Trapped

Down a snowy slope, with a group of friends, though I don’t really recognize them from anywhere. Sometimes, a man (whom I shall call Zaraki-sama) would be there, but not quite. 

We came to the edge of a low cliff, and below, a troop of enemies marched. We were not supposed to be seen, so we held on with all our might to keep from falling. 

However, I was in front, and I fell. As I did, I tried to float, and instead I gently flew towards a group of banana trees nearby, near the mouth of the cave to where the troop marched. I tried my best to hide, but eventually, some enemies, who stood by to watch the troop, saw me. I was hoping my friends would come rescue me, but some also fell, and were caught. 

We were all brought through the cave. On the other side, was a dark snowy city. 

It was like a secret world, only to people that are like them. I’m not sure what was strange or different about them. Eveything looked pretty normal. In fact, the city was snowy yet very beautiful and the tiny lights gave life to everything. 

I ended up with one or two other friends (sometimes one, other time there’s two of them), and we were brought to a mall. It was past mall hours so one of the malls becomes some kind of headquarters where prisoners are looked after. 

I knew we were never going to get out. That even if we managed to leave the building, we would always be in the city. And the daylight was ages away. In the city, the nights were much, much longer. 

All the doors of the mall were automatic sliding doors. However, they won’t open for us. It only detects people from the city. I think they had something in them or wore a small gadget that made them detectable by the machine. But I knew it was one of the things that made them different. They are all part of this system and they live on it and feed on it, and are protected by it. I felt so alienated. 

After a while, I and my friend were allowed to be on our own, but still within the mall. We came to a door which won’t open for us, of course. I was starting to panic because I felt that we could be used for experiments, given that they are contiually developing their city by every means possible. 

Then we came to a series of sliding doors. Near each of them was an old lady who was either standing by or passing by. The first old lady looked at us and walked past the door, causing it to open, so we went through. Nobody noticed, so we realized we just might be able to escape, look for the cave, run through it, and come back to our own world. 

I looked back and saw that the old lady went back to the spot where she stood. It was like she just passed by to make the doors open for us, but she didn’t say anything so she would not be blamed. Then came a next door. Another woman, who looked pretty much the first one, was on her way out, so as the door opened, we followed her immediately. Just one more door and we were out in the streets. 

Another lady was standing nearby and we quickly apologized while gently dragging her towards the door, then running out as it opened. 

We couldn’t find the cave and were not sure where to look. The whole city is their world, and we have nowhere to go. Even the trees were not safe hiding places. They had detectors which can identify life forms hiding in trees. 

Then there was a huge black brick building. It was like the city hall, and there were people in front of it celebrating something. In a while, there would be fireworks.

We stood at the corner of the building. We realized that a tree stood right at the corner of it. We climbed. At the top of the tree, I looked up and saw that we might be able to hide ON TOP of the building, on its roof. I knew that people won’t look at the top of the building, and if we crouched low, no one would notice us. We can travel safely from there.

Suddenly, children were down below, playing. One of the girls, a skinny girl in a pink shirt, started climbing the wall. She was telling her friends that she will show off to her family (from among the crowd) that she can stand at the top of the building and not be scared.

My friend and i decided to get up really quickly, before the attention of the crowd was brought to us. Suddenly. I found loops of rope embedded in the bricks, which will make it easier for me to hold on to it as I climbed.

However, the girl was on the way and I had to wait for her to climb up. The children didn’t mind us being there, as long as they didn’t realize we were not one of them.

After she got up, she ran towards the center of the building to wave at her parents. My friend and I managed to quickly get to the roof and crouch. That way, even if they looked up, all they would see is the girl.

On the roof deck, we looked for some place to hide.

I saw a part of the roof, and I knew it was hollow inside, so we can hide in there until the event was over. The roof was made up of the glossy pages of a fashion and makeup magazine. If the wind blew too hard, it would fly off from our heads. 

I sat underneath, and my friend found a hole that lead to the kitchens. He was going to get food for the both of us. I decided to worry about bathroom and clothes later on. 

He was taking so long so I decided to follow. However, he was already seen by someone, and that someone ran to alert the others. He told me to climb up quickly and to stay under the roof no matter what. He will run off to some other place away from me, to distract them. Whether they catch him or not, I should just go on. He will lead them away from me so I can be safe. 

I sat under the magazine page roof and I think I cried. 

Suddenly, I was tired and sleepy. I didn’t know what was going to happen next. If before that, I knew things like people won’t look at the top of buildings and stuff, by that time, I didn’t know anymore. 

Just then, my friend came back, and he held a knife set. He was panting and he showed me the set. It was a cute pink container, and inside it were two knives. He told me that they knew where I was hiding anyway, so he decided to just come to me and we can try to escape, or just get caught together. But he didn’t want me caught. So he offered the knife to me. He said it would be better if we just killed each other at the same time. 

The offer came to me as such a sweet relief. I almost cried because of gratitude at his wonderful idea. I was exhausted, and knew I could no longer go on. 

We held a knife each. He held it towards me - I’m not sure if it was on my leg or my stomach (I was sitting on the floor) - and I held it to his neck. He was going to count. Just before he came to three, our other friend, the one which was vaguely there since the beginning, arrived. He was very calm and asked what we were doing and why. He was trying to say that the city people’s plans for us shouldn’t be so scary and that we should wait and see. 

My friend with the knife knew, and I knew because I read his mind, that this vague friend wanted to stop us because he wanted to give up my knife friend to the people, but was planning to save me and compromise with them so that they don’t take me and him, and instead just take my knife friend. 

Before he could take steps to come closer, my knife friend stabbed me on the leg. I knew instantly I was going to die of blood loss. I immediately started feeling weak. He gave me a look that said I should stab him on the neck already, and that I shouldn’t look if it pains me. 

As I pushed at the knife blade through his neck, I woke up. 

Tantrums

We were living in a HUGE house. Shiny wooden floors, big, spacious rooms, wide staircases, walk-in closets, and long hallways. 

I was in one of the bedrooms, I think I was either napping or watching TV then falling asleep. Beside my bed is another bed. It was somebody else’s bedroom, but it was still our home. I think it was a spare bedroom for visiting relatives. At the far end of the room is another bed, and on it slept this tall curly-haired perfect-looking pretty girl. Across the bed where I was on was the door going to the bathroom. 

After a while, a guy I used date whom we shall call Mr. Crow came in. He said he wanted to take a nap and went beside me. In my head I was thinking that after all this time we have never kissed, at all. And then suddenly we kissed, very briefly. As we did so, I was thinking, isn’t it supposed to feel like something? Why don’t I feel anything at all? Then I decided it must be due to the fact that I’ve totally gone over him ages ago. So I said that must be it. I think he felt it and turned away, then gently tapped my chin or my lips with his finger and said something like I’m starting to kill with my tongue or with my words or something, but I don’t fully remember. Then he got up and said he had to go to the bathroom. Around the same time, the pretty girl woke up and was about to go to the bathroom as well. Mr. Crow went in, then asked her to come in as well, and she giggled and went in, and then he slammed the door. I could hear her laughing inside, and then I stormed out of the room. I was surprised to find myself feeling crushed and devastated. I decided to leave the house and shop and not come back for a long time. 

I stepped out, and realized I was in my jimjams, so I went back in. I went up the stairs, to my parents’ bedroom. Apparently they were not at home, doing rich-people stuff. I went to my mom’s closet or dresser and took out a spare wallet or purse and took her extra credit card. It was owned by both of them but I think it was named to one of them. I took it and changed into more proper clothes, and started going out. However, I suddenly had the feeling that I shouldn’t be caught by my parents that I’m running away, because it will fail to scare them. It was like briefly, it was them I was feeling hurt about instead of Mr. Crow. So I went back up and decided I should bring more stuff than just the credit card. 

So I sneaked back downstairs and the staircase became the one we had in our old home. I whispered to our helper to get me my wallet and my bag which is in the living room, then I mentioned I also needed a towel or a bathrobe, but I need my wallet and my bag first. Later on she came up and gave me a bathrobe or towel, and then I said she should just get me my bag and wallet, and to hurry. She finally gave them to me and I went back inside my parents’ room, which has now turned into the old bedroom in our old home. I was frantically stufifng things into my bag so I could leave. 

Then I heard the helper coming up, and she said someone came to see me. She said it was my sister, and that she assumed it’s okay if my sister found out about my plans, because I can tell her about them. But it was Pancakes (a charming girl friend I used to have, who turned out to be loony and so we’re not friends anymore) but she was my sister at the same time. I told her I was broken hearted or something and had to run away. But then my sister was also there suddenly and she was asking Pancakes how she is, and I could see that Pancakes was lying through her teeth about something (she does that on a regular basis). So anyway it was time for me to leave, and I sneaked out through the front gate, and I noticed that everything is its filthy rich environment again and the gate was so huge it was like the gates of some heaven. However, suddenly, my sister is joining me and she has invited our “samurai” friends so we can all go out of town and I can rant all I want and they can comfort me. When I stepped out into the wet (it had been raining) and wide and empty street, there were three silvery Porsche-like cars waiting, and I crouched behind them in case my parents arrived. The most convenient car to get into belonged to Toshirou, so I climbed in, and realized I was close to tears because I was reminded of my experience. 

My sister and rode in another car, I think she was with her boyfriend, and then other friends were in the other car. As we drove forward, Toshirou asked me what happened and told me to tell him everything because it was going to be a long ride. As it turns out, we were going to his rest house somewhere in the south. 

We stopped over at a coffee shop which he apparently owns. We decided to wait there because the other 2 cars were left behind. As the car slowed down, a woman was suddenly with us, and she was this annoying dense person who just decided to tag along and she kept talking to Toshirou, totally oblivious of the reason why we all went out of town and what Toshirou wanted me to talk about. I was patient and let her butt in because I was too tired to argue.

Inside the coffee shop, Toshirou sat across me and told me to continue with my story. However, the girl suddenly sat beside him and started talking to him. We let her be and then when she stopped, Toshirou asked me to continue. However. she tried getting his attention again because she didn’t like it when Toshirou ignored her. Finally, Toshirou shushed her because he was getting impatient and wanted to hear my story. The girl wouldn’t stop and tugged at his sleeve. Then I got so annoyed and stood up and banged on the table with my hands and stepped out. Toshirou ran after me and said I shouldnt be upset, and he knows she’s really annoying. The girl followed us and was watching if the show has been stolen from her. I think Toshirou asked her to leave us or get back inside because she just became insignificant. Toshirou was telling me he owns the place anyway so he can tell the people not to let her in or something. 

When my mood got better, we stayed outside, sitting by the door. I noticed a black dog nearby, and Toshirou started playing with him by pushing the door a little, hence pushing the dog who’s on the other side of it. He laughed a little then picked on something small and black from the dog’s face. It was dried skin coming off from the dog’s recovering wound. Then he gave it to the dog and told me to watch its reaction. The dog licked the small black skin, then realized it was his own, coming from his own wound, and then he began to wail, so loudly that my skin crawled. Apparently, it was a very bad thing for dogs to lick their own skin / scab because it was just as bad as a person eating his own intestines or something. I don’t remember much but it was like an abomination in dog-culture or something. I slightly reproached Toshirou and asked him never to do it again. 

Later on we stood by the side of the road, still in front of the cafe, and waited for the others. I asked him about me storming out of the cafe, and if I did any damage and he said I shouldn’t worry because he took care of everything. I asked if what he did is really allowed, and he said it’s something he does as extra service for friends he cares for. Then I hugged him and said he’s so nice and sweet, and I felt like he was almost my brother. He didn’t hug back and was a little embarassed because it turns out the people from the cafe were watching us. I felt their eyes on my back.

Fire and Tears

I was working in my room and I had been working long. After I finished working on a long material, my computer exploded and started burning. I was devastated because I hadn’t backed up my work since I just finished it, and I knew I had no budget to buy a new computer. They had to pull me away from my room as I cried frantically.