Allison's POV
It was still early morning when I woke up. The sun wasn’t even shining yet, just a faint light from the window, like the world outside was still deciding if it wanted to be awake or not. I laid there in the hotel bed, staring at the ceiling. This place was different, even the silence felt louder.
Leo was already snoring on the couch, and Zeyon was curled up on the second bed, his blanket kicked off his legs like he fought it in his sleep. I quietly sat up, hugging my knees. The alumni program would begin today. A week full of things I didn’t think I’d care about. But now that I was here, something in my chest felt tight like a weird nervous bubble.
I got up slowly, tiptoeing to the bathroom so I wouldn’t wake them. I didn’t even look in the mirror, I just splashed water on my face, hoping it would erase the strange dream I had.
In that dream... there was someone. Standing under a tree. Tall. Pale. Eyes like knives.
I looked at myself in the mirror now. My eyes were still sleepy, but something else was in there too. Worry.
---
“Morning sleepyhead,” Leo said, half-yawning as he dragged his feet across the room.
“Did I wake you?” I asked, drying my face with a small towel.
“Nah,” he waved. “I sensed your anxiety from across the room.”
I rolled my eyes and threw the towel at him. “Shut up.”
Zeyon sat up a minute later, rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?”
“Almost seven,” I said. “We have to be at the campus by eight.”
He stretched and yawned again. “This week’s gonna be chaos, huh?”
“You’ve got no idea,” Leo muttered, already raiding the mini fridge for orange juice.
---
After we dressed and had a quick breakfast, we made our way to the university. It felt weird stepping into a place where I didn’t belong anymore. Everything looked the same but also different. Like when you return to a dream you’ve forgotten.
The welcome program was held in the old gymnasium. Familiar banners hung from the high ceiling. Old professors and batchmates, people I hadn’t seen in years. Most of them still looked the same. Some faked smiles. Some real.
“Allison Gon?” a voice called. I turned and saw Ms. Lopez, my Literature professor from back then.
“Oh my gosh,” I said, laughing. “You haven’t changed!”
“And you’ve gotten taller,” she joked. “And prettier. You came back.”
“For the memories,” I said. “And... other reasons.”
I looked behind me. Zeyon and Leo were both standing like bodyguards.
“Are those the reasons?” Ms. Lopez teased.
“Maybe,” I smirked.
---
The opening ceremony started, and we sat near the back. I wasn’t paying much attention, honestly. Something just kept bugging me. Like my head wasn’t here. My heart either.
“You okay?” Zeyon leaned closer and whispered.
“Yeah. Just thinking.”
He nodded. But he didn’t believe me. I could tell.
“About last night?” he asked.
“Maybe,” I whispered. “The note... it felt too personal. Like someone’s watching me.”
“You think it’s that guy again?”
“The one who was looking for me?”
“Yeah. You never told me everything.”
I sighed. “Because I don’t remember everything. Just the feeling. Like I met him before. Or dreamed of him. But when I try to remember his face, it’s blurry.”
Leo, sitting beside Zeyon, leaned in. “That’s creepy. Maybe he’s a ghost.”
“Shut up, Leo,” I muttered.
“Hey! I’m tryna lighten the mood.”
Zeyon chuckled. “You’re doing a terrible job.”
“Thanks.”
---
The program ended by noon. After lunch, we were given a tour of the campus, even though I still knew where everything was. Leo kept making fun of the paintings, Zeyon was just quiet, and I was... somewhere in my head.
We passed the old music hall, and a flash of memory came back.
A boy playing piano.
He looked up. Eyes like knives.
I stopped walking.
“Allison?” Zeyon asked.
I blinked. “Sorry. Just remembered something.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“No.”
---
Later that evening, we returned to our room. Leo went out to buy snacks, and Zeyon took a shower. I sat by the window, staring at the stars.
Then I heard something.
A knock.
I opened the door slowly, expecting Leo.
But it wasn’t him.
It was a girl. Same age as me. Long dark hair. Pale skin. Eyes that looked familiar but not.
“Allison?” she asked.
“Yes?”
She handed me an envelope. “Someone left this at the front desk. Said to give it to you personally.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. He left before I could ask.”
I took the envelope with shaking hands. The girl smiled, nodded, and walked away.
I shut the door.
Zeyon came out from the bathroom, drying his hair. “What was that?”
I held up the envelope. “Another one.”
He frowned. “Open it.”
I did.
Inside was a note.
“You still don’t remember me, do you?”
“But I remember you. And I’m coming.”
I felt my stomach twist.
Zeyon walked closer. “Let me see—”
He stopped.
“What?” I asked.
“This handwriting...”
“You recognize it?”
He looked at me, pale. “Yeah. I think I do.”
---
Leo came back, chips and juice in his hands. “What’d I miss?”
“Someone’s haunting your cousin,” Zeyon said, not even joking.
Leo dropped the chips. “W-What?!”
“Not haunting!” I said. “Just... someone from the past.”
“Are we in a drama now?”
“Yes,” Zeyon and I said at the same time.
Leo dropped on the bed. “I came here for fun. Now it feels like we’re in a horror movie.”
Zeyon looked at me again. “Do you trust me?”
“I do.”
“Then tell me everything.”
I sat down. I didn’t know where to start. But I had to.
“Okay,” I said. “Here’s the truth...”
---
I started talking. About my childhood. About the blurry memories. About the boy I once met who wasn’t like anyone else. Who always stood near the shadows. Who always had pale skin and sharp eyes. I told them how I thought I made him up. A part of my imaginary world.
Zeyon was quiet the whole time.
Leo, though, had his mouth open the entire time.
“That’s... insane,” he said finally. “You really think it’s him?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But it’s like something’s waking up inside me.”
Zeyon stood up. “If he shows up... I’m not gonna let him take you.”
“Zeyon—”
“I mean it.”
I didn’t say anything. I just nodded.
He turned to Leo. “You’re not helping her leave the room alone, got it?”
Leo raised both hands. “Hey, I’m a clown, not a traitor.”
We all laughed a little.