Nobody

Chapter 3

Shoji's bedroom had always been off-limits and her brother had respected that boundary every day, every hour, every second.

With Kioshi facing that bedroom door, still shut on him, he could hear his sister's voice pounce on him. "Never ever enter my fucking space. Get it?" And he'd nod his head all the damn time, not caring about whatever secrets Shoji held within.

This time, it was different. He needed to know where she was. The first step would be entering her private space in which he'd have to compromise a brotherly pledge just to search around in hopes of retrieving a clue or anything that would lead him right to Shoji.

He carried his hand to the door knob and hesitated. Most of the time, it was locked. The knob would resist and defy their mother, too. So, instead of persistence, Yua would give up and walk away, feeling dejected. "Only for tonight. I'm doing this," Kioshi whispered and rotated the knob. It was a rare occurrence to feel it submit to the will of someone else. Finally, Kioshi breached that limit and pushed his way inside.

The bedroom was nothing out of the ordinary. It had a mattress where Shoji could sleep. It had a desk, and a laptop on it, where she could do her assignments, browse the internet, or do whatever satisfies her free time. A pink teddy bear sat on the bedside table. She also had her own closet with her own curation of clothing.

Ever since she turned thirteen, she felt the pressure to purge her wardrobe, tossing away the printed tees, cartoon pajamas, and tight jeans that their mother gifted. She had replaced those with a collection of outfits that she liked to put over her body. From baggy sweaters, she migrated to crop tops and fishnet. Her identity underwent multiple changes in the process of independence.

Their mother, however, grieved the loss of her children. She knew to be proud of them for growing up, but somehow, she felt that she'd missed out on a lot because back home, most of the time, she was away for work while the two would remain with their grandma.

It was their move to Crestwood where she got to be closer with them at the cost of not experiencing a childhood with her children. Eventually, the costs outweighed the bliss.

Kioshi darted from one area to another, his hands and eyes keen on obtaining something. Still in search mode, Kioshi checked her drawers. They were mostly full of receipts, inkless ballpens, paper clips, and folded notes. Then, he swung the closet doors open, skimming through her clothes, rummaging from one pocket to another. Nothing.

"Come on. You've got to have left a trace, Shoji." He assured himself that he'd be able to uncover a helpful item or lead. He shifted his eyes from the closet to the bed. "Maybe you've hidden a treasure chest under your bed. You always chose that as your hiding spot whenever we played."

Bending down to his knees, Kioshi turned his phone flashlight on and aimed the beam at the pitch-black cave under the bed. He spotted a shoe box, a black cardigan, and a compilation of pages held together by yarn. With interest cresting in him, he reached for the pages and hauled them out of their secrecy. In his hands, he grasped a rough draft of his sister's manuscript entitled, "The Dove and the Wasp".

"Wow, sis, you didn't tell me you were an author…" He trailed off, his curiosity controlling his next movements. He untied the yarn and flipped open the manuscript. A torn page slipped out.

It glided through the air for a moment until it found itself turn captive in between Kioshi's fingers. "Gotcha." He smirked. The torn page was preserved with a handwritten message on it. Kioshi's lips recited what seemed to be a love letter from someone else. "We were historical, don't you think? I'm always here awaiting with fantasies. Someday, I might get tangled up in your personal chapter. And I'd like to be with you other than here. Love, your xoliloqi."