I Fell in Love with Hope - Lancali

Anywhere she goes, anyone she encounters, Hikari is a universal
puzzle piece. She belongs wherever she sets foot.
Tonight, Hikari is unguarded, even in the dark. Her hair is straight,
thin, a bit frizzy near the top of her head. She wears a nightgown that
reaches just past her knees, little yellow flowers spread about the
fabric. From afar, you could mistake it for a hospital gown. It sways
around her legs as she roams the halls, looking into rooms, into
people, exploring past curfew.
The windows welcome her in sequence. They do, as the night does,
create those dreadful mirrors. Hikari doesn’t look long. She tucks her
hair behind her ears, adjusts her glasses, fixes herself. She doesn’t
gleam at the bandages on her arms or the scar on her neck. What
the mirror dares to show of her illness, she claims power over.
She ignores it.
“Sam?” I should mention that I’m hiding behind a hall corner,
suspiciously peeking out by a hair right now. I jump, turning around
to find Eric right next to me with his hands on his hips. “What are you
doing?”
Due to our criminal acts, Sony and C have been confined to their
rooms, and though I wouldn’t mind joining them on a normal day, I’m
currently
suffering from my curiosity’s ceaseless desire to follow the sun that’s
infested my home.
“Absolutely nothing.”
I try to smile, but Eric finds it off-putting.
“Go do absolutely nothing somewhere else.”
“Okay.”
I go back to following Hikari as inconspicuously as possible.