Chapter Two - "Night"
Sora spent the night at the first rundown motel she could find. It was only a matter of days after Christmas, so scattered, multi-colored bulbs still greeted her--the only warmth she could find in the dark winter's night. She was glad she'd pulled her car over when she had, for as she opened the door to go reserve a room, a gust of wind made her gasp audibly. The swirling flakes seemed to get worse with every passing moment. Teeth chattering, Sora stumbled through the blizzard and forced open the glass door under an orange neon sign that read "vac ncy." She wondered if they know a bulb had burnt out. The room she suddenly found herself standing in appeared empty… she and a small, wilting Christmas tree in the corner were the only signs of life. But, suddenly, through a cloud of cigarette smoke in the back room, a plump older woman appeared, smiling sympathetically at Sora's freezing figure.
"Hi, hon. You need a room?"
Sora smiled back. "Yes, please. Just for one night."
As the woman shuffled through papers, her glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose, she glanced at Sora, "I don't mean to pry, sweetheart, but you seem awful young to be out here alone on a night like this. Is everything alright?"
In her head, Sora considered this question silly. Of course everything was not alright. Nothing would ever be alright… out loud, however, she managed an offbeat laugh, "Oh, yes. I'm just switching schools… it was… well… kind of an urgent situation. I have to be out to Wescott by tomorrow afternoon."
"Well… good luck. I hope this snow lets up, or you might be delaying your trip. Here's a key, you're in room 92. Go out, follow the drive around, and it'll be on your left back by the fence. Be careful."
Sora said nothing but smiled in thanks. As she turned and the inky black night swallowed her swaying figure, the old woman shook her head. She said nothing, called nothing out to Sora in that moment, but she smiled, a slow, sensible smile and muttered to herself. "This could be interesting. This could be VERY interesting."
Mimi had been attempting to sleep for the past hour, but the wind was just too fierce, and her mind was far too muddled to get any rest at all. She sat up, thinking angrily that she should be anywhere but here. Pulling her knees to her chest, she stopped fighting, and gave in to the thoughts that had been licking at her brain all night. "It wasn't so much the rejection…" Mimi muttered, "just… how it was handled, I guess…" She remembered all too well how one fateful summer had begun so long ago… how her life had come crashing around her just after school let out… until the Digital World turned her around, and helped her start again. It had been just another day in June, the day she confessed her feelings to Kara.
The two girls had grown up together. They were constantly with one another, and their mothers laughed happily at their mirth, shaking their heads and thanking God that their little girls had discovered the bonds of true friendship so early. Mimi thought there was never another person she would ever want to be around for her entire life… so one day as the girls played hopscotch on the sidewalk outside Kara's building, she told her so.
"But Mimi… what about when you get married? You'll spend all your time with your husband, silly! That's how things go."
Mimi smiled. "Maybe I don't want a husband. All I want is you!" And, laughing, she had thrown her arms around the girls neck and kissed her… not a passionate kiss, for they were too young, just a happy 'look, I've discovered something wonderful' kiss. Kara's reaction, however, was not quite as joyful. She stiffened and backed away.
Mimi frowned. "Kara? What's wrong? Did I upset you?"
With narrow eyes, Kara sputtered, "My mom… she told me about people like you. What you just did was a sin, Mimi. I… I don't want to see you anymore. Ever again. Just… just stay away."
Stay away… stay away… the words echoed in the now almost 19 year old Mimi's head as she envisioned that day over in her mind. She saw Kara's back as she ran down the blistering hot sidewalk, and she heard herself cry out, "Come back! I'm sorry!!!" After that day, she began to play the game like everyone else. She went into the Digital World a girl, and came out a young woman… a young woman who gained popularity in high school in America, and who, when Sora joined her in the U.S. for college, had vowed never again to fall in love… at least not with a girl.
But THIS… this was all so sudden… so new. Mimi didn't trust it. She didn't know what to think. She wanted to leave, to find Sora now. It was irrational, it was rash… it was what her heart was telling her to do. Her alarm clock clicked over to read 12:00 a.m. and she glanced at it in a daze as outside she heard a church bell far away, ringing out 12 gongs into the blustery night. "I can't leave NOW." She reasoned with herself. "Unless the snow decided out of nowhere to just suddenly STOP…" her thoughts trailed off as she looked out the dorm room window into the courtyard below… and smiled at what she saw.
Sora spent the night at the first rundown motel she could find. It was only a matter of days after Christmas, so scattered, multi-colored bulbs still greeted her--the only warmth she could find in the dark winter's night. She was glad she'd pulled her car over when she had, for as she opened the door to go reserve a room, a gust of wind made her gasp audibly. The swirling flakes seemed to get worse with every passing moment. Teeth chattering, Sora stumbled through the blizzard and forced open the glass door under an orange neon sign that read "vac ncy." She wondered if they know a bulb had burnt out. The room she suddenly found herself standing in appeared empty… she and a small, wilting Christmas tree in the corner were the only signs of life. But, suddenly, through a cloud of cigarette smoke in the back room, a plump older woman appeared, smiling sympathetically at Sora's freezing figure.
"Hi, hon. You need a room?"
Sora smiled back. "Yes, please. Just for one night."
As the woman shuffled through papers, her glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose, she glanced at Sora, "I don't mean to pry, sweetheart, but you seem awful young to be out here alone on a night like this. Is everything alright?"
In her head, Sora considered this question silly. Of course everything was not alright. Nothing would ever be alright… out loud, however, she managed an offbeat laugh, "Oh, yes. I'm just switching schools… it was… well… kind of an urgent situation. I have to be out to Wescott by tomorrow afternoon."
"Well… good luck. I hope this snow lets up, or you might be delaying your trip. Here's a key, you're in room 92. Go out, follow the drive around, and it'll be on your left back by the fence. Be careful."
Sora said nothing but smiled in thanks. As she turned and the inky black night swallowed her swaying figure, the old woman shook her head. She said nothing, called nothing out to Sora in that moment, but she smiled, a slow, sensible smile and muttered to herself. "This could be interesting. This could be VERY interesting."
Mimi had been attempting to sleep for the past hour, but the wind was just too fierce, and her mind was far too muddled to get any rest at all. She sat up, thinking angrily that she should be anywhere but here. Pulling her knees to her chest, she stopped fighting, and gave in to the thoughts that had been licking at her brain all night. "It wasn't so much the rejection…" Mimi muttered, "just… how it was handled, I guess…" She remembered all too well how one fateful summer had begun so long ago… how her life had come crashing around her just after school let out… until the Digital World turned her around, and helped her start again. It had been just another day in June, the day she confessed her feelings to Kara.
The two girls had grown up together. They were constantly with one another, and their mothers laughed happily at their mirth, shaking their heads and thanking God that their little girls had discovered the bonds of true friendship so early. Mimi thought there was never another person she would ever want to be around for her entire life… so one day as the girls played hopscotch on the sidewalk outside Kara's building, she told her so.
"But Mimi… what about when you get married? You'll spend all your time with your husband, silly! That's how things go."
Mimi smiled. "Maybe I don't want a husband. All I want is you!" And, laughing, she had thrown her arms around the girls neck and kissed her… not a passionate kiss, for they were too young, just a happy 'look, I've discovered something wonderful' kiss. Kara's reaction, however, was not quite as joyful. She stiffened and backed away.
Mimi frowned. "Kara? What's wrong? Did I upset you?"
With narrow eyes, Kara sputtered, "My mom… she told me about people like you. What you just did was a sin, Mimi. I… I don't want to see you anymore. Ever again. Just… just stay away."
Stay away… stay away… the words echoed in the now almost 19 year old Mimi's head as she envisioned that day over in her mind. She saw Kara's back as she ran down the blistering hot sidewalk, and she heard herself cry out, "Come back! I'm sorry!!!" After that day, she began to play the game like everyone else. She went into the Digital World a girl, and came out a young woman… a young woman who gained popularity in high school in America, and who, when Sora joined her in the U.S. for college, had vowed never again to fall in love… at least not with a girl.
But THIS… this was all so sudden… so new. Mimi didn't trust it. She didn't know what to think. She wanted to leave, to find Sora now. It was irrational, it was rash… it was what her heart was telling her to do. Her alarm clock clicked over to read 12:00 a.m. and she glanced at it in a daze as outside she heard a church bell far away, ringing out 12 gongs into the blustery night. "I can't leave NOW." She reasoned with herself. "Unless the snow decided out of nowhere to just suddenly STOP…" her thoughts trailed off as she looked out the dorm room window into the courtyard below… and smiled at what she saw.