Chapter 4: Love Triangle in the Apocalypse

She remembered looking for it the next day, right after escaping Theodore's perverted claws. She randomly opened up the first page, not sure what to expect. This one didn't have a summary. Theo said this indicated that the events of the book hadn't happened yet, because there was still the possibility of change. It was the first time she encountered a destiny book, so her interest was piqued. Telling Theo expressly not to bother her, she settled down in a comfortable nook and started to read. It was set in a world called Blue Star, very similar to the settings of most 'modern' books she had read before. She was attracted by the story, as well as the fact that the heroine was also a 'water mage' of sorts. She completed it all in one sitting. However, I'm retrospect, she remembered that as she put the book back on the shelf, she accidentally grazed her hand on its covers, and dripped blood on it. She didn't think much of it back then and went home to sleep because she felt a little drained. At the time, she just thought she was too kind to her men. Now she knew there was more to it than she would have ever imagined. The next thing she knew after waking up, she was in the dormitory bedroom, sweating from being ill. "Are you okay?" She looked up to see Claire, who had already walked to her at some point with a concerned face. It happened that Claire left early that morning for her club practice, and the other two were too self-absorbed, especially when they ran a bit late. There had indeed been a mention that Claire was the only one who had a real acquaintance with the unnamed roommate. It was also because of her that she was mentioned later in the story, where Claire and the soldier were having a heart-to-heart, and she expressed regret about the people they lost. The other two were staring at her, apparently just noticing her there. After all, usually at this time she was almost always in the library. She could bet Laura had already forgotten her name had she not been mentioned occasionally by Claire. "I'm fine, thanks." She said, lowering her voice as the Other habitually did. "I just needed a bit of rest. I'll be fine. Okay, tomorrow." Claire looked her up and down to see if she was just being polite. "Have you eaten?" She nodded her head. She had eaten the heavenly invention of instant ramen that the Other had in stock. Its glorious taste would be forever etched in her heart. Claire nodded, seeing that she wasn't lying. "I have both paracetamol and ibuprofen here. Which one would you prefer? I recommend ibuprofen as it works longer, but only if you don't have stomach problems, of course." Khalifa remembered that his girl was taking medtech, and she was planning to be a doctor in the future. This girl was genuinely kind, and definitely very lucky—chosen children of a universe had a special charm to them—and she could see how she'd be involved in a love triangle in the middle of a disaster. "I'd appreciate that, thank you." She said as she lay down. As she closed her eyes, she could hear Claire rummaging through her non-prescription cabinet and Laura whispering to Mira: "What's her name again?" After taking her meds, the four girls went back to their previous activities. Khalifa stared at the plain white ceiling for a while, now that she had interactions with real people, finally truly absorbing the fact she was pulled somewhere else—likely, a different universe altogether. In her daze, she tried to recall what she read. The story started with the introduction of the heroine, Clara Enclaire, a sweet girl from a normal, middle-class, happy family. It showed the interactions between her and her loving parents, how they told each other about their day to each other, and how they comforted each other on bad days. The story also told of their harmony with the guest, her boyfriend, and how he was treated as part of the group as soon as he knocked on the door. The sweet male lead, Chris, was eating with their family. He had been so well-integrated that they're probably just waiting for them to be of marriageable age to get married. The initial parts of the story were quite peaceful, with her everyday school life with her two friends, Laura and Mira, with a vague mention of another roommate (apparently, her) whom they barely ever saw. They were a happy family, which makes the upcoming tragedy even sadder. But the story made no foreshadowing of this, it simply showed the life of a normal functioning family, which made her—an orphan—envy it a bit. It was when the male lead was called to participate in a contest in another province, and it was around this time that the beginning of the tragedy struck.