SPIRITBOUND |°་༘♡| dandadan

00. THE WELL

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✾_________PEOPLE USUALLY told Seira how jealous they were of her. Kids in first grade were blunt and honest—they didn't know how to hold even one thought behind their teeth.

They would tell her how lucky she was to be born into such a nice and wealthy family—she could get all the latest toys, after all.

Some said how amazing it must be to go out to dinner almost every night instead of eating boring home-cooked meals.

On the playground, kids crowded around her, begging her to jump again so they could see her new sneakers light up just one more time.

But most of all, they told her how lucky she was to have a twin.

Seira hated being one. Especially when she found out she was the younger of the two—Chiyo never let her forget it.

Whenever there was an uneven number of candies in a bag, Chiyo would yell and boast, "The older one needs it more!" And Seira hated giving up her last precious piece of candy, but her mom would step out of her study, always saying the same thing: The one with the bigger heart gives to her sister.

Seira didn't want a bigger heart. She thought hers was plenty big enough.

Even the toys other kids dreamed of owning were shared with her sister. This meant Seira rarely got to play with them alone. Whenever she picked one up, Chiyo suddenly wanted to play with it too.

Seira wondered if the fairytales had it wrong. After all, in every single one, the older sibling protected the younger: saving them from danger and comforting them when needed.

It may have been only a seven-minute difference, but it was seven minutes too long.

Now, as she watched Chiyo take the last piece of chocolate from the bag, Seira's eyes stung with tears. She yanked the bag away from her sister.

"Hey! Give it back!"

"Not fair, Chiyo! You always get the last one—I want it now!"

Their mom had gone to the restroom a moment ago, leaving the two sisters alone on the playground. The restroom wasn't far, but even a minute without their mother was enough to stir chaos between the two seven-year-olds.

Seira won their tug of war over the bag, but as she pulled it away, the last piece of candy tumbled out and rolled onto the ground.

She darted after it, but another hand, as small as hers, was faster. Grabbing Chiyo's wrist to prevent her from succeeding, Seira dug her nails in.

"Ow! That hurt!" Chiyo flinched, letting the chocolate go. But it rolled further down the stone path, escaping them again.

"As it should!" Seira snapped, frowning. "You can't always have everything!"

"Yes, I can! I'm older!" Chiyo shot back, already forgetting her sore wrist as she darted toward her sister.

Seira used the distraction to bolt toward the candy, now lying near the old stone well they often played around. The well, dry from weeks of summer heat, had been their only peaceful "toy."

It seemed to be the only thing they could play with without causing trouble, but now it was out of function.

"Oh, no you don't!" Chiyo shrieked, grabbing Seira's sleeve, her high pitched voice causing many people in the park to look in their direction.

Even though they were identical twins, Chiyo always seemed better at everything—so of course, she was faster too. She reached the candy just a second before Seira and, in desperation, she stomped on it.

The small chocolate, wrapped in colorful foil, flattened into the dirt. Both girls froze. Chiyo's eyes widened as she realized what she'd done. Neither of them would get the candy now.

"Look what you've done!" Seira screamed, tears streaking down her dirt-smeared face.

"You don't let me have anything!"

"I—I'm sorry," Chiyo stammered, backing away until her back hit the well. "We should've just saved it for Mommy."

"NO!" Seira wailed. "I never get anything!"

"I'm sorry, Sei. Really."

"No! I hate you! I hate you, I HATE YOU!"

Seira's screams stopped.

The words were still echoing when Seira's hands lashed out, shoving her sister backward.

Into the well.

A short scream of terror, followed by a sickening, wet thud, silenced everything.

Seira didn't dare move.

"Ch-Chiyo?" she whispered after several long seconds.

The bystanders who saw what happened rushed toward the well, their voices rising in panic. Some called for an ambulance, while others yelled for help.

Seira stepped forward, her legs trembling. The tears on her cheeks had already dried in the scorching sun. Slowly, hesitantly, she gripped the edge of the well and looked down.

At the bottom layed Chiyo's motionless body, her head resting in a pool of crimson.

Seira's mother ran to her, shaking her by the shoulders, begging her to speak—to say something, anything.

Seira could only feel her lungs get heavy and her heartrate pick up. It was thumping in her throat, begging her to cry out, scream.

Her mother was still sobbing, now hugging her daughter, begging her to make a sound.

But Seira couldn't hear her. She couldn't feel her mother's hands gripping her arms.

All she saw was her sister's body, broken at the bottom of the now wet well.

All she wanted was some candy.

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°་༘♡ Starting off strong, damn.

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