Chapter 4 — The Girl Without a Shadow

In the dim, hazy light, she turned her head toward me. I found myself staring into a face that was an identical mirror of my own, adorned with a smile that felt sharp, almost provocative. In the next heartbeat, like a spray of foam collapsing into the vast ocean, she merged back into my body. The crushing weight that had held me prisoner vanished instantly; my limbs grew weightless and regained their mobility. Yet, I was drenched in a cold sweat, my pulse racing, every trace of exhaustion wiped away by a frantic, lingering adrenaline.

During the break, a cup of coffee was placed before me. I looked up, dazed, to find the face of Ho Tuyet Huong staring back. She pulled out a chair and sat beside me.

"You..." She hesitated, her eyes shimmering with undisguised anxiety. I forced a weak, fragile smile. "I'm fine."

"What are you going to do?" she pressed.

I collapsed my head onto my arms, unable to articulate an answer.

"Let me help you," she said.

I thought I had misheard. I propped my head up, staring at her in bewilderment. Ho Tuyet Huong offered me a gentle smile. "The advisor really did call me today to fill out the room-change form, but I didn't do it. I intend to move back in and continue living with you."

"On Tam, I don't just see you as a roommate; I see you as a true friend. If a friend is in trouble, how could I just run away? That would be a cowardly thing to do, wouldn't it?"

I studied her for a long time. To be honest, it felt as though a saw were being pulled back and forth across my heart. It took a massive effort of will to maintain my composure and urge her toward caution. "Ho Tuyet Huong, if I were you, I would choose to protect myself. Deciding to help me now... it’s dangerously blind loyalty. We don’t even know what this other version of me is, what she wants, or what terrifying things we might have to face. Helping me could very well drag you down into the abyss. It’s simply not wise."

"Yes, I know the logic," she replied, crossing her arms and looking at me with helpless affection. "But On Tam, look at the dark circles under your eyes. It’s only been one night, and you look like you haven’t slept in half a year. I can't just stand by and watch you suffer alone, without even a partner to help think through the options. I just can't bear it."

Her confession made my eyes well up instantly.

"Enough with the nonsense," she said, winking with a playful, lighthearted grace. "Most of the unknown isn't as terrifying as we imagine. The unknown only seems frightening because we don't understand it yet. Perhaps once we uncover the truth, we’ll realize it wasn't so scary after all. On Tam, isn't that the very lesson you once taught me?"

I was speechless. I reached out and pulled her into a hug, whispering, "Thank you."

She hugged me back. "Alright, enough with the sentimentality. Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

I steadied my breath, gathering my thoughts. "There is one thing. It's simple: tonight, once she leaves, you must wake me up."

***

"On Tam, wake up! Quickly, wake up!"

Following a violent, insistent shaking, I pulled myself out of the depths of sleep. As my eyes snapped open and my consciousness returned, the first thing I asked was, "Is she gone?"

Ho Tuyet Huong wiped the sweat from her forehead and collapsed onto my bed. "On Tam, what kind of sleeper are you? You were so deep under, I couldn't wake you for the life of me."

I cut her off, urging her to skip the small talk and get to the point.

"Yes... she's gone," Ho Tuyet Huong said, her tone growing heavy. "I watched her leave with my own eyes. But..."

She paused, and the sudden shift in her voice made my heart constrict. After a long silence, she continued, "She told me to pass a message to you."

My heart sank. She wanted to send a message? I processed the information, my voice barely a whisper. "What did she say?"

Ho Tuyet Huong’s lips trembled slightly. "She said she is waiting for you downstairs by Building Four."

She wanted to meet me? Before I could organize my thoughts, Ho Tuyet Huong asked, "On Tam, are we going to see her?"

"Not yet," I said. "I need to confirm one thing first."

I turned on my phone’s flashlight, covering the lens with my fingers to dim the glare, and cast it against the wall. There was no shadow of my fingers on the wall. Ho Tuyet Huong watched, stunned. She raised her own hand and wiggled her fingers; her shadow danced vividly against the surface.

"Huong, tell me, if a shadow leaves its host, what do you think it wants?"

She didn't answer immediately. For a long moment, we both fell into deep, heavy contemplation.

"Huong, you were right. Facing the unknown, the first thing we must do is try to understand it. Only through knowledge can we find a way to combat it. At the very least, we have confirmed one thing: she is my shadow."

"If my shadow isn't here right now," I asked, "does that mean whatever I do at this moment, she cannot see it?"

Ho Tuyet Huong’s eyes lit up. "Exactly!"

I turned to her. "Do you have the phone number for Vuong Toai?"

Vuong Toai was the campus idol, the very person the shadow had been pursuing. I asked only because I knew Ho Tuyet Huong shared a social circle with him.