Alice in Borderland ~ Chishiya

21

Although I spent the night in a real bed, I didn't sleep very well.

I can't get over the fact that anyone can just enter the room, because there's no working lock in any room. With every footstep or cough that I heard in the hallway, my body immediately became focused and tense. It didn't help that Raiden didn't come in until the middle of the night either.

"I'm going to check the bar for five minutes," he had said. Those five minutes turned into five hours. Still, although it bothered me, I couldn't fall asleep until he got back.

I take the watch from the bedside table and see that it has already been one o'clock in the afternoon. Either I was tired from the lack of sleep or my body had to catch up a lot, because after I finally fell asleep, I just woke up.

I get up and open the curtain, after which an annoyed moan can be heard, coming from Raiden's bed. 'What are you doing?' he mumbles, raising his hand to the light shining through the window. 'Rise and shine,' I say, 'it's already one o'clock in the afternoon.' He puts his head under his pillow. 'Well,' he says in a stifled voice, 'my visa's still valid for six days. I don't have to do anything yet.'

'You're wrong,' I say while making up my bed. 'We have to stay in shape. Yesterday, we only saw part of the Beach. Today, we have to go through every corridor we are allowed to enter, to get to know the buildings.' I hear him sigh in exasperation when I pull the duvet off him. 'We have one advantage,' I continue, 'we no longer have to dwell at the bar. You already have enough knowledge of that place.'

'Was that an undertone I heard?' he asks. He takes the pillow off his head and slowly gets up to look at me. 'Was that you judging me?' I shrug. 'Take it the way you like, I don't care. As long as you get up in a few minutes.' I open the bathroom door and enter. This door also has no lock, but I don't have to tell him not to come in, do I? I glance at him and see that he has already laid down and took the duvet back. It doesn't look like he's going to get up, let alone walk to the bathroom, anytime soon. I close the door behind me.

I start washing myself and relax when I smell the sweet scent of shampoo. It surprises me that even the hair dryer works. I dry my hair and then brush it out. After I'm done with everything, I look at myself in the mirror. I'm shocked by what I see, but that's not because I disagree with it. After my first hearts game, I expected that I'd never be able to do anything normal again, but since that game, I got used to losing people. I've never been fond of people and I'm not as good at connecting as Raiden is, but watching someone die did something to me at first. Now that's not really the case with a stranger anymore. I had thought that I'd never be able to look at myself in the mirror ever again, but I notice that I have a certain energetic glow around me. I feel strong.

It feels like I'm ready for the day, or what's left of it anyway. I let the door slam hard when I'm back in the bedroom and can't suppress my annoyance. 'Raiden.' He mumbles something unintelligible. 'Is this how you're going to organize your days from now on? Lying in bed all day, filling yourself up with booze and the company of strangers at night, then wasting the morning again and repeating it, until you have to play a game?' He doesn't respond. 'Fine,' I say. 'I'm going downstairs. I'll be waiting for you in the lobby. If you're not there by two o'clock, you can find out for yourself.' I walk towards the door, but turn around one more time before opening it. 'Don't lose sight of our goal.'

'And what is that?' His voice can now be heard clearly. He's sitting up again, looking at me. It doesn't look like he's feeling well. His eyes are surrounded by dark circles and it seems as if he could collapse at any moment. 'We're on this damn Beach, our cards have been taken and we won't be leaving this world anytime soon, if that shady theory is correct at all. We haven't gotten any answers by coming here. What is our goal?'