Beyond normalcy

A Story by Inksmith

Haunted by visions of fire and forests, Sunmi struggles to tell dream from reality—until a fragile new friendship changes everything.

Chapter 2

8th January 2024 �" 1:05 AM
Vision or Confusion

Sleep refused to hold Sunmi that night. Her dreams fractured into jagged flashes�"eyes glowing red, fangs dripping, shadows lunging. She jolted awake, heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.

Her throat burned with dryness. Quietly, she slipped from bed and padded down the stairs, each step creaking under her weight.

The kitchen was dim, moonlight slanting through the curtains. As she reached for a glass, something flickered outside the window�"a pulse of orange, like fire dancing in the dark.

Curiosity tightened her chest. She pushed open the back door.

The moment she stepped outside, the world shifted.

Her backyard was gone. In its place stretched a dense, mist-choked forest. The air was damp and heavy, scented with moss and wet earth. She spun back, expecting the doorway, but behind her loomed nothing but an endless wall of trees.

Panic crawled up her throat.

What… what is this?

The orange glow throbbed again, deeper in the forest, pulling at her like a silent summons.

She stumbled toward it. Branches clawed at her arms, shadows whispered in the fog. Then, through the thicket, she froze.

Her car.

Crunched. Twisted. Half-buried in moonlight like the corpse of a memory. Relief surged in her chest and she broke into a run.

But just as her hand reached for the hood�"

FLASH.

A blinding white light split the darkness. She cried out, shielding her eyes.

And then�"she was back.

In her kitchen.

The tap dripped rhythmically into the sink, the sound too ordinary to belong after what she had just seen.

Her heartbeat refused to settle. She sprinted upstairs, locked her door, and buried herself beneath her blanket.

It was a dream, she whispered to herself. Just a dream.
But her trembling hands told her otherwise.

---

8:00 AM

By the time Sunmi dragged herself to school, assembly was long over. Tolu was waiting outside, arms crossed but smiling the moment she saw her.

“Oh my God, girl! When were you planning to show up?” she exclaimed, hugging her before tugging Sunmi’s backpack off her shoulder.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” Sunmi said, forcing a small smile.

“Emeka already went in,” Tolu added, rolling her eyes.

The door swung open just then, and Emeka stepped out. Tall, athletic, hair slightly mussed, his eyes dark and unreadable.

“Hey, girls.”

“Hey, Emeka,” they chorused.

He tapped Sunmi’s cheek playfully, then bent to press a soft kiss to Tolu’s forehead before dropping into a nearby seat.

“You good, Sunmi? I heard what happened.”

“I’m fine,” she lied smoothly.

“Fine? Your driver died, and your car disappeared like it was swallowed by the earth,” Emeka said, his skepticism sharp.

Tolu smacked the back of his head. “Do you ever think before you speak? She’s still recovering!”

“Ow!” he muttered, rubbing the spot. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Before Sunmi could respond, the teacher entered with a new student trailing behind.

He had smooth, dark skin and neatly packed dreadlocks. Not particularly tall, but the quiet steadiness in his gaze carried weight.

“This is Moses Thompson,” the teacher announced. “He’ll be joining us for the rest of the term. Moses, take the seat at the back.”

Sunmi turned sharply. Recognition sparked.

“Moses? I thought you moved abroad,” she whispered.

“I did,” he said, smiling warmly. “But my parents decided I should finish here.”

Their grins mirrored each other, a reunion stitched with familiarity.

---

1:45 PM

The lecture dragged like wet cloth. Sunmi’s eyelids sagged, her pen scratching nonsense onto her notes.

Then�"

Find it… Find it…

The voice was faint, threaded into the air like a current only she could hear. She jerked upright, scanning the room. No one else stirred.

Her pulse spiked. And then the classroom melted.

Desks dissolved. Walls bled into shadows. Trees rose around her once more. The forest.

Cold fear wrapped its fingers around her chest. She turned slowly, and there it was again�"her car.

Mangled. Abandoned. Waiting.

She sprinted toward it. But before she could reach�"

WHOOSH.

It burst into flames.

“NO!” Her scream tore from her throat.

And just like that�"

The forest vanished. She was standing in the middle of class.

Every eye was on her. Staring. Horrified. Whispering.

Heat flushed her cheeks. Snatching her bag, she bolted from the room, humiliation and fear tangling in her throat.

She didn’t stop until she locked herself inside the restroom.

Her hands shook against the sink as she tried to steady her breathing.

Then she heard it.

Sobbing. Faint. From one of the stalls.

Cautiously, Sunmi knocked. “Hey… are you okay?”

No answer.

She pushed the door open and found Mirabel�"brilliant, quiet Mirabel�"the school’s brightest mind, crumpled on the floor. Her eyes were red, swollen, her usual composure shattered.

“Mirabel?” Sunmi whispered, kneeling beside her. “What’s wrong?”

“My foster dad’s sick,” Mirabel choked. “The treatment costs too much. I can’t afford it.”

Sunmi hesitated, then an idea sparked.

“Okay, listen. I’m a disaster at math, and you’re basically a genius. What if you tutor me? My parents will pay you. That way you get the money, and maybe I finally pass for once.”

Mirabel blinked, stunned. “You’d… do that for me?”

“Of course. That’s what friends are for.”

Her tears spilled again, but this time softer�"grateful. “Thank you, Sunmi. Thank you.”

Sunmi smiled, guiding her out of the stall. For a moment, the terror of her visions slipped away, replaced by the fragile warmth of new friendship.