Morning
Yuuās Bedroom
It wasnāt so much that I was scared, I guessā¦ I felt physically exerted, like Iād run a marathon. My chest was heaving, my throat seared as my lungs screamed for oxygen, and all I could to was close my eyes and fall back into my goose-feather pillows. The dream began to replay itself in my head, over and over as I analyzed it for some kind of meaning. There was none. I pulled my blanket up over my head, almost as if trying to shield myself from the images, to no avail. So I laid there for another half hour, wondering where Kaede was before I finally peeked out to look at the holographic screen of the alarm clock on my bedside table. Oh. Iād slept in again. Kaede had let me sleep inā¦. I rolled out of bed quickly, almost afraid that either the sweepers had come to revoke my ownership, or someone had found out what I was and came to take us both away.
In my closet was a full-length mirror. I stared into it, at the large red mark on the side of my face and neck. Some days I was absolutely mesmerized by how beautiful it was when it seemed to glow like coals in the fireplace. Othersā¦ I wanted to break the mirror and pretend that this heinous thing didnāt exist. It just depended. Today, I was indifferent. I stripped out of my pajamas and stood, stark naked, in front of the mirror as I applied layer upon layer of foundation over top of it. For minor blemishes, this was good enough for one layer. It was amazing stuff when you wanted to diminish the look of acne, lines, scars, or wrinkles. In my situationā¦ not as much. A whole bottle was painted on every day, just to make sure that it was completely concealed. I waited for each layer to dry before I applied the next, watching blankly as it slowly disappeared. And when I was doneā¦ I just looked like any other personā¦ with pink hair and golden eyes. I sighed heavily and dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white button-down, leaving the top two buttons undone. I wasnāt dressing to impress, so what was the point? When I finally made it to the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my ratās nest of hair. A simple routine, similar to just about anyone elseās. Except that as I carried on, I could distinctly hear the different sounds of certain people passing by my room, and most of them I recognized by name. Maids. Mother and Father. Hidekazu. Finally, when I was finished, I flopped down on my bed and crawled back under the covers, ready for my mid-morning nap.
And that was that. Once I was in bed, I did not want to get out.