Chapter 6
Upon leaving the Death Room, I trekked down the same hallways as when I entered. After walking through the entrance of the school, I came down the staircase and walked towards my car. I had to search for my keys before unlocking the driver side door to get in. I sat on the leather seat after shutting my door while putting my key into the ignition, turning it clockwise, and revving my car to life. Before shifting gears from park to drive, I pulled out yet another cigarette, lit it, and turned up the volume on my car stereo. Within seconds, I dashed away from the school and drove towards home while singing along to the music: "I stand motionless in a parade of falling rain." I navigated through Death City making left and right turns, and occasionally stopping at intersections as I continued to sing and take drags of my cancer stick; "Your voice I cannot hear, as I am falling again." Once I was on the familiar road that led away from Death City I pressed my foot further down on the gas pedal speeding up while getting off the freeway towards a lonely road that lead to an isolated hill where my abode is situated. As soon as I reached the top, I slowed down into the garage. I snuffed out my cigarette and put my car into park before shutting it off and exiting.
I stepped into the living room where I sat my keys on the coffee table, lied down on the sofa and picked up the book I was reading just hours ago. Before I continued to read, I quickly glanced at the clock hanging on the wall to check what time it was, and it read: 11:25 a.m. Time passed and once I finished reading the book in its entirety, it was only 2:14 p.m. The truth is; once I get started on a book, it takes a lot of effort to get me to set it down. The only times I'll actually set a book down are to eat, get a drink, or sleep. In any case, I got up, stretched until my back popped in several places, and walked into the kitchen to find something to appease my hunger. Normally I'd cook something like steak, pasta, or something complex, but I was feeling lazy so I just pulled a pizza box from the freezer. After taking the frozen pizza out of the box, placing it on a tray, and into the oven, I uncorked a bottle of wine and poured myself a glass while I waited for the pizza to bake.
While taking sips and checking on the pizza, my phone buzzed signaling that I received a text. I checked to see who had sent the message and saw it was from Marie. It contained the list of students who would be in my group for the upcoming missions. She assured me they would be excused from their routine classes and that they would meet me in the library at 8 A.M. I read the names and couldn't help but laugh at the sheer coincidence: Maka Albarn, Soul Evans, Death the Kid, Liz & Patty Thompson, Crona, Black Star, and Tsubaki Nakatsukasa. I couldn't tell if it was a joke, or if this was a plot. When I read that last name, her name, I began to feel something. I wasn't sure if it was excitement, or anxiety of being in her presence again. Nevertheless I replied to the message: "Thanks Marie", and put my phone away. The oven then beeped and I pulled the pizza out which emitted an amazing aroma of various spices, fresh mozzarella, and pepperoni. Despite my unbearable hunger, and my mouth beginning to salivate, I set the tray on top of the stove to slice up the pizza before I could feast. I grabbed a plate from the cupboard, and used a knife so I could chop the pizza into 8 even slices.
After eating, I cleaned up the kitchen, put the dishes away in their usual areas, and returned to the living room. Rather than starting on another book, I decided to pass the time by playing some video games. As I traveled a fictional and virtual world killing dragons, trolls, and vampire clans, my mind began to wander and events from earlier that day replayed in my head. Primarily how I had my nose bashed by a door, and how that served as the catalyst to crossing paths with Tsubaki. Try as I might, I couldn't focus anymore on my game and kept dying so I just shut off the console. It was still early in the day, and yet I retreated to my room and intended to stay there. I sat in my recliner, plugged in my guitar and began to play in hopes of shifting my thoughts away from that beautiful girl. Mainly the songs I played were of sorrow, loss, and hollow memories. As I continued to fiercely strum and lacerate my fingers, I gazed towards the opposite wall at a collage of photographs of Sareena and I. Photos of us at the annual DWMA Anniversary Dance, at a Halloween costume party, Thanksgiving, kissing on New Year's Day, and many other special occasions. Even after four years, I can't look at those damn photographs without the threat of tears rising to my eyes, but I still don't have the heart to take them down. I stopped playing, shut off the amplifier, and sat in my chair mourning until the sun reemerged. I didn't even bother shutting off my stereo which played the aforementioned songs on repeat all through the night. It's only fitting that I let those songs mockingly continue to remind me of how I let my partner, the girl I loved, die, and there would be no atoning that loss.