"I can't sleep."
Emily stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide opened.
After having her eyes glued to the ceiling for a couple more seconds, she pushed herself up. She turned to her side to catch a gaze of the necklace and cube that Erica had gave her.
As she picked up the cube, she realised there were tiny symbols all around it. They can actually be words of a different language, which she did not understand.
"What is in this anyway?" She asked silently to herself as she shook the cube. As she looked around the faces of the cube, to find a orange gemstone embedded at one of the sides.
Intrigued, she ran her fingers against the smooth surface of the stone, when suddenly...
She heard a knock on the door.
She hid the cube and the necklace under her pillow and went for the door. She opened the door to see it was.
It was Damian.
"Hey... Can I come in? I can't sleep." He asked with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah! Sure, of course!" She replied oddly as she welcomed him into her room.
She closed her door once he entered and asked, "How are you feeling? I heard that you were feeling sick."
He did not know what she was talking at first, but then he recalled the lie he told to Patricia.
"Oh, yeah. I'm feeling much better now." He smiled as he gave his stomach a couple of light pats. He then turned and took a look around her room, before plopping onto the her bed, "Your room is as neat as always."
"Mm hmm." She replied as she sat right next to him. They sat there in silence, not saying anything.
After a good thirty seconds, they said the same word at the same time, "Sorry."
They were both shocked at that coincidence, but their shock turned into laughters shortly after. Suppressing his urge to continue laughing, he asked her, "What are you sorry for? I should be the one at fault, you know?"
"No, I think I'm at fault. I shouldn't be a huge idiot." She protested.
"Nope, what you did was right. I'm just being an asshole for shouting at you like that." He rectified, "So, for that, I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. I deserve it anyway." She replied with a slight smile.
"No, you don't. I'm just a huge asshole and that's final." He said playfully, "Oh yeah, when did you meet that group of friends?"
Her heart skipped a beat when he asked her that, she did not know how to reply, so she quickly questioned to buy some time, "'That group'? What group?"
"I'm referring the others, excluding Hailey... They seem... A little different."
"Oh, um... By coincidence, those are actually Beck and Mary's friends. When I got to know the two of them, I ended up being friends with those people too, you know?" She lied, hoping that he will not pursue further.
Thankfully, he replied, "I see, that's interesting."
He then leaned back to lay on her bed, "You seem to be really close to all of them, huh? You like them very much, don't you?"
She looked at her ground for a moment, thinking about the question, "Well... Yeah. They are pretty important to me, just like how you, Hailey and Patricia are to me."
"Really?" He jolted up suddenly, "Let me ask you this cliché question then. Let's say, if one friend of yours, Mary, and I were held as hostages and you can only save one of us, who would you save?"
Just as she heard the question, she cringed. "What kind of question is that...?"
"Hey! Don't give me that look! Just answer the goddamn question." Damian shot back.
"Fine." She muttered as under her sigh, "Let's see..."
She thought about that question for a little while, before answering it.
"I'll save both of you."
"No, you can't."
"Yes, I can."
"No, you not allow to do that. You can only save one."
"I don't care, I'll save both. I don't know how, but I'll do it. Maybe I will become the hostage myself in the place of Mary, then I'll make my decision to release you." Emily explained, "That will do right?"
Damian looked at her in surprise, it was almost as if he had lost his ability to speak for a good few seconds.
"Hey Damian, are you okay? Are you feeling sick again? Do you need me to get you something?" She asked, seeing he was a little off.
Out of the blue, he started laughing.
That just made her more worried, "Damian? Are you okay? Oh no... Don't tell me the headache had damaged you head..."
"S-Sorry!" He said as he continued laughing, "--I've forgotten how ridiculous you are."
Feeling slightly upset, she folded her arms, "Hey, it wasn't that ridiculous, it was smart. I just can't pick, you two are both important to me."
"Well, that's good to hear." He replied as wiped the tears of laughter from his bottom eyelids, "Okay, next question!"
Upon hearing the words 'next question', she gave him a droll look, "Another one...?"
"Stop looking at me like that and yes, this will be the last one." He then cleared his throat, before he spoke, "So, what if... and I'm saying what if, don't take this seriously, alright? If someone were to separate you from Patricia, from Hailey and from your other friends... How would you feel? Listen, I'm just curious. You can not answer if you want."
She looked at him and then to the ground. Her gaze saddened upon imagining that scenario, "Honestly, I don't know... I'll probably be really sad. However, if that is what it takes for all of them to be safe... I'll do it." She continued looking at the wooden ground as if it was the most eye-catching furnish in her room.
Just then, she felt a pat on her head, which ruffled her jet black hair. "...Until now, you're still a really nice girl."
She looked up to see Damian smiling, but for some reason, that smile was a little... melancholic. It was as if that smile was... genuine.
Abruptly, he stood up and headed for the door, he then turned the doorknob and opened it. Placing his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, he turned to her and said, "...Just stay nice, okay? ...No matter what."
After saying that he shut the door and left, leaving her alone.
She felt a little weird hearing his words, she did not know why... She just did. It was as if those words were his last.
She might be overthinking, but she felt something huge was about to happen...