Black & White-English Version

27-The waiting

It had been two days and the King of Diamonds was still there, almost to mock at me.

The depression came and went and my appetite was significantly diminished. I never left the flat, and let Ann and Kuina fetch the supplies.

I sat down on the floor in front of the large living room's windows and looked at the horizon, my mind blank and unaware of what was happening around me.

I couldn't even tell if it was day or night.

"Jen!" Kuina yelled, entering the apartment, followed by Ann who began to empty the bags of supplies.

I made a barely perceptible sound, to let her know I'd heard her.

Kuina sat across from me. "Jen, I know you're not okay, but acting like that doesn't do any good, so try to recover and get back to the way you were before! We need you!"

"Plus, we have a surprise." Ann said, all satisfied, and pulled out what appeared to be a camping stove. "Tonight we'll have a hot meal!"

I didn't care about eating, but my stomach thought otherwise and it started grumbling loudly.

"See!" Kuina said. "Your body is asking you to come out of hibernation."

I kept staring at the horizon, but at the same time I also began to feel the hunger creeping up inside me.

"Chishiya would come here to feed you, if he was here." Kuina looked at me, waiting for my reaction.

That joke made me laugh and slowly the corners of my mouth lifted; it was strange to hear my laughter.

"She's back then!" Ann exclaimed, as she was packing things for dinner.

"Maybe." I said with a half smile.

"I missed you." Kuina smiled at me too. "Getting depressed is not good for the soul." She then got up and went to get something from the bags.

She came back with two chocolates. "Here."

I took it and started unwrapping it, then we both savored the sweet and reassuring taste that only chocolate can give.

"It's good for serotonin." Kuina's mouth was full. "It won't be like kissing Chishiya, but it should be close to it. Not that I know what it's like to kiss him and ew! I don't even wanna know!"

I burst out laughing and Kuina and Ann joined me.

"Yes, it's kinda close." I joked.

I got up and went to Ann, Kuina was right behind me.

"So, you and Chishiya have been together for a while." Ann said. "You know, I hadn't noticed anything at the Beach."

"Well..."

Kuina didn't let me finish. "They were great at hiding it, although when they were alone they weren't that great." She winked at me.

"Kuina!" I scolded her, smiling.

"Surely, you were better than Arisu and Usagi." Ann confirmed. "Who knows where they are..."

"They're fine. The others are all fine. And we need to stop worrying and start thinking about what to do when the Visas expires." Kuina opened a packet of edamame.

"You're right." Ann grabbed a pot from a shelf in the kitchen, then emptied into it the contents of two cans of chicken and vegetable noodles and half a bottle of water.

"I can't believe we're going to eat a hot dish!" Kuina got more excited than me when I arrived at the Beach and Chishiya took me to the canteen.

I held back a laugh.