Chapter 4 – Memories

  Again, as it had happened many times throughout her life, she lost consciousness. At any moment of the day, anywhere.

  Her body was incapable of keeping its balance, incapable of staying in harmony. As if every part of her being were breaking into small fragments that could never come together again, every time she fainted, Nasai felt a piece of herself slipping away. It was an unnatural, incomprehensible feeling, impossible to describe.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes, her vision still blurry, and saw golden strands of hair dancing in front of her.

  “Where am I?” she asked, disoriented as she lay on an unfamiliar bed.

  “I’m glad to see you’re alright,” responded a familiar voice.

  “Nick?” Nasai asked, beginning to see more clearly and noticing she didn’t recognize where she was lying.

  “You’re in my house,” Nick informed her, noting the young woman’s uncertain expression. He stood up from her side and approached a small table where a tea set sat on a tray.

  “Your house?!"

  “I found you passed out on the ground,” he explained, pouring the tea.

  “Oh…this is the second time you’ve helped me,” Nasai murmured, embarrassed as she brushed some strands away from her face. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “No need,” he replied with a gentle tone. When he placed one of the cups in Nasai’s cold hands, they both blushed slightly at the touch of skin against skin. “What worries me is your health.” He continued after clearing his throat and pulling his hand away. “Is something wrong?”

  “Well…” she hesitated, taking a few sips from the little cup.

  “I’m sorry. If you’d rather not say, it’s fine.”

  “No! Not at all! It’s just that…since I was little, I’ve always had fainting spells. My health is fine, but I faint frequently. In the past, I’d even lose my memory and couldn’t remember what I’d been doing for certain periods.”

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  “You should go to the hospital,” he suggested, concerned.

  “I was seeing specialists about it before. But when the fainting spells seemed to stop, I put it on hold. Now, though, it seems they’re coming back… I’m not sure why.”

  “I have a friend who’s a doctor. He’s one of the best in his field. I could ask him to help with your case. I think he’d be able to solve your problem.”

  “Really? I couldn’t ask you for that…” she answered, with a shy, grateful smile.

  “It’s no problem,” Nick added, regaining his composure as his heart fluttered slightly at her smile. “We’re conducting a field study, so helping you would actually help us as well.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’re doing for me,” Nasai smiled again.

  As silence filled the room, Nick couldn’t take his eyes off her, as if he wanted to etch this moment into his memory. It was something he hadn’t seen in so long, something so beautiful and innocent...

  “Just come back to me…” he whispered, barely audible.

  “Sorry? Did you say something?”

  “No, just that you can come back to me whenever you need.” He corrected himself quickly as Nasai checked her watch.

  “It’s gotten so late already? My sister must be home by now,” Nasai remarked, surprised at the time. She rose from the bed, grabbed her belongings from the small table, and bid farewell to her savior. “Thank you for everything, Nick.”

  But just as she was about to leave the room, Nick gently took her hand, making her blush.

  “Please, be careful. You’re very important, Nasai.”

  ━━━━━━???━━━━━━

  The hour had passed. Snow, as usual in Sainte-Coline, had started falling. The night promised to be cold, and Yuna wandered aimlessly, lost in her thoughts.

  “Had she acted recklessly?” “Why on earth had she left her sister like that? And especially, why in such a dark, dreary place?” She knew that her personality, sometimes far too impulsive, often led her down a bitter path, making her act in ways that were reckless and even selfish. The further she walked, the more she thought about Nasai and what she had done. But just as she was finally about to return to her, a familiar voice stopped her.

  “Yuna?”

  “Carol…”

  “Are you alright? You don’t look well,” her friend asked, concerned as she approached.

  “Huh? It’s nothing,” Yuna replied with a forced smile. “Are you out shopping?”

  “Yes! You know the presentation party for the new company is coming up soon.”

  “New company? Party?” “You’re so scatterbrained,” Carol chided, tapping Yuna’s forehead lightly with her finger.

  Yuna couldn’t deny that she was a bit absent-minded; it was a fact. But her recent lack of awareness about things going on around her wasn’t due to her usual distraction. Rather, it was because of the supernatural events that had been happening to her.