Guontiveros: Vivid

Chapter 2

August 31, 2007

Alice wasn't the bubbly little girl anymore. At fifteen, she had transformed into a teenager with a drastically changed personality, cold and distant.

Her father, Jian Zhong, remained the same useless and abusive old man, though he was now weak and frequently hospitalized with some mysterious illness.

"I hope he dies," she muttered to herself while writing in her therapy journal.

Alice had been diagnosed with multiple mental disorders, including depression and PTSD, which had developed throughout her childhood and adolescence due to a traumatic and
abusive environment.

"I hope he dies..."

"I hope he dies..."

"I want him to die!"

"I want him to die!"

"I WANT TO KILL HIM!" she screamed, hurling the journal across the room.

She pulled at her hair, trying to silence the whispers in her mind urging her to kill her father.

She screamed in pain, feeling her head about to explode, and began banging her head on her desk repeatedly. Her head was bleeding, yet she felt nothing.

William, who had just arrived to check on Alice, heard her screaming and the loud banging.

He quickly rushed to her room, thankful it wasn't locked.

He found Alice weakly banging her head, blood pooling at her feet. Her body almost collapsed, but William caught her before she hit the floor

He hugged Alice and called for an ambulance, his voice shaky and his body trembling from what he had witnessed. He gave his name and details and then explained the situation.

The ambulance was on its way, and William cried while holding Alice's nearly lifeless body.

Minutes later, the ambulance arrived. William lifted Alice in a bridal style and hurried out to meet the paramedics.

They quickly placed Alice on a stretcher and into the ambulance, providing
immediate care to ensure she could reach the hospital alive.

•••

It had been a week since the incident, and Alice still hadn't woken up. Though her mind was alert, her body remained unresponsive. She could hear her father's angry voice and William's calm replies.

Her father's voice felt like a demon's, pulling her into darkness, making her desperate to wake up and escape. But she was trapped in her own body, caught in a nightmare from which she couldn't awaken. Tears streamed down her face.

William finally managed to push Jian Zhong out of the room. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, his half-brother was still malevolent.

Jian Zhong lost his power after their grandfather discovers his cruel behaviour toward Alice, the family's only granddaughter. But the damage was done, and Alice's suffering was irreversible. Jian Zhong still had ways to manipulate her.

The only solution seemed to be Jian Zhong's death, but that was a distant hope.

William sighed, noticing Alice's tears. He gently wiped them away, trying to comfort her, knowing she could hear him.

•••

Alice woke in a dark, empty room. The only light came from the moon shining through the window.

She stood up slowly and saw the floor covered in mist. The hospital room door was open. She walked towards it, finding an endless misty hallway stretching before her. She couldn't see the end.

Alice wasn't afraid. Reality and humanity scared her more than this. Whatever creatures she might encounter here didn't matter. She would even welcome death.

As she walked, whispers followed her, like the rush of wind. With each step, the air grew warmer despite the cold breeze from outside. She remembered the game where someone would say "warm" or "cold" as you got closer or farther from an object.

Feeling something was near, she kept moving.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. She was on their farm, the tall grass and trees swaying in the wind. The moon was full and bright. The land seemed larger than she remembered.

She walked towards the moon and saw a girl standing with her back to Alice.

Alice approached and tapped the girl on the shoulder. The girl turned around, revealing a pretty face with a low-braided ponytail, dressed in a sailor-like uniform. She looked about Alice's age.

"Hi?" Alice said hesitantly.

"Hello..." the girl replied.

The girl looked around, "I think I'm lost."

Alice had never seen this girl before. "I think you are. My father owns this farm, and I used to live here."

"Do you want to stay in our house until your parents find you?" Alice offered.

The girl hesitated but accepted, seeing no one else around.

Alice took the girl's hand. "...so we won't get separated. The grass is tall here, you might get lost," she explained.

The girl nodded and held Alice's hand tightly. They began walking towards Alice's house.

"I'm Alice, by the way," Alice broke the silence.

The girl didn't respond immediately, just looked at her.

Alice sighed but kept asking questions to break the quiet.

"Why are you here?" Alice asked curiously.

"I-I don't know. I was in the car with my parents. I was tired from school and fell asleep. Then I woke up in the middle of the farm," the girl answered, confused.

"It was the same for me, except I woke up in the hospital, found this long hallway, and now I'm here."

They walked in silence, pondering the strange situation. It felt like a vivid, conscious dream.

"How old are you? You're pretty tall," Alice asked.

"I'm fifteen. How about you?"

Alice was surprised they were the same age, though the girl was taller.

"Really? I'm fifteen too, but I'm short for my age."

The girl chuckled. "We still have time to grow. Maybe you'll be taller than me someday."

Alice smiled, feeling warm and peaceful at the possibility of having a friend after so long.

Still holding hands, Alice noticed the girl was slowly disappearing. Panicked, she asked for the girl's name.

"Hey! What's your name? I want to know your name! Please!" Alice pleaded, not wanting to let her go.

The girl turned and smiled. "Theresia," she replied before vanishing.

"Theresia..." Alice whispered.