Sanctify

I

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.
-Henry Ward Beecher

CHAPTER ONE
new beginnings

Jina

Something soft slams onto my face and I'm jolted awake, my body tense but welcoming the rude awakening. Perspiration beads at my temples as I shake off the nightmare. It happens every night and yet, I'll never get used to it. 

"We're going to be late if you don't get up!" Annora yells from the other end of the dorm room. I shove the pillow she used to smack me awake and get up with a groggy groan.

"Annora, it's half past seven in the morning. Class doesn't start till nine. Are you good?" I rub my eyes awake, looking at her frantic form buzzing through the room. 

"Of course, I'm not good. How are you good? It's our first day of fine arts. Our dreams are literally at our fingertips right now and I'm about to lose it. This is what we've always wanted." 

I stare at Annora, watching the way the sun complimented her tan skin, her hair radiant against the light, so excited for life but I couldn't for the life of me feel the energy flowing through her.

I was grateful I was here and away from home, living in a dorm room instead of having to face everyone at home again. 

Just a couple of months ago, a few months before graduation, everything went to hell. Yeona and I shared similar dreams, nightmares to be more precise, and it's like we missed out on a part of ourselves. A reason for this torment.

We couldn't figure out why we were having these nightmares and the more we tried to dig, the worse the confusion would be.

It got so bad to the point both of our parents brought us to a psychiatric ward but we simply got diagnosed with night terrors. They gave us some pills to shut us up and that was that. 

The pills helped me stay asleep at night but not so much Yeona. 

She claimed she had met someone, although no one has any memory of this boy ever existing and a memory of a funeral that never happened. Her parents got so concerned, they upped and left the country with her, hoping that being away from the town of Woods Field would somehow help. 

I didn't understand how that would help since I was miles away from my hometown but the nightmares persisted. I can't even ask her how she's doing now because her parents wanted to cut off all contact with anyone from Woods Field and now we're left to deal with this alone. 

In the few weeks that she left, the town grew curious, with rumours saying she lost her mind and that I was following suit.

In all honesty, with the way things were going, they weren't far off. But I was determined to get my head straight now. I got into the course of my dreams and I'll be damned if I let any of that affect this.

"You're right," I tell Annora, brushing off the last couple of months. "This is what we've always wanted and I'm so happy I get to do this with you," I smile as she cringes.