Melpomene || H.G

𝟼: ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ᴘʀɪᴇsᴛᴇss

Word Count: 6,848

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

A delayed emotional response was common for people who experienced traumatic situations. It was common for every Korean to escape Korea. Calista was clueless about herself and the things that her close friends noticed about her multiple times. 

Calista was supposed to feel happy now that there was a bundle of joy turning their days brighter than the sun, but she slowly felt a wave of intense sadness and anxiety that made her feel isolated and too lazy to move an inch. 

She thought the bad day would pass and that it would not be a big deal, but the day turned into a week. The anxiety she felt became worse when she was in a class or she was outside; she felt small whenever she locked eyes with someone from the hallway, and her mind was blank during classes. 

Stress accumulated in her body. Calista did not feel good these days, and she had been behind in homework and classes. What made her stressed the most was not knowing where the source of her anxiety was. 

Haven, Jade, and Esme were eating dinner without Calista, feeling distraught over the youngest, who had declined another meal with them to catch up on the homework she had missed. It was evident the three of them tried their best to keep their composure since they were in public, but Gyeoul could feel his owners' emotions and Esme's tensed thighs as he rested on her lap. 

"A week since no dinners with Eunwoo. Does anyone know what happened to her?" Jade asked while she played with her food.

"Unnie, don't play with your food," Esme scolded the second oldest and snatched the fork away from her. 

"Sarang tried to ask her when she looked calm, but you know her... she's good at excuses and changing topics," Haven answered before she took a bite of bread to have something in her stomach. 

"Unnie..." Jade called out with desperation. 

"I'll talk to her alone. When you come back, please bring food, and please eat something," Haven stated as she stood up from her seat, put on her robes, and excused herself from her friends. 

Haven knew how stubborn Calista was, and no one had ever broken her stubbornness except for her. Jade and Esme were aware of it and allowed her to talk to her. She ate the bread in her hands while she went to the Ravenclaw Towers. The common room was darker and colder than usual, and a few students were at the fireplace. 

When she reached the third floor of the dorms, she slowly opened their shared dorm to reveal Calista at the desk writing frantically, her head hanging low. She looked extremely exhausted, her eyes half-opened, and her eyebrows furrowed in so much stress. 

"Eunwoo-ah, do you need some help with the essay?" Haven questioned while she placed her robes in the racks near the door. 

"No need, unnie. Thanks for the offer, though," Calista responded without moving an inch to look at the oldest. 

"Well then..." Haven spoke before she slowly sat comfortably on Calista's bed, her eyes never leaving the younger girl. "Do you want us to bring food? You skipped dinner to do the remaining homework." 

"No, thank you. I don't have an appetite," Calista remarked, feeling Haven's presence at her side.

"Okay. Eunwoo, let's talk for a bit," Haven started, a sigh coming out from her mouth.