Chapter 3 Campus Haunts and Rules (2)

Finally, the class ends, and as soon as the bell rings, I quickly drag Bai-Wan out of the classroom. “We don’t have classes this afternoon. Where should we go?” I ask. “The objective of this challenge is to leave Y University. To do that, we need to exit through the school gates, which requires a pass. Do you know where we can get one?” I shake my head, “We usually just come and go as we please. I have never heard of a ‘pass’ before. But there is a student service center on the first floor of the library. We could ask there.”

As soon as we enter the library, the student service center is immediately to the right. I rush to the desk, “Excuse me, do you know where we can get a pass?” The staff member lifts her head stiffly, her gaze hollow as she looks at me, “A pass requires a book containing your name as exchange.”

“What? I do not understand.” “A pass requires a book containing your name as exchange. A pass requires a book containing your name as exchange. A pass requires a book containing your name as exchange…” She repeats herself, her speech accelerating. As she speaks faster, her hair undergoes a bizarre transformation: from deep black to fiery red, then to burning orange, and finally to dazzling gold. The air around her seems to react to this change, the temperature rising sharply, filling with an oppressive heatwave.

Suddenly, golden liquid bursts from her head, hitting the floor tiles, which hiss and begin to melt, releasing steam and a smell of burning. Holes form rapidly in the floor, their edges blurred as if eaten away by the high temperature. Oh my God, this is… this is lava!

I am about to scream when Bai-Wan pulls me behind him. He nods slightly at the staff member, “I understand, thank you.”

The staff member stops speaking instantly, the lava ceasing its flow, and her hair returns to its original black color. She gives Bai-Wan a hollow glance before lowering her head again.

My legs are weak; I am only standing by clinging to Bai-Wan’s arm.

“Did you understand what she said?” I ask. “I guess she means we each need to find a book in the library that contains all the words of our names.” “What if I just write my name in a book?” He ponders for a moment, “It’s probably not that simple, but you could try.”

Remembering the erupting lava, I quickly shake my head, “Never mind, never mind.” I do not want to witness another lava eruption. Besides, my name is Alia White, and both of the two words are not rare, especially ‘white,’ which appears many times in almost every book. So, I only need to find a book containing the word ‘alia.’

I worry about Bai-Wan Chee, though. Even the Oxford dictionary might not compile his full name.

Then it hits me, the dictionary! A dictionary would surely contain my name, and it is also the most likely to include Bai-Wan’s name.

I rush to the reference section immediately, only to find it empty.

“Those who didn’t have classes in the third and fourth periods must have already taken all the dictionaries to exchange for passes,” I say dejectedly to Bai-Wan, “What will you do now?” He seems unfazed, “Are there Chinese books in the library?” “I think so. Foreign books are on the third floor.” He heads to the stairs, “I’ll go to the third floor. You hurry and find a book with your name.”

Almost forgetting, he is Chinese and can look for books containing Chinese characters of his name. The library’s selection of Chinese books is not large, but I hope he finds something.

I start my search in the fiction section. ‘Alia’ does not have any particular meaning other than as a name. It is more likely to be found in novels.

However, after browsing nearly an entire shelf of novels, I still cannot find a character sharing my name and I accidentally touch gum someone stuck on the shelf. I grimace, “How disgusting!”

I head to the restroom to wash my hands meticulously until they feel completely clean. As the hand dryer blows hot air, I notice my slightly disheveled hair in the mirror and decide to tidy it up.

As I untie my hair to retie it, I suddenly see a figure in a blue dress behind me in the mirror.

Is she another player?

I shift my gaze to her face, only to discover in horror that the woman, or rather, the creature, is a skeleton dressed in clothes. Blood tears continuously flow from its hollow eye sockets, and it seems to be chewing on something.

I stiffen and turn around to find it spitting out a bloody finger, which lands right next to my foot.

“Aaaah!” I cannot help but scream. The terrifying presence seems startled by my scream, pausing for a few seconds before lunging at me with its gaping maw. I want to run, but fear paralyzes me.

Just then, I am pulled aside by a strong force.

It is Bai-Wan, emerging like a guardian from the shadows. He has come to my rescue!

The creature lunges at empty air, enraged, and opens its mouth wide to attack again. But in the next second, Bai-Wan punches the mirror and shatters it. The sound of shattering glass pierces the air and as the fragments of the mirror cascade to the ground, the creature gives one final, agonized shriek before dissolving into nothingness.

Rule number 4: “There are no mirrors in any building of Y University. If you see a mirror, immediately destroy it.” Ah, such a crucial rule, and I had forgotten it.

I hold Bai-Wan’s hand, which is now bleeding from breaking the mirror, and say, “Let’s go back to the dorm. I have iodine and bandages there to treat your wound.”