Supernova || knj (Soulmate AU)

10 || The Mysteries of the Mind

Astra

If my brain were a bomb, it was probably frozen at the moment just before it fully exploded. You could tell it was coming, the pain, but it never really fully peaked. The pressure was at its peak, and it seemed nowhere near giving her rest.

I stirred slightly, feeling hard fabric against my fingertips and back. I could still make out a few voices of those around me, but I couldn't make much sense of them.

I thought I recognized my parents and sister, but it was hard with all the movement.

My chest constricted, threatening to suffocate as another wave of shivers spread like a wave through my muscles. Last thing I remembered was meeting the Kim Namjoon. He grabbed my hand, fingers smooth on my own. It was the electric feeling that really made my heart race. No wonder everyone called being with your soulmate a drug. It was exhilarating and thrilling all the same time. A part of me wished I didn't have to live up to the expectations of an idol, but I already promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't change for him. He would have to like me flaws and all. It was kind of a set package.

There was the tap of pressure in my arms and legs before the pressure on my back was gone. I hadn't a momentary sense of panic as my gut plunged deep and I felt like I was falling. The pressure returned, and I had the odd sense I was moving.

Another violent shudder, and I gave a reflexive gasp. My own breathing felt foreign to me, each rasp echoing into my ears as if it weren't my own. Still, I knew it was.

I focused on what I could for now, the pain of thinking about anything too much. Voices seemed to rise from the darkness. People had to have been talking around me. Their voices were calm, soothing, distracting me from the pain that seemed to reverberate through every cell in my body. I just wanted to reach out and talk back to them.

I recognized my mother's voice, her soft words flowing through me. I hope she is going to be alright. Stay in there Astra, we're getting you help. If anything, her words made me breathe easier.

I recognized another voice, picking it out from all the other voices. It seemed like everyone was talking at the same time, making it hard for me to discern from each other. Still, Alara's voice was clear as a bell. This is all my fault. Why did I leave you in that bathroom? I should have made sure you were fine before we both went and got Matthew. I could almost feel the guilt that was edging from her words. It wrapped around me, and all I could think was how it was not her fault. Really, it was all mine. Mine for being stupid enough to follow that girl and try to return her purse.

The voices swirled in the mass of darkness. Some floated to my attention, while others stayed behind, and it took me a solid minute before I realized they weren't voices. They were thoughts. Thoughts that I could somehow understand, even if I knew they were being thought in Korean. For some reason, they just clicked. I could tell that those who were closer to me had much louder thoughts than those who were further, and I could almost picture a mental image. It was as if a string was connecting me to every mind around me, letting me hear what they were thinking.

I reached out with my mind, testing on the string that connected me to my sister. It was almost a tangible thing. It had texture, smooth in my mind. I followed it to her thoughts. A picture showed up in her mind, and for a second, I didn't know what it was. It was a girl with blonde hair, lying on a stretcher in what seemed to be an ambulance. Her face was glistening with sweat, a slight look of discomfort on her features. It was me, I realized.

I tapped at the barriers of what was Alara's mind. It was flexible, really only allowing me to see what was on her mind at that moment, but it wouldn't be to hard if I could just step inside. I tested my mental capabilities, pushing lightly at the barrier, surprised that it pushed away to let me in. I could probably enter anyone's thoughts, not just the ones on the surface. I retracted my thoughts. This was practically a violation of privacy.