I couldn't go back to sleep. I was too scared that I would dream of him again and get killed for real this time. I opened my phone, scrolled down on social media and watched some video clips. I listened to some music on Spotify as I didn't notice that I slowly fell asleep. And when I woke up again, it's already 6am in the morning. And I just realized… "I didn't have any dreams."
I told my friend about it. I sound like a crazy person, or someone who make up stories for attention. But it was really not. I tried to keep it for myself but I can't hold back, I need someone to know about this. So I told one of my friends, someone who, I'm sure, will believe.
I texted her. I texted Devyn.
[I have something to tell you. Do you remember when I told you that I created my own dream? You know, lucid dreaming. Damn girl, my dream was so good. I have a rich, handsome boyfriend. Of course, I know all the characters since I'm the one who created them. Girl, I was shocked when suddenly someone appeared and started stabbing me! The fuck! I woke up at nearly 2 AM!]
[HAHAHAHAHAHA GIRL, YOU SHOULD START PRAYING.]
[Pass HAHAHAHAHAHAHA]
[BUT HEY, FAMILIAR. YOU KNOW DREAMING FREEDOM MANHWA?]
[IT WAS LIKE THAT.]
[Dreaming Freedom? I don't know that. What trope? Mystery?]
As you can see, we're both readers. I was suddenly curious. Actually, no. It was more than curious. I felt a sudden shock, interest, and at the same time, I felt crazy.
[The girl was lucid dreaming then there was also a guy in a comatose that goes inside dreams of people then he got into the girl's dream.]
[That's how the story goes.]
[IT'LL BE OKAY IF HE'S HANDSOME, RIGHT?! YOU KNOW, I LIKE GETTING HURT PHYSICALLY.]
I mean by getting hurt physically is BDSM. It is a sexual activity where the dominant uses toys and more to hurt the submissive in exchange for pleasure. If you want to understand more of it, you search it on your own will.
[GIRL, HANDSOME!]
she immediately replied, which for sure, she meant about the character in the manhwa.
[But sis, I couldn't see his face. It's like he has some grudge against me.]
[Then sis, I really felt the pain. It felt real.]
[Yeah that's definitely Dreaming Freedom]
[Wait, let me search for that. So, I can be ready.]
[I'm scared to sleep tonight, sis.]
[My gosh girl, if your anger issue could handle the story.]
[They were both red flags.]
[…fuck, my anger issue is kinda severe…]
[But it has good art.]
[I SAID IT WAS RED FLAG BECAUSE THE BEGINNING OF THE MANHWA WAS IRRITATING.]
[Fuck, I can still feel the fucking pain until now.]
[Damn girl, what if the guy was comatose.]
[Then he just got inside your dream, but uhm, it's really weird.]
When she replied this, I felt a sudden nervousness because what if she finds me weird? What if she finds me crazy or a story-maker? What if she thinks that I already read Dreaming Freedom and I'm just creating a story of my own?
[Fuck, don't get me along with his plans.]
[I just want to have a rich boyfriend in my dream.]
Then we started talking about this story titled Dreaming Freedom, where the female lead was getting bullied and she stabs her bullies in her lucid dream, and then she met this guy inside her dream and in reality, this guy is in comatose. I started reading it, but I can't seem to understand why this guy in my dream stabbed me. I never bullied anyone for him to stab me.
My friend recommended that I try lucid dreaming that night, but I'm too scared to try it. There were lots of questions in my mind. What if he tries to stab me again? What if I die in my dreams and never wake up again? What if I really bleed in real life like what happened in Dreaming Freedom?
So, I didn't try that night. I didn't have a lucid dream. I slept too well that night. But still, during the day, I couldn't help but think of a good reason why he stabbed me. I'm not even sure if he's a guy or not, but based on the body that I saw—masculine, not to mention his biceps, taller than me, and have bigger hands than most girls which definitely looks like a guy's hand. It was definitely a guy.
And so, with all the courage, 9:36PM, I closed my eyes and started creating a dream, intended for lucid dreaming.
It started so smoothly, I'm rich and famous. I was happy in that dream. I was expecting him to show immediately, but he didn't. I felt happy for a moment, when suddenly, everything started disappearing and the surroundings started getting a dim white.
"Here we go… He's here…" I mumbled to myself.
He appeared in front of me. I could see his lower half face which only included his lips and tip of his nose, but I couldn't see his eyes, and before I could even say anything, he spoke and smirked. And suddenly, I woke up. I looked at the clock, 1:48AM, "Fuck!"
I immediately opened my phone and typed what happened to text Devyn. I want to describe his voice and what he said, but for some weird reason, I couldn't remember it. I couldn't remember his voice and what he said.
It was all blurred.
[I heard his voice, sis! But I can't remember what he said. I can't even remember what his voice sounds like! What the fuck, how could I tell you the story if I couldn't remember anything?! All I know is that I woke up as soon as he spoke!]
And of course, since it was only 1:49AM when it got sent to her, she's still sleeping. 9:37AM when she finally replied.
[You met again! Is he handsome? What the fuck…]
[Girl… I only saw his smile, so I don't know. But his smile is handsome. HE IS HANDSOME! I JUST DON'T REMEMBER WHAT HE SAID!]
[Maybe it was "I'll stab you again."]
[Girl! His smile might be handsome, but I can't remember his voice! Or actually, I might still remember it but I don't know how to explain. It was like… umm… Jay's voice is deeper but his voice is more attractive. Now, the only thing I can't remember is what he said.]
[I get it. His voice is handsome.]
[YES]
I sent it straightforwardly. Then I realized it.
[Oh, too straightforward HAHAHAHA]
Then she just reacted to my text with haha emoji.
That night, again, I didn't try lucid dreaming because I was too scared of whatever might happen, especially when I don't know what he said. What if he said "I'll kill you the next time I see you"?
The next day, it was an online class. I'm wearing two different earphones each. One is from my phone which I'm using for music, while the other one is from my laptop which I'm using for gmeet where I'm still waiting for the professor to speak.
Then suddenly, the professor spoke which made me jump and immediately took the one piece earphone and looked in that direction, thinking someone was speaking beside me. I laughed at myself when I realized that it was the professor from the earphones.
I texted one of my friends. Yes, I like updating them with everything. It makes me feel like I'm pleasing them, updating with everything that happens to me.
I texted Tesha everything that happened between me and the earphones.
[The fuck, girl, I was really shocked, to the point that I immediately took off the earphones. If Vin was there and saw that, he'd probably laugh at me.]
And like a movie scene, it all connected. It appeared like a flash in front of me and realized…
And immediately texted Devyn.
[GIRL GIRL GIRL!!! I NOW REMEMBER! IT ONLY OCCURED TO ME NOW!!! I SUDDENLY MENTIONED HIM, AND NOW I FINALLY REMEMBER!!! That was Vin's voice! It was definitely Vin's voice! And I now remember what he said! He said "Hi Princess, miss me?"!!! But I still don't get it WHY DID HE STABBED ME IN OUR FIRST ENCOUNTER?! OMG SIS!!!]
I don't know if I'm happy that he's back, excited that we'll meet again, or scared what he might do to me. What I'm sure of is... I'm kinda thankful that it was Vin. Because I'd rather die by his hands, than be killed by others.