Chisana-san of the drama room

52

I sit on the stage lights with my head leaning against the wall behind me. I close my eyes and rub my temples. It feels as if I'm halfway through a math lecture!

My heads pounding and I feel like my brain might just explode. I slowly open my eyes again and look around, noticing the black and blurry spots in my vision...

The edge of my sight is fading into black... The darkness slowly creeps further into my sight...

It creeps further...

And further...

And further...

It doesn't stop creeping into my sight until I'm forced to close my eyes, not being able to understand why my sight is black when my eyes are open.

Closing my eyes brings me a bit of clarity.

...Until I feel myself falling.

I start to panic internally as I realize that I can no longer feel my own body.

I can't open my eyes.

I can't move.

I can't even call for help.

I hit the stage with a thud and fall unconscious.

.

.

.

When I wake up, I seem to find myself in a black, endless void.

I pull myself up into a standing position, bringing my hands to cup my mouth as I yell.

"Hello?"

I listen to my voice echo around me, slowly getting quitter.

'Hello?' 'Hello?' 'Hello?' 'Hello?'

Once the echo's fade out, I call out again.

"Is anyone there?"

'There?' 'There?' 'There?' 'There?'

I wait for a response and hear... nothing...

I seem to be alone in... wherever it is that I am...

I look around again and decide to start walking.

I walk for a few minutes before I see a door...

It's an everyday wooden door. With its rectangular engravings and milk chocolate color. The doorknob looks strange though. It seems to almost... pulsate...

My curiosity getting the best of me. I slowly make my way closer to the door, reaching my hand out slowly.

I get to the door and my hand goes to wrap around the doorknob.

I hesitate.

Do I really want to do this? I mean, yeah, the door looks normal and it could be my way out of this place but...

The doorknob is literally pulsating...

Last time I checked, doorknobs don't pulsate!

I take a deep breath and way my options

On the plus side, it could be my way out!

On the negative side, there could be something dangerous on the other side...

Or maybe something cute on the other side!

Or it could literally be a trap where I open the door and a I get impaled...

I sigh, I'm right back where I started!

I decide to just open the door. I figure that whatever is on the other side will be much more interesting than walking around in an endless black void for all of eternity.

I grasp the still pulsating handle and wait, squeezing my eyes shut.

A few seconds pass and nothing seems to happen. So, I open one eye to see.

Nothing seems to have changed... well, except that the doorknob is no longer pulsating. I take a deep breath and twist the doorknob, pushing the door open.

I shield my eyes from the sudden burst of light on the other side of the door, waiting for my eyes to adjust. When they do, I see... myself?

I see me in a bathroom... and another boy... Hanako... He's sitting on the windowsill whilst I'm cleaning the mirror. Why am I cleaning?

Hanako says something, but his voice sounds distant and hazy.

"Hey Rori?" He says, grabbing my attention "Hm? What's up, Amane?"

Wait a minute, Amane?? I'm calling him by his actual name?? On top of that, I respond in a happy manner! As if I'm not angry, scared or sad. Why am I not scared? Do I not know that this guy is gonna kill me??

Hanako smiles and jumps down from the windowsill, floating over to stand beside me as I continue to clean the mirror. He has his hands behind his back.

Oh no...

Oh god no...

He's about to stab me, isn't he??

"I gotcha somethin!" He cheers. I turn around to face him, putting my hands on my hips "Did you now? And what, may I ask, have you so humbly, gotten for me?" I ask, obviously trying to hold back a smile yet failing.

Hanako giggles and begins to move his arms out from behind his back. I squeeze my eyes shut and cover them, not daring to watch the brutal stabbing that's about to occu-

"Tada!!"

Huh?

I put my hands down and slowly open my eyes. I see something small in Hanako's hands. I make my way closer to inspect the item as the other me picks it up and examines it. It looks to be a silver necklace. It shines slightly in the sunlight coming in through the window. It's a small circle with both mine and Hanako's Initials... '(First name Initial)' and 'A' It has a small heart pendant that hangs over the top. I seem to love it. I hand the necklace back to him and ask him to put it on me as I turn around and move my hair to the side.

He smiles and clips the necklace around my neck. I turn around and hold up the pendants, admiring them in the light.

I don't notice my hand wandering up to my neck until I feel my fingertips touch something cold. I grab the thing and pull it out from my neck, looking down to examine it. It's the same necklace Hanako just gave the other me...

Is this... a memory..?