Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The following morning I awoke to the sun shining on me through my blinds. I hadn't really gotten much sleep but, strangely, I didn't feel tired. My mind was working on overload and I felt nervous, very nervous, to return.
But wanting to distract myself, I slipped out of bed and saw it was the crack of dawn, not even 5am as of yet which would be perfect if we were to sneak out.
Actually, out of all the thinking I'd been doing, I hadn't thought about this crucial point. Maybe sneaking out was for the best. No goodbyes.
And so I slipped out of my bed, tiptoeing past a sleeping Lin to get ready for the day. I wore a T-shirt and shorts, same as last time though white and blue this time, and tied my hair up in a high pony as I slipped my shoes on.
The whole situation felt surreal but I didn't dwell on it as I thought about what I'd need. And then it hit me - My name. So scribbling both Chihiro and Sen on the back of a family photo, I stuffed it in my zip pocket. That'd help me focus.
It hit five and I could hear my parent's steady snoring as I woke Lin up, shakin her ever so gently. It wasn't hot but she had a bead of sweat on her forehead and her arms had been thrashing around all night. I put them to nightmares out of familiarity.
After all, I got them too.
But enough of that. She woke up after a few moments and I put a finger to her lips, jerking my head towards the door and letting her know we were going to go.
Nodding, she silently got ready too and I waited in the kitchen for her, leaving a note for my parents saying we were going on a trip and that I loved them. Not writing anything else, I grabbed my notes of savings and put them in my other pocket, leaving my mobile phone in the living room.
Soon enough, Lin was downstairs and I gave her a soft smile before we left through the back door and through the garden gate, making sure we were halfway down the quiet street before we started talking.
"Jeez kiddo, your parents are gonna' freak when they wake up." Lin said, her tone half joking, half concerned.
"It's fine." I answered, looking down. "I'm an adult. Anyway, we need to get a train back to Matsuyama then we can cross over once we find the abandoned park."
"Right. I know the way. He'll show me the way." Lin grimaced ever so slightly when I glanced up at her, making me realise she was talking about Saiko.
"Oh." I murmured and we stayed more or less quiet until we reached the train station.
"Thank you for paying for my ticket." Lin was saying after we left the ticket stand and I assured her it was no problem before we headed to wait for the 6 o'clock train.
My legs felt like jelly out of nerves and I found myself unable to eat the snacks we had bought at one of the stores on the way due to me feeling way too nauseous.
