While they were already on the bus, Thalia found herself looking at the scenery they were passing by. She tried to distract herself by thinking about what had happened earlier with Ruth. When she glanced at her seatmate, Ruth remained silent, clearly lost in thought.
Is this incident connected to what Sister said earlier? Thalia wondered.
What weighed on Thalia's mind now wasn't just Ruth—it was her older sister, Jenny. She remembered how anxious Jenny had been before she left. The strange things Jenny had said, those cryptic warnings, echoed in her mind. They didn't make much sense then, but now... now they made her feel uneasy.
Thalia didn't believe in psychic abilities. To her, those were things people just made up—products of overactive imaginations. People who claimed they could see the future or ghosts were usually exaggerating or delusional. That was how she had always seen it.
But what did I see earlier? she asked herself. Was Ruth really... floating? Was that just my imagination?
Her skin prickled as the memory returned. Maybe I just didn't get enough sleep last night. Maybe my fears are messing with me again.
In Thalia's world, ghosts, elementals, and fairies didn't exist. Those were just stories, superstitions—nothing more than fantasy. In real life, she believed it was the people around you that were truly frightening.
She sighed. She didn't like thinking about things that couldn't be explained by reason or logic.
Maybe I'm just tired. You should take a nap, Thalia, she told herself.
She closed her eyes, letting the sounds of her classmates chatting, the vehicles on the road, and the occasional laughter wash over her.
But after a while, everything went quiet—unnaturally quiet.
She opened her eyes and was startled to find herself in a dense forest. She looked around, confused.
A dream. This must be a dream, she thought.
She was still walking, still in the forest, and found herself on a long road that barely looked traveled. The scene felt oddly familiar.
Then she heard faint crying.
Thalia followed the sound, trying to locate the person behind it. She soon saw a woman sobbing, though her face was obscured. Thalia squinted, trying to see her more clearly.
Before she could step closer, a man in a hooded jacket approached the crying woman. His face was hidden.
"Stop crying. They'll find you if you make noise," he whispered.
"My sister... please save my sister," the woman pleaded.
"I can only save one. But—"
He fell silent when they heard rustling nearby. Quickly, he pulled the woman and hid with her inside a large hole in the ground.
"Don't make a sound," the man whispered, covering the woman's mouth. She nodded fearfully.
Two other men appeared, dressed in black jackets like the first. They were armed and moving cautiously.
"Where did that woman go?" one of them growled. "If I see her, I'll blow her brains out."
"Calm down," the other replied. "She won't get far. The town's too far from here. If she's lucky, maybe she'll make it out alive."
"And where the hell is that man?!" the first one hissed.
"Stay here. Save yourself," the first man whispered again before carefully climbing out of the hole.
Suddenly, the dream shifted.
Now, Thalia saw a woman covered in blood, sitting in what looked like a dark, enclosed room. The only light came from a single bulb overhead.
She saw the woman clearly now—she was wearing the same school uniform Thalia had on.
Then everything changed again. Thalia felt herself sitting in a chair, her hands tied. Her body ached, as if it had been beaten. Her mouth was stuffed with handkerchiefs, and she couldn't scream.
She heard footsteps.
A man approached and grabbed her hair violently.
"Where is your twin?" he shouted.
"Your sibling outside is gone, and the other one escaped. Tell me where they are!"
"You won't talk? You'll feel my wrath!"
He slapped her so hard she thought her neck would snap. Tears streamed down her face. She wanted to scream that she didn't know what he was talking about.
"I'll take you all down, one by one! I'll destroy every obstacle to my plans. I'll kill all of you!"
Then—Thalia woke up, gasping for air, her cheek stinging from the imaginary slap.
She looked around, still disoriented, and saw Ruth staring at her with concern.
"Looks like you had a nightmare," Ruth said softly.
Thalia didn't respond. She adjusted her seat and rubbed her forehead, trying to steady her thoughts.
What was that...? she wondered.
She looked out the window—and her blood ran cold.
They were now passing through the exact road she had seen in her dream. The dense forest, the nearly empty concrete road, the path where the bodies of the two siblings had been discovered...
She remembered the news report: tortured, but not sexually assaulted. The abductors only wanted to kill them—repeatedly.
Her body trembled.
And then—on the side of the road—she saw two women standing, watching the bus.
They were the women from her dream.
Thalia could still feel the sensation of the whip on her skin. The gag in her mouth. The helplessness. The pain.
She wanted to go home. She didn't want to be here. But it was too late—they had arrived.
The bus stopped in a large clearing in the forest. Tents had already been set up. Other student sections were there as well.
Before anyone entered the tents, the teacher gave them instructions.
Tentmates would come from different sections to encourage them to make new friends. Fortunately, Thalia wasn't separated from Ruth—she still had to keep an eye on her.
Thalia didn't know why, but she trusted her sister's instincts. Jenny wasn't one to joke about serious things like this.
There was only one Ruth in the Pilot Section. Her tentmate was from another section, along with the other girls. During activities, they would be joined by male classmates. The boys and girls were separated to avoid any inappropriate incidents.
Teachers would patrol at night, and there were strict rules. Any violations would result in punishment.
They were all unpacking now. Some awkward silence filled the tent as everyone adjusted to their new environment. A wall clock hung inside the tent. Thalia stared at it without really knowing why.
A girl finally broke the silence.
"Ericka Xyre Fuente, Section B. I'm with Della Jasmin Cuerdo," she introduced.
"Kim Beverly Taño, Section C."
"Gaia Christine Luisma, Section C."
"Thalia Janeth Blanco," she said simply.
"Ruth Dalia Dionson," Ruth added. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you," the others echoed.
After that, everyone quietly returned to unpacking their things.