Time Lapse

Chapter 1

"You can tell me anything."

Pause.

"Well?"

Pause.

"I'm here for you."

Pause.

"Always."

Pause.

"Then again, I am the only one you have."

Pause.

"So just, speak your mind."

Pause.

"Nothing is going to change if you don't talk."

Pause.

"Sigh. You never did share anything with me, huh?"

I want to! I want to speak. Let me speak! My mouth opens, but no words come out. The figure that was speaking stays silent. I couldn't see anything, but I want to reach out. Reach out to who or what, I don't know. It's so bright and so white, I need answers. No, no don't go away. Don't disappear! Don't leave me! I just need to take control of my body. Yes. Regain the power to use my vocal cords. Open my mouth. Speak my mind. Speak. Speak. Speak! Speak! Speak—

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Seoul
The Shin Residence
3:20 am
Ryujin

The blue-haired girl wakes up with a start. She rapidly sits upright from her obnoxiously large bed as sweat trickles down her temple. She raises her hands in front of herself, seeing them shake and tremble. Her whole body then rolls with a wave of shudders as she breathes heavily. She brings her hands to her face as she mutters words into her head.

It was just a dream. It was just a dream. Just a dream. Another dream. Another dream. Another nightma—

Ryujin shakes her head side to side, then proceeds to slap her cheek. She looks at the time and sees that it's too early to be awake. Quickly using the back of her hand to wipe her sweat, Ryujin tosses her dark gray comforter to the side and swings her legs over the side of the king-sized bed. She nearly falls when she stands up on her two feet, gripping the walnut bedside table to stable herself. A cool breeze blows through her big glass windows by the bed, but it wasn't cool enough.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale—

Wait, what's after inhale again?!

Ryujin freezes, temporarily forgetting how to breathe.

Exhale.

Her head hurts from thinking too much at this time. Or from thinking in general. Her body feels like she just jumped in a pool. But instead of feeling cold, she's burning like a furnace. Ryujin makes up her mind to quickly take a cold shower to calm her mind and body down.

Although it's dark in her room, Ryujin knows where her bathroom is based on muscle memory. She slowly walks through her walnut restroom door, her bare feet padding along the smooth white marble floors. She stands in front of the matching marble sink. Her hands grip the sink as she looks up at the walnut framed mirror. Palms become clammy but dry at the same time as they turn white from gripping too tightly. Because of the little bit of light coming from the moonlight in the restroom window, Ryujin could see her reflection. And honestly, she was... unsightly.

Deep, dark semi-circles are shown under her eyes. Her tired face is as white as ivory. More along the lines of a ghastly pale. Her cheeks were sullen. The color of her lips that sickly pale purple color. They were chapped, from her own negligence to care about her body in general. Her black pajama shirt hangs low as she traces her collarbones. They stick out like a sore thumb, and she could probably fit many quarters in the crevices. Her cheekbones protrude off of her face. Who even said cheekbones were pretty in the first place?