"Hey, what was that for, Alex?"
"Haha I'm only kidding."
"No, wait for me! I can't run that fast!"
"Wait... Stop..."
"Whew, that was allot of running. Makoto, come on, you slow poke. Makoto? Makoto!"
That was the last time I saw my brother alive, at seven years old. We were identical twins, which may explain why we were very close to each other. I didn't know how much I actually depended on him being there until he was gone. I was naïve at that age. I had no idea what was to come in the future.
"Hey mother!"
"Yeah?"
"What's for dinner?"
"I was thinking we could go to town to get something."
"That sounds fine to me. I guess..."
"What would you suggest?"
"Well, my cooking skills aren't as yours are, and I haven't tasted your cooking in a long time. It's been awhile since you cooked."
"I like your cooking though, it's much better than mine ever was."
"That isn't true, mother."
I have a theory about why my mother stopped cooking so abruptly a few years back. She used to love to cook, but since dad left, we haven't had a home-cooked meal from her in a long time. I'm the one who cooks for us, and mother usually tells me that she likes my cooking, and she wants me to cook again, which is why she doesn't cook, but my ability to follow directions on a box has never been as good as her ability to create things from memory, and from scratch. I'd like to taste her food again.
"I'll see you after school!"
"Okay, mother, bye!"
"See ya!"
I don't think there is a time in my life that I can't remember. I've always had a great memory, and I've never liked letting people know about it. It seems more like a curse. I remember my brother as if I saw him a few minutes ago. I also remember his death. It was a heart attack. A rare heart disease called Arrhythmia. I couldn't understand the significance of that word when I was seven, but if i knew what that word meant, my brother may still be alive.
"Wow Alex, you got another perfect score on your test?"
"It isn't that surprising any more Shiori."
"I'm just waiting on the time he finally accepts that he's human, and fails a test for once, Akio."
My friends, lacking in numbers, but not in empty humour. There are two of them, one is named Suki, the other is Akari. My two friends have been with me since I was 9 years old. After my brother was gone, I never thought much about friends, or anything more than acquaintances. I don't dislike my friends, I just don't see much point in having any.
The point of a friend is lost on me. That might be why I'm fine with my life as it is, even though it isn't actually going anywhere. I acknowledge this yet I still don't want to do anything about it.
Although I don't deny it openly, I'm not a nerd. I am great at memorising things. I feel as if I have a very large advantage compared to most other students, which only depresses me further. I don't want to stand out, I don't want to be more than a raindrop. Completely insignificant standing by itself, and blissfully unaware of its surroundings.
I've gotten into my second year of high school now, and my friends are exactly the same as I remember. I like to think of myself as sane, but I've heard that talking to oneself is a sign of insanity, but I always immerse myself in the depths of my thoughts and feelings during my lone walks to school and back.
The sounds and sights of the walk is the same as always, exempting the local children, who seem to never be in the same place as the day before. But the scent is the sense that catches my attention. It's a faint, almost intangible scent, but I seem to have heightened senses compared to the common bystander.
"Oh..."
"No, please no!"
As I sprint into the burning building that I once called home, I feel a pang of guilt. I have the impression that I may have caused this.
"Mother!"
"Mother, where are you..!"
"Mother..."