Chapter 2 THE BEGINING

Vivian had fainted. Kayla reacted quickly and grabbed Vivian's shoulders, with her heart beating faster because that is not a thing she expected to witness. Dave drew back startled, he was frightened at how she had fainted just by his handshake. His emotions was stirred, 'Oh is that how hot i look that she had to collapse like that just by touching my hands, these thought ran through his mind not knowing what was coming for him.

For a moment, the room felt silent: the sight of Vivian lying partly on the floor, the sudden shock on Dave's face, Kayla's tense and alert energy. The welcome moment had become something else entirely.

"Vivian!" Kayla whispered. She shook her gently, kneeling. Dave suddenly apologized and felt an awkward concern, hovered near the doorway, uncertain whether to help or retreat.

"Will...she..." He stuttered.

"Yeah...she will be fine" Kayla finished.

She set Vivian's jaw and pulled a bottled water from her bag, tipping it gently into her mouth while she sprinkled some on her face. The cool liquid hit Vivian's dry throat and slowly, she started regaining consciousness.

Vivian's eyes opened, and for a heartbeat she looked lost, like someone who just came back from hell.

"Are you okay?" Dave asked, voice almost like a whisper.

Vivian's gaze lingered on him. There was a new, strange clarity in it; as though the flash had left behind a residue of recognition that did not belong entirely to the present nor to her. She swallowed. "I...I saw something," she said, voice low and shaky. "It was... like a memory that wasn't mine."

Dave's eyes twitched, a smile that tried to be real but filled with tension. "Maybe you're just overwhelmed," he guessed. "First day, new school. It usually happens."

Kayla's brow remained furrowed. "She doesn't faint," she said, quiet enough that it sounded like a verdict. "Not usually" She finished.

Dave rubbed the back of his neck, a bit nervous. "Still, apologies for the fright. I didn't mean to let such happen".

"It's fine," Vivian whispered, sat up with Kayla's help.

"Guess we can no longer go to the party." Her voice sounded pitiful but She shook off her dizziness with a laugh.

Kayla looked between Vivian and Dave, she could see the tension between them, she saw curiosity there, but shrouded by something else. She tucked Vivian's hand into hers and guided her to a seat so she won't fall.

Dave thought a second before saying, "Well, if you need anything, please do let me know...welcome again."

He smiled, and then left with a lingering bother in his mind.

Vivian pressed her palms to her forehead feeling the echo of the flash like a faint afterimage. Kayla watched her with the same fierce quietness she reserved for a problem that required a solution.

"Did you see what I saw?" Vivian asked after a minute.

"No," Kayla answered without hesitation. "And don't tell me you want to be dramatic about it." Her tone softened just enough to show she cared.

Vivian laughed and said "No drama. But... something felt strange. I felt like I knew him for a second."

Kayla chuckled and responded "Maybe you should be careful around him," she continued "New people, new trouble."

Vivian nodded, twisting her fingers into Kayla's. "The party would have to be put on hold for now while you regain strength" Kayla said, but Vivian seemed to disagree.

Vivian changed her dress, held on to Kayla's hands and took off to the party.

They did not yet know if the flash was a coincidence, or something stranger woven into the seams of their lives. But they had each other and Landa Talents College, that felt like a beginning worth holding on to and that is all that mattered to them right now.

After the party, they came back to the hostel. The night went by and they all went to sleep.

In the morning, Kayla woke up and tapped Vivian gently "Wake up sleepy head, it's a new day" She said as she removed the blanket slowly from her body.

Dave, on the other side, woke up really tired from yesterday's door-to-door welcome speech he did and yes he went for the party but couldn't stay longer there. His heart was troubled from whatever had happened with Vivian last night.

He stood up and went close to the window to enjoy the view of early morning bliss, he yawned loudly and sighed. He then went on with his daily routine and rushed off to check up on Vivian.

When he got there, he knocked and Kayla opened the door, with a fake smile and a heavy sigh she said "Oh, it is you again!". She told him to come in and he sat close to Vivian on the bed. With great concern he asked "How are you feeling today?".

Vivian answered with a slight smile on her face "Well, I feel much better".

"Okay, let me take a look at your hands to be sure you are okay" he insisted.

He held her hands out of care to see maybe she hurt herself yesterday, guess that was the greatest mistake of his life. Immediately their hands made contact with each other again, she gasped sharply and fell to the floor.

This time around water couldn't help wake her up. Kayla and Dave rushed her to the hospital affiliated with the college where she was attended to and that was when her true self began to awake.

At the hospital, some blood samples were taken by the Nurse to run some tests "Is this necessary?" Kayla asked.

"Yes, I just want to be sure if anything else is wrong with her but for now she's fine, just a little sign of pain" Nurse replied.

Kayla had a seat beside Vivian holding her hand and said "I hope you're fine girl, don't mess up my mind". With her defense and protective instinct, she stood up and followed the Nurse secretly to be sure the bloods that were collected were for the reasons she mentioned.

She became worried and afraid they might find out who Vivian really was and they would make her a lab rat for their experiment which might bring destruction and chaos which might as well cause pain to her friend. "I definitely do not trust this f*ck*ng scientists or doctors or whatever they are been called" She whispered to herself.

When she saw the Nurse hadn't done anything suspicious with the blood, she went back to Vivian and on her way she met Dave and asked what he was doing outside instead of being inside but he didn't give a response, rather he ignored her.

After a while, Dave who refused to come to the ward initially, decided to go in, took a chair and sat, he asked Kayla out of curiosity "Are you two sisters or friends?"

"We are friends like sisters" She answered.

"Okay, that's cool then" He responded with a smack on his lips, an arrogant and a heart filled with pride and curiosity, the conversation continued...

"So, I just have a few questions and I really don't want you to be offended, just that I'm curious as to what brought you girls to Landa Talents College and which family are you two from exactly cause seriously you girls look nothing like rich people to me and I don't think either of your parents can afford this college except you got lucky through scholarship since it's mostly for the classy, kings and queens and the caliber of people like that".

Kayla was reluctant to respond but she eventually did. " Does it really matter! We are here to learn and be successful in life and I don't think it matters if we are to look rich or not, we all have a purpose in life and each person bears the pain, the consequences and the joy of his/her purpose on earth. Either rich or poor, who cares!"

Dave was speechless as that wasn't the answer he expected. On the contrary, Dave is from a very rich background and his father held a high position as the biggest shareholder in the college, he is well known for his arrogance, disrespectful and I-don't-care attitude he gives to people but yet he is one of the hottest guys in school...and truly we bear the consequences of our actions and purposes, don't we!

Vivian screamed as she woke up, trying to grasp for breathe, she startled the both of them.

"What the heck is wrong with you, scared the sh*t out of me...if you knew you couldn't control yourself holding his hands then you shouldn't have held him at all " Kayla said, partially p*ss*d with how she got startled.

Vivian gave Dave a sharp and fierce look...

He felt threatened by the way she looked at him. "Oops, that looks scary" Dave said, with a fearful chuckle. His heart was beating fast, he felt like she knew something no one had ever known about him.

"Why did you kill her?" Vivian questioned Dave, her voice trembled.

Caught by surprise, he asked " Killed who?".