Xiao Zhan's POV
When I woke up from the slumber of darkness, I couldn't move, as if I was held, frozen in time, and I tried to look around, but my neck was stiff and somehow unable to move a bit, and I glanced through the corner of my eyes, only to realize I was standing in a shop, and to be exact a clothing store, and everywhere people were walking around, some passed me as if I was nothing more than air.
I tried hard to turn, twist or do anything to get anyone's attention, but it basically was as if I was invisible to them, and I sighed while wanting to move my arm before realizing I couldn't move it, of course.
My body felt heavy and stiff as if my body wasn't mine anymore, as if I was just a soul locked in a random person his or her body, somewhere I desperately wanted to cry while I was not able to move a finger, so once again I tried to glance around, and my eyes almost popped out of my sockets when I saw something I hoped I had mistaken.
Because there in another corner that I was not fully visible in my eyes, stood a mannequin, almost a look-alike version of Wang Yibo, I quickly tried to shake the thought away, probably I was seeing things that weren't there, hallucinating, yet it did not explain where I was and why I was here, and why I couldn't damn move a finger if it was Zhoucheng in my place he would had struggled way more I realized.
I tried to concentrate on my unsteady breath, in, out, in, out, and so on, it was a calming thing to focus on, but not enough to make my worries disappear and I felt cold sweat dripping down on my forehead, probably once again invisible sweat droplets.
Why did everyone walk past me as if I didn't exist, and then a small boy of a year of four, big dark black doe eyes, a light like milk skin, and a cute button nose wearing neat clothes stood in front of me, I attempted to move my lips even if it was just a smile, but no words came out, the boy kept staring at me, enchanted, while keeping his head slightly oblique, I tried to force myself to say something, but nothing worked, my whole body worked against me.
It was almost as if I was locked, and I had never felt so useless or scared before, I couldn't even hear my own breathing anymore, please just let this be a horrible nightmare, let me wake up, please.
The boy touched my arm, so he was able to see me, but even before I could let my happiness sink in a woman appeared next to the boy, grabbing his arm, and the small boy spoke up while his black orbs didn't detach from mine.
"Momy? Why does this man looks so much alike a human?" The little boy pouted his lips while turning to the middle-aged woman who had a shopping bag, trying to snatch the boy with her, but the boy kept standing where he was, not moving away from me, and somewhere it was a relief.
"Baby, that's called a mannequin, they look like humans but aren't, they're used for clothing in shops, so baby we really need to leave now, or we won't be able to catch the train!" The woman took the boy while the boy had no chance of protesting, and while the boy got dragged further away from me his eyes never left mine, and I saw him muttering some words I couldn't hear before he disappeared from my vision.
And once again I glanced around, it was quiet with only some customers walking around, buying clothes, but how was it possible that I was a mannequin?
My heart was racing while I tried to let everything sink into me, and that was when I noticed the clock on the side of the wall, it was a small clock, and though I couldn't exactly read the time without my glasses, it seemed as if it was almost 3 pm, almost, but not yet, and for once I regretted not having lenses as Zhoucheng had recommended me countless times.
Once again I tried to widen my vision by scanning around, and this time I took the time to inspect the other mannequin in the other corner that looked so familiar because this mannequin was wearing the hood of Wang Yibo, but it wasn't possibly him, right?
Of course not!
I shook the thought away, I would wake up any moment, it wouldn't matter, there was nothing to worry about, I would wake up, yeah, I would wake up, hear Zhoucheng's lovely mocking and Xiao Hua's annoying screams as a fangirl of BTS filling the quiet and calm house and neighbourhood, yeah, this nightmare would end soon, and so thus I once again took a deep breath, steadying my heart that was beating like a madman at the moment.
The clock was ticking, and I tried to concentrate on the ticking of the timer, second after second, minute after minute passed while the smaller hand of the clock worked a slow way towards the three, before a painful realization hit me on the head.
This. Was. My. Manuscript.
And here I was, living in my own story, my breath if I had a breath as a mannequin hitched, trying to inspect the clock hoping it hadn't touched the three yet because then the story will come to live, or with other words, the mannequins in this shop, including me would come alive!
This was not possible . . . Right . . . I-I must be dreaming, yes, of course, I am dreaming after those mocking words of Wang Yibo, now I remembered how I easily fell asleep I the car, this must be a sort of trance of a dream, my teacher once told us dreams are based on the unfinished works in real life, yeah, this was just a simple dream, I would wake up soon enough.
I kept chanting the words inside my head while watching the smaller hand of the clock striking towards the three, and with every second that passed my heart started thumping faster while I tried to keep a good posture, after all, it wouldn't matter what happens, this was a dream . . . Right . . . ?
The first sound of the clocktower was apprehended, followed by a second, and I stopped breathing when I heard the third and everything in the shop froze except for me, I was finally able to move, and I quickly turned around, and my eyes sadly ended up right locked into the one I was more than familiar with Wang Yibo . . .
But what was his and mine role in my story . . .
We wouldn't be the lead . . . Right . . .
But I had no time to think because Yibo started moving, towards me . . .
Word count: 1200 words
