Somnia

Chapter 4

"Jiu, wake up!" A girl with pink highlights on her hair gripped Jiu's hand tightly. Her eyes shot open and rose from the bed with a massive headache. She looked around the place. It definitely was not the house she was in before. She was in a room she knew very well. Her bedroom; walls covered in pink and posters hanged on them. Various white furniture was spotted, four girls in front of her, and herself, on the pretty pink bed.

The youngest of the group immediately wrapped her arms around the girl tightly. "Thank god," She said wearing a smile before she pulled away.

"I told you it was a stupid idea, Sua. I thought Jiu was dead!" Yoohyeon yelled. "If it wasn't for that stupid bet, she would be alright!"

"She's not dead now is she?" Sua responded loudly. "And how was I supposed to know that she was going to faint?!"

Then on the two started bickering while Jiu stared at them not knowing what to do.

"Calm down you two," The chinese girl butted in their arguement just as she entered the door with a cute floral teapot with matching cups and cookies. "Our Jiu isn't in the best condition. Unless you two are going to help me take care of her, your presence aren't needed." The girl said walking over to the bedside table.

"Come on, unnie." Dami clinged her arm around Sua and brought her outside, along with Yoohyeon stomping behind them and creeking the white door closed.

"How are you doing?" The chinese girl asked as she poured a cup of her questionable, traditional chinese tea and handed it to the older individual.

"I'm fine." Jiu smiled. "But you really didn't have to worry so much."

"Of course we did," Handong replied as Jiu took sips from the warm tea. "You've been out for almost two days." Jiu nearly spat out her tea from the younger's words, but instead she swallowed so she was able to talk. "Two days?! I only passed out for what felt like a minute!"

"Are you sick unnie?" Handong rested a palm against the older girl's forehead to measure her temperature. "You're temperature is normal, though, so did something happen when you were inside?"

"I'm asking that question to myself too." Jiu said, putting her palm away from her head.

"Please tell me, I won't tell anyone. Plus, I'm here to make you feel better." The younger girl said warmly, wearing a kind smile on her face.

Jiu sighed in defeat. "Promise you won't freak out?"

The chinese girl nodded.

"I saw a girl the other day, the girl from Sua's story. At Least I think I did... She had sharp, blue cat eyes as she said, but she wasn't so little. In fact she looked as if she was over 15."

Handong just stared at her, with a more interested expression rather than a frightened one. "Well, Sua did say that she was found a few years after her family was passed." She said with a finger on her chin.

Jiu raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you acting so casual towards this? I just told you I saw a ghost. Don't people usually get scared?"

"Trust me, I have faced way worse stuff back where I lived with my grandparents. Far worse than ghosts." Handong chuckled. "But maybe what you saw wasn't real, because Yoohyeon, Dami, Sua and I were there too, in front of the house, and there was no sighting of ghosts from our view."

"So you don't believe me?"

"I'm just saying, maybe the house isn't haunted and your just saying that because you had a bad dream while you were out or something." Handong said, before pouring herself a cup of the herbal tea.

"Alright then." Jiu got up from the bed and her feet weakly aimed towards the white, wooden rectangle at the left side of the room.

"Where do you think your going? You need your rest!" Handong exclaimed and jumped up from the seat, trying to stop the older girl from going any further.

"I'm going to the house. I'm going to prove you wrong." Jiu said determinedly.

"But your not well."

"I can still walk." Jiu said, jerking her arm off of the younger's grasp.

"Unnie, the house is miles from here and you just woke up. I'm afraid I can't let you walk all the way there.." Handong replied, her eyes pleaded for Jiu to stay.

She sighed.

"Then take me back there."

___

Jiu took a deep breath as she faced the gate in front of her, with Handong behind her, locking her car with a swift push of the button on the small device. "I cant believe you talked me into this." Handong complained.

"But it's different from that night." Jiu pointed out as her hands brushed against the rusted gates.

The two girls passed the faded dirt pathway which lead to the front door of the house, passing the blood red roses and its dagger-like thorns. 'The flowers are alive?' Jiu wondered to herself. Oddly, not even the scorching summer sun could compete to the windy atmosphere of the house. The wind hurried against them creepily and the feeling of being there again sent shivers down Jiu's spine. The girl with brown hair approached the door first. Her hand knocked on the door. After about three seconds of silence, it opened, revealing an old man. He had dark hair that was neatly styled and wore a suit.

"Is there something I can help you with?" The man's voice was throaty and deep which made Jiu feel rather uncomfortable. A man? The house didn't have anyone who lived there two days ago. Jiu's eyes wandered inside the house.The old chandelier that stood in the middle of the hall were now well polished and shined a yellowish light, and the blood trail was gone. Completely gone. No marks left. No spots of red. Nothing.

"I'm sorry," Handong butted it between them. "There's been a mistake, my friend here thought that your house-"

"It's different." Jiu spat out unconsciously. Then her eyes met the man's. "Sir, may we come in please?"