Along the way, Tasia couldn't sit still. Hadyan's statement at the rest area was effective in making her paranoia relapse so that she kept thinking about all the possible car accidents that would occur due to supernatural evil beings like what she often watched in horror movies.
Not like the others, Tasia couldn't sleep well. Although previously, she had eaten so much food to maximum fill her stomach and her energy was drained after a long day playing on the bus with her crazy friends. She got up again from her back, intending to talk to Hadyan even though it was blocked by Marya's body sitting in the middle, between the two of them.
Hadyan raised his thick eyebrows which asked 'what's wrong?'. He knew from earlier that the silly girl could not sit still. Even Hadyan could feel her fear energy just by one sniff.
"I was scared because I heard your story." She whispered. Hadyan immediately chuckled at the panicked face.
"It's nothing, just go to sleep. You're tired like the others. Your eyes even are so droopy like that."
"Nothing you said? You were the one who clearly said that there are a lot of ghosts along this road. What if they will cause our bus to crash like what often happens in the movies?" She said panicked.
Hadyan shook his head, "It won't happen. I know that. Our driver has a strong faith, he is a religious person. After all, someone will accompany next to him along his drive. Don't worry, just go to sleep." he straightened his body and gently pushed Tasia's shoulder to lean back. He didn't forget to lightly caress the girl's delicate forehead. Made him smile to himself.
Tasia still wore her worried face which became worse when her paranoia flared up. Hadyan smiled amusedly, "I will take care of you. I promise. Go to sleep."
For some reason, just hearing those words from Hadyan's lips and seeing how the guy's facial expression made Tasia calm down until she finally fell asleep.
***
"I want to go home.." She felt her cheeks wet and her hands squeezed the soft satin cloth she was sitting on.
Tasia opened her heavy and wet eyes, she could faintly see Hadyan's face very close to hers. Hadyan even looked so dashing compared to his daily appearance.
"I want to go home! Please let me go home! Please!"
'Why did I say that? Hadyan, why am I crying? What happened?' Tasia thought, but couldn't say it out.
'I can't control my own body. My mouth speaks for itself against my will. I'm afraid. Hadyan, please! What happened to me?'
Tasia looked at Hadyan's eyes which were also staring at her intently. She was scared and confused. However, that gaze, that face, calmed her soul. The fear was there, but she felt safer while Hadyan was here. Strangely, the figure of Hadyan in front of her did not seem to respond to what she said. The man just put on a frustrated face.
"I want to go home!" She screamed out.
'Why does my mouth keep saying this sentence?' She thought.
"Tasia! Tasia, wake up! We've arrived." Tata vigorously shook the shoulder of her best friend who was sleeping like a pig.
Tasia suddenly opened her eyes in shock, she had a strange dream that made her hard to wake up. Her eyes bulged as if she had seen a ghost.
"Geez, it was so hard to wake you up! You're not usually like this, Tasia. Are you so exhausted?" Tata shook her head.
Then, Tasia immediately followed her off the almost empty bus. They arrived in front of a large villa with a large enough space to park school buses.
It was nine o'clock in the evening, and the committee immediately arranged for the division of the participants' rooms.
"What are you doing, Tasia? You tired? Or dreaming of having a feast?" Patra teased her as she off the bus.
"You know what? He took lots of pictures of your face while you were sleeping and couldn't be woken up." Mark said with a grin.
"What?! You insolent, Patra! Give me your cell phone!" Tasia immediately tried to grab the cellphone that was being held by the owner.
Patra laughed loudly, "Come on! Jump! Jump like a kangaroo!" He shouted as holding his phone up high.
Tasia ignored her friend's tease and kept trying to jump to grab the tall guy's cell phone. Suddenly, her eyes caught a sight until she stopped jumping and focused on it.
"Marya is aggressive, isn't she?" Patra laughed, looking at the same thing the girl in the yellow T-shirt was looking at. Hadyan was having a warm chat with Marya beside the other still opened bus door. They look like a couple in love.
"Marya surely likes Hadyan that much," Tasia muttered.
Patra stared at her for a few seconds, his face showing a confused and funny expression, "You... like Hadyan, huh? Am I wrong?"
Tasia shook her head, "Of course not. And I can't."
Patra frowned, "Why? Because of Marya?"
Tasia looked at him and smiled broadly, "No reasons." then immediately left Patra who was still looking at her confused, forgetting the earlier photo problem.
'I can't expect to get back something I've rejected. I don't want to be a selfish human.' Said Tasia in her heart.
After receiving the room information, the participants were asked to fill in and pack up in their designated room.
Tasia, Tata, and Marya were placed in a large room with two other girls. They began to pack their belongings and clean themselves in the bathroom in turns.
When she was about to take a shower, Tasia glanced at her naked body reflected in the sink mirror. She realized something that she had expected to happen, but now took her by surprise instead. The bruise looked more faded than the last time she'd seen. The bruise that Hadyan made, a marker of how much longer he could be in her life. Slowly, a tight feeling crept up her chest.