Runaways [MikaYuu]

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Distance was the only thing that mattered to Yuu as he bolted out of the pub and out of the town. It was pitch black outside now, as several hours have passed since he arrived in the city, and hardly anyone was around, save for the occasional smoker or homeless person.

His throat rasped as he gulped in breaths. The chilly night air whipped through his ash-colored locks, and he attempted to push them out of his face as he quickened his pace.

As he cut through an alley-way for a shortcut, the pounding noise of his dress shoes resonated off the walls with a clanging echo that matched the heart throbbing inside his chest.

Yuu had no clue why he had ran off, considering he wanted nothing more than to stay longer, even a single minute with Mika would be enough, but he continued to push his stride forward.

He also had no idea where he was, for the only lights were the occasional flickering street lamps, but he knew the general direction of the castle was this way and eventually he would see that giant hill that the castle was built on. All he had to do was keep running forward and get back to the castle.

Don't stop for anything, Yuu reminded himself firmly.

His legs felt like they were going to burst by the time he reached the giant hill. Gasping for air, Yuu trudged up the rest of the way. He noticed most of the horse-drawn carriages were gone, signaling that the party was ending soon and he only had a bit of time left to escape into his bedroom. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he yanked the heavy door open and peered through the crack.

Soft music still played in the ballroom, and Yuu saw his parents chatting amiably to another important-looking couple, laughing as they sipped champagne. Yuu snuck by the open room and bolted up the marble spiral staircase. His heavy footsteps were muted by the ornate carpeting as he ran towards his room at the end of the hall.

Upon entering his room, a sense of comfortable relief washed over Yuu. He leaned against the back of his door and shut it, allowing the silence to envelop him.

Yuu's bedroom was fit for a prince, and it was probably size of most commoners' entire houses. It was perfectly cleaned and dusted, due to the fact one of the royal maid's' sole job was to keep the bedrooms spotless. Yuu didn't exactly like having a maid. The idea of some random lady constantly rifling through his clothes and other possessions freaked him out, even though he had nothing to hide.

He had a comfortable, humongous bed with the softest goose-feather pillows money could buy. Flopping down on that bed made him feel like he was laying on a cloud. He imagined what it would be like to soar high in the clouds. Maybe one day people would invent the technology to do so.

In addition to the giant bed being the centerpiece of his room, there was plenty of other furniture to fill up the enormous space. One of the walls was crafted into a bookcase, with shelves of novels lining from the floor to the ceiling. One day he spent meticulously organizing them by author. There was also a sitting area with a couch, coffee table, a cozy armchair, and a fluffy rug that was fun to stand on barefooted.

The grandfather clock in the corner softly chimed twelve times. Midnight, Yuu thought. He walked over and silenced the chiming so it wouldn't annoy him when he slept.

He walked back to the bookcase and stood in front of it quietly. Pushing on the sight section of the bookcase revealed a set of secret stone stairs that led up to a small, circular room. He closed the secret passage behind him and headed up the stairs. Fumbling for the chain that turned on the lights, the room was illuminated. Inside was a desk, a small futon, and a desk chair. Stringed lights made the room feel almost magical.

Yuu deemed this room the escape room when he found it, a room that he was almost positive his parents didn't even know existed. They barely came in his bedroom in the first place, let alone actually look around.

Yuu was seven when he first discovered the escape room. Ever since he learned how to read around age four, he couldn't stop, pouring himself into page after page, book after book. Around his seventh birthday, his parents surprised him with hundreds of the most classic books published from around the world. He took the pleasure of organizing them all alphabetically, until he was carrying a large stack over, he tripped over a fallen book and flew right into the bookcase. The wall gave in, swishing open to reveal the passageway.

The escape room was the only place where he felt truly alone, and it was actually quite comforting, in a way. He knew no one would find him if he stayed in there. Maybe they wouldn't even notice he was gone. Perhaps they wouldn't even care.

He could die in that room and no one would ever find the body.

If you hadn't guessed already, occasionally Yuu fantasized what it was like to die. He wondered if it would be painful, or maybe it would be like floating in a pool, drifting off until everything else melted away until there was nothing.

Of course, he'd never kill himself. He didn't have the courage to. And every day, there was always something holding him back, no matter how small.

He left the escape room, pulling the bookcase door shut behind him. He grabbed a book and sat down on the couch, wrapping himself up in a fuzzy blanket thrown on the couch. The only sound was the occasional rustling paper sound when he flipped the page.

After a while, Yuu realized he was re-reading the same paragraph for the past five minutes. He didn't remember much of what he was just reading. This doesn't usually happen; him blanking out, that is. His mind kept drifting back to the events previous, of the dancing, of the bubbliness of Mika's laughter, of the euphoria, and God, what wouldn't he give to go back and never return to this damned castle.

Yuu flipped positions again, slightly hanging off the couch upside-down and his legs thrown over the back of the couch. Before long, the blood rushed to his head and he felt dizzy, so he shifted so he was lying down. Giving up on the idea of reading, he set the open book down on his chest and stared at the ceiling.

Running away tonight was the best thing that ever happened to him, but now it's left him more confused than ever.

Yuu could still hear Mika's voice in his head, picking away at his sanity as he flopped to the side.

"Will I ever see you again?"

Fuck, Yuu sure hoped so, because he wasn't sure if he could take much more of this life.

He sighed, marked the book with the bookmark, and set it on the coffee table. He blew out the candles illuminating the room with flickering gold and found his way through the dark to slip into his bed. He cradled one of the pillows and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling both extremely exhausted but completely awakened at the same time.

And as his consciousness ebbed away, his mind went into free fall, swirling with the beautiful chaos of a new dream.