'BREAKING NEWS: DEAD BODY FOUND AT THE OLD ORCHARD BEACH PIER.'

A day has passed since my friends and I saw a dead person with our own eyes. Police officers soon arrived on the scene to usher the public away from the ghastly scene and scoop up the dead body from the waters.

Avery, the boys, and I didn't remain on the beach for long. Our mood had turned sullen, and the atmosphere was heavy with tension and sadness as we mourned the death of a stranger. We simply left and promised to text each other at night.

As I chomp on my breakfast, which comprises bacon and scrambled eggs, the newscaster is announcing the autopsy results of the deceased this morning—a torn throat.

What is this? A vampire crawling out from the movie screen?

Classifying it as an unnatural death, the police believes he got murdered and thrown into the sea. Right now, they are combing the area for evidence or clues that might lead to the murderer.

There's also me who doesn't believe in their statement.

Something's wrong with the waters.

I'm not just casually saying it. I can feel it.

Mom frowns at the TV that's mounted on the wall. She's all prepared for work. Her brown curls bounce at her shoulders, wearing full makeup and a white business suit. She looks all chic and professional to tackle her grumpy clients. The only thing that ruins her face is how she presses her lips together to form a thin, displeased line.

Clearly, she isn't happy at the fact that I've broken our promise and was present at the time of the incident.

"Delia," she addresses me in such a calm tone that makes me quiver in my seat. "You're telling me you got close to the waters yesterday?"

I nod once, praying that she isn't able to toast me. "I didn't go alone, Mom. Avery wanted to hit the beach, and we brought along a few friends. They have bulging muscles the size of a tree, Mom. I was completely safe."

Lifting a brow to form a humored expression, she shakes her head and pours me a glass of milk. "I'm glad you are," she says. "But promise me you'll stay away from the waters, Delia? It's dangerous. I would much rather you hang out with your friends somewhere else, like the movie theater or the park."

"Okay, Mom." I finish my food and chug down the rest of the milk before switching the subject. "Are we having dinner together tonight?" I ask casually, trying not to sound too eager. But dang, I really miss spending time with her, especially when we had to skip our last Saturday movie night because there was a company party she had to attend.

Mom's brows knot into a thoughtful frown. She's a B2B sales manager and often works long hours, but somehow or another, she manages her schedule well in order to spend quality time with me. She's a Superwoman, that's for sure.

"Of course. Do you want Chinese takeout?"

"Yes! I want dumplings and sweet and sour pork."

"Great!" She laughs and ruffles my hair. "And stop drooling, Cordelia Walters! It's just Chinese takeout."

I give her a cheeky grin and a thumbs up. "And it's the best takeout ever. Nobody's changing my mind on that."

Amusement lights up her eyes. "What happened to that Korean fried chicken you went crazy over last week? Is that no longer on top of your list?"

She's right. I smack my forehead and groan that there is too much mouthwatering food in this world. "Mom, stop. Now you're tempting me."

***

After breakfast, it's time for the dreadful part of the day—school. As Mom drives me there, we listen to another news that's currently airing live on the news channel.

A couple of hours ago, a sudden typhoon hit a few neighboring states. They have evacuated citizens, but not all of them. For those who can't make it to the temporary shelters, they are advised to seek higher ground if possible. Inflatable dams and flood barriers are deployed, but it's doing little to stop the torrential rainfall and waves of waters from sweeping the lands. It's the largest and most violent storm the world has ever seen.

I bite onto my bottom lip as a heavy feeling sinks into my stomach.

Gosh, what's happening to the world?

I peek through the window. On our side, it's still fairly dry, but I can see a couple of ominous clouds looming in the distance. It's really odd, considering how sunny it was the day before, but then again, the weather has always been pretty fickle-minded.

At the school entrance, I climb out of the car as Mom gives a word of advice. "Stay indoors, Delia. No running out and about unless you're heading home. Text me if you need a ride."

Wearing a deadpan expression, I salute her through the window. "Yes, Ma'am."

An imperceptible smile tugs at her lips. "Have fun at school."

I pull a face. "Ugh, I'll try."

Amusement flickers in her eyes. I watch as Mom's car leaves the school's driveway before heading inside the building. I brisk-walk to my assigned classroom for biology, where I find Avery already waiting outside. A frown has found its way between the crevices of her flawless forehead. A troubled shadow haunts her eyes, and she's biting her bottom lip. Something which she only does when she's anxious.

Seems like I'm not the only one who couldn't sleep last night.

"Morning, chica." I scan my thumbprint at the small glass panel beside the classroom door to submit my attendance. "Rough night?"

"Kind of. Frankly, I think all the news on TV about bad weather, accidents and dead bodies are getting to me." She shakes her head as if to clear her thoughts. "But whatever. Let's hang out at your house after school? Netflix and popcorn?"

Grinning, I give her a thumb up sign. "Sounds like a perfect plan."

Apart from me receiving a C+ for last week's pop quiz because the teacher enjoys stringing complicated words together that are far beyond humans' understanding, we get through the rest of the lessons uneventfully. When the bell rings, Avery and I stuff our study tablets into our bags before leaving the room. Students pour into the hallway and slowly leave the school compound. Some linger in small groups to gossip, whereas others head for their club activities.

Through the glass walls, the sky's pretty dark outside and you can see the trees are tilting from the powerful gusts of wind.

A storm's approaching.

And I don't have a good feeling about it.

"Avery." I nudge her arm lightly as she sends a quick text to her boyfriend. "We should head to my house now or we'll be stuck in the storm."

"Alright, give me a sec." She taps away at her phone screen, frowning. "Leo's acting weird. His texts are odd. He doesn't finish his messages."

"Really?" I ask and she nods nervously, showing me the texts. The first one was received from Leo three minutes ago and he mentioned this:

I raise a brow at Avery questioningly. "You call him 'The Man of My Life'? What about me? The Woman of Your Life?"

She rolls her eyes and nudges my side. "Focus."

"Okay, okay." Rubbing my bruised spot, I return to the rest of the messages, where things seem to go awfully strange. Leo's words sound a lot more urgent than before.

My expression morphs into confusion. Whatever the case is, we wait for him at the entrance. When he eventually appears from the other end of the hallway and pushes through the startled throng of people, his face is shockingly pale. Almost as if he has just seen a ghost in broad daylight.

He yells at us. "Avery!"

Behind him, we catch glimpses of students scampering about in the background. Panicking. They are all freaking out like Leo is; their eyes wide with fear and they are running for the exit. One of them knocks into my shoulder as he runs past, not bothering to offer me a word of apology.

Normally, I would have yelled and picked a fight with people like him, but today, I'm startled by the genuine fear that the boy displays. The air around us shifts and crackles in grave tension.

Something's terribly wrong.

"Leo!" Avery exclaims in bewilderment. "What's going on?"

His breathing is heavy, but his movements never once falter. He reaches us quickly and grabs us both by our arms. "No time to explain, ladies. Get into my car–" But he doesn't get to finish his sentence.

Because that's when the screams begin.