I was standing on the top floor of the hospital, looking down from the 17th floor. The strong wind blew my hair away as I smiled and prepared to take a step. I walked slowly, savoring the moment.
"LEILA!" A gentle voice called out to me. I bit my lower lip and turned to see my mom.
"Don't! Don't do it!" She pleaded, tears streaming down her face. It pained me to see her cry. I smiled bitterly at her before jumping. "NO! LEILA!" My mom shouted.
Everything felt like it was in slow motion. I could still see my mother's face, even as I fell through the air. The sensation was strangely peaceful. If I had done it earlier, would my mom feel better? Would she have been spared from suffering? I felt like a pathetic burden to her. I hated myself for being born like this. I despised myself so much that I would rather be dead. I hated myself for having this kind of Disease.
As sleepiness washed over me, I slowly closed my eyes and didn't bother to open them again. The surroundings grew quiet. "Did I die already?" I whispered to myself, afraid to open my eyes. Summoning the courage, I slowly opened them and to my shock, I wasn't in the hospital where I had jumped. Confusion filled me as I looked around.
"Where am I?" I whispered.
I stood up and walked towards the nearest lake I could find. I flinched when I saw an unfamiliar face in the water-it was my reflection, but I didn't look like myself at all.
"What the?!"
That's when I noticed that my clothing was very different from my hospital clothes. They were dirty, yet I was stunned by my appearance. She-no, I was beautiful. "This must be a dream," I said, shaking my head and slapping my face hard. "It's not a freaking dream. It hurts!" I yelled. I took a closer look at my face from every angle. It hit me then-the red shiny hair that resembled my mom's signature look, and those shiny emerald eyes.
I gently caressed my cheeks. My skin looked pale, yet smooth and flawless. It was everything a girl could ever want.
As I stood there, I couldn't help but wonder: Where was I? How did I end up here? And most importantly, what was I going to do next?
I flinched when I heard someone scream and immediately ran towards the source of the sound. As I arrived, I covered my mouth in horror at the sight of a boy drenched in blood. Looking up, my eyes widened.
"Don't tell me he fell from up there!" I exclaimed, mustering the courage to help him, despite being unaware of the consequences. He was incredibly heavy, but I managed to bring him to the nearby lake where I had heard the scream. Gently, I washed his face and body, noticing how handsome he looked with his blonde hair.
I propped him up against a stone as I continued to clean him. Suddenly, his hand grabbed mine, causing me to flinch. Fear gripped me, worried about what he might do. I gulped nervously and stole a glance at his face as his eyes slowly opened. "What are you doing?" he weakly asked.
I smiled before answering, "Helping you, of course!"
"Help?" His eyes widened, and mine did too. He had stunning aquamarine eyes that only added to his attractiveness, but he clearly wasn't my type. "Thanks," he said, shifting his gaze to his right side.
I didn't want to intrude on his personal life, but I couldn't help but ask, "I'm sorry to ask, but why did you scream or how did you fall?"
He blinked twice and clenched his fists. "It was an assassination!" he exclaimed, anger etched on his face. I felt sorry for him. How could someone target and kill a young child? "The blood—" he whispered. "Pardon?"
"The blood on my body and face isn't mine. It's from the assassin I killed, and it wasn't me who screamed!" I bit my lip and avoided making eye contact with him. "Do you really think I'm someone who would scream?" he asked. I looked at him but avoided his gaze. "M-maybe?" I mumbled.
"What?"
"I mean, of course not! Ha-ha," I fearfully replied. If he could kill those who wanted to assassinate him, it meant he could also kill me at any time. "I won't kill you, so stop trembling," his voice softened, becoming gentle. "T-trembling?" I stammered, noticing my hands and feet trembling. How could I be so nervous in front of him?
"Kei," he said, avoiding my eyes. "Pardon?"
"My name is Kei," he said, making me happy. "Okay, Kei. Call me Ophelia or Le— I mean Ophelia," I said, touching his hand and smiling at him.
Night fell, and the moon looked magnificent compared to the view from my window. I sat on the grass, gazing at the moon with a smile. Kei sat under a nearby tree to my right. Even though he promised not to harm me, I still felt afraid of dying. It was a fear I hadn't experienced when I jumped from the top floor.
Perhaps it was because I liked it here. In this place, I didn't feel ugly or weak like I used to before. I could walk farther now compared to my time in the hospital. Being confined to the top floor of the hospital was suffocating, but now, everything was different. I loved it!
However, thoughts of my mother still lingered in my mind. What would happen to her? Was she happy or sad that I was no longer there? Or maybe—nah, I'd rather stop thinking about it.
My smile faded as my stomach growled, causing me to feel embarrassed. I didn't dare look at Kei. "Hungry?" he asked. I still avoided his gaze and simply nodded. "There's a nearby village to the south. How about we walk there? If we hurry, we can arrive by midnight," he suggested. I nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "I wish we had a motorcycle here!" I exclaimed.
"A moto—what?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He stood up and dusted off his back.