Behind The Mask

Chapter 28- Akari

She was... comatose? My new sister was... stuck in a coma? If I ever met the person that did this to her, I would do something just as bad as Kio did to them. Pete Winters. The name rang a bell: I think he was in one of the other classes in my year level. I would never forget it now.

Kio had started locking herself away in her room, blaming herself for everything that had transpired. No matter what I said, she wouldn't listen and understand that this was not her fault. I understood what Akai had said to me a while back about how losing her brother felt like losing a part of herself. Life felt so wrong with Akai not there, and I was scared. I was scared that she might not wake up, scared about what would happen if she didn't wake up, and scared of what I'd do if that event came to pass.

Life at home had never felt as glum or crestfallen as it did that night. I laid in my bed, in the dark by myself, and got lost in my thoughts. I wished I had Kian there as comfort, but I'd declined his offer to stay with me knowing it would be selfish for me to accept. Kio needed her big brother more than I needed him. I would survive the dark by myself, just like I had for years prior.

I had long since discovered that I could survive at least a few days without any sleep. It took a while at first to distinguish what was real and what I was hallucinating, but once I'd figured that out; I could last at least 3 days without sleep. I hadn't told Kian about my insomnia yet, because I knew that he would go into worry mode. It looked like I was going to start the streak that night, because I spent the whole night awake and going through all the text messages I had between Akai and I.

They brought back fond memories and made me feel really happy... which made me feel awful again. I lost track of why I had even begun looking at these messages, I just got so lost in the past...

I got up in the morning with dark circles under my eyes. My phone was pretty much dead so I put it on charge and checked the clock on my desk. It read 07:02, so I figured I'd give myself 10 minutes to have a shower, another 5-10 minutes to put just a little bit of Aunt Eliza's makeup to hide how tired and stressed I was. By the time I had done that, plus gotten dressed and picked out my mask for the day: it was almost half past 7.

I sat there on my bed for a little bit longer before grabbing my phone off its charger and plugging it into the power bank I carry in my bag. I went down stairs and grabbed my premade lunch from the counter top of the kitchen and walked out the door. I wasn't all that hungry so I decided to skip breakfast.

Walking to the bus stop just seemed so wrong. It was so...lonely. I had become so accustomed to walking to it with Akai by my side, just talking to each other and having a good time. I didn't like it. Not at all.

When I hopped on the bus, they looked towards me and Kio went to call out to Akai just out of habit. Then she remembered. I watched as her face went from happy, hopeful and in love to confused, sad and lonely. I might be missing Akai, but Kio had known her longer than I had.

Us three spent the entire bus trip in a solemn silence. I had my head leaning against Kian's shoulder; he was my comforter. He was holding a can of soft drink and taking small sips from it: probably to clear his mind slowly. None of us knew what to say without it turning to the topic none of us wanted to talk about. Kio was also resting her head- she was lying down with her head on the seat that Akai normally sat in. I didn't even think about mentioning it to her.

Everyone around us seemed so happy... they didn't know what had happened. Listening to people around us laugh and joke around made my heart ache so much more. For the first time since my first experience on this bus- I felt out of place. I felt lonely. Not alone, because I knew I had people there- but I felt lonely.

Walking through the halls, watching yet not registering everything around me... it was different. Everything just felt so wrong. I looked out of the hallway window and noticed the gym about 100 metres away. As soon as I saw it, I remembered one of the first bonding experiences I had with the group. Back when Mr. Wood had tried to too far on something that should never happen to anyone.

It wasn't until I felt Kian's hand on my back that I brought myself back to reality and started moving again. Everywhere I looked, I saw a memory of an event that transpired including Akai. I felt a slight pressure on my arm and noticed Kian holding me back while looking past me at something. I looked where he was and saw this boy. He didn't look too bad but looked like the kind of person who would bully others. His eyes stared into mine as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. I didn't know what to think.

"I wrote a poem for you, and I'm going to read it to you now:

Heart so big and body so small,

Eyes so cute and personality so tall.

Your hugs are warm and your lips are sweet,

I can't wait for the next time we meet.

When your sad and when your blue,

Remember that I'm always thinking of you.

We are young and we are strong,

Nothing could ever possibly go wrong.

I hope we last; I hope we do,

Coz I think I'm falling in love with you."

I watched as Kian's face turned red in anger. His hands started to clench and I could hear the sound of his freshly finished can of soft drink being crushed under the pressure. He looked ready to kill this guy. I gave his arm a squeeze. He looked at me and I shook my head slowly, telling him that this person is not worth it. He got a look of understanding in his eyes before gaining a creative, determined look. He turned towards the boy who had just read the poem and gave a small speech:

"I know it was directed at my boyfriend and not me, but I would like to respond in kind-

Roses are red, Violets are blue.

He's for me, not for you.

If by chance you take my place,

I'll take my fist and smash your face."

The boy grew pale. I watched as he took one step back. Then another, before turning fully and running. I hadn't realised that there was a crowd around us until I heard people start laughing. First one, then another, then about 90 other people. I glanced towards Kio and saw he surprised look she was giving her brother, almost like she hadn't expected that from him. Then she did something I wasn't expecting for a while yet- she laughed. Her eyes were glistening with tears, but they were happy tears. I joined in. I wasn't happy, but I was content in that moment.