LOVING KIYOKA

Prologue

RAINES POV

For some reason, I've always felt different, seen things differently, and talked about things differently. As if there was something bigger than me coming. I always shoved these thoughts away because what was the point?

There is no point Raine. I mumbled under my breath.

"Thinking out loud again, Raine?" My friend Jeremy laughed.

I jolt myself back into reality by the ubiquitous lecture hall, while everyone else had a summer break and partied, I continued attending school for better grades. only half as many students were here yet. Jeremey and I are sitting in the middle row seats all lined up accordingly. The professor is across the room at her desk accounting all her papers, glancing down at her laptop.

Summer break is over meaning college just started classes, so the professor is in disarray. I'm in my second year of college, and Jeremy is a year above me. Long story short, he failed last year's class so he's in this year's class with me.

I sigh out loud.

"Yeah always thinking out loud, you know me."
I tilt my head toward Jeremy, his curly reddish-blond hair is sitting just right. Freckles all along his body, from the top of his hairline to the bottom of his toes.

I've known Jeremy since I was little. We grew up in this world that calls itself Elcordia Towns. He's always been an exceptionally shy kind of kid, never taking any foolish risks, never getting into any sort of trouble. We used to have sleepovers all the time when we were younger. He was close to my brother too. When my brother passed away when I was 13, sleepovers just made Jeremy think about my brother a lot. So I eventually stopped inviting him.

"Hey, what are you doing after class today?" Jeremy says with pining eyes.
"Why don't we go catch a meal?"

I smile at Jeremy.

"Sure I'm down, I'm starving !" I rub my stomach dramatically. I wonder what he wants to eat.

"So what were you thinking?" I say glancing down at the professor lecture students for being late to class.

Jeremy fiddles with his fingers, something he does a lot for no reason.

"How about that sandwich shop down the street from your house? The one you like." Jeremy asks with a smile on his face.

"You know me so so well Jeremy. Of course but are you sure you don't want to switch it up and go somewhere else?" I explained, raising eyebrows.

"No no, I like this place too so it's okay and even if I didn't like it, I would still go if you wanted to, Raine," he says still smiling. He never once stopped smiling while talking.

"Class is now in session." The professor tells the room.

Most of the students have appeared within the last 10 minutes. I open up my laptop and quickly get onto the website she has written up on the board. I get meticulously focused on the task at hand.

Kiyoka

A silent voice whispers into my ear. I whip my head around to look behind me but no one. I take a wide-eyed look around the lecture hall. No one could have whispered that in my ear when no other classmates of mine were even close to me.

Jeremy notices something off by the strange expression on my face. He grabs my shoulder and causes me to look at him.

"I'm fine, Jeremy." I express very bluntly.

It was nothing. Must be just my head misunderstanding the professor's words in the background. Back to my classwork.

Tone it out, Raine.
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