Take Note of the Rhythm

Prologue

I was reading a book when my head hurt again. This happens every time I read psychological books as if the realizations of the words there really enters my mind. In a few moments I fell asleep with the book I was reading. 

Our mom and dad often fought and one day I couldn't bear to hear and see them arguing in front of Chain, my youngest sister. I thought of taking her to the park of our village to go outside and play. Just the two of us will be playing that day. 

"Push, push!" Chain said while I could hear her little chuckles as she was so happy with the swing. 

While we were happily playing in the park, there were armed men who got out of the black van, slowly approaching where Chain and I were. I held onto Chain tightly because I felt they were going to take her but I was the one who grabbed and pulled away from her to get into the van. I can see how they stopped Chain from struggling and screaming as they put me inside the van. I tried to scream but they had covered my nose and mouth, causing me to fall asleep instantly.

I woke up with difficulty breathing and could not remember the whole incident and only remembered that Chain and I were playing. I arranged the books scattered on my study table to head to the kitchen to grab my medicine. I caught up with my mother in her office room at home, the sliding door was open so I entered.

"I'm glad you're here, Claire. I have good news for you. I'm sure you'll be pleased." At the same time, my mother handed me an envelope and motioned for me to open it. I read the heading of the envelope and it says Annwynian University. It seems that I know what is contained in the letter and I was right, that is that I passed the enrollment. 

"Mom, am I the only one going to Annwyn? How about Chain? She's in Junior High School now, they have a Junior High offering, don't they?" I asked. 

"No worries, I and your father decided that Chain will remain to study here at our house." 

Chain returned after 10 years from England, they home schooled her. It's been more than a month since she returned but I wish she could enter Annwynian too so I can be with her again and she can easily adopt the environment. However, our parents are not willing. 

I headed upstairs but thought of going to Chain's room first. I caught her doing her assignment and said I would help her but she refused. Chain is too quiet, since she came home to us we rarely spend time together and bond, it's too far from my dreams and hallucinations but I can't believe them as they are just a dream. Feeling of dreaming is often one of being removed from reality and experiencing something outside of the ordinary.

But sometimes, I feel real affections in those dreams..

I went to my room to do my stuffs. The academic year at Annwyn is approaching so I will prepare my things to use. I rummaged through the old boxes looking for my notebooks, opened them and found a book. 

The World of Applied Science.

 I don't know why when I hold that book I feel that I have read it but I am sure that I just saw that book, perhaps it was my father's and I took it when I was little but never read it. My father is a corporate manager in a technology company so he has a book like this. I'm amazed at what technology can do, maybe when I was a child my parents often made me something made of automation.. but I didn't keep anything when I grew up. My mother is a science teacher, I inherited my passion for science from her. Now she works with my father in a big techno company. Even though she was a teacher, I never saw her tutoring Chain. While I was flipping through the pages of the book, I found a small thing, a key. But I wonder why there is a key here. A little bronze classic key that is only for a small crate.