CHAPTER ONE

AUTUMN BEGNINGS

An hour passed and I was still sitting on one of the thousand steps doodling on my sketch book.

“Siren!” a familiar voice shouted.

I quickly turned my head back to see who had just called out my name.

“Apple,” I said staring at the cute girl with pig tails walking toward me.

I knew her alright. She was a good friend of mine who happened to live in the K-building which was a flat opposite the L-building, where I lived.

“I thought you had left,” she said walking pass me.

“But I told you I was going to wait for you,” I replied picking up my school bag and followed her.

“I know but I wasn’t sure you’ll stay even when I took an hour to get here,” she replied.

“Well I promised you,” walking down the stairs beside her. Her soft warm hand wrapped itself around mine as we walked down the quiet Torin Street. “Anyway, what took you too long?”

“You will not believe it!” she exclaimed.

I realised that her bright blue eyes had widen and her grip on my hand had loosen. For a split second I thought I saw some of the hair from the back of her neck stick up. 

“What?”

“Well, Sorrow is also in the debate team!” she yelled in excitement. “Can you believe that?!”

Well Sorrow Haze was my class prefect, a hot smoking class prefect if you must know. He always had his shoes shiny, navy blazer on and smelled really good. To be honest I too really liked him.

“Wow,” with my eyes wide open.

“Right? Wow,” Apple added.

To be honest I  was dying to  be her for that split second, before I remembered how much I hated debating and also how much it hated me. Talk about mutual hatred.

“He’s really serious and good in stating his points if you must know,”

Stating points that  made sense was something I knew Sorrow Haze was good at doing. He had once got in an argument with Bob, one of my laziest classmate who had decided he was too lazy to help in cleaning our classroom.

“Nice,” with my eyes on her glowing face.

“I wish you were also in the team so you could really see what I’m talking about,” she said with her big bright blue eyes staring at mine.

“At least I have class to see him,” I reasoned.

“I almost forgot he learns in your class,” Apple said with a little laughter.

The corner of my eye suddenly caught sight of the four weird looking teenagers who were dancing a few meters from us.

“Let’s go watch them,” Apple suggested.

To be quite frank I didn’t want to go especially since they were from the Centaury Street. I had heard a lot of messed up things about residents from the Centaury Street. One of those things was that elderly men married teenage girls.

“Come on Siren,” Apple begged me. “It will only be for a few minutes.”

“Fine,” I finally replied.

As much as I didn't like them they were really good dancers, but what caught my attention the most was their weird dress style which made them look like imaginary beings.

“Yoh!” yelled one of the four weird teenagers who had a tanned skin and thousand earrings on her face, walking toward us.

Her voice sounded deeper than that of Jack’s voice. Something was seriously off about her and her three friends.

“Let’s leave,” I whispered to Apple who had frozen like a man cursed by Medusa.

“You can’t just watch us for free,” she violently said. “Now cash up!”

One of the three weird looking teenagers who had a pale skin and large holes on his pinna switched their small radio off, causing the other two who looked like twins from hell to stare at us with their hollow eyes.

“We don’t have money,” I quickly replied in effort to dismiss us from the awkward situation we had placed ourselves in.

The teenager with large holes on his pinna lets out a short rude laughter, which made my skin crawl. Something about him felt demonic and inhumane. 

I quickly pulled Apple by the hand and walked down the thirty-three street without looking back but I could still hear their loud radio playing.

~ ~ ~ ~

I took the keys from underneath the small green mat written ‘Welcome’. It had been part of our family from when Jin and my father were still around. It was a gift from my cousin who lives in the South West of Mino City.

“Good afternoon Siren,” an old woman on a wheelchair greeted me, as she passed by humming.

I had known her as Mrs. Shem. She was one of my mother’s good friends. They would  visit each other every weekend for a cup of tea. She lived upstairs with her boyfriend and her two grandchildren which were in a Primary School which was close to my high school. They were two adorable girls if you must know. One was seven years old and the other one was twelve years old.

“Afternoon Mrs. Shem,” I replied as I unlocked the door and entered our flat.

I placed my school bag and sketch book on the couch as I went to the balcony. I took the watering kettle which was beside the six potted plants.

“Hello Twinkie,” touching the small sunflower in one of the potted plants.

I started watering all the six potted plants which my mother had grown cabbages, carrots, onions, spinaches, sunflower, and roses.

My nose suddenly caught the choking smell of cigarettes. I sneezed twice. I slowly looked down the balcony and that was when I caught sight of the young man downstairs standing on the balcony smoking.

I knew him from when we were kids. He was Tydo Claw. We were doing the same grade until he dropped out two years ago after he had a baby with a woman who left him with the child.

Without me realizing it that the watering kettle had tilted, the water dripped on his head.

“Damn it,” I said between my teeth.

I quickly took cover near the pot plants. I saw him looking up while touching his head. To be honest it felt funny. I covered my mouth to muffle my laugher as I watched him disappear from the balcony.

I got up while staring at the watering kettle.

“You almost got me in trouble,”

I placed it down beside the potted plants where I had found it, then walked back inside.

I took my school bag and sketch book from the couch and headed for my bedroom which was a few steps. I pushed the door open then slammed the door behind me close. It was a small room with a small dresser and a mirror with numerous photos stuck on it.

All those photos were my memories. Memories of my father and little brother Jin who were no longer with us. I placed my school bag on the chair and walked toward my small dresser.

I placed my sketch book on it then ran my fingers on the numerous photos with a big smile on my face. Strange enough I could feel their presence in that moment. It was as if they were standing right there beside me.

“I miss you both,” I whispered softly with tears gathered in my eyes.