Requiem

Lifting the Veil of Truth

It was early in the evening when I opened my eyes again. The light was dim and yellowish, and I found myself lying in a comfortable bed with a duvet thrown over me.

“Bro, he's awake.”

A soft voice sounded beside me, registering in my ears as sickeningly familiar. K. She was the last person I wanted to see right now, let alone nurse the injuries I sustained. What had happened again? For a moment, I found nothing but blankness. Then I remembered the bridge, the dump and the hand. I remembered the hatchet and the running, the sedan rolling down the street and slamming into me before it even had a chance to brake. My memory cut off after that. Snapping to my senses, I tried desperately to sit up.

“Uggh—” I gasped at the excruciating pain, my head falling back onto the stack of pillows. My fingertips trailed across my shirt where the bandages were bound around my chest, so tightly that it felt almost numb. I felt utterly helpless lying there.

“Not so fast, stupid!” Hizumi growled, sitting on a chair next to K. I never knew they were siblings. “Dragging you off the road and to the clinic was bad enough, but they were closed so we had to take you here to Thalia's hideout.”

“Thalia's hideout?” The name didn't sound familiar to me, and the concept of a hideout did little to help explain it.

“A year 9 girl, K's classmate. We're in an abandoned art gallery, and we hang around here most days since no one comes.” He talked to me in a tone that told me I was perfectly dense.

“Oh...”

“I told you and told you to stop running, Sage,” K peered down at me wide-eyed, the fear evident in her voice. “But you didn't listen. You forgot to look both ways before you crossed the road, too.”

“...”

“We told your parents you'll be staying over tonight. I doubt you'll be able to go home like this, so how about we have dinner together?” K suggested. Her innocent, child-like flare was back again, and the emptiness in her glassy eyes seemed to disappear into thin air. “Akito's here as well. Maybe we could even get to know one another better.”

“Ah — I uh...” I struggled to find an excuse. I can't really move, bandaged like this... No, that would only give me more reason to stay. I didn't want to stay.

“Come on, Sage. It'll be fun,” Hizumi winked. “Besides, Thalia's ordered pizza.”

“Alright,” I forced a smile, propping myself up with an arm into a sitting position without pulling anything this time. I won't get murdered here. Not yet. I'm just paranoid. “... Just this once, I suppose.”

He grinned and helped me up, escorting me towards the gallery's main hall. Did Hizumi know of his sister's stalker-like tendencies? I figured that asking wouldn't do anything but get me in deeper shit. It was only my second day here, and I didn't know if I could trust anyone at all. Hizumi is fine, I tried desperately to convince myself. ... Probably. He's K's kin, but does that make any difference? My mind swam, and I cursed myself for it. K didn't even hurt you. You got yourself screwed running onto a road like that... They seemed friendly enough now, but only time will tell. I tore myself away from the subject and stepped out into the air-conditioned hall.

The area was darkened with professional looking spotlights, the walls covered with black curtains and the wooden floorboards polished. By the looks of it, someone had invested a lot into maintaining the place's aesthetics, and was still paying for the lights and ventilation. I headed over to the foldable table at the side of the room, sitting onto one of the cardboard boxes that littered the area.