina's name on his screen.
No one answers. It's 3 am.
"Not even a chance to say goodbye," he murmurs as his fingers glide across the screen before falling back into bed, a peaceful smile forming on his face.
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Levina wakes up like it's any other day. The first thing she does is check her phone.
Farewell :)
A missed call and message pops up; it's from Felix. Levina doesn't get what he meant; she looks at the message's timestamp.
"3 am? What was he doing at 3 am? Why wasn't he asleep?" Levina mumbles. She's confused.
What do you mean farewell? You good? Levina replies to Felix's text.
She gets up from bed and heads to the bathroom to wash up.
"If you love me won't you say something, if you love me won't you..." Levina's phone starts ringing. She drops everything on hand and rushes to answer the call. It must be Felix!
But "Aunty Chan" appears on her phone instead. Levina's heart skips a beat, and her stomach twitches. She has a bad feeling about this, but she picks up the phone anyway. She wonders why Mrs. Chan would call her this early in the morning.
"Zao an, Aunty, do you know..." Levina greets Mrs. Chan.
"Levina... Felix... he... could you head to the hospital now? QUICK!" Mrs. Chan interrupts Levina's question.
"Huh... hospital? What? What happened to Felix?" Levina replies in shock.
"He... he's in the emergency room..." Mrs. Chan sobs.
