CATastrophe | WayV |

[7] A Crack in the Glass

It took less than an hour to get to Sennan from Osaka. The region had beautiful scenery of the Osaka bay and the weather was a little windy but not too cold. The boys glanced out the window as they ran pass the ocean waves. Soon, the car pulled up to a private road which leads to a beautiful white villa. They got out of the car and excitedly ran inside the house. White marble walls, tall glass windows, a luxurious kitchen, Jacuzzi; the house had everything a million dollar house would have. The manager gathered them in the living room to inform them about their schedules, housekeeping and where the security guards would be at. He left after giving all their belongings and important papers to Kun and Ten.

So, kids. What should we do first? Ten asked the members who were getting familiar to the large living room. Shall we order something to eat?
I think we should choose our rooms first. Kun suggested.
Yeah, the rooms are so nice. Hendery squish a pillow in excitement. Even the couch in the balcony was comfortable enough to sleep in.
Then you sleep there. Yangyang threw a pillow at him and giggled as he hid behind Winwin.
Lucas laughed at his ridiculous aim.
I think Winwin should sleep in the kitchen since hes a sushi chef. Ten said mockingly.
Ill be fine as long as I dont share a room with you.

After much disagreement and a couple of rock-paper-scissors later, they decided to pick rooms through a number lottery written by Kun on a piece of paper. They anxiously waited as each member picked a paper then soon reveled the number they got. Xiaojun got the number 1 while Ten got 7. Each person went to the room they wanted one by one, there was no changing rooms or roommates so they took the time to choose their rooms wisely.

Surprisingly, Kun was the only one who chose the single bedroom. He thanked God silently as he dreamt of a peaceful sleep without Yangyang and Xiaojun bickering in the dark. Ten and Yangyang were on the first room on the ground floor, along with Lucas and Xiaojun on the room next door. Hendery and Winwin chose the room on the first floor near the shared balcony connecting to Kuns room.

Okay, Louis, where do you want to sleep? Ten asked with a smile.
I like the room upstairs with the big windows.
Oh, you mean the double bed room with the garden view?
Yeah. Louis gave a half-smile. I can see the sky from there while sleeping, its so nice.
Wont you feel lonely sleeping by yourself? Lucas asked.
No, Ill be fine. Dont worry.
Okay then lets take up your things to your new room. Hendery and Lucas volunteered.

They excitedly went up the stairs with Louis bags when Hendery felt a jolt of pain in his neck and for a split second, he felt the floor beneath his feet moving and wouldve fell backwards if Lucas hadnt caught him by his arm. When Lucas asked him if he was alright, he laughed it off and said it might be because he didnt get enough sleep last night. The boys settled in their new rooms with their new roommates. They ordered dinner and enjoyed a story about how Ten mistakenly ate a candle thinking it was white chocolate.

The boys retreated to their rooms as the clock struck 11:50, bidding each other good night and telling Xiaojun not to wake them up in the morning. Some of them played with Leon and Bella while Kun set up a mini studio in his room, Winwin bet Hendery that Yangyang and Ten wouldnt last a day in their room. On the far corner of the first floor, Louis sat on his bed, silently staring at a painting of the ocean on the wall. He drew the curtains open, turned down the lights then climbed on his bed, the sky was sparkly and clear, he could faintly hear the music Kun was playing and in that moment everything felt right. But no sooner had he laid down when a piercing pain on his chest made him roll on his bed. He took a few deep breaths and the pain went away as quickly as it came. He wondered if it was from the beer he drank since it was his first time drinking alcohol. He shook the thought of it and went to sleep in his pink pajamas Ten bought for him.

Hendery woke up the next morning feeling thirsty and cold. He sleepily got out of bed and found Winwins bed empty. Maybe hes in the toilet. He then went downstairs to find all the lights on. The house was quiet and cold. Did someone turned off the ac? He went into the kitchen and saw a man cooking breakfast. He greeted him then opened the fridge to find it completely empty. Where are all the drinks we bought? He turned around and sat down near the kitchen island, confused as to why everything seemed hazy.

Heres your breakfast, sir. The man spoke in prefect Mandarin as he set down a plate in front of Hendery. He thanked the chef then took a bite of the omelet rice. A lump formed in his throat when he realized that the food tasted weird. He looked down on his plate to see it filled with the exact medicine he gave to Louis. He turned to look at the man and saw that his face changed to that of the old Japanese man that sold him the medicine. A comical grin formed on his lips, Ive found you Huang Guanheng.

Hendery woke up from his sleep; he sat up panting and found himself covered in sweat. He turned on a lamp and checked if Winwin was in his bed. He was relief to find his roommate peacefully sleeping next to him. What was that dream? Do I have a fever? He placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. Nothings wrong. Its just a nightmare. I should go back to sleep. He drank the bottle of water he found near his bed then changed his shirt that was soaked in sweat. He lay on his bed and tried to go back to sleep, but the image of the man calling his name kept him on edge.

Their breakfast had already been prepared when they woke up the next day. Everyone discussed how they were going to spend the day, except for Hendery, who had been quietly eating. He barely got enough sleep and couldnt bring himself to tell his friends about what was happening, so he kept it to himself.

Louis, how was your sleep? Did you stay up late? Yangyang asked while getting up to get more fruits.
No, I went to bed pretty early. He watch Ten push away the fruit plate in front of him. I had a weird dream last night.
Henderys eyes shifted to Louis.
I saw an old man in a dark ally, there were lots of cats with him. And the strangest thing was that he kept saying the price will be paid.