Chapter 32 THE VISION
BACK AT CAMPUS
Anya, Marisa, and the new girl, Klara, stepped out of the lecture hall, squinting against the late afternoon light.
"Girls, I’m starving!" Marisa groaned, clutching her stomach as if she hadn't eaten in days.
"It’s like you read my mind" Anya concurred with a smile.
Klara looked around the sprawling campus, her eyes still holding that skittish, haunted look.
"Where’s the cafeteria here? Let’s go eat before the next class"
They had just started walking when Anya suddenly heard her name.
"Anya!"
Anya looked up to see Liana jogging toward them, her blonde hair bouncing.
"Sup girl" Anya said, meeting her halfway for a high five.
Liana’s eyes flitted to the other two. "Your course mates?"
Anya nodded. "Marisa, Klara, this is Liana. Liana, these are Marisa and Klara"
"Nice meeting you guys" Liana beamed, her energy infectious.
"Same here, girl! You’re so pretty, I think I’m falling" Marisa joked, causing the group to chuckle.
"So... the cafeteria?" Klara reminded them, her stomach giving an audible growl.
"Liana, you coming?" Anya asked. "We were heading to the cafeteria before you showed up"
"Sure, I’m fucking hungry," Liana said. She leaned in, whispering into Anya’s ear as they started walking. "There’s hot gist, babe"
Anya’s brow lifted in curiosity, but before she could ask, the four of them were already heading off together.
The four of them made their way to the cafeteria. It was loud, smelled of fried dough and coffee, and was packed with students. Liana scanned the room until her eyes landed on a figure sitting in the far corner.
"There’s my roommate. She barely talks, but she's cool" Liana said, leading them toward a girl buried in an oversized black hoodie.
Raina sat quietly, a book open in front of her, barely acknowledging the chaos around her. When they approached, Raina looked up and gave a small, reserved smile, waving at them before returning to her world.
They sat down around the table.
Raina looked up again. "Hi"
"Hey," Anya smiled warmly. "I’m Anya"
"Marisa" Marisa added cheerfully.
"Klara" Klara said.
Raina smiled shyly again.
A waiter arrived to take their orders. As soon as he left, Liana leaned over the table, her eyes sparkling.
"I don’t know if you guys have heard, but there’s a frat party tonight. It’s going to be fun" Liana announced.
"A party? Count me in" Marisa said immediately, her eyes lighting up.
Anya bit her lip hesitantly. "I’m not sure about that"
"C’mon, don’t be boring" Liana nudged her shoulder.
Anya sighed. "Fine..."
They turned to Klara and Raina.
"Umm, I'm not sure, but I guess it won't be bad" Klara said tentatively.
Raina didn't even look up from her book. "I’m sorry, I can’t. I have somewhere to be"
Liana groaned. "Oh gosh! My roommate is boring! You literally just stay on your own. Try having fun sometimes, y’know?"
The air at the table suddenly grew cold. Raina closed her book slowly and looked Liana dead in the eye.
"And who said I’m not having fun? Oh, you think partying is having fun? Don’t be delusional. I am having fun my own way. I don’t have to go to one stupid frat party dressed like a slut just because I want to have fun"
Liana gasped, her mouth hanging open. "And what are you trying to say? That we who party are sluts? That’s rich coming from you, girl. You call being by yourself all day wearing boring hoodies 'fun'? If that’s what’s called fun, then your life must be as pathetic as your fashion sense"
Raina stood up abruptly, her chair screeching against the floor.
"Just leave me alone! I’m battling a lot already to be thinking of one stupid frat party!"
Raina didn't wait for a response. She grabbed her bag and bolted out of the cafeteria. Anya, Marisa, and Klara sat in stunned silence.
The waiter returned, balancing their trays. "Here are your orders, ladies"
Liana glared at the food, her face flushed with anger. "Unfortunately, I just lost my appetite. You should give it to the dogs or something"
She grabbed her bag and stormed out.
"Liana, wait!" Anya called out, getting up quickly to follow her.
Marisa and Klara stood up too, looking at each other in confusion.
Anya hurried after her as she stormed across the walkway.
"Liana, wait!"
Liana spun around, her face flushed with anger.
"Anya! What fucking right does she have to call me a slut? Just because of an ordinary frat party? Is she crazy or what? I swear I need to change my roommate because I can't stand her anymore. My things are missing almost every day, what if she’s the one who has been stealing them?"
"Liana, calm down," Anya pleaded, reaching for her arm. "Don't accuse her of theft just because you're angry at her!"
"I’m not!" Liana snapped, throwing her hands up. "Who else will take it if not her? We are literally just two in the room. Isn’t that suspicious? And then she acts all innocent like she’s a saint or something? She could have just said she’s not coming, the whole slut-calling wasn’t necessary. I hate people who judge, like what the heck!"
Anya opened her mouth to speak, to offer some kind of logic, but Liana’s gaze suddenly locked on a figure in the distance. Raina was walking toward the library, her head down, her large hoodie swallowing her frame.
"Hey, bitch! Or rather, should I call you a thief?" Liana screamed.
The effect was instantaneous. Raina froze in her tracks. Around them, students stopped mid-sentence, phones were lowered, and all eyes shifted to them. Marisa and Klara caught up to Anya, standing close with wide, worried eyes.
"Liana, people are watching" Klara whispered, looking around at the growing crowd.
"I don't care! Do i look like i give a fuck?" Liana stepped forward.
"Raina, I have been silent enough. Give me back everything you’ve stolen from me, especially my gold earrings! It’s very important to me because it was a gift from my mother and it’s damn expensive. It costs a lot more than your boring hoodies!"
Raina turned slowly. Her face was pale, her eyes already swimming in tears. "I didn't take it, I swear" she choked out, her voice trembling.
"I know you did, but I just can’t prove it yet!" Liana hissed. She gave one last look of pure hatred before spinning around and walking away angrily, leaving a heavy, awkward silence in her wake.
"That was..." Klara started.
"Not what I expected" Marisa completed, her voice barely a whisper.
Murmurs erupted among the students like a swarm of bees. Raina let out a broken sob and rushed away in the opposite direction, toward the university gardens.
Anya followed her until they got to the garden. Raina was curled on a bench, her shoulders shaking with bitter, heavy sobs.
"Raina, right?" Anya said softly, approaching her. "Liana is just pretty mad right now. She doesn't mean to accuse you wrongly"
Raina looked up, her face a mess of tears and grief. "I envy rich people so much. They live life so carefree. She just triggered me by mentioning a frat party so freely, not thinking of anything, while I'm here battling a lot... I can't even think of any stupid party"
Anya felt a pang of genuine pity. She moved closer, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Raina’s shoulder to placate her.
The moment her fingers made contact, everything changed.
A violent rush of images exploded inside Anya's head.
Raina in their shared room.
Raina opening a drawer.
Raina taking the gold earrings and hiding them inside her bag.
The vision snapped back to reality. Anya recoiled, her head throbbing as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer. A warm, metallic liquid began to leak from her nose, dripping on her sweater. She was bleeding from the nose.
"Are you okay?" Raina asked, her voice sounding far away and muffled. She reached out to hold Anya, but Anya stumbled back, her vision swimming.
"You took it," Anya breathed, her voice thick with the blood now filling her nose. "The earrings... you took them"
Raina’s expression shifted instantly. The sadness vanished, replaced by a sharp, defensive mask of fear. "Took what? Now you're accusing me too? Get lost!"
Raina shoved Anya’s shoulder hard. Anya, already lightheaded and dizzy, lost her balance and fell onto the grass. She looked up at the sky, the trees spinning in circles above her.
"What's happening to me?" she whispered, her voice failing as more blood surged from her nose, staining the grass beneath her.