Paper Airplanes - Chapter I

My aniki died seven years ago.

I was ten years old.

"Okaasan! I'm going out with Kohana!" I shout, even though she's only a door down from me. She appears in my doorway almost immediately.

"You know I don't approve of that kusogaki..." she says bitterly. "Be careful around that one, Mei Mei."

"Mama," I groan. "She's not that bad. You only met her once!"

"Yes, and she smelled like trouble."

This was, quite frankly inaccurate. Kohana did not smell like trouble, she smelled like pine and ginger. It was the same perfume she wore all the time.

"Be back before dinner, okay Mei Mei?" My mother sounded almost concerned. I wanted to scoff.

"Yeah yeah." I grabbed my jacket and flew out the door before she could change her mind.

It was cold outside. Like, breathing-slowly-so-your-throat-doesn't-burn cold. I shivered, pulling my flimsy jacket tighter around my shoulders. Thankfully, Kohana didn't live that far. It was about a ten minute walk, give or take a minute. She lived in a more urban neighborhood, which was probably where my mother got her ideas from. I paused at a crosswalk, not bothering to look both ways. It wasn't a busy neighborhood, so I wasn't concerned. Kohana's house was just across the street.

Time moved kind of slowly. There were lights. Bright ones.

I heard someone scream. I fell, slowly.

slowly.

so slowly...

Then everything went dark.