'Ayano, sweetheart! Pippi from next door is here!' Ryoba called. Her voice was once silky and pleasant to hear, and her chirping seemed to fill the house with joy.
The golden light of early morning streamed in past billowy white curtains and fell onto Ayano's bed. It was neatly made; fresh white sheets with crimson cushions and a matching blanket. It hinted nothing of her troubled sleep the previous night.
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After hours of tossing and turning, she fell into an uncomfortable sleep. A sleep in which she dreamed of the boy. Every night, without fail, his face. What she saw was already a shadow of what it had been. Now he did not have those faint spots on his chin, or the slightly upturned nose, or the braces on his teeth she had spied when he had flashed her his dazzling smile. No, he was flawless. His voice was deeper, his hair no longer curly, eyes wider. Nothing of his rugged handsomeness was left, the man she had turned him into was almost unrecognisable.
She drew this perfect man frequently, hiding the soon crumpled pieces of paper beneath her mattress each night. They stopped being drawings quickly, and became imaginary conversations, imaginary dates, all the while her heart filling with imaginary love. She drove herself insane with little questions that sent her spiralling into thought. What if he had felt that connection between them? What if she had stayed a little longer? Would he have walked in, bouquet of flowers in his hands, a charming grin on his face? Ayano felt herself grow slowly more obsessed with him, and the notion began to terrify her.
It was last night that she had broken down, stuffed those crumpled, precious pieces of paper in a backpack and climbed out of her window. Ayano moved silently and swiftly, alert and tense, ready to be scared, but ready to defend. Anyone who saw her would have seen the cat-like way she moved, and the way her messy dark hair streamed behind her as she ran. The matchbox rattled in her pocket as she raced towards the beach. It was a five minute walk from her house, but she was quick. Her heart pounded as her bear feet skimmed across the concrete. Around the corner, under the tree, through the gap in the fence, and... there she was. It was her favourite place to come. She had found it when she was 8, when she had gone wandering off. Ayano remembered her mother finding her and being so relieved that she forgot to tell her naughty child off. She began to breathe slowly, her breath condensing and swirling into the starry night. It was always quiet, save for the chirping of crickets hiding in the bushes near the entrance. This part of the beach was hidden under thick trees, and only those looking for it could ever find it. Kneeling, she planted her backpack on the creaking and splintering wood, then swung her legs so they fell over the edge of the dock. The moon light trickled through the branches and shimmered on the water of the rock pools.
She ignored the beauty around her and instead, struck one of the matches. The light it gave was dim, but nobody was out this time of night to see it, especially here. Fire flickered in her charcoal eyes as she watched the flame dance over the pages. The paper curled at the edges, and the pictures she had so carefully drawn went up in smoke. They were almost ash when she dropped them to the ground, onto the wet sand where they hissed and spat sparks. She sat on her hidden beach until dawn came, watching the remnants of his memory be stolen by the tide.
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She frowned, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. It was a little too late to do anything about them. Blinking in the light, she tugged at the rim of her beige skirt - it was crushing her waist. High, black stockings pinched at her thighs, and the white shirt and yellow jumper - mandatory for second years - seemed a little small, but she couldn't complain. There wasn't a point; whining about it wasn't going to make it bigger. She sighed, black hair haloed by sunshine.
'Ayano? Is something wrong sweetheart?'
'No, mum, I-I'm fine!'
Taking one last glance in the mirror, she grabbed her bag and raced down the stairs towards her mother.
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Chapter Updated! First Upload - (23/12/2016); Most Recent Upload -(25/06/2017)
Sorry for not updating in a while... I wasn't getting any comments in and then thought it was because nobody liked it... BUT BOY WAS I WRONG! 100+ reads!! What did I do to deserve this? Thank you all, loyal readers, for being amazing!
Special thanks to YadaGasai for supporting me from the very beginning. Thanks for being lovely, Yada!
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