Velleitie

5: Unlucky Radish

Don't look back. Don't think about it. You're just hallucinating.

Nene tried again and again to convince herself between huffs. They dashed through the empty halls. She wanted to do whatever it is she can to distract herself. Anything, just to remove that burning image of (Y/n) out of her head.

Just… why?

●=======●■{♧}■●=======●

Drip… 

Drip… 

"Ah! That feels much better, doesn't it?" The ghost boy, Hanako, cooed to (Y/n)... or someone who looked like (Y/n), who frowned at the sight before her.

The two spectres floated just inches above a dismangled body, where half of whose face was nothing but a mesh of what looked like wet paper and ink. It disturbed Nene beyond comprehension.

The silverette's once rosy complexion was drained to an almost deadly white. She looked back down to the sprawled body on the floor, daring to see every inch of it. (Y/n)'s once neatly braided (h/c) locks were all over the place. Her yonderly (e/c) pools were missing its spark as it stared into nowhere.

She then looked up to observe the floating girl beside Hanako. The (Y/n)-lookalike. Despite the small frown, the spectre  was an exact copy of (Y/n). 
Everything was the same; her eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands, feet, complexion. Only her hair was different, which was closer to white than its normal (h/c), and rather than its usual single braided style, it was let down. The uniform stayed the same.

"Nene-chan." There it was. (Y/n)'s voice. Yet, it didn't come from the lying body, it was from the (Y/n)-lookalike. Nene absent mindlessly looked at the girl. "I… I'm sorry… this must be hard for you."

"(Y/n)?" Came the sudden reply. "What… ?"

"Nene-chan," the (Y/n)-lookalike looked down to the hem of her clothes, guilty. She pursed her lips before letting out a deep sigh.  "I'm sorry. I'm not (Y/n). (L/n) (Y/n) was never a real person to begin with; she was just an alias."

(Y/n)... no. Wait. That's not right.

Is it?

No…

I don't believe it!

That's not true.

That isn't true!

"You're lying!" Nene denied the (Y/n)-lookalike's statement, furiously shaking her head before looking at the latter with pleading crimson eyes. "Tell me it's not true! I just fell too hard and imagined this! This isn't real… right?"

"I… " the lookalike turned her head to the side, eyes sunken and brows knitted. She bit her lower lip, scrunching her face more. Why? Why would she make that expression with (Y/n)'s face? "I'm really sorry… "

"What?" The revelation shot Nene like a bullet to the chest. Her head suddenly felt too heavy on her shoulders. Nene looked at Hanako who stayed quiet for quite a while, his mind probably wondering elsewhere until it met the silverette's gaze.

The boy nodded. "It's true."

(Y/n)—no. The lookalike opened her mouth to say something. But whether or not it was important, Nene didn't listen and instead dashed out of the bathroom.

I… I really am sorry Nene-chan… 

●=======●■{♧}■●=======●

"Stop thinking about it Nene," poor Nene whispered to herself as her pace slowed down.

Too tired. She was too tired to run. She didn't know where or who to go to anyways, so she stopped. She leaned on the walls, clutching her beating chest. She noticed that she still had the pouch with her, looking down to it with curiosity and fear.