Fumiko opened her eyes. She sat up and looked at the clock that was hanging from the wall right above the door. She squinted her eyes and tried to make out what it read. "10:00". Immediately after recognizing what time it was, the words that Akira told her before she left replayed in her head. "First period starts at 8:00. Don't be late." She quickly looked outside from the window that was to the right of her bed fearing that she overslept. However, it was still dark and the stars were out. "It's still the same day." She thought to herself.

 

She sighed and tried to get out of the bed only to realize that something was on her under the covers. She lifted the covers and found Yui attached to her side. Trying not to wake her, she gently pried Yui's hands off her and walked to the bathroom, lit the candle on the wall with a match that was on the counter, and studied herself in the mirror. Her long, ruby colored hair was all over the place. She continued stared her reflection. Fumiko only partially believed that she was meant to be there. The other part, not so much. She felt as if she was living a life that wasn't hers. "You don't just wake up one day and have amnesia." She complained to herself. As she turned towards the door to go back into her room, she saw Yui, in her green button up pajamas, standing in the doorway, her eyes half opened.

 

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

 

"No." Yui replied as she groggily wiped her eyes with her balled up fists. She yawned. "I wanted to wash my face." She walked over to the stool beneath the sink and stepped up onto it, and turned the faucet on.

When she was finished, she walked back into the room. Fumiko blew out the candle and followed.

 

"By the way Yui, why were you in my bed? Isn't yours the one in the other corner?" Fumiko asked.

 

Yui shook her head sluggishly. "No, that's yours. I thought you wanted to sleep together since you were already in mine when I came upstairs."

 

"Oh."

When the two sisters returned to their room, Yui hopped back into the bed she was sleeping on. As Fumiko walked over to the opposite side of the room, where the other bed was, Yui called out to her.

 

"Rei."

 

 Fumiko turned around. "Yeah?"

 

"Come sleep with me?" Yui asked.

 

"But you just said that-"

 

"So no?" Yui started to pout. 

 

Fumiko didn't want Yui to cry and wake up their parents over something so trivial.  "Sure." She said as she sighed. "Just don't cry."

 

Upon hearing those words, the frown on Yui's face transformed into a smile. She shifted over on the bed, making room for her sister, and eagerly waited for Fumiko to crawl in. And she did.

 

A few minutes later, Fumiko found herself restless. She couldn't fall asleep as easily as she did earlier. Questions she had on her mind before, started to resurface.  "Do I really belong here? Is this my life?" She had many on her mind but one question stood out amongst the others. "Who am I really?" She felt like she couldn't answer them herself. She looked over to her little sister.

 

"Yui, you still awake?" She asked her

 

"Mhm." Yui replied half asleep.

 

"Who am I to you?" Fumiko asked, not expecting a thoughtful answer.

 

"Who?" Yui rolled over, facing her older sister and gently grabbed her arm. "You're my sister." She said with her eyes still closed.

 

Fumiko smiled. Even though, the words of a seven year old who's half asleep shouldn't mean much, it did to her. It made her feel at ease. She closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

 

——————————————————————-

 

When Fumiko opened her eyes again, it felt to her as if only mere seconds passed by. She looked over to the clock again. This time, it read 7:00.  She lifted the cover to get up, expecting Yui to be there. She wasn't. Fumiko walked out of her room, into the wood floored hallway, and into the bathroom where she found her sister brushing her teeth.

 

"Rei you're up." Yui said with a toothbrush in her mouth as she handed Fumiko one.  Fumiko took it and joined her. When they were finished, they headed back into their room and changed into their respective uniforms. Fumiko didn't know what to do with her wild hair so she left it alone while Yui slid on a scrunchie onto hers, creating a ponytail. They then, went down the wooden steps into the kitchen where their mother had already prepared two pieces of toast on the table for them before leaving. Yui sat on a chair on one end of the table and Fumiko sat on the other. When Fumiko finished eating, she looked at the clock above the stove that read 7:25. She turned over to Yui, who had butter and bread crumbs smeared around her mouth and grabbed a napkin from the stack that was sitting on the table.

 

"Yui, how are you getting to school?" Fumiko asked her as she reached across the table to wipe her sister's mouth.

 

When Fumiko removed the napkin, she answered.

 

"Kaori comes here around 8. We always walk to school together."

 

Fumiko wanted to ask who Kaori was but she assumed it was her friend who she forgotten about and didn't really care to confirm.

 

"Oh, Okay."

 

"Actually Rei, how are you getting to school? Do you remember the way?" Yui asked.

 

"No, not really." Fumiko answered as she took the two plates that they used for breakfast and put them in the sink. "Aki said she'll be outside at," She looked at the clock again. This time, it read 7:30.  "Right about now."

She walked to the front door, picking up her bag along the way and put on the brown shoes that she came home in two days ago. She was about to open the door before she heard Yui call out to her. She turned around, hand on the door.

 

“What is it?" Fumiko asked.

 

"Have a good day." She told her older sister with a huge smile on her face.

 

Fumiko smiled back. She felt as if she had gotten closer to her sister even though she could only remember their memories together dating back to the past two days.

 

"Thanks, You too."

 

She slid open the door and closed it once she was outside where, she was greeted by Akira.

 

"Good morning Re-" Akira started but stopped once she saw the mess on Fumiko's head. "What happened to your hair?" She exclaimed.

 

"Oh, I didn't really know what to do with it." Fumiko answered while walking through the front gate of her house."

 

Akira sighed. "Well, you can’t go looking like that. Turn around for a second."

 

Fumiko turned around and heard Akira unzipping her bag and rumbling around in it before pulling something out.

 

"I don't have a comb on me right now but," She pulled out a black ribbon and tied it on her friend's hair, making a ponytail that reaches down to her waist. She stood back admiring her work. "That's a little better. She picked up her bag.

 

 

"Let's go."