séance

ix

a game with hades

jennie was the first to jolt out into consciousness. she was heavy breathing, sweat running down her temples. the rest of the girls followed after.

they woke up in her living room. upon their stacks of soft soft duvet in a midsummer morning. it was oddly peaceful.

“what the hell..” lisa lifted her head, glancing at the other three.

beside her, jisoo buried her face into her hands; giddy. “it was just a dream? the four of us? the same dream? it couldn't be..”

everyone expected chaeyoung to blurt out the answer to this bizarre, uneasy situation yet the girl sat ever so stiff, stern look within the eyes.

she stood suddenly, walking away to the bathroom. soon after, a sound of the faucet running was heard. that remained as the only sound reverberating throughout the house.

the silence was killing but every words could kill too. the jump to consciousness was dizzying enough to let them vomit out their guts but not for words. they'd only choke up.

//

they changed up into tshirt and jean shorts before deciding to have breakfast at the diner.

jisoo stared at her pancakes, poking it idly with the fork.

no one really touched their food, except for lisa. sooner or later, someone should eventually bring up the matter. before it drowns them further into the heavy atmosphere wrapped around them.

“okay,” jennie took the cue. she settled her pair of knife and fork down, eyeing all the girls with a vulnerable look. “i know that everything feels messed up right now, a bundle of superstitious irony, but-” she inhaled, “if we don't find answers now, who knows what's the worst that could happen.”

lisa nodded agreeingly, still munching on her waffle, “she's right”

continuing, jennie unconsciously glanced at jisoo, “we all are afraid. terrified, even. but there must've been a reason for it to be the four of us. and i volunteer to believe, that it is because we can get through it. well, uhm, you know,”—she blushed briefly—“together.”

lisa instantly parted her lips in amusement, “damn sis” was the only phrase that could left its gap. may or may not be because of the waffles that still occupied her mouth. 

the words have seemed to shone some light over them. the other girls started to lift their heads, processing her words once again to finally smiled. touched.

“so, uhm,” lisa swallowed the rest of her pulverized meal, “chaeyoung, can you please update us on the whole sitch?”

all eyes (and a fork pointed by lisa) are on the young witch now, giving her no other decision than to spill the truth she's been hoping to hide.

taking a deep breath, chaeyoung made sure her words would be direct and clear. she held her fork in her fist, clutching it for extra strength. “it is seulgi. positive. i can feel her spirit brimming with abnormal power—a strong one, and.. much to our dismay,”

chaeyoung gulped, “a burning rage.”

//

the four of them was at her funeral. kang seulgi's. all dressed in charcoal toned one-piece or suits, they found themselves in the late's bedroom.

the house was actually filled with practically everyone, all that had came to mourn her. so for them to sneak into seulgi's bedroom was a piece of cake.

of course, they weren't trespassing into her room for no reason. after what chaeyoung had said, they agreed to investigate further more into the case. hoping to find any bit of something for an answer.

it was a cloudy evening outside. the funeral started since the afternoon, from the church to the cemetery and lastly at the house.

as they began running their eyes and hands, searching within the closed four walls—it finally hits. the presence of kang seulgi is no longer more. all of these framed pictures, polaroids hanging—artifacts of a once living girl. as much as an asshole that she was, seulgi is still a person; someone's beloved daughter, beloved friend. she is still a human, a well being.

drowned in the remorse, jennie accidentally tripped over an object that lied idly upon the floor. she took it in her hand, getting up as doing so. the other three huddled around her.

it was a journal. semi-bleached papers wrapped in leather covers, a button piece interlocking both edge.

frighteningly, most of the papers were all torn. ripped apart—a collective jagged edges, shredded pieces.

but not for that one page in the middle, a perfect page. and suprise, suprise, it was not blank. a single sentence grazed with ink jabbed into its very center.

"i vowed that on the day i died, i will drag those two along with me to hell"

not given much time to process it, their phones suddenly rang in a chaotic chirps and dings. rattling over and over again as though no end.

it came from their school buletin group, one new post has been added two minutes prior ── 1.589 comments and still gaining.

❝ JANG SEUNGYEON HAS BEEN REPORTEDLY GONE MISSING.
POLICE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING THE SUDDEN AND OBSCURE DISAPPEARANCE. ❞

ix| a game with hades