The Tenth Night
Eiko Watanabe
When Eiko stumbled into the bedroom, the only light came through from a slit in between the curtains, billowing slightly from the breeze, but it was enough to see the destruction made. It was an understatement to say that a hurricane had passed through and left in its wake this clutter of mess. Shards of glass and crumpled pieces of paper littered the floor; clothes were strewn across the floor; the drawers were pulled out and the cabinet was open with only a few clothes hanging haphazardly on a hanger; the futons were thrown to the farthest side of the room, leaving an empty open simple black box in the middle of the room.
The lists were gone. No message, no goodbye, none - nothing; Eriko was gone. Her sister was really gone.
She took one then two small steps towards the box, shaking in anxiety and fear. The door closed behind her with a small click, awakening her from her stupor, the gravity of the situation finally sinking in. She took a tiny step back and her legs weakened then crumbled beneath her; she sank helplessly to the floor, leaning against the door. Her bag landed with a thump as she fell with the two sake bottles inside it, clinking together. Only when she hit the cold, wooden floor that the tears started trailing down her cheeks.
A cup of confusion, a teaspoon of betrayal and a dash of anger added to the clump of mixed emotions boiling inside Eiko. The only thought going through her mind was: Why? She thought the bond of twins was stronger than the strongest metal in the world. Wasn't blood thicker than water?
Hours later, Eiko, still slumped against the door, had already downed a bottle of sake and was half-way done with the second one. Her tears had dried out long ago, leaving only trails of moist streaks down her cheek. Perhaps, she thought, this is karma, because what goes around, comes around. Maybe, just maybe, everything that she had done in the past had caught up with her. And now that the only person she trusted whole-heartedly had betrayed her, who's to say this group of her won't do the same?
Suddenly, the faint vibration of her phone against her thigh interrupted her train of thought. She didn't even need to fish it out and check who it was. She only had three contacts on her phone: her boss, the witch and her sister.
It was at this time that Eiko took a long, greedy swig from her bottle. Speak of the devil and she truly shall appear.
The lists were gone. No message, no goodbye, none - nothing; Eriko was gone. Her sister was really gone.
She took one then two small steps towards the box, shaking in anxiety and fear. The door closed behind her with a small click, awakening her from her stupor, the gravity of the situation finally sinking in. She took a tiny step back and her legs weakened then crumbled beneath her; she sank helplessly to the floor, leaning against the door. Her bag landed with a thump as she fell with the two sake bottles inside it, clinking together. Only when she hit the cold, wooden floor that the tears started trailing down her cheeks.
A cup of confusion, a teaspoon of betrayal and a dash of anger added to the clump of mixed emotions boiling inside Eiko. The only thought going through her mind was: Why? She thought the bond of twins was stronger than the strongest metal in the world. Wasn't blood thicker than water?
Hours later, Eiko, still slumped against the door, had already downed a bottle of sake and was half-way done with the second one. Her tears had dried out long ago, leaving only trails of moist streaks down her cheek. Perhaps, she thought, this is karma, because what goes around, comes around. Maybe, just maybe, everything that she had done in the past had caught up with her. And now that the only person she trusted whole-heartedly had betrayed her, who's to say this group of her won't do the same?
Suddenly, the faint vibration of her phone against her thigh interrupted her train of thought. She didn't even need to fish it out and check who it was. She only had three contacts on her phone: her boss, the witch and her sister.
It was at this time that Eiko took a long, greedy swig from her bottle. Speak of the devil and she truly shall appear.