Premonition

"Are you coming tonight?" Winnie asked. She was wearing a short mini crop top, with a matching skirt and heels. She was dabbing on lipstick in hot red, applying mascara and eyeliner onto her face.

"I don't know..." Cara sighed. She looked at her friend applying makeup to her face. She was already pretty enough to attract

the guys' attention, and now she was flawless after her makeup, making Cara insecure about herself.

"Come on! The guys are there tonight!" Winnie nudged her introvert friend, "you said you kind of had a crush on the hot guy

next class, didn't you?"

"Um... But I am not sure should I go..." Cara said honestly what her heart thought, "I am not a popular girl in this school, I never got to know the boys there."

"That's why you should go! You could get to meet Ken! And

get to know him!"

"You don't know what I am freaking out..." Cara explained, "I am not a popular girl! I don't belong there! But you are one!"

"It is not a party for popular people! It's just a night hunt! Everyone is joining! Almost everyone."

"I know, I know...."

"You know the fact then you should go! That's the best opportunity to get to meet him!" Winnie cut in, "you shouldn't keep

yourself in the corner again. Be extrovert. Get to know people. You will be fine there. The popular girls won't give you ugly looks!"

"Okay, I think you're right," Cara said, kind of unwillingly. Winnie smiled at her and handed her a bag scrawled with a famous clothing brand. Inside was a silk black dress with black pearls attached to it.

"Get changed before the night then," Winnie patted her and winked, picked up her cosmetic bag, and left the bathroom, leaving Cara

holding the bag in her arms.

*********************************

10pm. Cara changed into her black dress and decided to meet Winnie in her pretty makeup. Yet, the place wasn't the way she thought the hunt should be. People crowded the gathering place, the chit-chattering sounds boomed the entire outdoors. Cara scanned the room, but Winnie was still nowhere to be found.

'Where's Winnie?' She thought. She paced through the crowd, but

she didn't find her. Then, she noticed that she knew no one there. Every time speeding or glancing into other crowds didn't draw any familiar faces to her.

Cara started panicking. She pulled out her phone and dialed Winnie's number, but it ran straight to voicemail.

"Oh...no..." She dialed again. Still down to voicemail. Then, she thought she might have missed the details. However, it seems like she wasn't losing anything. Same time. Same place. But different

people.

Suddenly, a herd of clapping and screaming pulled Cara back to

real life. She focused and found a couple of unknown girls stepping onto the stage. It was a flawless woman stepping up on the stage, along with a man wrapping around her waist.

"Night, fellows..." the woman bowed, which voice was kind of similar to someone she thought she had known, but she couldn't recall the person, "welcome everyone to the night hunt of the year."

"I know everyone was extremely excited," the man tried to calm the raging voices of the crowd," due to the long separation of us

fellows, we had decided to make up for everyone."

"Yea, guys," the woman laughed, she held out a crown with jewels embedded onto it and showed it to the crowd, making the screams even more exhilarating. Then, the woman signed the guy next to her and opened a box full of accessories. Earrings in jade, necklace in pearls, rings with perfectly shaped diamond. People jumped for joy and awed in amazement, screaming wildly. Even the accessories made Cara's eyes widened. It was her first time joining such

an event and she had never known that the treasure would be that valuable.

"The people who found a rock emblazoned with a princess sign and an emblem with a heart-shaped sign would be granted the crown!"

"The people who had gotten the crown could crown themself or either their crush, which will be the queen and king of the night!"

The crowd burst with excitement. It was the loudest roar and clapping sounds among all of the breaks between. People started digging everywhere. Dirt and dust were thrown by the shovels from the crowd trying to find the crown, almost ruining Cara's dress. Cara looked disguisedly and wasn't a bit interested in digging. Instead, she made her way through the crowd and tried to take a closer peek at the treasure placed on the table in front of the stage

covered in thick glass walls. Cara wasn't amazed by its perfect design of the laces or jewels; it was a charm hung beside caught Cara's attention. The charm has craved a name written "Cara. Lainey." in golden letters on the biggest ornament, which doubtfully was the exact name of hers and exactly the same one tying onto her wrist.

"Hey, girl, are you coming to join everyone for the night?" The woman on the stage asked her, "everyone was trying hard to dig up dirt to find the treasure, why didn't you seem interested?"

"The charm among the accessories... looks vaguely familiar..." Cara pointed out.

"That was from a girl being found in the middle of the woods," the man explained," the charm is a loss and the only thing she had left. It was kind of a long story..."

"A story happened a long time..." The woman sighed, "she had lost her life and was rumored to be killed by some girl who envied her, then was buried here."

"The girl had the accident because of the night hunt, and that's why we've stopped for that long... and had to cut smaller the hunt to hold the event again," The man said with further explanation, "until we had to open due to the heated argument and decided to make up for everyone and give these away as a compromise."

"I have the exact same charm!" Cara showed them, making their jaws dropped.

"No! No!" The woman said, turning angrily, trying to grab her collar, "you couldn't be here!" At the same time, the vision of Cara's turning blurry, it seems she had been teleporting to another place.

Yet she has felt punching from the woman, she'd guess. As she tried to open her eyes, she was still at the same place, yet no one was there.

Cara stride along the path, wondering how things changed in a

blink of an eye. At that moment, her phone went buzzing as she picked it up.

"Cara? Are you coming tonight?" It was Winnie, saying in a hushed voice, "everyone's here already!"

"I am here already!" Cara looked at the sign, behind was the woods. She turned and see it was 10:40 pm from the huge clock that stood in

front of the woods. However, she couldn’t see anyone except a couple, standing as the guy held the girl close, how Cara wished that could happen in her real life.

"I couldn't see you! Where are you!"

Cara paced around, finding Winnie and the group of people. Then

as she sprints around, she found the whole view beside her turning into a blur again.

 ‘You wishes will be granted…’ The words slowly spoke.

'What has happened again? Why are things changing again? Who is talking?' She didn't care as she got into the woods, trying to find Winnie.

"Cara! Here!"

"Cara! We are waiting for you for so long!"

"Come on! The hunt was about to begin!"

Sounds ringing through her eardrums. Her sight was still changing, spinning. She almost wants to faint until she finally saw a blurry line of her friend and a couple of other people she finally knows.

"Cara! What took you so long, it was starting ten minutes ago!" Winnie said.

"I was... I don't know..." Cara puffed.

Then as she puffed, Cara heard a rage of clapping sounds roaring

again, just like the first time she had seen the man and woman on stage. Yet, this time wasn't both, it was Ken, her crush.

"Congrats to Ken for finding the heart-shaped rock! And

may we have another round of applause for handing the crown to Ken and let him have a few words to us?" A girl from the stage asked.

Ken kind of blushed as he picked the microphone handed to him

and started his speech. Even though Ken was speaking, Cara couldn't focus. She was thinking about the things that happened before, the hunt held by the man and woman. Finding the stone to be the winner. Crowning people. How familiar. Is that a premonition that what will be happening tonight? Then she is pulled by the voice-familiar woman, what does that mean?

"Cara! Go up!" She then heard screams down and rhythm

clapping from the crowd. The girl on stage eyed her on stage, smiled, and signaled her to walk up.

Cara slowly marched up and found herself living like a dream.

She was crowned by Ken. She didn't notice until his hand touching hers, feeling his hand.

"Once again! Congrats to the two people up here!" the

girl cheered with everyone clapping. Even the people striding nearby were enthralled by things happening around, making Cara legit blushing.

"Come on, Cara! I had so many things to show you

here!" Ken pulled her down the stage. Cara's cheeks kind of flushed as it was the first time standing so close to Ken, she hadn’t had the courage to talk to him, let alone standing beside him. The crowd clapped again, louder than before, Cara could feel butterflies in her stomach, flying like crazy!

 Ken pulled her arm and ran, Cara, followed where he had pulled her. It was so magical. They had already run for a couple of minutes, but it seems that they were still in the same position, ran around tall, old trees, feeling the creepy darkness.

“Where are we going? Where are you taking me to?” Cara asked suspiciously, she was exhilarated to know what was going on. Cara still kind of questioned why she had stepped onto the stage and currently has no clue what he will do next.

  “You will know later, we’re almost there!” He said, pointing forward. As they jogged there, Cara soon found herself focusing afar, finally seeing a small cottage in the middle of the woods. A bench made of rock was built in front of the cabin.

  “Here we are, Cara…” Ken panted. It was a tiring but worthy run, for both. Ken pulled Cara down onto the bench and both sat awkwardly together, Cara could stop her face from changing red, it was the first time sitting with a guy.

   “So…” Cara tried her very best in starting the conversation, breaking the cold silence. As a timid and introverted girl, she never dared to open a conversation, “why did you take me here?”

 “Hang on…” Ken got up and got inside the cabin, leaving Cara all alone. It was a magical night, seeing thousands or even millions of stars shining themselves without hiding themselves from the mist. The crescent moon let its subtle flaws hide the thin clouds, only a blurry sight could be seen. But that was already a wonderful one, compared to the rainy nights before.

  ‘Crack’. The door opened ajar as Ken pulled out a candle and a box. There were two crowns above the box, which Cara thought was a chest in her opinion. Ken placed the chest between both and the scented candle of the wood made like a coffee table in front.

 “What is that?” Cara pointed.

 “Guess?” Ken let out a crooked smile, “it’s a present I wished to give my crush a long time…”

  “Your crush? Who’s the lucky girl?”

  “You’re kidding, are you?” Ken laughed and played along, “she is sitting perfectly in front of me, like a princess.”

 Cara’s mouth immediately dropped open. She kind of regretted not listening to what he was saying on stage. After all, she knew that it must be about his crush, which was Cara herself. No wonder she was being called onto the stage.

  ‘What about her charm? What about the conversation?’

  “Ta-da! Do you like it?” Ken asked, pulling her back away from her thoughts. He had opened the chest and inside were loads of accessories--- necklace, rings, and much more. “I promised to give me crush these, treat her like a princess, shower her gifts, spending quality time outdoors, proposing the best way I could…”

  “Oh my!” The accessories were the exact same as the ones the woman promised to give the people.

 ‘ “That was from a girl being found in the middle of the woods, it was the only thing she had left. Had loss her life and rumored to be killed by some girl who envied her, then was buried here…” ‘

  ‘Wait! Am I going to be buried here...?’

  “Do you like it? You seem not to…” Ken looked up from her expression turning worried and frightened, perhaps Cara was a little shocked about the gifts he had prepared, he thought. Yet, he didn’t know he was totally wrong about the idea.

  “Quick! Run!” Cara pulled him in the opposite direction. She held the box Ken handed him towards the exit of the woods.

  “Where are you taking me?” Ken was surprised.

  “I don’t want to die! I have a premonition that will die here!” Cara answered, “let’s leave the woods before saying another word!”

 “Are you crazy? There’s no one here except us! How could we die?”

  “That’s because there wasn’t any person and that’s why I had died!”

  “You had died? What?”

  “I don’t care! I need to leave the woods!”

  “Cara! Wait for me!” Ken said, trying to follow her steps.

  Both started pacing as fast as they could. Cara, not taking any chances of what she had faced before, paced quicker than she could have ever imagined. Perhaps that’s how strong people can be, hoping to survive. Cara makes sure she was alert at all times, she peered everywhere she could.

 “Cara! Cara!” She could hear Ken panting behind.

  Cara stopped under a tall and wide oak tree for a break as she waited for Ken, who was walking sulkily, after all those running. Cara didn’t notice that there was a person behind until she turned her head around.

  “I know someone wants to hurt me!” Cara pointed and screamed, pulling the person behind. The person covered himself in black, hiding under the woods. The person wasn’t unprepared either. She pulled out a steel rod and beat her. Luckily, Cara had the chest with her as she pulled her distance away from the mysterious person.

  “Why?” The person huffed. It was the same voice as the woman. The voice was familiar, but Cara had no time to guess who that was. She could only prevent every attack from the girl.

  “Ken! Help!” Cara attack back, “unravel the girl’s mask! That’s the girl who had killed me!”

  “Coming!” Ken rushed to help to unravel. To both of their surprise, it was Winnie hiding under the mask.

  “Winnie? Why?” Cara asked. “you wanted to kill me?”

  “No! Why do I have to do that?”

  “You have lied, Winnie,” Ken pointed at the steel rod, “didn’t you invite me to the hunt tonight? You wanted to ruin everything instead! You know how much I had a crush on Cara!”

  “What? You had a crush on me?” Cara's mouth dropped open.

  “Yea…” He kind of shrugged, blushing.

  “Why do you need to do that?” Cara asked disappointingly.

  “You don’t know why! I love Ken!” Winnie scolded, “I was the one who had love at first sight!”

  “So my premonition says I will die cause of some girl envied and the girl was you!” Cara pointed, “you envied me!”

  “I don’t know what you are saying but I do envy you of course!” Winnie rolled her eyes, “I invited you here to let you know that we are a couple, not you!” Winnie pulled Ken’s arm, but he pulled it away from her.

  “I don’t like people bad-hearted,” Ken pushed, “I thought we were friends, and we’ll help each other out, but you proved me wrong.”

  “I… I…” Winnie shuttered. She didn’t know what to say.

 “I am so disappointed with my friend; I couldn’t trust you more…” Cara ran. She was glad she didn’t die, but she was mad and depressed about the friend she had used to trust before. She didn’t want to see her anymore.

  “Cara! Wait!”

  Cara stopped. She had finally marched up the clock standing in front of the woods. Like the second time, she wondered where she was. She turned and found Ken holding the crown and the chest in his hands.

  “I am sorry, I have never known Winnie was such a girl…” Ken said.

  “Me neither…” Cara said.

 Ken pulled her into his arms. He pulled out the crown and placed it onto Cara’s head, making her dream come true. Perhaps the premonition was a blessing in disguise, even though it seems to block her way into the hunt and making her confused with things, Cara finally got to know what’s her friend’s up to, and definitely meet the guy she loved.