It was just a sleepover. Something Jecca and Oreiha always did together. Jecca rolled around on Oreiha's bed before stretching out like a cat and rolling herself up like a sushi roll with the blanket.
Oreiha sat down next to Jecca. Immediately sensing something wrong Jecca swallowed her with her blanket. On top of Oreiha was her best friend smiling at her with the blanket over them.
They both suddenly heard the door swing open as Maro went and checked up on them.
"Are you guys asleep?"
Suddenly hearing that startled Jecca who fell into Oreiha's arms.
"You're heavy get off of me!" Oreiha quietly whispered before shoving her friend to the side.
"We were about to sleep."
"Alright then, goodnight Oreiha."
The door closes and Jecca emerges from the blanket panting.
"Jecca you have your guest bed over there."
"So?"
Both of Jecca's arms were tightly wrapped around Oreiha like a python constricting its prey.
"You are warmer than me." She said whilst shoving her face into Oreiha's body.
"Are you some freaky lizard now?"
Oreiha didn't get an answer to her question. Her best friend had already fallen asleep next to her. But what could she do? Oreiha closed her eyes. If only what followed could have been a dream. If only it was just a nightmare.
On the cold bathroom floor, Orei looked down at her stomach and massaged around it. She felt as if she was full of impurities. Impurities that tainted her very being. She had gotten something that didn't belong inside her. The dirty stained clothes fell onto the cold floor. She couldn't bear looking at herself in the mirror. She knew that the monster with eyes would always be there no matter what.
Even so, she gave her body a quick peek. Across Orei's body were hundreds of scars across her arms and thighs. Hiding underneath those dishevelled clothes were hundreds of cuts that tried to repay a debt.
As she had thought, the monster with multiple eyes was still there behind her. She wondered if she had changed recently. If something had happened inside of her? She felt a sense of motivation. A drive to do something that would improve herself. Her hand reached towards the shower head and the other hand turned the water on.
No matter how many times she showered she felt still dirty. That's why she stopped showering regularly. But today she didn't shower because she felt dirty. She showered because she wanted to.
The water flowed down the curves of her body. It reminded her of the sound of rain. The smell of petrichor and the comfort the rain brought her.
After she was done showering she heard the sound of knocking on her door. Orei opened the door and Jecca immediately burst in.
Jecca caught a whiff of the smell coming from Orei's hair and genuinely looked happy for Orei. She made herself comfortable. Putting her feet up on the table and resting her head on her hands.
"You got anything fun today Orei?"
Shaking her head Orei said she wouldn't do anything today.
"In that case, why don't we go visit Leto?"
Orei looked around the house trying to make up an excuse not to go but before she could figure something out. Jecca already had her by her hand and they were walking to Leto's house.
With 4 heavy knocks, Jecca stood proudly in front of Leto's overgrown house.
An elderly woman around her 60s opened up the door. She immediately recognized us as Leto's friends and welcomed us in. She was Leto's grandmother whom we met a few years ago.
"You kids certainly grow up fast."
She led us to Leto's room and told us that he was inside. She then left us in the hallway, Jecca opened the door to his bedroom.
"Don't mind us!"
But inside was no Leto. He wasn't in his room. As expected Leto had a bunch of plants in his room. Cars and planes were adorned on shelves and posters of aviation.
Jecca went around admiring all of Leto's stuff whilst Orei decided to go to another room. She had a gut feeling that Leto would be in one of the other rooms.
She slowly opened a door and peeked inside.
*BEEP… BEEP*
She saw Leto at the bedside of an old man. Leto's grandpa was hooked up to a machine that kept him alive.
Orei tried closing the door but before it was fully closed Leto called out her name.
Awkwardly Orei stepped into the room and Leto left his grandpa's side.
"As you can see, Gramps is on life support. The doctor said he got at least 2 weeks left."
Orei didn't know what to say. She just stood there silently listening to the machine keeping Leto's grandpa alive.
"This is maybe not the best place to talk."
Leto and Orei left the room and went back to his room where they caught Jecca playing with the airplanes and cars.