Alice in Borderland

Chapter 26 - Downpour

After two days of strict bed rest, Ann finally allows me to leave my room again. Izumi and Kuina visited me several times a day. Yuudai once looked after me and brought me a tray from the canteen with fresh food. I am very grateful to them, including Ann. Without her, I might have bled to death and she often examined and cared for my wounds. The only one who did not revisit was Chishiya. I didn't dare ask Kuina what was going on with him. But I can also think of it a little. In the beach, no one seems to know anything about him, even Kuina seems to know as little as possible. The fact that he hasn't looked past means that he most likely told me the truth. He does not seem to like talking about himself, which I can understand well. I must have been really sorry that he told me all this.

Meanwhile, many bruises have formed on my body and most wounds seem to have formed crusts, which means that the healing process has begun. The swelling on my neck has subsided, but the wound on my back still looks just as bad and repulsive. I opt for my black bodysuit and loose trousers as it covers most of the wounds.

Ann has dropped the morphine, which makes my head clearer, but my body feels like an old punching bag. I can barely lift my arm without a pulling or stinging pain. I sit on one of the loungers in the pool area with a drawing block, an eraser and a pencil. Neither in the entrance area nor in the restaurant did I see a familiar face, which is why I turn to my paper.

It's been a long time since I last painted. But many options that require as little movement as possible, I don't have in the beach. I don't really pay attention to what I draw and my thoughts wander around a little bit. The last two days have already diverted my thoughts, bed rest is really a torment.

Most people think about how they survive the games and how they get home. But I kind of think about what it would be like to be back home. Would my life then go as it used to? Just back to university: take back to class, write my exams, dance with the cheerleaders again. Back to my family, to my parents. Would I even remember the Borderland and the people here? In the normal world, the thought of passing Izumi or Kuina by chance comes to me and not to recognize her. A glimpse and that was it. And Chishiya? The university is big, but at some point we would run over each other. Would I recognize anything about him? The vest, his hair or the better-known grin. It feels weird to think about not recognizing all of this.

"You my love," a voice rips me out of my thoughts, "hang too often in your thoughts"

The hatmaker places two bottles and glasses on the small beach table between us and lays down on the couch next door. As always, he wears his sunglasses with round glasses and an orange bathrobe. He strokes his hair backwards and pours something into both glasses. He hands me one and I look at him in amazement.

"Tequila?"

"Of course, it's a little too early for whisky," he says, and I can't say if it was sarcasm. Strange, usually he doesn't spend time by the pool in the afternoon. I bump into him and look inconspicuously at someone from the military or the leadership. I only recognize Niragi on the other side of the pool, but he seems to pay more attention to the passing girls than to the man next to me.

"At this time here by the pool?"

"Oh yes," he sighs briefly, "my nocturnal visitors are almost all dead and I'm waiting for a replacement while I talk to a friend.

I look around a little further and notice how many people keep coming to us. I can see from their eyes whether they are looking at the whole situation or just the hatmaker. I close my block and this time I give up our glasses.

"The girl with the bright pink bikini on the right side of the pool," I begin, "she almost pulls you out with her eyes. The drink in her hand is alcohol-free and she looks like she's just come of age, which means she's almost never drunk before."

The hatmaker sits up and I can feel his enthusiastic look on me, so I just keep talking: "The woman in the leopard swimsuit had at least two breast surgeries and the one on the floating flamingo is open for threesomes"

"You have a gift," he laughs, appearing to take a closer look at the women who have been noticed. He just laughs warmly, which I realize he made a choice. I expect him to get up immediately, but he gives us both back.

"Another meeting?" I advise out of a feeling.

"Always the same. How are you?"

"Even better. But Ann has dropped the morphine, so I need more tequila," I laugh slightly and keep my belly side inconspicuously, which hurts.

"I'm happy to help," he laughs, drinking his glass again in a train, "I've never seen you amused anyone. Nobody cares about you here?"

"No."

Is that really one hundred per cent true? I shake my head and drink a strong sip. I never really meant that. I notice that I laugh loudly at myself and instead of asking, the hatmaker agrees. Slowly, the alcohol seems to unfold a small part of its effect, because my side does not hurt so much when laughing. I look up into the sky and although it is so warm, thunderstorm clouds have formed within a few minutes. I already feel the first drop and put my drawing block under the couch. Some look at the clouds and go inside, including the hatmaker. When he looks at me inquiringly, I just wave off and say That I am still staying.

I close my eyes and enjoy every single drop on my skin. As soon as a rain breaks out I hear everyone storming in. I can hear the sunbeds slipping and like all their glasses with them. But I'm just lying there. The rain seems to cool my body and the pain disappears.

I feel relaxed for the first time since the game and ... alive. Since I lay on this forest floor, I felt stunned, as if I had been holding my breath since then. The pictures kept coming and I was startled from my nightmares screaming.

The rain seems to wash it all away, at least for a moment. Satisfied, I open my eyes again and take my drawing block before I walk comfortably to the entrance area. Some women are upset that their hair has gotten wet while my clapping wet sticks to my body. I drive up the stairs and even ignore the grinning gaze of Niragi on the gallery.

I just walk to my room and the moment I want to open the door, I turn again to the main hallway. And there he stands and looks at me directly, Chishiya. Unlike other things, he wears a black hoodie, which confuses me at first. But the white-blond hair swelled under the hood and he has his hands in his pockets as always. He watches me for a moment and I smile at him. But he doesn't reply, no smile or wave. He nods thoughtfully and turns to go. Confused, I look after him, I mean I did something, why he ignores me? Maybe he came over again while I was pumped with morphine and I said something wrong?