Nadeshiko

Chapter Six

7.30 a.m.

I felt wind rushing past me as I fell. It wasn't me falling. It's my consciousness. But I guess it's also part of me. It was as if I'm returning back to my body. I could feel my eyes twitching and my body was shivering slightly. It might be because of the cold or fear. My lips parted. I wanted to speak but I couldn't form any words right now. I wrapped my fists around the blankets and my eyes flew open. "Sa-" I whispered. I was about to mention a name but somehow I had forgotten it. My vision was a little blurry. The room is dark and I thought I had woken up in the middle of the night but when I turned to glance at the clock, it's already 7:30 in the morning.

I got up and pressed a hand on my temple. My head's a little fuzzy from the lack of sleep. But it gradually became better when I squeezed my eyes shut for a short while. I thought about what I was about to say when I just woke up. It has to be a name. I remembered it before returning back. I remembered when she's falling. But why am I unable to remember it now? "Sa...Her name. It must be her name I'm trying to say." 聽I had a feeling that I had already got the first part of her name correctly. Now I just have to figure out the last part of it.

When my head felt better, I opened my eyes and shook my head, laughingly. "Why do I bother with this? It's not even related to the current situation we're in. It's just some stupid dream. The fact that it occurs every year in this very same room and even the same duration of our trip, makes it frustrating. I hate the feeling of having to crash into my own body all the time."

I got up and bathe. Then with a bathrobe around my body, I opened the closet to look for clothes. I chose a white shirt, black suit and pants. While I got dressed, I thought about our plans for today. After breakfast, we'll all go to see Scarlett to press her for information about grandfather's mistress's house location. But getting to the store room is a little bit tricky. I'm sure the adults will be monitoring us all the time. But I' m sure we'll be able to pull it off somehow.

I glanced at myself in a mirror to make sure I'm neat to prevent my father from nagging about it. It's a pain to have to return to the room to make myself neat again. Satisfied with what I had seen, I walked towards the door and placed my hand on the handle. Just when I was about to open it, I heard screams coming from downstairs. Fear gripped my heart when images of Uncle Yutaka's death flashed into my mind. What if something like that has happened to other family members as well?

"Damn it!" I cursed and opened the door quickly. So it's true. The riddle of the demon has come true. Aunt Kaguya is wrong. The culprits are not Scarlett and Sho. Even with them locked up, the murders are still continuing. It must be the demon's work! I raced through halls, down the stairs and then more halls until I came to the source of the screaming. I could tell it was Aunt Kaguya and Suma's voices. The door to the lounge was opened slightly. When I neared the lounge, the stench of blood filled my nostrils. I gulped and gagged, placing my hand over my nose. I inched closer to the room because I'm afraid of what I might see next. Truth is, I didn't want to see it. I couldn't bear to see another disgusting murder. I don't want to see my family members die. If it's possible, I don't want to admit the truth that we are inside the mansion and getting killed. I slowly pushed the door open but it stopped after moving for awhile. There must be something blocking it's path. I slipped in through the cracks which were wide enough for my body to slip past.

I saw my father in the same state as Uncle Yutaka except that his death is more gruesome. I noticed my mother lying near the wall. She looked fine but her face is very pale. I fell to my knees and began to cry. It's more like screaming actually. Screams of frustration, helplessness, and pain. I gathered my mother into my arms and tried waking her up. Her eyelids fluttered a little and I instantly knew she's alright. I felt a slight relief in my heart.