The Voodoo Doll

Chapter XIV: Haruichi and the house on fire

And that day will never rewind.

No matter how much I wish for it.

*****************

Haru's body pressed against mine, pinning me against the cold, damp surface of the tree.

We were in a forest. And we were about to kiss.

He put an arm around my waist, as if we were dancing in place, the owls of the night singing for us, the swaying of the leaves along with the wintry wind leaning closer to where we stood, protecting us from the misfortunes of the universe.

The only boy I've ever loved hugged me tighter, reaching for my neck, sending a wave of electricity down my back. I shivered at his touch. I wanted him. I wanted more. I wanted this moment to last forever.

"Hitori" , he whispered in my ear. I felt him bite my earlobe, only gently, right next to my very first piercing, summoning the rising heat in my cheeks.

I loved it when he said my name. I breathed in his shirt, savoring the smell I've longed for way too long.

"You know we're in trouble, right?" , he asked with a voice still as warm as sunshine.

"Um hmm" , I managed to say with my head buried in his chest.

"But do you know what's the real trouble?"

I didn't have the time to wonder, I didn't have the time to answer. Haru cupped my face in his hands, and in his gleaming sea colored irises, reflecting the silver of the moonlight, I saw my whole life flashing before my eyes.

I decided.

We'll move out of this Orphanage together. We'll go to college, we'll suffer through adulthood together, we'll graduate. We'll grow old together. And we'll die together.

Do you know what's so funny about this thought I had?

Only the last part came true.

"This" , he said, louder this time. "This is trouble"

Haru's lips were on mine before I could put my thoughts into words, and soon enough, everything became blurry in my brain. Every neuron screamed one word.

Haru

Haru

Haru

Haru!

He tasted like honey. He tasted like sleep and salt and like the cold air around us.

He tasted like life.

My mouth couldn't get any more of this. My lips moved in sync with his, as if they were born to meet one day, in this kind of embrace. Why were lips ever apart, I wondered. They opened, letting my tongue explore a territory it has never known.

Our bodies pressed harder against each other, reducing the distance between two beings, merging into one. An infinite dance that stopped time only for us.

I wanted it to last. I never wanted that present moment to become part of the past.

I never wanted him to die.

I never asked for any of these powers.

"Hitori" , Haru said my name one last time. It took me a while to realize what happened. It took me a while to know that when two people kiss, they might exchange saliva.

And that was what killed the only boy I've ever loved.

"There you are!" , a voice screamed from a distance. A familiar, feminine voice.

****************

The marble stairs seemed to melt under my feet as I climbed. The walls were almost giving in to the flames, and the ceiling, which was as high as that of a cathedral, was already turning pitch black, remnants of wood falling here and there. Dodging the fire meteorites coming from the ceiling, I kept running until I reached the long hallway with the endless doors leading to our rooms.

"MAYA!" , I called with what was left of my resolve. "If you're in there, just scream and I'll come get you!"

I waited, ears wide open for any sign of life, but all I heard and saw was the adjacent wall to my right shuddering in reply.

I scanned through the series of doors on my left, searching for Maya's name written in big scarlet letters. Sure enough, there it was, one of many, shut tight, silent, waiting for someone to open it.

Summoning all my strength, I kicked it open, hoping to see my old friend smiling at me in relief. Alas, nothing happens as one expects it, for the only sight that greeted me was the empty undone bed and the open window. I stepped inside, proceeded to check inside the wardrobe, under the covers, behind the door.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

A cold feeling of dread washed over me. The very first signs of regret. That surreal moment when you think you might have just committed suicide, or very close to being a charred piece of flesh.

She's not here she's not here she's not here!

Where is she?

Panic seized my heart like the grip of the devil, clouding my thoughts, replacing them with the fear I've been trying to suppress since the moment I got inside this crumbled building.

Suddenly, I heard a loud noise behind me. A crash. I turned around, only to have my blood freeze in my veins.

The door.

The door just collapsed, and the debris of the ceiling along with it. What used to be an open path looked now more like a big pile of wood, fire lighting it as though a hearth lit only to burn the corpses of the deceased.

In this Orphanage I grew up in, in this Orphanage I got kicked out of, I will die.

I'm trapped inside the flames.