the thirteenth | kim taehyung

chapter 1

ANABELLE'S POV

Beeeep! Beeeep!

Goddamn it, that wasn't my alarm. I wave my hand around trying to find my phone. I grabbed it from my nightstand and pressed snooze, only to be greeted by the bright light. It's a Monday and I'm neither physically nor emotionally prepared to go back to school. I can't deal with all that bullshit. I feel like I'm going to cry in the middle of a study session or lesson.

I sit up from my bed, the pads of my feet finding broken pieces on the floor. I crouch down to pick them up. It reminds me of when my sister and I used to get in trouble from messing around too much. I snap back to reality, only to find blood dripping from my finger and onto the clean carpet. I heaved a heavy sigh.

I didn't even feel the pain. It's like I'm numb from the sorrow.

After cleaning myself and the glass up, I head downstairs to the kitchen, where my mom was flipping pancakes and my dad was brewing tea.

"Morning, Belle. How was your sleep?" my mom asked with an apologetic smile. I don't even know why she asks this everyday, knowing that I'll give the same voiceless answer. I shrug and sigh, hoping she doesn't push it like every other day. Thankfully, she turns around, scraping the last pancake onto the stack.

She pushes me the plate as my dad asks, "Would you like any tea?" I shake my head. I reach over the counter to grab the remote to turn on the T.V., briefly glancing at my parents. I see the same worried look in their eyes every time I reject an offer of theirs. I know I'm not okay, but I can surely take care of myself. I don't want them to stress anymore than they already do.

Pressing the ON button of the remote, I grab the plate and walked into the living room. I made my way to the couch, where my sister's clothes were carefully folded in a big cardboard box. I felt my eyes sting and fished out a shirt that my sister and I had bought together. I let out a soft chuckle, remembering how excited she was to find that shirt. No one in my family bothered to throw the box out, and it's been weeks.

My eyes widened as they caught a glimpse of the news headlines, 3 FEMALE BODIES FOUND IN A LAKE. As expected, my parents hastily walked to the living room, intently listening to whatever the reporter had to say. However, this scene seemed pretty sketchy. All of the the girls in the lake, as well as my late sister, happened to be ex-lovers of Taehyung. I looked up at my mother and father in hopes of them piecing the sources together how I did, but it seemed as if I was the only one who recognized the girls as his previous lovers. I'm still sitting here in shock, trying to soak in the information given from the news, totally forgetting about my pancakes and the time. I quickly eat the pancakes and find them tasteless, probably from the lack of toppings. It would've tasted the same with or without it anyways because without my sister, anything and everything is no longer exciting. Life is now like the pancake, bland and dull.

I glance at the clock, seeing that I have 15 minutes left before having to leave for my classes. I swiftly put the plate in the sink and rushed to my room. I grabbed a hoodie and a pair of leggings from my cabinets, seeming like this will be the only outfit I'll be wearing for the next month or so. I grabbed concealer, swiping it under my eyes in attempt to hide my dark circles. In addition to the coverage, I brushed some powder foundation, bronzer, and lipstick to give myself some color. After the few weeks I took off, I had become very pale and permanently solemn. So, the brush of color made me look not as dead and concealed the fact that I have been crying my heart out, which was exactly what I did over the break. After looking at the clock for the last time, I grabbed my keys and books. I headed out of the door of my room and house, not ready to start the first day of the longest week of my life.