BIG FISHES, rizuna ann

CHAPTER FOUR

While fears grew like teeth, desires grew like vines, like leaves on trees and fresh roots. As a constant hammer on the back of her head, fear and desire fought to keep the highest place on her list of concerns, both hungry of igniting the passages of her mind and the cracks of her brain; a need strong enough to infest her own self.

It wasn't new to Saki to deal with this. In fact, it had happened before too, when she envied others for being able to see life as so robust that the flowers came back season after season, opposite of her, who saw them as transitory —soon to be trampled under foot; or how everybody felt the sunlight warmer, and looked forward to the harvest, where she shrank inside and worried about burns and insect bites. Saki, like fears and desires, grew without facing the world, instead she managed to meet it by texture, temperature, fragrance, and taste.

But sounds were her most loyal guide.

"You guys aren't new to this."

A soft conversation rolled all the way down to the open doors of the bus, inviting all new players to participate in that night's game. With a lump on her throat, Saki found herself stepping closer to the transport, an action she'd expected it'll took her longer as she'd been searching the game arena for the past few minutes without any clue to where she'd been walking to, though it did take her time to discover where exactly she was. Nobody needed to be a genius to notice how the street changed its level, inclining her foot to get deeper into what she was sure was an underground car-park. Well, at least that was the impression she had, and as she made her way through the doors, a sense of know-it-all relief filled her chest.

However, she wasn't sure it'll last.

Suddenly, Saki bumped against someone's back.

"Sorry." She muttered, making room between whoever that could be and herself, letting her fingers caress a harsh surface to find a mobile phone with her right hand as her left grabbed tightly the support railing.

Once she got it, she reached for the closest seat, placing herself on it quietly as she made sure no one was occupying either of them.

FACIAL RECOGNITION IN PROGRESS. . .
PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT. . .

"What about you guys?" Saki recognized a female's tone. It was close to her, and clearly wasn't talking to her. She thought she may have come with the man that Saki had collided with a moment ago. Perhaps they had just arrived, like her.

"The three of us cleared four games together." Someone said from the back of the bus seats, "We happened to be together in our first game, and we stuck together after that."

Saki felt so out of place she didn't utter a single sound. Even if she was curious about their struggles, the overcoming of dread and trust of strangers, she stayed in silence, only moving her head slightly to eavesdrop more of their chat, even though it didn't really matter as they didn't mind her hearing. She'd always been careful, she won't risk a drop of her blood just 'cause curiosity took over her. In the end, curiosity killed the cat, didn't it?.

"Having friends makes the difference between winning and losing."

Friends, huh?, she dropped her chin for a second to avoid huffing out loud at it. Too many years alone had made her forget about what friendships were like. Perhaps someday she'll be able to enjoy one, but she'll first look for a way out of that place.

Saki drank every voice, every sound the other players shared, counting four people in total. Five, even, if she cared to add the only one she hadn't heard talk yet.

"Your leg. Are you injured?"

"Yes," Hesitation followed closely his tone, but he ended up clarifying after a beat, "I guess I sprained it."