The Lightning Mage

42 | The Voice Inside [Start of Flashback]

CW: At the end of this chapter, there's a strong implication of sexual assault. Reading discretion is advised.

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About eight years ago...

Holding her breath, Sin-Ni opened the door.

"I'm- I'm done changing," she announced.

Her boyfriend was waiting outside the room. Under the setting sun, his tanned skin was a shade of golden sand, a beautiful contrast to his dark, curly hair. When his dark eyes fell on her, they widened.

"Oh, w- wow," Imran croaked.

Sin-Ni tugged at the bottom seams of her dress. "What do you think?"

Imran attempted to clear his throat, but it came across more like a hacking cough. "Uh, I like." He patted her sleeves. "Sequins. Pretty."

Sin-Ni chuckled. "Thanks. It's... It's a little tight. I haven't worn it in years. I must have grown a bit fatter..."

"Don't say that," Imran chided, tapping her nose in feigned anger. "You're perfect."

Sin-Ni's cheeks burned. She tried her best to suppress her smile as she rubbed her nose.

"I hope this is good enough for the club," she mumbled.

"More than good enough. This is too beautiful. You are too beautiful. Guys will be clamoring for you." Imran placed a fist on his forehead. "Ah, maybe I shouldn't let you go after all."

Sin-Ni could not help but laugh. "What, you don't trust me?"

"I do... I just don't trust other guys."

Sin-Ni chuckled again. "I'll be fine. Claudia will be with me. Her birthday was in January so she's been there many times already." Her lips curled upward. "And then once you're eighteen, we can go together."

Imran's smile mirrored hers. "I can't wait."

Sin-Ni's phone buzzed, and she scanned the screen. "Ah, Claudia is ready. I should leave now."

"You sure you don't want me to send you there?"

"And then have you go all the way back home?" Sin-Ni shook her head. "It's okay, Imran, you don't even live near Clarke Quay. I'll just see you tomorrow."

Imran sighed. "Alright. Take care, okay?"

Sin-Ni reached for a quick kiss before hopping out of the room. She bid her mother goodbye, grabbed her clutch bag, and made her way to the nightclub.

Her breaths were shaky as she walked. This was her first time going to a nightclub, and she was as excited as she was nervous.

Claudia said that she had brought a group of friends with her, one of which was someone she was trying to get together with. Sin-Ni hoped that they were a friendly bunch.

The sun had set by the time Sin-Ni got to Clarke Quay, but the bars and nightclubs lining the Singapore River emitted more than enough light to make up for it.

She spotted her friend at the pre-discussed location. Claudia was clad in a revealing camisole dress, huddling with a group of boys and giggling as though she was already drunk. Sin-Ni clutched her purse close to her chest as she squeezed past crowds of party-goers to approach the group.

"Sin-Sin!"

Claudia's face lit up when she spotted her. She ran towards Sin-Ni, hooked her arms around hers, and began introducing her to the boys. There were four of them, but they had similar fashion sense (and thus looked alike) and their names went by with a blur.