Chapter 3: Urge (Mel)
Time- 09:35 pm
The land that led to Solis's house felt wrong like Aika's. Unlike Aika Village, however, it felt lively live any other town I've been in. The scent of the perfect apples and roses made me dizzy, but I wanted -no, needed- to cross the bridge.
I waited for both Kenshin and Kosei to fall asleep before I got out of the bed and tiptoed to the stairs. The boys offered the guest bed to me and slept on the floor. But I've known these boys long enough to know that they heard me climb out of the bed and were just pretending to be asleep.
I opened the front door, allowing the cool autumn air in and making me shiver. I silently closed the door, hoping that at the very least, Torii would still be asleep.
The scent of the apple and flowers assaulted my nose. It was intense, but so enchanting. I made my way to the bridge and hesitated. I didn't want to cross the bridge, since I didn't want to explore alone.
"Help her… Help us... Please…"
But I needed to.
I followed the path the roses outlined for me, and the deeper I went, I noticed the similarities between this town and Aika. There was only one bridge, making it the only way to get across. So similar, yet so different.
'Almost like a reflection,' I thought to myself.
Another weird thing about this side was that all of the animals were inside. Which didn't make any sense because there was usually one or two outside at this hour.
When I finally reached the house, I stopped to admire it. It had a modern aesthetic to it, with a chalet exterior. There were no lights active, so it proved that the person wasn't inside.
'Or they're asleep, like a sane person. Or they're inside, waiting.'
There was something about this house that was holding my attention. I walked up to the door and twisted the knob. No resistance.
If Solis and her brother weren't here, then why would she leave her door unlocked? I felt dread settle in my stomach.
...
The main room looked like what any other normal main room that I've seen. I saw the stairs that led to the basement, and looked away. Nothing good ever happened in the basement. The stairs that led to the attics, however, had my curiosity piqued, and I didn't know why. It felt like someone was pushing me to the stairs, forcing me to walk up.
I was in Solis's bedroom. It looked so normal, and very organized. Nothing looked out of place, until I noticed two journals on her modern wooden bed. The violet cover on the left journal made me realize it was the same one that I had. And Kosei. And Kenshin. It was Dr. Shrunk's joke book. Our way to regain emotions.
I looked at the doorway, then back at the book. It couldn't hurt to see how many emotions she had. I opened it to see that she was halfway there, and that her most recent emotion was Daydream. I set it down and picked up the other book. The cover was much more worn out, and the entries were reminiscent of a diary, but they weren't exactly.
Creak.
The door opened, and I realized that I needed to hide. I was an intruder in a resident's house. I looked around and saw a wardrobe and stepped inside it. I forced myself to squat down. I heard the pair of feet climb up the stairs and enter the room.
"Stupid parents. I'm the damn mayor, and yet, they still haunt me." A female voice spoke. That must be Solis. And she claimed to be the mayor. I thought that Torii was.
"Where's my dream journal?" The panicked tone in her voice made my heart stop momentarily. I didn't realize that I still had it in my hands when I was looking for a hiding spot.
"Where is it? It has to be here!" I could hear the sound of items falling, and a soft tune filled the air. I couldn't recognize it, but Solis clearly did. When she spoke, she sounded dazed.
"Brother… I have to go back. I must rebuild it. It's my duty." Her footsteps neared my hiding spot. I heard something outside.
"There. Hehe. I hope that I didn't jinx another visitor by locking away our past. I hope for the day that I can properly greet people who visit Mira Village."
The footsteps retreated from the closet and I released the air that I didn't know that I was holding. I tried to push the doors open, and when I couldn't, I realized what that sound. She locked the doors. Solis locked me in her closet.
Why did I go alone? I didn't want to, but I had to.
I had to keep it a secret. But it was spilled. Now the beauty of Mira was gone, marred by the ugliness of my past. And my brother... gave me a gift.
My sister abused the gift. If I hadn't gone to the valley of flowers, then maybe I wouldn't have found out how the suite operated.