Dean slowly turned his head.
The girl was busy playing the extended version of the melody he heard in his dreams for a month.
The melody continued to flow through the arena, as the students delved into it and vibing in the arena.
“YOU!” Joey panted, “SKETCHED… THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT GIRL?!”
He pointed wildly toward the stage, “That’s literally her!”
Dean looked back.
The girl’s fingers continued gliding across the grand piano’s keys, as the melody filled the arena.
Every note.
Every pause.
Every emotion.
Exactly as he had heard it in his dreams.
A gentle smile rested on her face as her fingers danced effortlessly across the piano keys.
She is right there…
Dean couldn’t move.
His mind refused to believe what his eyes were seeing.
“Dean?” Joey’s voice pulled him.
Dean whispered unconsciously, “It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
“What are you muttering?”
The final note echoed through the arena.
Thunderous applause erupted.
Students surged toward the stage.
Some wanted to congratulate the performer.
Within seconds, a crowd surrounded the piano.
Dean looked around frantically.
Left→Right.
Joey folded his arms, “You asked her before submitting her portrait?”
Just then, a student volunteer approached with a small wooden box in his hands, “Sorry to interrupt, please pick one chit each. The numbers will decide your partner for the Ghost House event.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about this event.”
Another soft voice interrupted them.
“Excuse me…”
Both Dean and Joey turned.
The Music Department girl stood before them.
For a brief second, Dean forgot how to breathe.
She looked exactly like the girl from his dreams.
The only difference was that this time, he could see her in real life.
She smiled politely, “He asked.”
Dean and Joey exchanged a confused glance.
She unfolded the paper.
224
Joey immediately checked his own chit, “Huh?” He flipped it over twice before laughing awkwardly, “I think you’ve got the wrong person.”
Joey held up his number.
152
The girl said with a soft smile, “Sorry, but I was…”
He hadn’t moved, while he simply stood there, staring at her.
“…Your chit?” she asked gently.
Dean lowered his eyes to the folded paper still clutched in his hand.
Slowly he opened it.
224
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Joey looked from Dean to the matching numbers, and then back at Dean again.
“No way.”
The girl’s lips curved into a small smile, “It looks like we’re partners.” She extended her hand, “Hi, I’m your partner for this event. My name is Yvaine.”
Dean stared at her outstretched hand.
Yvaine.
So this was her name.
After a brief pause, he finally reached forward, “I’m Dean.”
The moment their hands touched, a faint sensation spread inside his body, as if trying to indicate that this person was not a stranger to him.
An announcement echoed across the ground.
“For the Ghost House event, please proceed toward the entrance within ten minutes.”
“Oh,” Yvaine looked at Joey, “I think you should look for the other 152.”
Without thinking much, she gently caught hold of Dean’s wrist, “Excuse us.”
Before Dean could even react, she led him through the crowd.
Dean could only stare at the back of her head.
While she was…
Holding his wrist.
His heartbeat refused to slow down.
Back near the arena, Joey stood frozen.
His eyes followed the two disappearing into the crowd.
Then he slowly looked at Dean.
Dean glanced back for a brief second and Joey raised one eyebrow.
What exactly… is going on between you two, dude?
Dean could only give him an equally confused look.
I have absolutely no idea.
Joey sighed dramatically and waved him away.
I want all the details later.
Only then Dean realized that Yvaine was still holding his wrist.
Neither of them spoke.
Yvaine stopped at the entrance, and then she looked down.
Her eyes widened slightly, “Oh… I’m so sorry.”
She immediately let go of his wrist and took a small step back, “I didn’t even realise.”
Dean rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “It’s… okay.”
A brief silence settled between them.
“So…” Yvaine smiled politely.
“Number 224!”
The massive doors of the Ghost House slowly creaked open.
Dean looked toward the entrance before turning back to Yvaine with a small smile, “I guess it’s our time to go inside.”
Yvaine nodded, “…looks like it.”
Together they stepped across the doorway.
The heavy wooden doors slammed shut behind them.
Only a few dim lanterns flickered on either side of the narrow path.
For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke.
Their footsteps echoed softly.
Dean glanced toward a fake skeleton hanging from the ceiling.
Then quickly looked away.
Yvaine happened to glance at him at the same moment.
The two made awkward eye contact.
…
They smiled politely before immediately looking ahead again.
A faint creaking sound echoed somewhere deeper inside the Ghost House.
Dean cleared his throat.
“So…”
“So…”
Both of them spoke at the same time.
They stopped.
“…You first,” Dean said.
“No, you.”
Another awkward silence followed with both of them waiting for the other to speak first.
Then, something touched Dean’s shoulder.
He slowly turned around.
A ghostly figure with a cracked porcelain mask was standing inches behind him.
“AAAAAH!”
Dean jumped backward on pure instinct.
Without thinking, he grabbed Yvaine’s hand, “Run!”
The two sprinted down the hallway while the costumed actor burst into laughter behind them.
As they stopped in the next dark room, he immediately let go of her hand and leaned against the wall.
Yvaine looked at him for a second as she couldn’t help smiling.
“You don’t seem like someone who enjoys Ghost Houses.”
Dean let out a helpless laugh, “I don’t.”
“Then why are you here?”
“My friends, they want me to overcome this stupid fear of mine.”
She laughed softly.
Dean glanced at her, “Are you making fun of me?”
“No,” A smile lingered on her face as she quickly shook her head, “it’s just…” She tried to hold back another laugh, “Your reaction was kind of cute, earlier.”
Dean blinked, “M-my what?!”