This is a short story of a girl named Naia who one day wakes up with her mind empty of memories, almost buried within the ruins of a broken city on a lightning-lit night.
for my moa of a sister that is turning 19
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Ignoring the trail of purple footsteps she prints onto the ground beneath her, Naia cautiously approaches the steps, curious. They're wide and so white that she doesn't doubt it's possible that if she is dead, then this is her gateway to heaven.
At least I've made it.
She takes a step onto the white, the blood on her soles sliding her foot along the block. Mildly disgusted, she scrapes the bottoms of her boots on the edge of the stairs, watching as the sticky liquid coats the line between the planes of the stair. She can feel eyes on her back and steals one last glance at Taehyun before she keeps going.
He's still kneeled by Yeonjun's body, looking after her with a sad but kind smile.
She tries a small wave in his direction, feeling a weight in her chest at the sight of him. A ball forms in her throat, one so filled with emotion that she thinks if she mutters a single word she'll end up running back to Taehyun, apologising for even thinking about leaving him in that situation. But he nods at her, reassuring her that this is her journey, and she must go on without him.
So she swallows hard and turns back around.
There are seven stairs to conquer before she makes it to the top, and each one makes her heart rate pick up pace like she's running the final stretch of a marathon. In a way, she feels like she is, each dirty step she takes closer to the end of whatever trek she's been set on with the doors and all. She thinks it's fitting that there's a set of white doors at the end, somewhat familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Soon enough, her hands are wrapping around two bar-like door handles, rounded and gold. Light leaks from the gaps around the edges of the two doors, and she feels the warmth from the other side, despite the chilled metal beneath her palms.
Naia pulls on what she believes (and hopes) is the final set of doors.
She's immediately hit with a wall of white, blinding her like the flashes from Beomgyu's apartment. For a few moments she is rendered sightless, forcing to bring her arm up to shield her eyes. The sudden brightness is too different from the blackness of before.
"Who are you?" A small voice calls from ahead. Naia blinks a few times, her sight still dotted with green and black as she squints to see whoever is speaking. She steps forward a bit, trying to make out the person, barely noticing the lack of ground ahead.
"Oh shi-" Naia backs up quickly, crashing into the white doors that seemed to have closed behind her. She turns around to them, still squinting as she tries to open them.
They're locked.
What the...
"Hey! Are you okay?" The voice comes again, and Naia snaps around. Her vision is still spotty, but she can see relatively well now, and notices that there seems to be an angel standing in midair, concern painted across his features. He seems to be standing on the sky itself, not on a cloud, or anything. Just blue and white for as far as she can see.
