-Chapter 9-
The sound of construction greeted me upon my arrival. My building sat quiet and undisturbed. A dark tower that held no spark of life, no eternal flame but my life.
I carefully made my way up the stairs and opened the door to my apartment. The door closed behind me with the swift sound of wind. I crossed the threshold to the bathroom. In the looking glass was a disheveled girl with tousled blue hair and a drying river of red that streaked down the lower half of her face.
With a damp wash cloth, I removed the stain from my face. As I wrung out my towel, I looked into the mirror. A memory surfaced of Asuka flipping her hair and of Shinji-kun being mesmerized.
I looked at my hair in the mirror. It was short and full of twisted tangles. It was the complete opposite of Asuka's long, smooth, and beautiful hair. I fingered the top drawer beneath the sink absently and then opened it. I searched with my hand and pulled out a dark black comb. I held it tightly in my hand, feeling the dull points on my palm.
The girl in the mirror looked at me, curious as to what I would do next. I applied those points to my hair and ran the comb through my hair. Those dark fingers grabbed tufts of my hair and refused to let go, no matter how I tugged and pulled at the comb. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. With clenched teeth I ripped the comb through the remaining strands of hair. I looked at this half jaw that had bitten away part of my hair. A sideways glance in the mirror showed that the few missing hairs were unnoticeable. I dropped the comb onto the floor and left it there in the waning sunlight.
The long corridor was dark and narrow. There was no light. Only the sound of my footsteps revealed the size of the hallway. I felt along the walls with my hand. A soft wind came from some opening at the end of this tunnel. The wind chilled my skin even through the resilient material of my plug suit. The wind became stronger as I continued along this dark path.
Somewhere up ahead, a dim light flickered through a dancing veil. As I neared, the light seemed to retreat. I quickened my steps but it disappeared before I could reach it.
The veil swung silently next to me, waving good-bye to the solitary flame that lit my way. Alone with my thoughts. There was suddenly the sound of rushing water. It crashed all around me in the darkness, but did not touch me. It stopped as quickly as it began. Nothing could be heard but the faint sound of water dripping.
I tried to listen for the source of this water, my eyes straining in the dark as though they could assist my ears. A dark curtain was cast off and a dozen suns seemed to explode around me. When I opened my eyes to allow them to adjust, a hundred red eyes stared back.
A wall of mirrors surrounded me. My reflection's reflection faded to infinity. The pictures moved.
"Who are you?" the mirrors asked.
"I am me."
"But what is it that makes you you?"
"Water. Light. Commander. Shinji-kun. Eva."
"Without them do you exist?"
"Yes. But I would not be me."
"They define you. Without them how can you know yourself?"
"Because I am myself. That is sufficient."
The mirrors suddenly grew cracks that extended out from their centers as though they were freezing. The faces stared calmly. Their piercing red eyes matching mine. The cracks soon dominated the faces of the mirrors, and they broke under the weight of my stare. The pieces littered the floor, becoming drops of water upon contact. The dark river swirled away, draining down some unseen hole in the darkness. And left me alone, once more.
The phone rang loudly, jarring me from my sleep. I answered it while rubbing the corners of my eyes.
"Rei! Hurry up and get ready! We've got trouble. Shinji and Asuka are already on their way down here. We need all of you ready to sortie ASAP!"
"Hai."
I quickly tossed the phone onto the rumpled sheets of my bed. I slipped into my school uniform that was draped over the back of my chair and grabbed my school bag on my way out. I was already on NERV base when the first alarms sounded throughout Tokyo-three.
I rode the high security train to the Geo-Front and was out heading for the locker rooms as soon as the doors opened.
Asuka was already in her plug suit, flipping her hair out of the collar space so it wouldn't be caught when her suit conformed to the contours of her body.
"Finally decided to show up, huh?" she said quickly as she looked over her suit.
I doubted she really expected an answer. There wasn't any time for conversation, much less confrontation. It would have to wait.
She grabbed her school clothes and hastily folded them and stuffed them in her locker.
had gotten into my plug suit and the material pressed against my skin. From behind me I heard Asuka rushing towards the door.
"I'll see you out on the field," she called out. "And Wondergirl.make sure you don't stand in my way."
The door opened, closed, and she was gone.
The sound of construction greeted me upon my arrival. My building sat quiet and undisturbed. A dark tower that held no spark of life, no eternal flame but my life.
I carefully made my way up the stairs and opened the door to my apartment. The door closed behind me with the swift sound of wind. I crossed the threshold to the bathroom. In the looking glass was a disheveled girl with tousled blue hair and a drying river of red that streaked down the lower half of her face.
With a damp wash cloth, I removed the stain from my face. As I wrung out my towel, I looked into the mirror. A memory surfaced of Asuka flipping her hair and of Shinji-kun being mesmerized.
I looked at my hair in the mirror. It was short and full of twisted tangles. It was the complete opposite of Asuka's long, smooth, and beautiful hair. I fingered the top drawer beneath the sink absently and then opened it. I searched with my hand and pulled out a dark black comb. I held it tightly in my hand, feeling the dull points on my palm.
The girl in the mirror looked at me, curious as to what I would do next. I applied those points to my hair and ran the comb through my hair. Those dark fingers grabbed tufts of my hair and refused to let go, no matter how I tugged and pulled at the comb. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. With clenched teeth I ripped the comb through the remaining strands of hair. I looked at this half jaw that had bitten away part of my hair. A sideways glance in the mirror showed that the few missing hairs were unnoticeable. I dropped the comb onto the floor and left it there in the waning sunlight.
The long corridor was dark and narrow. There was no light. Only the sound of my footsteps revealed the size of the hallway. I felt along the walls with my hand. A soft wind came from some opening at the end of this tunnel. The wind chilled my skin even through the resilient material of my plug suit. The wind became stronger as I continued along this dark path.
Somewhere up ahead, a dim light flickered through a dancing veil. As I neared, the light seemed to retreat. I quickened my steps but it disappeared before I could reach it.
The veil swung silently next to me, waving good-bye to the solitary flame that lit my way. Alone with my thoughts. There was suddenly the sound of rushing water. It crashed all around me in the darkness, but did not touch me. It stopped as quickly as it began. Nothing could be heard but the faint sound of water dripping.
I tried to listen for the source of this water, my eyes straining in the dark as though they could assist my ears. A dark curtain was cast off and a dozen suns seemed to explode around me. When I opened my eyes to allow them to adjust, a hundred red eyes stared back.
A wall of mirrors surrounded me. My reflection's reflection faded to infinity. The pictures moved.
"Who are you?" the mirrors asked.
"I am me."
"But what is it that makes you you?"
"Water. Light. Commander. Shinji-kun. Eva."
"Without them do you exist?"
"Yes. But I would not be me."
"They define you. Without them how can you know yourself?"
"Because I am myself. That is sufficient."
The mirrors suddenly grew cracks that extended out from their centers as though they were freezing. The faces stared calmly. Their piercing red eyes matching mine. The cracks soon dominated the faces of the mirrors, and they broke under the weight of my stare. The pieces littered the floor, becoming drops of water upon contact. The dark river swirled away, draining down some unseen hole in the darkness. And left me alone, once more.
The phone rang loudly, jarring me from my sleep. I answered it while rubbing the corners of my eyes.
"Rei! Hurry up and get ready! We've got trouble. Shinji and Asuka are already on their way down here. We need all of you ready to sortie ASAP!"
"Hai."
I quickly tossed the phone onto the rumpled sheets of my bed. I slipped into my school uniform that was draped over the back of my chair and grabbed my school bag on my way out. I was already on NERV base when the first alarms sounded throughout Tokyo-three.
I rode the high security train to the Geo-Front and was out heading for the locker rooms as soon as the doors opened.
Asuka was already in her plug suit, flipping her hair out of the collar space so it wouldn't be caught when her suit conformed to the contours of her body.
"Finally decided to show up, huh?" she said quickly as she looked over her suit.
I doubted she really expected an answer. There wasn't any time for conversation, much less confrontation. It would have to wait.
She grabbed her school clothes and hastily folded them and stuffed them in her locker.
had gotten into my plug suit and the material pressed against my skin. From behind me I heard Asuka rushing towards the door.
"I'll see you out on the field," she called out. "And Wondergirl.make sure you don't stand in my way."
The door opened, closed, and she was gone.