I woke and sat up immediately. I breathed heavily.
I died? I think I did. Then how am I making these thoughts? Is consciousness really the core of the soul? Am I in the afterlife? I looked around and saw nothing but white. Endless white. I don't know what am I even sitting on. I think it's glass? I sorta felt cold. Never mind that.
What happened? And right after I asked that in my head, the answer came in. Monika shot me. I don't know where. I don't remember the pain of getting shot. I guess I got an answer for Taiyo's question. Asshole. Being dead also meant another thing; I failed. I couldn't stop Taiyo from controlling Monika. I couldn't save Sawako. Oh my god, Sawako… I'm so sorry. I couldn't even save myself like you wanted… I hugged my knees and felt tears run down my face. I think it was a good minute before I heard a voice.
"Thank goodness you're alright."
I raised my face and looked around for the source of the voice. It was a girl's voice, one that I haven't heard before.
"It seems I made it in time."
The voice sounded so kind and gentle yet so young. So I guess I can scratch off my mom off the list.
"Who's there?" I asked as I stood up.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save your friend. If only I got there faster…"
"Are you an angel?" To me, that sounded like a logical assumption.
"Angel?" The voice sounded surprised. "I'm just a person doing what's right."
"Wait, so I'm not dead?" I asked.
"Of course not. I did my best to save you, after all."
I walked a bit. "Where am I?"
"You're asleep. When you wake up, my friends will explain everything. Right now, I'm just keeping you safe."
I looked down at my feet. I can't help but think about her…
"What's wrong?" The voice asked.
"Wait, you can see me?"
"Of course. So tell me. Maybe I can help."
"No, it's too late for that… It's my fault anyways. I couldn't save her."
"Save who?"
"Sawako."
"Is she a friend?"
"She's more than that."
"You love her then?"
"Very."
"..."
The voice didn't reply. I guess she's blaming herself too for being too late. For all I know, I could be talking to my own consciousness. Then again, why would my own consciousness not know Sawako?
"Right, you should be waking up soon," the voice told me. "My friends will be with you so you won't be alone. Don't worry, they'll answer your questions just fine. I would answer them myself but I'm still busy. Sorry about that."
I wondered what the voice could be so busy about. Is it just a voice or is it a person? Is the voice is a person, why wouldn't she show herself? I even forgot to ask her name.
I woke up to an unknown ceiling. Somehow my body felt really weird. I couldn't quite explain it. There was something wrong with it but it also felt perfectly normal. I sat up and looked around me. A very white room. White bed with a white canopy and in front of it, white tables and chairs. Someone couldn't think of a good color combination.
"Where am I?" A perfect question, only left to be unanswered.
I looked around for anything that could tell me where I was. I was about to get off the bed but then I heard something from outside the white door with a golden doorknob.
"I told you; I already said no!" yelled an angry woman.
What's going on outside?
"I don't care! I don't want you fucks to put my fucking face on the fucking dust jacket, okay!?"
Whoever that was… She seemed really intense. I felt nervous… Wait, maybe I'm feeling anxious? I get the two switched sometimes. I think scared would be more appropriate…
"Listen here, you little shit. Even if you make it so I get a hundred percent on royalty checks, my answer is going to be a FUCKING NO. So you take your little ass off the phone or I'll fucking find your boss and file a goddamned complaint. Got it? Jesus fucking Christ."
I heard footsteps and then the doorknob turning. Oh no. The vulgar woman is coming here.
The door opened and her language just fitted her image. She had half shaved hair… Or is that half bald? Half of her head had a shoulder length hair. She wore a muscle shirt which showed off her thin arms, ripped jeans and leather boots. Wow, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a lesbian.
She then noticed me and her eyes went wide.
"Oh shit. I mean sheep. You're awake."
You're going to censor yourself now? Seriously?
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
"I feel weird, to be honest."
"No shi— No wonder there. You just got your ass saved."
She's not going to censor ass? "You know me?"
"Just the basics. Anyways, I'm here to answer your questions." The punk woman took a chair and placed it next to my bed. She sat on it just like how a punk would; with open legs and the backrest of the chair facing me.
"Okay… Do you have a mirror?" I asked since I still felt weird all over my body.
"Sure. Let me just get one." She stood up, went to one of the end tables and picked up a circular mirror. She handed it to me as she sat down. "You worried your face got fucked up or something? Wait, shit, I did it again…"
I took the mirror and saw my face. Well, it was still Sayori's. So I guess that means I'm still in the other world.
"Thank you," I said as I handed back the mirror.
"No prob."
"Okay, I guess my next question is where am I?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, I think it's pointless to tell you but basically we're in a building that's in the outskirts of the city. It's quite remote so you wouldn't have heard of it. Don't worry, this isn't an abandoned building. It sorta is but people live here. And yes, this is a legally owned building so don't go trippin' your balls over that."
"Okay…?" That was a weird answer but I'm guessing I'm quite far from the school right now if I'm somewhere in the outskirts of a city. Wait, I don't even know this person! "Who are you?"
"Shit, I forgot about introducing myself…" She wiped her right hand with her jeans then extended it to me for a handshake, smiling. "Just call me Luce."
