Chapter 6

Aki responded by calling Ray names in confusion. Alice chimed in, “Oh, you guys know each other; how nice.” Ray asked, “You’re not sick anymore?” Aki replied, “No, I’m much better now, thanks to Alice; it seems the same for you.” Ray then said, “You don't mind me taking her from you?” Aki suggested, “How about we all live together?”

Ray said, “That’s fine!” taking Alice's hand, which was holding Aki's hand. Ray didn’t want to give Alice away, not even to the other person he loved. Aki found this endearing, as it was the first time he’d seen Ray act so openly. When back at the house, Ray pinned Alice down on the bed, panting. As she moved her hand up to his face, Alice kissed him, a gesture of acceptance.

“You accepted me and said I could live for you because I had nothing.” Ray murmured. “It made me crave everything from you: your hate, your love, and your fear. You’ll always stay with only me; you won’t go to anyone else,” Ray said. Alice said, “I accept you, but I also want to go to Aki.” Ray's face fell, “You like him more than me? Is it because he is nicer and more fun than me?”

Alice confessed. “He is nicer, and I have more fun with him.” Alice then asked, “How do you know each other?” Ray responded simply, “We’re brothers.” Aki would always hold Alice's hand to lead her to places when she started covering her eyes because there was no point in seeing people as she didn't see color. With the cover over her eyes, they were just outlines with no color.

There was a day with Aki where Alice’s hand that held the marble up to her ‌eye, Aki lens close to her face to look at the marble ball to see what she saw was so pretty. When looking, there was nothing but a bright light that was blinding. There was one time together Aki wrapped a red string around Alice’s finger as Aki moved his thin finger to loop it back to his finger. Alice, seeing different shapes, thought that the red string connecting them, always changing to find where they are in the world. After many more stagnant days, Alice found herself alone in the testing room, having waited for what felt like an eternity.