LENA
“Why did you stop, Lena? Come on, let’s go home. I’m tired and we still have our whole room to pack. We’re never going to make it in time.”
“Wait! I just had the best idea ever—I’m going to go back to the convenience store and go crazy and get everything we like. It’s our last night here in Tokyo, so we might as well enjoy it. Let’s stay up all night and watch the sun come up.”
“You can’t see the sun come up from our place. Have you forgotten the huge building in front of our house?”
She was right. We lived in an old-style house that was one of the few remains of a time far gone. I always wondered how long the little house had been there, being that the tall apartment buildings around it were much newer.
Maggie gave me a pleading look and let out a huff.
“Come on, let’s go!” she cried out impatiently.
The sunrise…right. I thought about it for a second and came up with an idea.
“We can go up to the pedestrian bridge and see the sun come up. Let’s not go to sleep. Let’s pack then stay up all night. Let’s make our last hours here count.” I bit my lip, realizing it was a silly excuse, because we had already been out partying all night with our friends.
“We’re going to look like zombies tomorrow,” she complained.
“Who cares! We’re going to be on a plane for hours. It will give us a good reason to put our Hello Kitty sleeping masks to use.” I winked at her and she huffed, shaking her head. “Come on,” I pleaded.
“Whatever.” She sighed, her shoulders slumping with resignation.
“Yeah?” I asked, looking for her approval, even though my mind was made up. I was going to stay up all night and soak in the last few hours in Tokyo. I wasn’t quite ready to get on a plane and go back to the US.
Part of me didn’t want to leave this place. No, that was a lie—every part of me didn’t want to leave. Other than finishing up school, I had nothing to go back home for.
I basically had no family. My mother and I weren’t close at all.
It was different for Maggie. She had her whole family, and I knew her little brother had been impatient for her to come back. She had half a suitcase full of presents for him.
No one would care whether I made it back home or not.
Unfortunately, my visa was going to expire soon, and I had to go back to the US to finish my degree.
I took a deep breath, anxiety threatening to take over my lungs. My chest felt heavy, and I knew I couldn’t help it.
I didn’t want to go to sleep. I didn’t want to miss a single moment.
The next morning—well, actually later that morning, seeing as it was already past midnight—we would be vacating the room of the Japanese-style house we’d rented for the greater part of a year. We’d have just enough time for a quick breakfast with our heavy luggage in tow, and then we would finally head to Narita airport.
“Okay, so I’m going. I’ll get you the lemon sake you like so much. Want anything else?”
“An onigiri with salmon. Oh! And maybe some of those chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.”
“An onigiri and nuts, noted.”
“And that cold green tea—the one with the light-green label.”
“Gotcha. Anything else?”
“No.” She shook her head, her expression suddenly somber for some reason, darker. “Hurry up, okay?”
“I will.” I pressed the button to cross the intersection and waited for the green light to tell me I could go. It was a bit chilly for early April, but spring was unpredictable in Japan. A gust of wind blew across the street, carrying along a flurry of cherry blossoms.
I was going to miss the sakura, the cherry trees that made spring in Japan so special. The trees looked so pretty when they were all in bloom, and when it was windy, the petals fell everywhere like a pink, delicate rain. The chirping sound of the crosswalk came on and I started crossing the street.
I was halfway across when I heard Maggie calling out to me from the other side of the street. I glanced at the light. It was still green. I quickly turned around.
“What’s up?”
“Wait—I’m coming with you,” she said, making her way toward me.
I glanced at the light again. It wasn’t flashing yet. “Hurry up.”
I looked both ways on the deserted street and when I turned to my right, I was blinded by the lights of an oncoming car. I couldn’t see anything, but from the sound of it, I kept thinking it was going too fast.
I should have gotten out of the way, but I couldn’t move.
I heard tires screeching on the asphalt and the car swerved.
A muffled scream and a thud.
It took me a few seconds before I could see again, and when I did, I wanted to die.
This cannot be happening.
Not to her, not right now.
The wind blew again, this time stronger. I couldn’t even see her, not with my impaired vision and the petals of the cherry flowers blowing everywhere. I was still frozen in place when the loud honk of another car brought me back to reality.
Brightness again, too much of it. I closed my eyes, hoping to die.
Brakes screeched, the car hit me, and everything went dark.