AB AURIGAE B

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

MIND

"Oh.... Noui......." Soft lips barely murmured to a voice recorder. "It's been one and a half months of your disappearance. It feels empty.... Where did you go, Noura?"

A nineteen-year-old girl with long dark black hair in boxer braids and reddish lips was sitting on her bed. Her one hand held the recorder and the other pressed the bed tightly. Tears were coming from her pure ocean blue eyes. It rolled down her cheeks, afraid to fall. It was a dimly lit room but the rich textured furniture and the dusty curtains were clearly visible.

The door opened with a creak sound, "Hey, aren't you coming for breakfast, Cath?" A little boy of ten with a tooth missing in front, was standing there. His hair wasn't at all tidy and was long enough to tie them with an elastic hair tie and he also had nothing fleshy but a skeletonic body. He acted as if he hasn't seen her crying and went to the hall slowly and tiredly.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Catherine answered, wiping her tears.

She put the recorder on her pocket. She always had that recorder in her hand, to which she told all her pent-up emotions and feelings. 'It's easier than a diary.', she would tell to her brother often.

While walking out of the room, she noticed the photo frame which was hanging on the wall. Noui and Catherine in their age of eight, were standing in front of an apple tree with their hands tight on each other's shoulders. But the photo was old and they were kids. It held back many memories, not only their apple juice treats for Cath's helix piercing or their adventurous cycle trip to Mr Tanaka's house but also finally getting Mrs Anger wood's (name given to Noura's mother by Cath and her brother) permission for Noura to live her rest of the life with Cath and her family. The photo was small compared to the others in the wall where the girls are in their teenage. She walked out, trying to forget the memories.

Catherine's mother, Tania who is also in the weariness of Noui's missing was serving breakfast. For her, apart from her husband's crazy brother's daughter, she was like a real child. And Catherine and Noura were grown like heart bounded twins as they had same age, other than being just cousins. Tania was a middle-aged woman with boxer braids whose husband was dead nine years ago.

They started to eat the breakfast. As usual the breakfast was extremely delicious because Tania, the owner of 'Magical Hands', a small café near the Crimson Institute in Japan, was a great cook. She was talking to Puff, missing the cheers on the breakfast table when Noura was present. Even though the breakfast was Cath's favourite food, apple pie with extra whipped cream, her mind was not here. Her mind wandered like it never wanted to stay. This wandering was very usual for Cathy. Even when Noura was with her, she would uncertainly do weird things, tempting her mother to take her to Dr.Jake's clinic. Catherine, the one who is being called 'the girl who lost her mind' by her unfaithful companions in the class, is still believing that Noura is living while everyone doesn't. Noui's real parents are also convinced like that. But nothing in this world can convince her. Talha told everyone that she isn't believing but.... She really is....

Puff ran into the car after swallowing the breakfast like he always used to be. 'Baaannnggg' The car horned.

"Coming, Mom. "Catherine shouted. The clock struck nine and they were leaving for school. Puff was sitting in the front, reading comics. He who is acting like he doesn't know that Noura is missing for a month, still performed naturalistically like he couldn't figure out why his mother and sister aren't talking about her. Whenever he asks-"Why isn't she coming back? It's been a month. She wouldn't stay for sooooo long in Mrs Anger wood's house.", they will just be silent. He has been told that Noui went to visit her real mother, which she wouldn't even if she had to.

"We'll be moving to London next year." Mom gave a pathetic look to the open-mouthed Puff. "You should see some news, boy. They are rebuilding old Crimson Institute including ours. We must go to London to continue Cath's degree. That's the place they offered." Puff jumped in the seat. "Woahhh... London..."

Catherine, as usual was looking outside while travelling, wondering how slow is life without Noui. She didn't even care about going to London. The wrecked stationary shop ran through her eyes which sank deeply, finding memories. They always bought stationary from that ghostly-looking shop.

"Noui, what about buying a new pencil case?" Cath would open her mouth whenever they reach before that miserable shop to which Noui scream-"First let that present one to be destroyed by Puff and..." Someone pulled her. She tried to stop, but it was all futile. She was taken away by a dark coloured arm. Noui screamed, banging on the glass cage she was locked into and Catherine was watching, trying to move her legs which were already stiffened.