Never Again

10

Too much fluff. AHHHH :'(

Wang Junkai exited the hospital hurriedly, searching everywhere for Fiona's familiar brown hair.

Argh, Fiona. You can't do this to Wang Junkai欧巴.

His eyes flicked around, finally resting on a girl with brown hair crouched on the ground. Aha! He almost squealed like a little girl. She didn't get far after all.

Like lightning, he zipped towards her and hugged her with his arms. "Thank goodness, you're safe."

A weird feeling shook through him. "Fiona?" She pushed him away.

"It's me, Wang Junkai, don't you remember me?" Wang Junkai exclaimed, shaking her shoulders.

"I don't know you," she said and took his hands off her shoulders. Junkai hastily wiped them on his jeans.

Then he started again. "No, I mean, we were friends since. . . forever-- you don't--"

"I don't." The stars in his eyes faded as he lowered his eyes to the ground. She didn't remember him. Or. . . could she be pretending? Is she doing this to test him?

He hugged her again. He needed her.

"Please, let go," she said simply. He didn't.

"I don't know you, whoever you are. So let go!" Junkai released her to be met with her serious stare. It was hurtful, painful, to see her like this, staring him down.

"You--"

Junkai searched her eyes, for some sign of recognition, some sign, but there were none. His arms fell to his sides and his eyes lowered to the ground. Just at this moment, Jackson burst through the door.

He saw Junkai first. Immediately, he sprinted towards him, asking: "Did you find Fiona? Is she alright?" He finally noticed the girl standing across from him. Fiona.

His eyes lit up. "Fiona!" He hugged her. She pushed him away as well. "Who are you people, and what do you want with me? And I'm not Fiona! I'm--" She trailed off.

Jackson looked at her sadly. "You're Fiona."

"Fiona. . . " Junkai came closer and closer, with the necklace in his hand.

She slapped it away, not before she finally took a look at it. "My necklace!" she yelled. "Where did you get it?"

Junkai stared at her with a confused expression. "What?" She glared at him and cradled it away from him.

He took the necklace from her and opened its locket with a click. Her bottom lip trembled as she looked at the picture. She studied it, taking it from Junkai's hands. A boy with black hair, and dark, brown swirls mixed in black eyes. He was laughing. His fangs peeked out and his eyes became swallow-like wings. Beside him, in his arms, was a girl. She had caramel-chocolate brown hair, and big brown eyes. She was-- unmistakably-- plain in features. But something filled her with beauty. It was the mirth and glint in her eyes. She was laughing as well.

"You-- you gave it-- to me?" she stuttered.

For the first time, she allowed him to come close. She avoided eye contact. Then his fingers raised to her face. They were surprisingly warm. "Look at me."

Her voice cracked. "Junkai?"

She looked aside from him. "And this is. . . " She glanced back at Junkai for guidance.

"Jackson," Jackson said. She swallowed the leftover saliva in her mouth.

"I--" her shoulders slumped, "I don't know."

It's been a few weeks since Fiona had woken up in the hospital and fled. Two, since she'd looked at Junkai and Jackson in the face, and couldn't recognize them. Some days, she would grasp her head and shake it repeatedly, until Ms. Watson came and stopped her. Other days, she would just look out the window of her bedroom, silently, lost in thought.

"Thanks, Ms. Watson," she said and took the coffee mug, full of hot chocolate.

"You used to really love coffee," Ms. Watson, no, her mother said. It was hard to remember everything. First, it was Jackson. He kept on coming to ask for her. When he saw how every time her mother said she was out, (--thank goodness--) he eventually stopped coming. Just two days ago, a pretty, chinese girl with black hair flowing to her waist had knocked on her doorstep and smiled at her, saying they used to be friends. Fiona had forgotten her name already.

That boy with the fangs, on the other hand, didn't come. It was better that way, honestly. The sooner he forgets her, the better. It was all just too overwhelming.

"Are you alright, Fiona?" her mother asked her. She was a kind woman, really. They were all kind. She was the problem.

"Fine," she croaked and sniffled. Her mother picked a tissue from the tissue box and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she replied, voice muffled by the tissue.

Ding dong.

Her mother jumped at the sound. "I'll go get the door," Fiona said. Her mother nodded.

Fiona got out from her seat and dragged her feet to the front door. She started to open it, then she closed it immediately. Her back pressed to the door.

"Fiona?" Junkai called. Reluctantly, Fiona grasped her hand on the handle and yanked it open.

Junkai assessed her up and down. Thin grey sweater, grey sneakers, and puffy eyes.

"What do you want?" The stinging words left her mouth before he could say anything.

Pain. In his eyes again, and a tinge of exasperation. Somehow, that irritated Fiona even more. She opened her mouth again.

To be covered by the palm of his hand. "I-- I just came to give the necklace from the hospital."

Fiona bit her lip as she took it from his hands. An electric shock went through her when their hands met, even though they touched only for milliseconds.

The anger in her heart ebbed away. She wanted to say something, to voice what had just happened, but what came out of her mouth was: "Is that all?"

He took a breath, nodded and stepped off her porch. One of his hands hovered between them, then dropped. For the first time, and it was only then, that she noticed the flowers. They were sunflowers. Without thinking, she knew their meaning. Adoration, loyalty, and longevity.

She bit her lip again.