Moving On
"Syaoran! We're gonna be late!" Meiling rushed Syaoran out the door. They were driven to the movie theater and dropped off.
"Meiling, stop hanging off my arm," Syaoran complained as he tried to shake off Meiling's grip. Meiling bought the tickets and they headed off into a very small theater with only about ten rows of seats, each having a total of about eight seats, Meiling insisted, to Syaoran's relief, the last row so they didn't have to look practically right up to see the movie and hurt their necks. She chose the two seats closest to the isle on the right side, and they sat there, Meiling on the outside. In the middle of the movie, the lights came on, and a man grabbed Meiling.
"Don't move!" he commanded, holding a gun to Meiling. Syaoran did as the man told everyone in the theater. He may be mad at Meiling, but he didn't want her hurt. Meiling had other plans.
"Go ahead, Syaoran! Run for it!" she shouted, breaking free of the man's grip. She jumped and tried to kick him, but the man was fast. Seconds later, Meiling was on the theater floor bleeding through a hole in her chest.
"Meiling!" Syaoran yelled.
"Syaoran…" Meiling murmured as tears filled her eyes. "I see her. It's Sakura's mother…"
The police barged in seconds later and arrested the man. An ambulance came for Meiling, but Syaoran knew. And he knew the paramedics knew, too.
Sakura looked up sleepily and picked up her ringing phone.
"H-hello?" she half-yawned, stretching. She glanced at her alarm clock. Who would be calling her at 11:30 PM?
"Sa-Sakura," Syaoran responded, his voice breaking in every syllable. Sakura shot up.
"Syaoran!" she shouted. She covered her mouth, remembering what time it was. "Do you know what time it is? Where are you?"
"I-I know it's l-late…" Syaoran sounded as if he were about to cry. "I'm at the hospital."
"Why?" Sakura was fully awake now, and worried. She bit her fingernails. "Are you okay?"
"I'm f-fine," he replied. "Meiling… she- she's… with your mother."
Those words hit Sakura like a truck. If Meiling was with her mother, then she…
"N-no," Sakura stuttered. "N-no. Th-this is some kind of joke, isn't it? Isn't it, Syaoran?! I don't care what you think, just put Meiling on!"
"She-she's g-gone," Syaoran choked, recalling Meiling lying on the theater carpet, bleeding to death. "She's r-really gone."
"Wh-what do you t-take me for?" Sakura asked, half laughing. "Meiling is in on this too, huh? Tell me you're lying!" Suddenly Sakura heard what sounded like Syaoran crying on the other line. This was no joke if Syaoran was crying. "Oh my goodness. You're-you're not kidding?"
"N-no," Syaoran said in a whisper, "Meiling is dead."
Touya knocked on Sakura's door and let himself in. Sakura was curled up with her back against the bedpost shaking, with the phone clutched in both hands to her left ear.
"T-Touya…" Sakura sobbed as Touya took the phone out of her hands. "Meiling…"
"Sakura has to go," he told Syaoran. "She'll call you back tomorrow." Touya turned to Sakura. "Do you want to talk to me?"
Sakura nodded slowly." M-Meiling… she… d-died…"
Touya climbed onto his sister's bed and hugged her. "Sakura-chan… you don't want father to worry. Now is one of those times when you have to be a big girl and take things as they come. You don't have to feel better tomorrow. Take as long as you want to recover."
"You were right," Sakura murmured. "I won't see some of my friends after high school. And I won't ever see Meiling again."
"You can cry it out," Touya offered. Sakura shivered.
"Touya?" she whispered hoarsely. He looked down at her. "Th-that could've been me. That's where I wanted to go with Syaoran."
"Try to get some sleep, Sakura," Touya suggested.
Sakura watched Touya leave her room. She curled up in her covers, turned her light off, and cried herself to sleep.
"Syaoran! We're gonna be late!" Meiling rushed Syaoran out the door. They were driven to the movie theater and dropped off.
"Meiling, stop hanging off my arm," Syaoran complained as he tried to shake off Meiling's grip. Meiling bought the tickets and they headed off into a very small theater with only about ten rows of seats, each having a total of about eight seats, Meiling insisted, to Syaoran's relief, the last row so they didn't have to look practically right up to see the movie and hurt their necks. She chose the two seats closest to the isle on the right side, and they sat there, Meiling on the outside. In the middle of the movie, the lights came on, and a man grabbed Meiling.
"Don't move!" he commanded, holding a gun to Meiling. Syaoran did as the man told everyone in the theater. He may be mad at Meiling, but he didn't want her hurt. Meiling had other plans.
"Go ahead, Syaoran! Run for it!" she shouted, breaking free of the man's grip. She jumped and tried to kick him, but the man was fast. Seconds later, Meiling was on the theater floor bleeding through a hole in her chest.
"Meiling!" Syaoran yelled.
"Syaoran…" Meiling murmured as tears filled her eyes. "I see her. It's Sakura's mother…"
The police barged in seconds later and arrested the man. An ambulance came for Meiling, but Syaoran knew. And he knew the paramedics knew, too.
Sakura looked up sleepily and picked up her ringing phone.
"H-hello?" she half-yawned, stretching. She glanced at her alarm clock. Who would be calling her at 11:30 PM?
"Sa-Sakura," Syaoran responded, his voice breaking in every syllable. Sakura shot up.
"Syaoran!" she shouted. She covered her mouth, remembering what time it was. "Do you know what time it is? Where are you?"
"I-I know it's l-late…" Syaoran sounded as if he were about to cry. "I'm at the hospital."
"Why?" Sakura was fully awake now, and worried. She bit her fingernails. "Are you okay?"
"I'm f-fine," he replied. "Meiling… she- she's… with your mother."
Those words hit Sakura like a truck. If Meiling was with her mother, then she…
"N-no," Sakura stuttered. "N-no. Th-this is some kind of joke, isn't it? Isn't it, Syaoran?! I don't care what you think, just put Meiling on!"
"She-she's g-gone," Syaoran choked, recalling Meiling lying on the theater carpet, bleeding to death. "She's r-really gone."
"Wh-what do you t-take me for?" Sakura asked, half laughing. "Meiling is in on this too, huh? Tell me you're lying!" Suddenly Sakura heard what sounded like Syaoran crying on the other line. This was no joke if Syaoran was crying. "Oh my goodness. You're-you're not kidding?"
"N-no," Syaoran said in a whisper, "Meiling is dead."
Touya knocked on Sakura's door and let himself in. Sakura was curled up with her back against the bedpost shaking, with the phone clutched in both hands to her left ear.
"T-Touya…" Sakura sobbed as Touya took the phone out of her hands. "Meiling…"
"Sakura has to go," he told Syaoran. "She'll call you back tomorrow." Touya turned to Sakura. "Do you want to talk to me?"
Sakura nodded slowly." M-Meiling… she… d-died…"
Touya climbed onto his sister's bed and hugged her. "Sakura-chan… you don't want father to worry. Now is one of those times when you have to be a big girl and take things as they come. You don't have to feel better tomorrow. Take as long as you want to recover."
"You were right," Sakura murmured. "I won't see some of my friends after high school. And I won't ever see Meiling again."
"You can cry it out," Touya offered. Sakura shivered.
"Touya?" she whispered hoarsely. He looked down at her. "Th-that could've been me. That's where I wanted to go with Syaoran."
"Try to get some sleep, Sakura," Touya suggested.
Sakura watched Touya leave her room. She curled up in her covers, turned her light off, and cried herself to sleep.
