With the lights turned off, Mei closes and locks the front door behind her.
"You got everything?" She asks.
"I think so." Andrew replies.
[Phone, keys, ID, general stuff, and the letters. Water, food, money. I believe everything is here.]
"Okay!" Mei exclaims excitedly. "Let us go then, to the station!" Mei moves towards the stairs that lead down to the ground level of the dorm building, with Andrew following right behind her. When they arrive downstairs, Mei slows down a bit to walk next to him. The sun is a lot less prominent today, with clouds sporadically spread across the sky, sometimes covering the sun faintly. They pass the school building and leave the campus.
"Andrew." Mei starts.
"Hmm?" Andrew responds.
"What are you gonna do if she, well, rejects you?"
Andrew remains silent and glances at Mei. Her neutral face shows that she had trouble deciding if she should ask it or not.
"I'm not sure." He replies after some time. "I…"
[I want to go back to Melissa, to apologize if that's the case. She told me to read the letter, but I didn't. I know I'm not allowed to go there anymore, but I don't think she'd mind if I come to apologize. A lot has happened that I should apologize for, I think.]
"I'd want to return to Periwinkle, to apologize to Melissa."
"For what? She is the one that kicked you out. She should apologize to you." Mei says. The two of them leave the main plaza and head into a side street. The Forb station is visible straight ahead. "But, if you insist, I would want to join you. If you don't mind, of course."
"That's fine by me." Andrew accepts.
[She could… well, help me with my words. I'm not too sure, this isn't really her conflict.]
"Well, we'll see how it goes." Mei responds. "We don't know what May is gonna say."
"Yeah."
Andrew and Mei arrive at the station and head up with the elevator to floor G, the floor between the ones with Frigital and Periowinkle. They sit down on a bench.
"I just realised…" Andrew starts. "We could've also just taken the Forb here from Clifftell High. There was…"
"No, we couldn't." Mei interrupts. "If we could, I would have, but you need a reason to take that one. If you live in a dorm room next to the campus, or close by somewhere else, they don't give you access." She explains.
[Oh, that makes sense, I guess. Not really though.]
"Man, I wish that wasn't a thing. Then we wouldn't have to walk so much." Mei groans.
"Well, I guess."
[It's not that long of a walk.]
Mei looks up at the arrivals board.
"10G is Mayflower Town, arriving in two minutes." Mei reads. "Let's check in." She stands up and Andrew follows her without a verbal reply. They check in, wait inside, and step into the capsule after it arrives.
The capsule speeds over Clifftell and passes the sturdy pine trees of Nivla Forest. Mei sighs loudly and leans on Andrew's shoulder. They are the only two in the capsule.
"Two hours left." Mei reads on a digital sign within the capsule. "Good that we went early, though. We arrive at noon, so we'll have enough time to do… things."
"You did have a lot of trouble waking up." Andrew jokes. "You got to fix that before…"
"Yeah yeah, I know I know." Mei interrupts. "Before I go to school and have to get up at eight. Well, I'll just slowly build it up. Today we awoke at 9:30, so I'm going to reduce it by 15 minutes every day." Mei explains, while counting the days on her fingers.
"That wont work out." Andrew says.
"Twice the amount in the weekend then." Mei counters his statement.
[If it works for you…]
A few minutes, less than twenty, pass in silence.
"Did we bring any snacks?" Mei asks drowsily.
"You were going to preserve them until the return trip." Andrew states.
"Well, yeaaah… but…" Mei sticks her hand in Andrew's backpack. Andrew doesn't flinch, and just lets it happen. She takes out a bag of chips and opens it up, takes a handful and folds it in itself to close it.
"I won't take more, I promise." She says.
"I don't really mind." Andrew responds.
"You don't? Well, if that's the case…" Mei slowly takes out the bag of chips and folds it open again. She gently pulls out a single chip and eats it, chuckling. Andrew briefly looks her way and smiles.
[Seeing her enjoy herself is a lot better than… when she isn't. I don't want to take that away from her, so eat all you want.]
After two long hours, the Forb capsule arrives at the station in Mayflower Town, and Andrew and Mei step out, letting other people in, and watch it as it speeds off back to Clifftell. Mei stretches her arms high into the air after leaving the small yet bright station and sighs with a cheerful tone.
"That was one long trip… with nothing to do." She says as she stretches.
"Well, all you did was eat." Andrew responds jokingly.
"Well, that was boring and eating doesn't count." Mei says. "Anyway, where are we off to?" Andrew is already checking his phone.
[Let's see… it's a short ways from here, by foot as well.]
"We just have to go straight ahead and turn left into Hyacinth Street after a while. After that I'll check again." Andrew explains.
[I don't want to remember every turn and street name now.]
"Okay! Let us go then!" Mei excitedly exclaims. Andrew nods, and follows her down the main road.
[She seems a lot more excited about this than me.]
Andrew and Mei turn left and enter Hyacinth Street. They walk through the entirety of it and enter Snapdragon Plaza, where they enter another street to the right of the plaza: White Rose Avenue. A tall set of stone brick stairs is just ahead of them.
"It should be up there." Andrew says.
"Up those stairs?"
"And then immediately to the right." Andrew finishes her sentence, while checking Google Maps on his phone to be sure. He takes a step forward, and feels a shiver rush through his body, from the nails of his toes to the top of his head.
[It's telling me to stay away, to turn around. But, I can't. I'm not going to. I have to…]
With another step comes another shiver, slightly stronger than the first.
[Continue.]
Andrew continues at his normal pace, with Mei walking next to him at the same speed. Yet, with every step, the shiver strengthens. Once he places his foot on the first step of the tall stairs, it turns into great quivering. The intensity throws him off balance, making him come to a stop.
"You okay?" Mei asks.
"Just a bit… nervous."
[I'm not really nervous. These aren't my feelings. They're someone else's. They're May's, telling me, forcing me to stay away. But I can't. I've come so far, so close… I have to continue, I have to see her.]
No one else is on the tall set of stairs, or walking through the street. Curtains are in front of every window, even the small ones, and all the shops are closed. Andrew's heart starts racing as he ascends the stairs, with only Mei by his side. His breathing becomes irregular, unable to control the emotions placed upon him.
"We can turn around if you want." Mei says. "You don't have to force yourself."
"No, I have to…"
[Continue.]
At the top of the stairs, two figures emerge from the right, and stand in the middle of the stairs, not descending. Andrew looks at them, but he can't make out who they are, because the blinding rays from the sun turn their bodies into a pitch black shadow. Mei grabs his hand, and they continue to ascend.
Andrew and Mei come to a standstill on the first to last step of the stairs, and stand just below the eye level of the two figures. Their faces are now clear. Andrew's eyes sink.
[She…]
May's dark brown eyes glare at him, and her short, black hair with grey strands flow together with the wind. The wrinkles on her face and her aged body are clearly visible, but her expression is the same at it was thirty-seven years ago. Tears well up in Andrew's eyes, lots of them. Mei looks worried, and changes her focus from Andrew, to May, to the other person, a man with short, blond, and slightly curling hair, just like Andrew's. His body is tough looking, and he seems of the same age as May.
No one speaks up for minutes, until May breaks the silence. A drop of sweat falls down Mei's left cheek, and Andrew's eyes shiver from fear.
"I thought I told you…" May starts, in a calm, yet agitated tone. "Not to look for me."
[No…]
"I have to say, I admire your perseverance, but it is futile." May continues. Mei takes a look at Andrew, whose pupils are now as small as grains of sand.
[She can't…]
"Give up, and don't try this again. I gave all my reasons in…"
"No!" Andrew blurts out.
"I gave all my reasons in the letter." May finishes her sentence.
"No! You can't just… just…" Andrew tries to counter her statement, but fails to find his words.
"I can't… what exactly?" May says mockingly. "It's my life, and my choice. Andrew, I'll say it again…"
[No… she can't change… she shouldn't have changed… this isn't real… this isn't reality…]
"I have moved on, and I don't want to look back at the past. I have lived with Jake for over thirty years now." She gestures briefly to the man next to him. Jake remains silent, his mouth shut, with an emotionless expression.
"And it looks like…"
[No… that's not…]
"You've moved on too, from me." May says, as she points sharply at Mei standing next to Andrew. All of them are only a few feet apart, yet it feels like an indescribable, unimaginable distance.
"No that's not true, I… she…" Andrew throws out words haphazardly, but he can not form a single sentence.
"I have one… no, two messages for you." May says. Andrew looks up with hope in his eyes.
[Yes… this is it… she will accept me somehow, in some way… she will…]
"Move on, and forget about me." May states, and Andrew's hopeful smiles locks place on his face, making it look twisted, complementing the look in his teary eyes. May turns around, and Jake follows her as she walks back into the alleyway to the right. Andrew stands there, looking forward, in a state of shock, disbelief, despair, with Mei trying to apprehend him. Residents of White Rose Avenue open there doors and curtains, and shopkeepers welcome everyone inside. As May leaves, the livelihood of the street returns, except at the top of the stairs, where one man has given up.
Completely.
With the feeling of waking up, Andrew gently opens his eyes. He stares at the ceiling blankly, the ceiling of Mei's dorm room. Slowly, he gets up and looks towards the window, where the wind enters the room at a gentle pace. The sky is filled with an orange-red hue, almost turning to black. He moves his head to the kitchen, where the lights are turned off. There isn't any light coming from the bathroom either.
[How did I end up here?]
Andrew looks in front of him. Mei has fallen asleep, partly on the bed, resting her arms on his legs and settled with her knees on the floor.
[Did she carry me all the way back? No, that wouldn't be possible. It's quite a long trip from… Mayflower… Town. Yeah…]
After slowly removing his legs from under Mei's arms, he gets up and goes to the kitchen.
[That happened…]
"I'm… awake." Mei says, while yawning in between.
"I see." Andrew notices his shoes and jacket are still on, and his wallet is still in his pocket.
"How did I… did you move me here?" Andrew asks, almost whispering.
"You walked here yourself." Mei responds. "You didn't say a thing until we arrived, and when we did, you tripped and fell onto the bed, immediately asleep."
[I don't remember a thing… past what… May said.]
Andrew walks back to the bed with a glass of water he took from the kitchen, and picks up all three cards from the bedside table.
"You want them?" He asks Mei. "I don't… need them anymore." Mei hesitantly takes them from his hands.
"If you were going to throw them away, I'll take them." She responds.
"I was going to… so hold on to them for me." Andrew sounds calm, but his eyes are broken. His gentle, twisted smile is still slightly locked on his face.
"Andrew."
Andrew does not give any visible response.
"What are you going to do now?" Mei asks.
"Tell Melissa." Andrew replies immediately.
"Why?" Mei softly continues, supressing her worries.
"Because she was right. I want to apologize… I want her to know... that she has always been in the right."
"Are you… going to move in with her again?" Mei asks. The suppression of her sorrow is noticeable, but not for Andrew's destroyed perception of the world. He doesn't reply, and just smiles and stands up, walking towards the front door.
"Wait!" Mei exclaims, as she places the cards in the pocket of her jacket and rushes up to him. Andrew turns around while holding his hand on the doorknob.
[I'm sorry… Mei.]
"Here." Mei gives him a small button. "Maybe it's a bit weird but… this popped off of my shirt the morning you arrived." Andrew takes the button and looks at it.
"Promise me you…" Mei starts.
Andrew steps in and embraces her. He places his arms on her back, and tightly places her in between his arms and chest. Mei's eyes shiver and tears well up instantly, and she returns the embrace as tightly as he gave it. All of Andrew's leftover emotions, the positives, the fun experiences, all of them flow over into Mei's mind, together with a message.
[I have to go, I want to go, but I will never forget you. You are the best Mei I could have wished for.]
Mei lets herself go from Andrew as he does the same. Andrew places the small button in the front pocket of his shirt and presses it tightly to his chest.
[I will keep you as close to my heart as possible, Mei. And promise me…]
Andrew opens the door and steps outside. A heavily teary eyed Mei watches him as he leaves the school's campus, headed to the station. On her face, a gentle smile supressing her sorrow, and in her grasp three cards, blue, red and purple. The sun sets below the surface and the sky turns dark as Andrew disappears behind a building, out of sight, and never to return again.
[Promise me that you will live your life your own way, Mei.]
Andrew enters the Forb capsule at the grand Clifftell Station. A capsule arrives on station 12H, and Andrew steps in. It is completely dark outside, with the streetlights and Forb capsule being an exception. Andrew speeds past the blooming grass fields, with trees, flowers, bushes, insects and wildlife. Between the bright green leaves of the sturdy oak trees resides one stem with branches. A grey stem with one thick, lifeless branch, no leaves attached, and almost falling apart. It pops out between the liveliness of the forest, and Andrew stares it down as it slowly moves to the left while he speeds off to the right. He closes his eyes. He faintly hears the sound of the large branch ripping off and falling down, taking half the tree with it.
The gates of the Forb capsule open, and Andrew steps out into the darkness. He walks the path where he is not supposed to walk anymore, towards the Mayor's house. His steps alternate from faint illumination to being shrouded in darkness by the evenly spaced streetlights shining down upon him.
[She was right. He was right… they were all right, and I didn't listen.]
The path inclines and Andrew starts walking upwards.
[I should've listened… no, I shouldn't have been here, that's where they are right. I should have died… really… I agree… so, Melissa, will you accept my apology, and let me start over? Forget about everything? That is what I want… what I need… but…]
From inside the house, a figure stands up from the couch and exits the living room. Andrew opens the fence gate of the small garden and walks towards the door.
[But… I have no way of getting there… of doing that… so, please, Melissa…]
He rings the doorbell, standing right in front of the door, with only one step remaining to get inside. The door unlocks.
[Melissa, let me in… and let me…]
The door opens quickly, with Melissa standing in the frame, raising her arm towards Andrew. The bright rays of the moon reflect on the metal blade and onto Melissa's face, revealing a glare filled with hate.
"Let me…" Andrew repeats in a whisper, and he does a step forward. The large blade of the kitchen knife pierces Andrew throat with ease, causing blood to spill out onto his clothes and shooting onto Melissa's face. Melissa gives a small push on the knife from the moment of shock, cutting even further into his neck.
[Reform… myself…]
She lets the knife go from her hand, letting Andrew fall down onto the street behind him. The stars disappear like a flock of fireflies being exposed to the morning sun, while the indescribable dark void fills up Andrew's surroundings, consuming Perigowinkle, Melissa, and Andrew all in a fraction of a second.
Mei's button rolls out of his shirt's pocket, passing his face and taking blood with it, before falling off the tiles and resting under the dark green conifers. His eyes track it until the very last moment, after which they turn grey, and lifeless.