It strikes 11 p.m. on the clock. The boy heads down the corridor where the girls' rooms are located. He stands in front of the door and, without knocking, goes inside. He smiles at the sight of the person waiting for him by the lighted lamp.
The boy squats on the bed and embraces her hand, stroking her skin with his long fingers.
She looks up at him with a smile on her face, unable to stop admiring him. In her eyes, he is not only handsome, but also charismatic.
She adores him.
She doesn't care how much they differ. They are thoroughly different — mismatched, and yet she is not going to give up on him. She is in love with him.
He captivated her the very first day she saw him.
She closes her eyes as he leans over and puts his hand to her face. He kisses her, and she takes advantage of this and lays her head on the pillow; she draws him in and greedily lavishes him with kisses.
In love with him to death, she doesn't think about the obstacles that might lead to their separation. She has fought too long to win him.
Her face lights up with a smile as he brushes her cheek and lies down beside her, his fingers playing with her thick hair.
— Joseph?
— Hm?
— Are you angry that we can't use that room anymore?
The boy twists on his back and stops, his gaze on the white ceiling.
— This girl is brave, since she is not afraid of gossip. But it's a matter of time when she'll run away from there.
She is curious about his answer.
— Don't tell me that perhaps you are the person who teases the tenants of the room there...
— I am not a child. Such jokes do not amuse me. — His voice is cool. — And I don't believe in all this crap about ghosts. I realize that it is some student who is having a great time. Someone managed to destroy Halsey, and since she was a person who had many enemies, it could have been anyone. I don't know if I'll ever be able to figure it out.
She puts her head on his chest and sighs.
— It's sad what happened to that girl.
— Doesn't it bother you when I talk about her?
— No because everyone has a person they loved before. And I know that now I'm the only one you can talk to. I will always listen to you.
Joseph puts his arm around her and hugs his face to her hair.
*
Mariah slips out of the room and carefully looks around the hallway to make sure no one is around. Her heart stands still when she spots Jimmy circling nearby.
He approaches her and suspiciously looks at the door through which she left.
— What kind of room is this? What were you doing in it? — he asks, measuring her with his eyes. — I knocked on your door, but your roommate revealed that you weren't in bed, so I waited for you to show up.
— What do you care? After all, you dumped me!
— Keep quiet! — chastises her. — For Joseph's sake, we can only talk to each other at night.
— If you are so afraid of him, then leave me alone! Act as if you don't know me at all — she says with anger in her voice. She wants to sneak past him and walk away, but he doesn't let her. He grabs her forearm and holds her to him.
— You're right. I don't want to lose his friendship, but I don't understand why he dislikes you so much. I can't stand the thought of being in the middle of you and having to choose. Likewise, I thought I did the right thing, but I can't stop thinking about you, Mariah — he declares, not taking his eyes off her face. — I don't want to lose you.
The girl is devastated, hearing his words. Jimmy has opened up to her for the first time. For a long period of their relationship, he was never able to show her affection, but she turned a blind eye to it. She told herself that this was simply his personality.
She throws him a nervous glance when she realizes she hears the sound of a key being turned from the sitter's room.
Mariah opens the door and mindlessly pushes Jimmy into the room she left earlier. The boy looks around the interior, realizing that this is the place where they put unnecessary furniture and objects. There is even a bed located there.
The 18-year-old leans with her back against the door, nervously listening for the sitter's footsteps. She prays that she won't look into this very room because they will both be finished. And not only them, because also the boy who has accompanied her so far and managed to hide somewhere between the furniture.
The girl opens her eyes wider when she realizes that the woman is heading in their direction. With a movement of her hand, she orders Jimmy to hide, but he just shrugs his shoulders.
She has no choice, so she grabs him by his shirt and pushes him off the bed he sat on moments earlier.
They both fall to the floor.
The teenager lies on top of him, covering his mouth with her hand so that he doesn't accidentally speak. She tickles his face with her long hair, yet he calmly looks at her.
The attendant turns on the light and looks inside. She is about to search the place more thoroughly, but to their surprise, she gives up because someone comes out of the next room.
— Where is this going at this hour? — he turns to the student, who is caught off guard. He closes the door behind him, so Mariah breathes a sigh of relief. She wants to get up, but Jimmy embraces her around the waist, satisfied with the position they are in.
— What are you doing? — he asks in a whisper. — First you despised me, and now you're making nice? Is this some kind of show?
— What have you done to Joseph that he hates you so much? Why doesn't he want us to be together? You are the only girl in school who is forbidden to be in a relationship with me.
— What have I done to him? Ask him why he's such a nut — mutters the 18-year-old in response, although she knows perfectly well what the reason is.
— Is there a chance for us to date in secret from others?
Her look is contemptuous.
— You chose a friend, you left me. Do you think I will agree to meet with you in secret? It's over between us, Jimmy.
The boy twists, so now it's Mariah lying on the floor, and he sits on top of her, preventing her from escaping.
— I won't let you go until we talk honestly.
— You're acting like a kid. You are looking more and more like Joseph. Don't take example from him, even though he is your friend.
Jimmy captures her chin and forces the girl to look into his eyes.
— Admit it, you could look at it calmly if I started dating another student? — Her gaze becomes sharp, so he knows the answer to this question. — Well, that's right, you couldn't. And I wouldn't put up with it either, so don't let anything stupid come to your mind. I will not sit still when I see some moron at your side.
— What do you mean! — She raises her voice, unable to stand his bossiness any longer. — You broke up with me, saying you don't need a girlfriend anymore. You chose a friend, so why are you going to make my life difficult? — The boy brings his face closer, so she takes advantage of this and pinches his cheek. — So what? You won't sit still if I start dating another boy? And what will you do when it turns out he's your friend, hm? Do you beat him up? Poison his life at school?
— What are you talking about?
— I want you to get away from me. I hate you for the way you treated me. I will never forgive you for that.
Jimmy lets go of the girl and steps off, letting her get up from the floor.
— Now you say that, but in time you will miss me. I know very well that you still love me, despite how I treated you.
She intends to defend herself, to tell him that he's wrong, but she doesn't do so because a noise sounds in the corner of the room.
The boy hiding behind the cabinet gets up from the floor, measuring Jimmy with a sharp look.
— Surprised? — he speaks up, noticing the clear astonishment on his face. — That's good because now I'm going to give you a slap.
*
Hannah lies on top of the boy, speaking to him in a caressing voice and pinching his face. Jin tries to move away from her, but she specifically teases him.
She embraces his cheeks and gives him a kiss on the lips, laughing at his displeased expression.
She snuggles into him and looks into the balcony window with dreamy eyes. The wind blows the long curtains, and the pleasant air and the sound of the sea, make her wish that this moment would last as long as possible.
It feels good to her.
— We are committing a crime, since the parents are in the next room. Aren't you worried about what kind of brawl will break out when they find us together? — she asks unexpectedly, spoiling the pleasant atmosphere.
— I don't care.
— Do you know that we shouldn't fall in love with each other? We were supposed to be siblings, not secret lovers — she asserts, resting her chin on her hands. He stares at the boy, watching the changes taking place on his face. He is furious that she has brought up the subject again.
— I don't give a damn what they think about it. I don't care about anything anymore. If necessary, we will get away from them.
The girl rises and sits on his stomach.
— Hey, Romeo, didn't you get too worked up? — He wants to believe it's a joke, but Jin looks too serious at this point. — What are you talking about? Would you be able to hurt your father?
— We can't allow their wedding, Hannah. I don't want your mother to become his wife. I want you to be the one with me.
— That's selfish — she declares, looking at him with clear disappointment.
— Selfish is my father, since he knows what we have in common, and after the wedding he intends to send you to school in America.
Hannah is surprised.
— Why?
— He thinks this is the only way to keep us apart.
The girl opens her eyes and an unpleasant shudder runs through her as she hears a whisper over her ear:
— Ensure his happiness... save him from suffering.
She rises to a sitting position and looks around the dark interior with a feverish gaze.
Every night is the same. In her dream, she sees images that are not her past. They are a mere illusion... an illusion created by the room.
She can't determine what is happening to her, but through these dreams she thinks more and more about Jin. She feels a pleasant warmth in the region of her heart, she gets the impression that she is reminding herself of him, which is impossible. Why? Because she has never lost her memories...
This room hides a secret, a terrifying mystery that can drive a person to psychosis.
Everyone is right... she is in danger.
She hesitantly glances at Mariah when the girl joins her on a break. She looks worried.
— Are you all right? — asks Hannah when she notices that her hands are trembling. The older colleague nods in response and stands against the wall. — Are you sure? You are pale.
— He will kill him — she whispers, closing her eyes and massaging her forehead with her fingers. — This is the end of friendship. He will never forgive me for this. — Mariah looks as if she is about to cry. — Even though he started it all himself, it's my fault. I fell in love with the wrong boy. What have I done...
She puts her hand on her shoulder, playing with the material of her uniform. She opens her eyes wider as Joseph passes her. He throws her a brief glance, taking a moment longer to honor Hannah with it.
A cynical smile appears on his face.
— Are your concerns related to this moron? — asks the 16-year-old, glancing at her shaken friend.
Her attention is drawn to Jimmy. The boy has a black eye, but pays no heed to the gossiping students. His gaze is focused on Mariah. One can see bitterness in him, as well as anger. Although anger is not enough to describe how angry he is.
When he passes her, he doesn't say a word. He clenches his fists and walks away.
— I can't imagine being in the same class with them. It would be hell.
Hannah crinkles her eyebrows, not understanding what exactly happened. She doesn't have a clue about anything, but it's clear from the 18-year-old that something serious has happened, and many unpleasant situations could result.
Mariah walks away. With a slow step, she heads to the classroom where she starts classes. At this point, she does not resemble the girl she is every day at all.
Hannah takes out her cell phone from her skirt and reads a message from her mother, who informs her that she can finally relax and forget about recent events. She asks how she is doing and asks her to make a phone call to her at her leisure.
— You deserve that rest, mom.
— Are you talking to yourself? — She lifts her face in amazement when she sees Tom's laughing face in front of her. — This is just abnormal, and they laugh at me when I arrange a chat with the Adams handle — she announces with her finger pointing at the boy who has joined him. — He teases me the worst. He stated that I should find a girlfriend before I go completely crazy. Do you think we are a good match? — Hannah is surprised by his directness. — You live in a cursed room, so you too are in danger of mental illness. Let's save each other before we are swallowed up by the dark corridors of the psychiatric hospital.
— Don't listen to him. He is strange. — She focuses her eyes on the boy who appears in her dreams every night. Then she feels that pleasant sensation again in the area of her left breast. — He has a 4D personality. He lives in his world.
— I understand — she exclaims. The closeness she shares with Jin in her dreams... This leads her to start feeling uncomfortable in his presence. She feels silly when she thinks about all these fantasies.
She can't explain it.
— Should I tell you who is weirder? — defends himself to Tom, but he can't say anything more because Jin covers his mouth. The boy mutters something and tries to bite his finger, but is eventually pushed toward the classroom.
Hannah flutters her eyelids as he pushes his butt out towards them.
— I have to keep an eye on him. There are days when he can be particularly strange and unbearable — Jin explains, putting a hand in her hair.
— That's true, but at least you have fun with him. His personality is funny.
The boy nods and then there is an awkward silence between them. Hannah looks at his face, but chooses the wrong moment because he catches her.
Memories from the dream return, and she feels her cheeks turn a shade of intense red.
— Meet me during the big break on the roof — she says unexpectedly.
All this doesn't give her peace of mind. She wants to find out if these are actually images from the past, or is the room she lives in creating illusions that never happened?
— Okay, let's meet on the roof — nods the 18-year-old, hoping to learn something. He hopes to know the secret Hannah is hiding.