Chapter four : New Life

With every tick of the clock in the waiting room, Chloe felt more and more unsecured. Her hands shook badly as she held a cup of hot chocolate in her hands.

Chloe nearly flipped out at the moment. She yelled frantically at the unconscious Kirika and she let noone come near them, not even the medical team who came to deliver Kirika to the hospital. They were about to separate Chloe from Kirika with force, and Chloe was about to kill them all—although that wasn't the wisest act to do—as a young woman appeared and grabbed her hand holding the knife behind the cloak swiftly.
So shocked as she was, Chloe only gaped at the stranger.
The woman claimed to know Chloe and Kirika and she was ready to guarantee for both of them. She held Chloe back while Kirika was taken away.

"No…!" yelled Chloe, stretching her hand out as the people moved Kirika to the ambulance.

"Calm down." said the woman. That wasn't a plea. That was a command.
Chloe turned at the woman with a fierce look on her face. The look froze, though, as she faced the woman's determination.

Like being hypnotized, Chloe didn't offer any more resistance as the ambulance doors were closed. She didn't even think of escaping as the woman walked away from her side to speak with one of the medical team.
The ambulance went away short afterwards, and as Chloe glanced up, the woman stood in front of her.

"Let's go, shall we?"
Chloe nodded.

One hour later, Chloe found herself sitting in the waiting room alone, trembling for fear of what might happen to Kirika. The woman bought her a cup of hot chocolate, and Chloe used it to warm her hands instead of drinking it.
The hours passed one after another, but the operation didn't come to an end yet. Chloe waited and waited. Her impatience grew with every tick of the clock.

Kirika felt like floating in the universe. Her body was as light as a feather, and yet her eyes were so heavy she couldn't open them.
Somewhere sometime she had ever had this feeling. A feeling like being in heaven.
Water. The cold water washed out her body.
It was about a month ago, as someone took her to a beach. The shadow of this someone seemed so blurry. Who was she?
Kirika tried her best to open her eyes, but all she could get was a blurry view.
"Kirika, let's go!"
Huh? What? Go? Where..?

She heard a gasp. She looked around to find the person who just gasped so shockedly. In her awe she realized she was the one who gasped. And she also knew why.
A woman in a long robe was pointing a gun at her.
Kirika's heart thumped hard. She was so scared of the woman and the gun. Yet the woman showed no hatred. Was that tears in her eyes?

BANG

Kirika's little body fell to the floor in a seemingly slow motion. Her eyes kept staring at the woman's face. A face she wouldn't forget… the eyes so deep she couldn't understand…

Then her body bumped to the floor.

Kirika woke up with a feeling as if she had been put under electricity. Her eyes were wide open, but she saw nothing. It was only darkness around her.

"She's awake,"

Someone spoke.
Something rustled.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Who… who are you?" she heard her trembling voice. "I… I can't see anything, what happened to me?"

Gasping sound.
That wasn't a good sign.

The doctor waved his hand in front of Kirika's eyes. She showed no reaction.
The doctor shook his head and gave a nurse a sign to inform the family.

Chloe watched a nurse come out of checking room. The operation had ended three hours ago and yet Chloe wasn't allowed to see Kirika yet. She was impatient. What happened?
The woman stood up and talked to the nurse. Chloe grabbed her collar and tried her best to suppress her curiosity.

"We have taken care of the wound on her head, and.. she was just awake. Sadly I have to inform you that due to the bump she lost her sight. I am so sorry."

The woman gulped. It is not good at all, she said to herself. How was she supposed to tell Chloe anything about it?