"Did you see that dear? She… thanked me. She thanked me for those potatoes." The woman broke into tears as she felt too happy to control her emotions.
The man was happy too, as for the first time in a long while, their daughter talked to them, and on top of it, expressed her gratitude.
"God, look at me, that kid felt hungry, and I couldn't even give her some decent meal. I should ask her what she would like to eat." The lady was about to climb up to Airi's room, just then her husband stopped her.
"You can ask that later, don't go right now. She seems to be in a good mood so just let her be."
The lady nodded in acknowledgment and agreed to drop the idea of asking her daughter.
"Guess we might have dinner together tonight."
They smiled at the thought of it, while the evening show was still rolling on.
------
Airi started with searching the reading table beside the window of the room. "My skin feels smooth, and I look bita' younger than I'm supposta', so I might be a high-schooler or some sort. Definitely there would be books and all to get that much info clearly."
She fumbled through all the papers the table had to get any clues. And soon enough, she found some notebooks, with the institution name on them.
"Sandra High, and by the content in it," she went through inside the notebooks, "she must be a senior."
'Urrggghh! Why!! Why she had to be a senior outta all possible ages!'
'Senior years are sucha' pain in the ass'!'
"I'm so not living this twice!" She groaned in pain remembering all the studies and projects she had to do to pass high school.
"As if I got any chance, Airi, you hafta' bear with it." she convinced herself with the arrangements she has been put into, after all, there would be no place to go run away.
"Seeing the time right now, there are only three people here, so she must be an only kid."
She then moved to the wardrobe to check the dresses in it. "Woah look at this, how extravagant style, and those are old, what am I, in 90s'? Even those colors are gross, like dude! Who wears pink?".
"And would ya' look at these make up items?! Who the f*ck got enough time to do all of these?!" She sighed heavily.
"Girl got too much time on her hands despite being a senior."
She looked around her and came to a harsh conclusion.
"She was the worst combination in mankind. Duh, such a normie!"
But that's the farthest she could go in search of Airi Arne's character profile.
"Well, there is no use in searchin' more I suppose. Better clean these up."
Airi cleaned up all the mess she made, and it took her more time than she did take in scattering those.
"Oh, all this work made me super tired." She laid down on the bed and wondered about what to do next.
"Maybe I should search what year it is now. But I didn't see any mobile here. That's strange. Probably her parents didn't get her one."
"Come to think of it, their condition seems to be not that good so... though her room looks different than their condition."
"Spoiled kid? Demanding? Pampered? Which one is it?"
Knock! Knock!! Knock!!!
Her thoughts got interrupted as a light knock on the door got into her ear.
"Yes?"
"Um… Airi, you didn't have anything good to eat, so… would you like an early dinner? Is that okay with you?"
"Yah, I'd... love that'"
"Great, then I'll bring your dinner once it's done."
"Hah? No! Why would ya' do 'dat? I mean, just call me when it's ready, I'll join ya' guys downstairs."
For a while, there was no sound from across the door.
After a long pause, the female voice again spoke up, "Will that… be okay with you?"
Airi wondered why it wouldn't be okay to eat with her own parents. Yet she kept aside the thought for now. She took a while to respond and then she said, "Yah, I'm cool with it."
"Then that's decided. Take rest until then."
The sound of the footsteps was gradually moving further away when suddenly Airi had the sudden urge to stop that footstep to fade away.
She rushed to the door and opened it, "Wait!"
The lady looked back at her, stopping in her tracks to let Airi speak.
"Um… that morning, the smoke was too… just… take care of ya' while cookin' so that doesn't happen again."
"Okay… Anything else?"
"No, nothin'... I would like somethin' spicy so please cook anythin' like that."
"Sure, I will do it."
The lady went downstairs after that.
Airi shut the door behind her, thinking she must sound lame there. "Aish, who can prevent smoke while cookin' stuff? Argh! My mind is totally a mess!! I even talked with that weird accent of mine. Gaaahhh, I could've at least talked properly."
Airi kept contemplating about it while nervously pacing through the room. And the lady started to prepare for dinner, with a peaceful smile on her face.
"Guess I'll take a little nap, all these works made me so tired…. uwah…", Airi lied down on the bed, and soon she dozed off.
------
"Airi… can you hear me?!"
"Don't you dare die on me!!"
Airi, keep your eyes open! Don't sleep! The ambulance is here..."
'Too much noise, ugh, lemme sleep… What are those noises? Who's calling me? There's a girly voice too, who is that? I can't make out any one of them…'
Airi woke up suddenly and found Mr. Arne beside her, calling out her name. Was that this man's voice she was listening to in her sleep? Nah, that voice was younger than this, and a bit deeper…
"Airi, you awake right? Come, dinner is ready." the man stretched out a hand to help her get up.
"Yeah, thanks."
On the way coming downstairs, even while all three of them were having dinner, she kept wondering about the voices she heard.
What were those?
Her dream?
But about what?
Seems like that was something that happened while she had the accident…
But she doesn't recognize any of those voices. If those were from the classmates, she would've at least could tell that…
Well, one voice among them was somewhat familiar. It had a depth in it. And was soothing, almost like one she heard when she faced the accident, but much younger than that. If those do not belong to my world, then don't tell me…
Her thoughts got interrupted by the sound of telephone ringing.