Second Story: In The Nick of Time

Chapter 3

16 September 2021

The warm daylight of autumn had graced the sleepy capital city. Several clouds were drifting peacefully in the vast blue sky. Golden leaves filled the streets of the Old Quarter and the cool air lingered under the old trees by the lake, enough to make visitors drowsy.

Mai was overjoyed when she saw that the date was 16 September because her theory was proven to be correct: the heinous crimes had to be prevented from happening at all cost in order to break out of the mysterious time loop.

During Civics class, most of 11A12, including Châu Anh and Hoàng, were already lost in Dreamland. No one was interested in learning the basics of civil law. Mai felt that everything her teacher said was unbearably boring, that it was murder by monotony.

"You gotta be kidding me... Still thirty minutes left?" Thảo muttered exasperatedly.

Mai could hardly hold in her laughter. If even the most diligent student was looking forward to the next period, why should she pay attention in class?

While fiddling with her textbook absent-mindedly, Mai's smartphone suddenly lit up and a text message was displayed. It was from Phương. She quickly opened the message and read it intently. It was as if her vim had suddenly come back to her at that very moment. The mail contained all the remaining information that the girl needed. Her face brightened up, and enthusiasm took over her.

Mai did not waste any time when the final bell of the day rang and vanished from the classroom, leaving Thảo, Châu Anh and Hoàng speechless. There was simply no time to lose. She madly dashed to the nearest bus stop and recalled the supposed way to 'H-A' School with a lot of effort. Since their rival school was situated in a distant district, far from downtown Hanoi, she had to change buses during the journey.

While waiting for the bus to come, Mai was tapping her feet impatiently and occasionally glancing at her digital watch. Each passing minute felt like an hour to her. Negative emotions and thoughts began to surface in her mind. 'What if I were to fail again?', 'Can I do this alone?', 'Will my efforts be futile?' All those questions popped up in her head as she began feeling inferior and apprehensive, in contrast to the confidence she had while at school.

"Hey, it's you, Mai! What are you doing here?"

A woman's voice freed Mai from her spiral of emotions as she turned back to see who it was. That person was Hoa. She was a 21-year-old student with a rather muscular build, which was attributed to her weightlifting hobby and the fact that she regularly trained at a local fitness studio. She was also the daughter of the owner of a popular bubble tea shop near 'A' High School. Her customers, most of whom were students of 'A' High, frequently confided in her. It was not an exaggeration to say that she was a role model whom the students look up to, but there were some rumours that she might have been a lesbian.

"Hi Hoa, how's university life?" asked Mai.

"Sanguine," replied Hoa dryly with her unusually deep voice. "You can never seem to catch a breath in law school, especially in the junior year, you have to accumulate as much work experience as possible. Though I still enjoy it, and the people at school are really nice. How about you?"

"That's great to hear. I'm doing alright too. There are some hiccups here and there, but I'll manage."

"Lovely," smiled the older girl. "Where are you going?"

"Gonna visit my friend at the hospital."

"I see. Well, take care of yourself, alright?" continued Hoa, as she took out a cigarette and lit it. "Some of the girls and boys from your school told me that they felt like being watched by someone. Perhaps a stalker?"