Summon the Modern Lady!

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A deafening tick-tock echoed in the void, each beat reverberating through the nothingness like thunder. The air— or whatever this was —shifted and swirled with spiraling shades of black and gray, streaked with faint threads of color that pulsed in and out of sight.

It was a place that felt both suffocating and strangely comforting, like being wrapped in endless velvet.

Oh, right.

Cheska remembered.

Did I fall asleep?

Her thoughts were sluggish, swimming through molasses. She tried to focus, but before she could make sense of where she was, a familiar sound pierced through the dark haze.

Ding-ding-ding!

...Like a school bell.

No, it wasn't just like a school bell— it was a school bell. The ringing yanked her back with a sharp jolt.

"Waaah~ Finally, classes are over."

"I couldn't sit through math properly."

"Yeah, even Cheska Reyes fell asleep."

The whispers drifted around her, casual and amused. Cheska blinked and sat up, the hard surface of her desk pressing against her arms. The classroom buzzed with the usual end-of-period chaos— shuffling bags, excited chatter, the screech of chairs dragging against tile floors.

She sighed, brushing her disheveled hair back.

I didn't mean to fall asleep, she thought, stifling a yawn. It wasn't her fault, really. She loved math— her favorite subject —but last night had been unforgiving.

She frowned.

Wait… last night?

Her fingers froze mid-stretch. What did I even do?

The faint memory of a book flickered in her mind— a thick, dusty thing she'd supposedly found in the school library. Reading? That didn't make sense. Cheska Reyes didn't read. She wasn't the type to lose sleep over words on a page.

Soccer practice, she reasoned, pushing the thought aside. I must've been too tired and dreamt of something weird.

"Reyes!"

A loud voice called through the window, startling her out of her thoughts. Cheska turned to see Phoebe grinning at her, a soccer ball under one arm.

"Come on!"

Below the window stood three familiar figures. Phoebe, always full of energy, waved her free hand impatiently. Beside her, Weiwei scrolled through her phone with practiced indifference, no doubt glued to some web novel or online manga. Lorraine lingered next to them, her backpack slightly ajar, revealing the corner of her sketchbook. She was teasing Weiwei, probably about the bags under her eyes.

"It's lunch time!" Phoebe called again, her voice sing-song. "Let's go!"

"Okay, okay! Wait for me!" Cheska called back.

She scrambled to pack her things, tucking her notebooks haphazardly into her bag. Her shoes squeaked against the floor as she dashed out of the classroom, muttering rushed apologies as she slid past crowds of students.

On her way down the staircase, she caught sight of a couple sneaking a kiss behind the lockers. Her nose wrinkled instinctively in disgust.

"We're still high school students, ugh," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.

When Cheska reached the first floor, she spotted her friends waiting near the main hallway. Phoebe was already bouncing her soccer ball impatiently while Lorraine's gaze was fixed on something— or someone— further down the corridor. Weiwei, snickering, nudged Cheska with her elbow as she approached.

"Lorraine's eyes are glued to singer boy," She teased, pointing not-so-subtly at a small crowd gathered nearby.

Cheska followed her finger and spotted a group of boys— one of them holding a guitar, another was a drummer, and then a singer. Oh, she realized. That band.

Weiwei smirked. "Lorraine's such a devoted fan she even writes fanfics about the lead singer. True dedication."

"Shut up!" Lorraine hissed, her cheeks flushing as she clutched her sketchbook closer.

"Ugh, what's the hype with these wannabes?" Phoebe groaned loudly, purposefully walking closer to the group. The drumming boy glanced up, mildly confused by her loud presence, but Phoebe ignored him.

Cheska shrugged, her voice light. "That's how dreams are realized, though." She tugged Lorraine's arm gently. "Come on. You're gonna stay stuck there forever if you keep staring like that."

Lorraine sputtered but allowed herself to be pulled along.

The girls headed for their usual spot— a quiet area tucked behind the school's main building where a massive tree shaded a patch of grass. It was their haven away from the noise and chaos of the school grounds.

Phoebe plopped down first, tossing her soccer ball aside. From her bag, she pulled out three trays of food, placing them dramatically on the picnic blanket she always brought with her.

"Lunch is served!" she declared, grinning.

Weiwei shot her a tired look. "Who eats three trays for lunch?"

"Me. I'm growing." Phoebe said matter-of-factly, already opening her first tray.

Lorraine settled down next, sketchbook still in hand, though she seemed distracted as she stole glances back toward the school. Cheska, meanwhile, took her seat under the tree, stretching her legs out with a satisfied sigh.

"This is the life," she murmured.

The food was simple but comforting— rice, fried chicken, and a mix of vegetables. The four of them dug in, the chatter flowing easily between bites.

Phoebe teased Weiwei about her reading habits, while Weiwei retaliated by threatening to spoil the ending of her current novel. Lorraine laughed quietly, sketching something unseen, and Cheska leaned back against the tree, letting the peaceful moment wash over her.

But as her gaze drifted upward, past the branches, a strange feeling settled in her chest.

The sky was gray.

Not the soft, cloudy gray of an overcast day, but a dull, lifeless shade— as though someone had drained the color from it.

Cheska frowned.

That's weird.

She blinked, forcing her eyes to focus, but the unsettling gray remained. The world around her seemed to blur faintly at the edges, the voices of her friends growing distant, like whispers carried away by the wind.

What's going on?

Cheska sat up, suddenly alert.

"Hey…" she started, her voice trailing off. But when she turned to her friends, they were frozen— completely still, like statues carved from stone. Phoebe's hand hovered mid-air, her smile frozen in place. Weiwei's phone sat in her unmoving grasp, its' screen dark.

"Guys?"

Cheska's voice wavered. She reached out to touch Phoebe's arm.

The moment her fingers brushed against her friend's sleeve, the world shattered.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

The deafening sound of a clock returned, pounding in her skull. Cheska clutched her head, gasping for air as the spiraling void swallowed her whole once more.

"Where… am I?" she whispered.

Ding-ding-ding!

The sharp peal of the school bell echoed again, dragging Cheska back to consciousness.

"Waaah~ Finally, classes are over."

"I couldn't sit through math properly."

"Yeah, even Cheska Reyes fell asleep."

Cheska's eyes fluttered open. She blinked, disoriented as the world around her snapped into place. Again? She frowned, her head heavy, as though she'd been yanked through time itself.

Her fingers grazed her temple, trying to soothe the lingering ache. The motion caused her thick glasses to slip off her nose. She caught them quickly, muttering under her breath. "What… what is wrong with me?"

"Reyes!"

A voice snapped her attention to the window. It was Phoebe, waving her arms like a frantic windmill. "Come on! It's lunch time!"

"O-okay!" Cheska stammered, grabbing her bag and stumbling to her feet.

The corridors were packed as usual. She squeezed past students, each step calming her nerves and dulling the foggy headache. I'm fine, she repeated to herself. I'm fine.

But when she glanced outside through a passing window, her heart sank.

The sky was gray.

Not cloudy. Not stormy. Just an endless, dull gray that seemed to stretch forever.

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

The distant hum of a vibration jolted her.

"Bro! Stop calling me!"

Cheska blinked.

Her surroundings had shifted again. She was no longer walking through the crowded corridors but sitting beneath the old tree in the back of the school.

Weiwei's voice rang loud as she argued with whoever was on the other end of her phone. Phoebe sat cross-legged, munching on a sandwich, and Lorraine sketched a few steps away.

What… just happened?

Cheska rubbed her eyes. "Did I… doze off again?" she muttered under her breath.

Shaking the strange feeling away, she pulled out her lunch, trying to focus on the present. Her friends' conversation buzzed around her like white noise, grounding her.

"You were too loud this time, Phoebe," Lorraine scolded, not looking up from her sketchpad. "Even Matthias— the drummer guy —looked at you. God, I'm so embarrassed!"

Phoebe shrugged, her tone breezy. "Huh? So what? They're just a year above us."

Lorraine's cheeks puffed out in irritation. She pointed a fork at Phoebe, her voice rising. "Even so! And Kaiser, my beloved Kaiser, is in second year, same as us!"

"Boo, are you crushing on a classmate?" Phoebe teased, giving Lorraine a dramatic thumbs-down.

Finishing her call, Weiwei finally chimed in, grinning like a fox. "No, no. Crushing on a classmate is okay." She snapped her fingers. "But crushing on 3D boys? Un-freaking-believable!"

Lorraine groaned, rolling her eyes. "Tell them they're wrong, Ches! Help me~"

Cheska chuckled, entertained by her friends' banter. It was moments like these that reminded her how uniquely chaotic their group was. "Well," she started, turning to Lorraine with mock seriousness, "do you at least know your crush's friends?"

"Of course I do!" Lorraine's voice rang with confidence. "He only has one best friend— the popular guitar guy from earlier? Right, his name is Natha… huh?" She paused, frowning. "What was it again?"

"Boo! She fails!" Phoebe whooped, high-fiving Weiwei.

"I know, okay?!" Lorraine shot back, flustered. "His name is Niall! I forgot for a second."

"Niall…?" Cheska repeated the name, rolling it over in her mind. That's weird. She didn't remember anyone in her grade named Niall.

Weiwei tilted her head, catching Cheska's troubled expression. "Don't tell me you don't know your classmate's name?"

Cheska forced a chuckle, brushing a hand through her sleek black hair. "I guess? But at least I'm not as bad as Matthias, right?"

"Matthias? The drummer guy?" Phoebe asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah," Cheska replied, rolling her eyes. "Remember when he forgot your birthday? You ranted to me and Weiwei about it over the phone the next day. And during the call… didn't he come home crying?"

Silence.

Phoebe's mouth hung open mid-bite. Weiwei froze, her phone halfway to her ear. Lorraine's pencil hovered above her sketchpad. All three stared at Cheska like she'd sprouted a second head.

"Cheska…" Weiwei started slowly, her voice wary. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Cheska blinked, confused. "You know… after Phoebe's first trimester? When his company was in the middle of a big project and he couldn't go home? I mean, Matt's such an ignorant lover, but at least he takes care of her, right?"

Phoebe choked violently, spitting her lettuce back into her sandwich. "What?! Are you shipping me with that wannabe guy?!"

Cheska's face scrunched up in confusion. "No? What I meant was…" Her voice trailed off as the realization struck her.

Wait.

Trimester? Lover?

Why did those words come out of her mouth?

Weiwei let out a deep breath and shook her head. "Woah. I think I slept pretty well compared to delusional Cheska here."

The others nodded in agreement, Phoebe still glaring at her sandwich as though it had betrayed her.

"Anyway," Weiwei announced casually, breaking the tension, "I vote for chocolate mint ice cream after school."

"That's disgusting," Phoebe shot back immediately. "Mint tastes like toothpaste."

The two launched into a playful argument, their voices rising and falling with the familiar rhythm of friendship. Lorraine sighed, exasperated, while Cheska...

Cheska sat quietly, staring at the gray sky above.

"Honey?"

The voice was soft and warm, cutting through the haze in Cheska's mind.

She turned her head, only for a blue tassel to smack her in the face, making her frown.

"Graduatee's in a daze, huh?"

Gabriel, her younger brother, smirked teasingly as he approached with the rest of their family. Cheska blinked, looking down at herself. She wore a black graduation gown, her valedictorian sash gleaming brightly against the fabric.

Her heart skipped a beat.

College?

Her parents beamed at her, pride shining in their eyes as they walked toward her with open arms. The auditorium bustled with noise— graduates celebrating, families cheering, cameras flashing.

But none of it felt real. 

Cheska looked around, her head spinning. The gray sky lingered at the edges of her vision, creeping into the vibrant scene like an ink stain.

What's wrong with me?

She clutched her tassel tightly, her breath growing shallow. The echoes of the ticking clock returned, faint at first but growing louder with each second.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

And then the world shattered... again.