The 6 Greatest Errors of All Time | ✓

XI. trapped in a trance

My eyes fluttered open at the feel of something cool dabbed gently on my forehead. Sweat dripped gradually down either sides of my face as my body temperature became stable again. I managed to shift a bit and was aware that I was currently laying on a bed high off the ground. It wasn't my bed, however.

"I had to drop you off in Asao's room since it's downstairs and yours is upstairs," came a calm, male voice that sent warm chills to my body.

That's when I tilted my head to the left and perceived a man sitting at the edge of my bed next to my limp body, keeping a close watch on me.

I recognized him.

But when I tried to utter his name, I found no words coming out. Was it because I was dreaming and I didn't know his name?

There was no doubt, however, that that was the younger version of Beta.

"Fill me in, commander," I heard myself talking softly, "What did I miss?" The man's face was regrettably blurry from my perspective, but I had expected it since the last dream was fuzzy as well.

"1am, the team found you laying face-down in front of the penthouse when we arrived." the man explained attentively. He paused to give me a quiet gaze before continuing, "Your whole body was covered in bruises and cuts. I took you to Asao's room away from the noise outside. Everyone's fuming at your condition, they're planning to pull an all-nighter to get to the bottom of what happened to you."

I sighed with a shaky breath as he removed the damp towel and placed a hand on my forehead to check my condition. I couldn't see nor feel the wounds that Beta had said I received because of the blanket covering my body and because this was a dream, but I chose to believe the severity of the situation.

"You seemed in a rush, otherwise you wouldn't have passed out so close to the penthouse," he spoke up again, "Can you remember where you went tonight?"

I tried. But I knew it was useless. I didn't have the memories of whatever dream this was. So I stared at the man instead. I tried to figure out who he was. Does this mean the team had met? But... when?

His eyes came into view. They mesmerized me. He was... beautiful. I wanted to stroke his hair and peer into those eyes more. But he was sitting a bit far away. I wanted to tell him to come closer. His lips looked inviting. I glanced down at his lower half and my heart thumped rapidly. I wanted to calm the beating down, or else he'd hear it.

I had an urge to touch him. But he was sitting on the covers. What should I do... I almost looked frustrated and Beta caught me giving him a frown. I never saw him like this before.

Something was... happening. I could sense it through the fogged dream, even though my physical body was numbed.

All of a sudden, I was separated from my body and it was almost as if I was kicked out of first person and forced to be an onlooker, because now I was standing at the corner of the room, watching Beta tend to a young woman on a bed.

The girl whispered something that I couldn't hear from where I was standing, but I caught a glint of mischievous intent through her eyes. I froze after I walked slowly forward and realized that the woman on the bed now was a perfect replica of me.

The closer I got, the more I discovered that I could see all of her features perfectly. And I was afraid to say that while I did not know why this lady had my face and body, her eyes and expression... creep me out.

She was smiling a little to wide. An odd twinkle in her eyes. Her body was shifting into something not usual for a wounded and sick girl. My eyes were wide when her arms shot up and wrapped around Beta's neck. It was a swift, sudden move that even Beta hadn't suspected. Rather than pay attention to where 'my' arms were, he was still and gazed into my eyes with a small frown.