Komorebi [Complete]

Part 1 - TREE

"Hey," she said, nudging him a little harder.

There was that low rumble again, but this time the boy turned his head and mumbled, "Food."

"Food?" She repeated; worried. It wasn't a kid, alright. If she were to guess, she could've easily figured that he's around her own age or even older. His curly black hair arched across his eyes like tiny thorns, nesting his eyes that were closed tight accompanied with a pained expression that scrunched his whole face up.

Across the hall, she heard a door slide open, followed by a call, "Taylor? Taylor!" The call was followed with a run towards her.

"Amelia! Is that Taylor?" It was a nurse. Sweat dripped down from his forehead, his glasses in an awkward position on his nose. His sudden arrival beside her made her jump a little bit, as if he was a falcon that had swooped down from nowhere.

"I— Well, I don't know who this Taylor is."

The nurse hastily crouched beside the fallen boy and inspected. He gasped. "Taylor! Please, wake up!" Amelia watched as the nurse continued to tap his shoulder and nudged his body.

"I heard him say 'food,'" Amelia said.

The nurse snapped his fingers as if he just solved a great mystery. "Of course! Be right back, Amelia. You keep an eye on him while I go fetch a meal."

"What, why?"

"Just do it! Who knows where he might end up next. I'll come back in five minutes!" he yelled as he ran outside the building.

Amelia curled her lips in confusion. She was alone with the unconscious boy once again. From the distance, the sound of chattering nurses was becoming fainter, a sign that their afternoon break is coming to an end. Soon it will be busy once more in the hallways.

The nurse didn't come back five minutes later, however, leaving her bored and stiff right next to the unmoving boy. The boy, on the other hand, was still unconscious. He moaned little bits and piece of cafeteria delicacies from time to time, making her wonder if he wasn't being fed properly.

She sat down by the wall and went through the three books in her possession, figuring out which was the first book and which was the last. When she found the first one, she opened it, skipped the copyright page, the title's page, the author's forenote and started reading. Just like that, she was in another world, with the groaning boy right beside her.

Reading the first chapter of the book out loud to the boy was easy for Amelia, as if it was second nature for her to do so right next to a semi-conscious boy who's calling for food. She relaxed, settling on the cotton-decorated wall. Finishing the first chapter, she read the second chapter up to the end—the point where she couldn't read more; her own head and stomach longed for food.

"Sorry it took a while," the male nurse that left her earlier had returned. He carried a tray with two plastic plates with wrapping paper stacked on each other. The sight of it made her stomach growl. "The cafeteria ladies didn't want fixing a meal before lunch. Here, I brought you your own," he said, handing Amelia the other plate. He knelt right next to the boy as Amelia hungrily ripped open her meal. She set her books right beside her as she started to devour the food.

"I'm sorry. I don't think you know me yet, but I know you," the nurse said. "Name's Prince."

As she ate, Amelia scanned him from head to toe. He looked like someone Celia would swoon over.

"You're pretty popular around here," Prince said.

Amelia gulped down a bite. "It looks like it. I've been here longer than anyone, so I deserve it." She grinned.