Glass

We Unravel

My feet dangle in the water of the ocean zone. I'm sitting on the edge, leaning my head against the door to keep it open.

I love you.

I had to leave. I didn't turn back to see Lu's reaction as I walked out the door. He didn't follow me.

You're dead.

I wipe a tear off of my face. I've been crying for too long... My eyes ache.

Vanessa didn't put you here. I did.

Lu's words echo in my head as I watch my toes create ripples in the still water. But other than those words, my mind feels empty. I don't know what to think. I don't know what to believe.

So I'll just stare at this water. I'll just sit here. I'll sit until things get better.

If they ever get better.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

Whoosh.

Click.

Lu stares at the door; at the empty space Kanna used to be in. He knew this was coming. He knew that she would remember eventually.

So why did this hurt so much?

Maybe it was the look on her face. Maybe it was the fact that he'd finally told her what he'd been lying about all along.

Lu stands up and quietly crosses the room, setting his hand against the door. He pushes it open, slowly, and steps through. He moves down the hall, looking at each door. Reading the words above each zone. And then he sees the door open to the ocean zone, and the girl sitting in the doorway. "Kanna."

There's no answer.

Lu sits down on the floor a little bit behind her, not daring to reach out and touch her. "I know... I know it's hard. And I know I lied, but..."

"Does this mean I'll never see my dad again?" Kanna's voice is soft and quiet.

Lu opens his mouth, then closes it.

"My dad was a good person. He got into a lot of trouble, but he was always trying to make everyone happy. If he died, he wouldn't come to a place like this." Kanna sighs and tips her head up to the ceiling. "This is like hell, right?"

Lu nods. "Yeah."

"Oh." Kanna leans all the way back so that her back is against the floor. Her legs are still bent at the knees, dangling in the water. She doesn't look at Lu. "And you put me here?"

Lu bites his lip. "Yeah."

"Why?" Kanna doesn't sound harsh. She sounds calm, neutral. Her eyes look dazed.

Has she given up? "I've known you... well, for a lot longer than you've known me." Lu looks at her to see if she'll react. She doesn't. "My second year here, I found a way to look at the real world; the living world. And when I did, the first person I saw was you."

Kanna frowns and looks up at him.

Lu sighs. "You were sitting in your room, crying. Your mom was yelling at you, holding a wine bottle, waving her arms everywhere."

Kanna's eyes still look dazed, by she nods as if she remembers what he's talking about.

Lu continues his story. "I can only see people who are evil. People who are definitely coming to hell. I don't know why, I guess that's just how this works. So I could only follow your mom, I could only see your mom, and in turn, I could only see you when you were with her. I don't know why I just... that image always stuck with me. The sight of you and her, in your bedroom, fighting. You were wearing a green sweater, and you had makeup running down your face."

Kanna sits up and lets the door close. She pulls herself across from Lu, staring at him.

"...and your whole room was covered in books. Everything between textbooks and fantasy, books lined your walls. And as your mom was leaving, I saw you reach for one. I saw you open it as you wiped the tears off your face."

Kanna nods. The daze is slowly leaving her eyes.

"I watched other people too, but I always came back to your mom, hoping to see you. I don't know what it was, but as I watched you I just... I couldn't bring myself to forget you. I couldn't stop hoping to see your raven black hair, and your bright eyes, and..." Lu stops as he sees a tear glide down Kanna's face. He takes a deep breath. "And I fell in love with you." Lu starts to cry. "I fell in love with the way you laughed. I fell in love with how you kicked off your shoes every time you walked into your house. I fell in love with that little nervous thing you do when you tap your fingers, I fell in love with everything about you and before I knew it you were the only one I ever watched; The only one I ever looked at." Lu rubs his face and wipes away the tears from under his eyes. "And when I checked on your mom, and she was crying and talking to the police, I searched everywhere for you. I looked high and low, I peeked into every home I could, trying to find you." He took another breath. "... and then you were with those psychopathic maniacs, and I couldn't just let them hurt you, and I..."

Kanna rushes forward and pulls Lu into her arms, squeezing his shoulders. Lu tries to say more, but the tears keep coming, and he stops talking.

And they stay there like that, holding each other, the both of them crying for a long, long time. 

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading! Sorry for not updating yesterday, I have a busy life XD 

Don't forget to vote and comment!

-Eden <3