Saya looks into the vanity mirror parallel to her bed. Red streaks covered her neck. She whimpers as she lightly traces the outline of the streaks. The hallway lights seep through the small gap between the closed bedroom door and the wooden floor, signaling that her mom had returned home from work. In a state of panic, Saya quickly changes into a black, thin, long-sleeved turtleneck in order to hide the streaks. Saya then rushes back into her bed, covering her legs with her butterfly patterned comforter. She leans over the side of her bed in order to get the MacBook lying underneath it.

 

With a twist on the doorknob, Saya’s mother now stands at the entrance wearing a look of disappointment as she see’s Saya still in her bed. Saya’s mother shifts her weight to one leg as she puts a hand on her hip.

 

“Have you been in bed all day long?” She asks. Saya nods.

 

Sighing. “I need you to go to the store to buy some noodles.”

 

A quiet grunt came out of Saya.

 

~*~*~

 

With a plastic bag full of noodles in her hands, Saya walks home in the wet, chilly weather of autumn. She zips up her olive-green anorak jacket as a cool breeze sweeps through her body, making Saya shiver from its AC-like coldness. While on her way home, Saya enjoys the silence surrounding her, smiling at the calmness and stillness of the street she walks on. Though the moment is cut short as the lights of a lamppost ahead flicker. Saya’s footsteps start to slow down, not wanting to go near to the now switched off lamppost.

 

Only a lamppost away, Saya halts. “Just run past it, Saya. J-Just run p-past it.” With one foot forward, she counts. “1… 2… 3!” She sprints but stops midway.

 

The creepy lamppost had once more. It stands by the lamppost, waving at Saya in a slow pace. The lamppost turns off and then on. It has taken a step forward, still waving at the now terrified Saya. Ever so slowly, It starts to walk towards the already trembling girl.

 

Saya quickly turns around and bolts toward the grocery store. After only a short five seconds, she crashes into someone due to the lack of sight from her closed shut eyes. They fall on impact, both painfully landing on their butts.

 

Saya hurriedly stood up. Bowing. “I am so, so sorry- Oh! Hey~ long time no see.”

 

Tao looked up, despite the painful crash, he sees an ecstatic Saya in front of him. Tao sighs at Saya’s nonchalant attitude as he stands up, slightly rubbing his pained .

 

They stand in front of each other in silence.

 

“What brings you here?” Saya asked cheerfully as if the incident earlier hadn’t happened.

 

“I was on my way home from the grocery store – the bags!”

 

Carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, and other types of fruits and vegetables were scattered on the wet sidewalk. Seeing this, Tao hurriedly stuffed the scattered items into his plastic bag.

 

~*~*~

 

“Why were you running again? And with your eyes closed?” Tao asked

 

After realizing that they were heading towards the same direction, Tao and Saya unanimously agreed to walk together. Relief immediately filled Saya as she knew she wouldn’t be alone to face It.

 

“I felt like someone was following me, so… yeah.” Saya said awkwardly.

 

Tao nodded his head in understanding, though something seemed odd about Saya’s statement. Most people would run forward to get away from the person following them, yet Saya turned around to go the other way, running towards said person.

 

“Well, I’m sorry for crashing into you,” Saya said. “Bye!” She dashed inside a cream-colored apartment complex, leaving Tao a bit baffled at her suddenness.