Ｈｏｕｓｅ Ｏｆ Ａｌｔｅｒａ || 【ᴀᴏʙᴀ ᴥ ᴄʟᴇᴀʀ】

VI. Alive

As I opened my eyes to bright daylight, I noticed the presence of sharply chilling air splitting through my body temperature. Spiking drastically from the previous warmth to unbearable cold. That's when I noticed. Clear had gone. He had folded my dirty clothes and left them on the writing desk, without a word of departure. Giving a disappointed expression, I get to my feet the wood severing any remaining warmth that remained. Exhaling shakily, I slipped on my house shoes and pushed my way out of the door."Clear?" I called, no response. Only the quiet whiny breaths escaping through gaps in the house. I called for him over and over, he had yet to reply. Sighing with a worried tint in my gasp, I grasp onto the railing for the stairs. Slowly I stepped upwards, avoiding dips in the frail wooden pedestals. They moaned huskily, gripping tenderly at my ankles. I wrapped my arms around my chest, and puffed out a cloud of wispy vapor. That's when I heard it. The shuffling of footsteps, and laughter. Two children dimly scuttled through the hallway, their skin almost completely transparent. Altera Children. Their hair was a bright white, eyes a silky pink. They were not living, and it was not hard to see that. Ghosts.They stopped in the middle of the hall, and gave a small dip of their hips. Sheepishly smiling for a moment, to only turn away and continue to chase each other absently. I outstretched a hand out for them, but they had vanished. I reached down to pick up a small piece of fabric that had dropped from one of their uniforms. A small blue ribbon, deteriorating from decomposing for so long. Pursing my lips I shut out a small pang of sorrow, and tied it around my ring finger with care. The wail of the House seemed to stir me from my thoughts, and I peered up to see fragments of the wallpaper float briskly to the ground. The atmosphere was peaceful, almost too quiet. This was the second floor, where half of the inhabitants were reserved. But not a single sound stirred, and I became wary. Walking down a hallway with a sun-bleached red carpet, I pushed open doors. Nobody. I was alone. I hastily ran down the stairs, missing an unstable support and sending myself flying to the floor. Sucking down the burning fever in my throat and tears simmering my eyes, I got to my feet. I felt completely alone, and I brought my hands to my face and wept quietly. But only one person knew of this, the one who vows my safety, and the one who is truly there in this House, with me. Everyone else were ghosts, gloomily running in a loop of their past, unknowing of their official status as living or deceased.I pressed my hand against the window, and breathed softly. To my surprise, a hand pressed against mine from the other side, and I was met with a cheerful smile. My breath hitched as I met their gaze, a look unmistakable from anyone else.

Clear.

 I gave a teary wavering smile and I couldn't hold back my tears, I slid down to the floor, to find myself carefully cradled in a pair of arms. If it weren't for my condition I might have broken his jaw, but it was different. I took shaky hands to his cheek and breathed a cloud of mist onto his flustered pale complexion. He slid the tattered yellow wool scarf from his neck, and wrapped it with precise care around mine. Pulling it up over my mouth, he placed a small peck against the fabric.

"Oi..! Clear?"

Extremely flustered I was about to scold him, but I held back my own ambitions for his act of honest kindness. So instead, I gave him a whack to the forehead with my balled fist.

"E--Ow!" He whined, holding his forehead with his palm, like a scolded puppy he sulked backwards. He was oddly sensitive, his temple was bruising lightly and I panicked. He assured me it was fine, and spoke softly."Want to see a magic trick?" I hesitated, but nodded slowly. He rubbed his palm against his forehead and closed his eyes, momentarily opening them again and removing his palm. The bruise had ceased, his forehead had returned to the pale state from before. I was utterly astonished by this sudden strange action, and I reached out to touch his forehead. He drew back, but smiled shyly and leaned in to my touch after a short while."Aoba?" I heard a voice call for me, and my heart stopped. Turning my head slightly, I met the questioning glance I dreaded. Koujaku.. Inhaling I prepared to speak, but when I turned to look at Clear. He was gone. Almost as if he was never there. But his hand prints against mine on the window said otherwise. Giving a nervous smile, I powered up the courage to speak."Yo, Koujaku." He returned my glance coldly, and it shook me. Walking up to me, he fingered the scarf around my neck."Find this?" A small grin spread across his face, and I pouted. "Yeah, finders keepers hippo!" Tugging it closer to myself and inhaled Clear's scent, my anxieties slowly melting away. Patting my shoulder, he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper. "Have you noticed, it's been quiet.. lately?" As if to approve his words once more, a gust of wind powered over his voice and not another sound could be heard other than the croaking of water system pipes down far below the House. I nodded, and craned my eyebrow inwards. "Where's Noiz?" Koujaku huffed, placing his pipe to his lips. "He went to take a shit." Stifling a laugh, I was grateful for Koujaku. If not for him, I don't think I could stay sane in this god awful place. He gave a caring smile once more, and sluggishly recoiled his hand, dipping his head to the side. "I'll be off, the servants will prepare the best they can for dinner. See ya, Aoba." He waved farewell, before fleeing to his chamber. Pushing the scarf up the bridge of my nose I closed my eyes, and heard the faint sound of a windy melody. It seemed to travel in harmony with the House, and I remembered the tune. Clear had been humming it when I took a bath. Collecting myself, I got to my feet and eyed every piece of the ceiling. He was on the roof. Clenching my teeth in a frown, I scrambled up onto the window seal, scraping off any excess fragments of glass hanging on the frame. Swinging myself to the side as Clear did, I latched my fingers against the brick window pavement. My fingers were burning, the stone relentlessly poked at me like needles. Wincing, I failed to gain any sense of balance. But as I thought, the rafters were an easy stepping stone. Taking my chances, I leaped onto one of the steep platforms, sending minerals dusting across the landscape. Grinding my teeth, I took chance after chance and leaped to the top, uneasily propping myself properly. Clear sat on the uneven sector of the top floor, his legs crossed and eyes staring glumly to the sky. He held a small magnifying glass in hand, holding a wilted leaf to it's vision. For no healthy life could grow on Altera soil, the House had damned the land as a whole. I was tempted to call out to him, but he was so entranced by his melody, and I as well. His beautiful voice rang over the House, as if to distract it, to soothe it. He strummed his vocal cords wisely, not ceasing to fail the House's expectations of a heir. For all Altera die young. Outstretching a gloved hand to the sky, he allowed the leaf to cascade from his fingers. He watched it leave with great delicacy, his eyes mourning. I stepped forward, and a tile whined under my weight, he had noticed me. Turning his head, his song softly subsided with no corruption. Giving a tender smile, he merely began to sing once more.

His voice was the only thing bright and heavenly in this House.