MORSSORSTERRA, The Birth Of The Savior

13| THE DEAD AWAKENS

TODAY FELT ESPECIALLY UNCOMFORTABLE AND OFF. Monday had arrived again, and this one felt like the worst - with a sense of foreboding, like a dark cloud looming on the horizon. It was as if something was about to go terribly wrong, and her gut feeling had never been wrong.

As she sat in chemistry class, Mr. Andrew Miller droned on, but she couldn't focus on his words. She was distracted. Cheryl had been right; Mr. Miller was undeniably hot. But that was the least of her concerns. His presence was a painful reminder of Cheryl's fate.

Throughout the weekend, she'd been on edge, anxiously scouring the internet and news channels for any mention of Cheryl's death. But there was nothing. No news, no police knocking on her door, no arrest. The silence was deafening, making her even more uneasy. It was as if the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to go terribly wrong.

The conversation with her father on Saturday night had been their last... since then, he had vanished. He'd been distant and preoccupied, and she hadn't seen him since... leaving her with only silence and echoes of her own guilt and doubts.

A note on Saturday morning explained that he was investigating a crucial case, but he'd offered no details. This morning, he'd left her breakfast and another note, saying he had to leave early for court. Something didn't add up. What kind of case was so important that he had to disappear like this? She tried to brush it off, thinking he was just being his usual workaholic self, but the feeling of unease lingered.

Her lessons in the realm of dreams had only unravelled more threads of questions and mystery, leaving her with lots of unanswered questions. It had whispered secrets in her ear, but the truth remained elusive.

Yet, here she is today in class, surrounded by familiar faces, but her mind was consumed by the unbearable truth. Her best friend, Cheryl, was gone - killed by her own hands. The weight of her secrets was crushing her. How would she face Alex later? The three of them had been inseparable since sixth grade, sharing every laughter and tear. When Alex finds out about Cheryl's fate, he will be devastated. And when he learns that she was the one responsible, he will be consumed by anger and hatred. He will never forgive her. The thought sent a chill down her spine.

Beside Zahara, Catherine, the class president, sat with her friends, fawning over Mr. Miller's good looks. "God above! Look how strikingly handsome Mr. Miller is!" Marisa gushed, her eyes shining with admiration. Zahara could almost see an imaginary drool dripping beside Marisa's mouth as she stared dreamily at Mr. Miller.

"I hard he's freaking rich," Lyra whispered, her voice barely audible. "He has a ginormous inheritance and is the sole heir of Frederick Miller."

Catherine's eyes widened in shock. "You mean Miller enterprise... the sole heir of one of the biggest companies in Dublin?"

Lyra nodded. "Aye, that's him. I heard he's not interested in his father's company. He'd rather be a teacher."

"Fucking hell, that's... God, that's freaking insane. How could he?" Catherine muttered shaking her head in disbelief.

Zahara couldn't help but roll her eyes. These three were always like this - gossiping and fawning over every attractive teacher. If Cheryl was here, she'd had done the same, but Cheryl was different from these three leeches. Catherine and her friends have always been proud and arrogant. She couldn't believe she'd ended up sitting beside them again.

Wait, where's Orion? He was usually sitting beside or behind her, but today he's nowhere to be seen. She scanned the room and spotted Orion slouched alone at the back; his legs slung over the desk. No book or pen in sight, his attention clearly strayed from the class.

Wasn't he even going to pretend to take notes? Just leaving his book and pen on the table will be better than nothing.

And then she saw it - Orion's phone dropped onto his hands; his gaze fixed on the screen as he typed furiously.