I turned toward the voice and saw my sister, out of breath, looking at me. As soon as I saw her, I bolted. "Wait, Kaya!" she called, but I ignored her and kept running. Why is she here? Glancing back, I saw the gap between us closing fast. I pushed myself to run harder, desperate not to be caught.
"Kaya, stop! It's dangerous!" she shouted.
I don't know how long I ran—maybe 30 seconds, maybe 10 minutes. My legs were growing tired when suddenly, a blinding white light filled my vision. Shocked and exhausted, I instinctively stopped. As my vision cleared, I saw a truck barreling toward me. I realized the danger, but my body wouldn't respond.
The world seemed to slow down. The truck loomed closer, and I noticed the driver slumped over, apparently dozing off. Of course, it's Christmas Eve, I thought absently, noticing the festive decorations. He must be exhausted, working even on a day like this.
I made a mistake, didn't I? Am I really going to die here? Strangely, I didn't feel afraid. I just didn't want to die. As this thought crossed my mind, someone suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me backward. I fell hard, and the truck sped past, missing me by inches. There was a dull thud, and the world snapped back to normal.
I had hit my head when I fell, and as I lay there, I heard people around me murmuring in concern. Ignoring the pain in my head, I struggled to sit up. My eyes caught sight of something bright red.
"Sis... Sister?" I whispered.
I quickly looked away, scanning the area. My sister had pulled me back, so she had to be nearby. But where? Where is she? I forced myself not to look at the red stain and continued searching. She had to be here somewhere. But she wasn't. Where are you? As I searched, the vivid red color seeped into the edges of my vision. I couldn't avoid it any longer—I looked.
"No... no, no, no, no!" I screamed.
What happened next is a blur. I vaguely remember the sound of sirens approaching before everything went black.
When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. My head felt strange, and when I touched it, I realized it was wrapped in bandages.
"Nurse! Ms. Kaya has woken up!" A nearby nurse called out and went to get the doctor. My thoughts were hazy, like I was floating.
"Can you tell me your name?" the doctor asked.
"...Kaya Mayoi. Wait—what about my sister? What happened to her?"
This wasn't the time for me to be lying in bed. What happened to her after that?
"Don't try to get up too quickly. Take it easy and lie back down," the doctor said as he helped me back into bed when I became dizzy from standing up too fast.
"But what happened to her?" I insisted.
"...You need to rest for now. Your mother will be here soon, and you can talk then. Just try to sleep until she arrives."
Why wouldn't he tell me? Did that mean... no, it couldn't be. With no other choice, I tried to sleep until my mother arrived.
When I opened my eyes again, my mother was standing by my bedside. "Oh, Kaya, you're awake. I'm so glad... at least you're okay," she said, her voice trembling.
"Mom, what about my sister? What happened to her?"
"...Yuu is dead," she replied, her voice flat.
"...What?" I whispered, not comprehending.
"I said Yuu is dead. So now, Kaya, you're all we have left," she repeated.
I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. Even though I had already known deep down, I hadn't wanted to know. The idea that my sister was gone—that she was dead—was too much to accept. But soon, it was time to leave the hospital, even though it still didn't feel real.
My mother and I returned to our home for the first time since I had run away. I had never imagined I would come back under such circumstances. My parents were strangely kind to me now, probably because I was all they had left after my sister's death. I should have been happy that they were finally paying attention to me, finally giving me the recognition I had longed for. But instead, all I felt was emptiness. Now that my sister was gone, I had finally gotten what I wanted... so why did it feel so hollow?