Waking Up To a Nightmare

The library felt small with them standing so close together, their breaths caught between books and shelves.

Wes leaned towards Mia, his hands on either side of her head, his body a solid wall of heat against her. She felt his frustration rolling off him in waves, making her skin tingle. His face slipped into her neck, and as he relished her sweet scent, his anger began to lose its edge.

“Tell me I didn’t screw up,” Wes said, his voice rough. “Tell me I’m still enough.”

“You are.” Mia smiled, embracing him. “You’ve always been, and you’ll always be.”

His gaze softened at once.

He stayed there for a moment longer, grounding himself, before he lifted his head to look into her eyes. She inched closer, then pressed her lips against his in a slow, soothing kiss. His hands slid around her waist, his grip firm yet gentle, and he allowed himself to melt into her.

The tension that had coiled him tight broke away.

Pulling back slightly, he breathed against her lips, “Because of you, I can be myself again.”

“YES! FINALLY!”

“You’re supposed to say ‘cut,’ director.”

“We’re at it for hours! I say what I want to say!”

Mia heaved a sigh of relief. Wes let out an amused chuckle.

Unlike the scene the other day, this one went through several retakes. It’s when the main character almost lost to the antagonist and confided in his love interest in a rare show of vulnerability. But instead of reinforcing the plot, acting it out led to a different kind of development every time.

Wes kept ignoring the script and turning it into a full-blown make-out session.

‘It’s so embarrassing I felt like dying!’ She felt drained, though also grateful that he was there to guide and lead her. ‘And at least, he’s doing it with me. I won’t be able to stand it if someone else were… Yes, really, it’s a good thing I accepted.’

She wondered how much of it was real, having never witnessed his acting prowess before. His delivery of the lines was smooth and natural, and so were his body expressions. 

But that's exactly why it's hard to figure out whether he’s pretending or not.

“Sorry for keeping you, Mia. I got carried away." Wes smiled apologetically and cupped her cheek with one hand. “It’s getting dark out there. Please wait for me in the car. Let’s go home together.”

‘Ah, right. Whoever’s following me is still on the loose, so I can’t return to my apartment yet.’ Mia sighed, head dipping low, hands clasping together. “Is it really okay for me to go to your place?”

“You know, I’m still sad you chose to stay at Jenny’s,” he sulked, and she flinched, reminded of how dejected he was when he learned she preferred her friend’s house over his.

“I-I-It’s just that I’m not ready! Y-Your parents live there, and they said it’s a m-mansion! I-I don’t think I-”

He burst out laughing. “Relax, princess. I already arranged a room for you at the annex, and Father is in the penthouse, so you don’t have to worry about meeting him unprepared.”

‘Annex? Penthouse? Just how big is that place?’

She could fret about it later. Right now, he had work to finish, and she's getting in his way, though he insisted otherwise. Before leaving, she made sure to also excuse herself to the crew members.

‘Oh… I’m not that afraid of people anymore,’ she mused quietly as she walked down the dim, empty hallway. ‘I guess it’s because everyone there has been kind to me… No, it wasn’t just with them. I started feeling less and less scared around others ever since I met him.’

With Wes, she found herself gaining more confidence each day. It’s a gradual process, and she could feel it in how she held her head higher, spoke better, and trusted herself more. Even in moments of doubt, she felt a steady courage she lacked before.

Someday, she wished she could show him how he'd become her greatest strength.

“Done flirting with prince charming?”

Mia froze at the voice, trepidation filling her. 

Gwen stood at the corner, her shadow stretched long against the lockers. Her stomach churned at the mere sight of her, more so when she noticed another figure. Lucy watched from the side, her lips curled into a crooked grin.

‘Why are they here? No, it doesn't matter. We have nothing to do with each other.’ She tried to step around them, but they moved immediately, standing before her. “W-What do you want?”

“A lot, especially after what he did.”

‘What? Who?’ Her voice wouldn't come out, stifled by the dark, hostile look in their eyes—a look that sought revenge. ‘But why?’

“Ah, of course! She doesn't know!”

“What else would you expect from a spoiled, sheltered pet?”

“Not for long. Time to go back to the gutter, you trash-”

“Hey!” Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind Gwen and Lucy, startling all of them—Alice. “You swore to stay out of sight. I thought you learned your lesson.”

She strode towards them with barely contained perturbation. Her eyes met hers briefly before flicking to the others and narrowing.

Gwen fumed. “And yet here you are showing your face! Hypocrite!”

“That’s rich coming from a swindler of a friend,” Alice retorted.

Lucy cackled—a piercing, cruel sound. “Fine, then. We'll start with you.”

Their target quickly pivoted, and Mia found herself lunging forward before she realized it. “I-I asked you! What do you want?” she demanded, voice shaky but firm. They appeared stunned by this, even Alice, who hardly knew how she used to be.

“You’ve got guts now, I see!” Gwen guffawed along with Lucy. “It’s simple, really. Just follow us, and we'll leave her out of this.”

Mia had a bad feeling. She knew she could run away like she did all the time. She owed nothing to any of them and found no reason to agree.

But then, she remembered the crippling fear and anxiety she endured every single day because she never had the willpower to stand up against these people, and she decided, ‘This has to end.’

---

It turned out that the ‘end’ would lead to darkness broken by pricks and pinpoints of light.

Mia had woken to the realization that she'd been unconscious for some time. She couldn't remember how and when—just that there were Gwen and Lucy, a car waiting outside the school, and a presence that weighed as heavily as this predicament. Alice's shocked face was the last she remembered before all her memories became distorted.

‘W-Where am I?’

Glancing around, she spotted a dance floor area flattened with light stands, sound panels bolted over neon signs, and cameras mounted above shelves of alcohol bottles—a bar-turned-studio, a place that wore its past like a stain.

The cameras, in particular, were impossible to ignore. Some of them were balanced on tripods and aiming directly at the couch where she lay. There were no windows, only heavy doors built to muffle noise.

“You’re awake.”

A low, deep voice came from the shadows, from which a man emerged. He looked strangely youthful for someone over forty—graying black hair, time-chiseled skin, an aura that threatened to swallow her whole. Another figure stepped forward, revealing a familiar face.

“K-Keith?”

Mia pushed herself upright, pulse quickening, limbs shaking. Seeing her awake, he crossed the room in two strides and kneeled before her. He seemed relieved. Unsure whether he was allowed to touch her, his hands reached out but hovered in the air.

“Mia, I’m sorry,” he muttered grimly, making her recoil.

“W-Why are y-you…? W-Where is…?”

“I didn’t know it would be like this. He said he just wanted to talk, and I…”

Her fear sharpened when she heard him shift. Measured steps, silent approach, a calculating air—his every move commanded the space around them. She felt him lean down before she could even look up.

“Lucas Kingsley. An honor to finally meet His Highness’s precious princess.”

She shuddered. “W-What are y-you after?”

“Well, you see,” he chuckled, “Wes has spent years dismantling things that mattered to me—businesses, reputations, properties. Now, I’m returning the favor.”

‘He’s after Wes?’ She paled, her chest dropping. “L-Leave him out of this!”

“Oh, he’s the entire point.” He gestured toward the cameras. “Let's see how he'll take these. Edited clips and stolen footage that suggest things—lies, betrayals, crimes that never happened.”

Keith swallowed hard. Lucas's smile deepened.

“Imagine it. Wes Ashthorne’s girlfriend meeting with Keith Stonehill in secret…”

“N-No…”

“...The world won’t wait for context. Once the narrative is out there, the truth won’t matter.”

Mia broke down in tears, feeling the cold, dark room closing in—not just the walls and ceilings, but also the future Lucas planned to capture frame by frame.