Chapter three

Chapter three: exorcist?







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“Hello, Minako. I was wondering. . . do you perhaps know where Ayumi is? She was not at school today; is she ill?”

Having gathered all my courage, I had left the safe haven that was my room for the bustling, noisy cityscape. I had not seen my friend Ayumi since yesterday, and started feeling slightly worried. Therefore, I had sneaked out —hoping that Motoko would not follow me this time— and eventually found Minako in the chic restaurant she worked at. Minako was Ayumi’s ‘BESTEST FRIEND FOREVER’ so if someone knew more about my friend’s disappearance, it would be her.



Annoyed, Minako stood up from her table. She was sighing in lament, as if she had been incredibly busy — but she surely had been doing nothing before I arrived. Minako was one of the most popular girls of our class and most likely did not feel like wasting her precious time on a loser like me. She had beautiful blonde locks of hair that reached to her waist, and commonly wore makeup in extraordinary styles. Unmistakably, her hair had been dyed, but the other students fawned over her nevertheless.

“Why would you care?” Minako whined, raising her eyes to the heavens. “But if you really, really, really want to know, Ayumi is bedridden. Caught some odd-unknown-I-never-heard-of-it disease.”

I frowned lightly, wrinkling the bit of skin between my eyebrows. “What is wrong with her?”

“No one knows!” Minako rattled on. “Although she talks about shadows and oh, weird things going on! Like, her hair was completely cut off, her gorgeous black tresses! According to her, a female monster visits her all the time, whispering threats into her ears! And and, her mother is currently searching for an exorcist because she thinks she is possessed by a demon spirit!”



Icy fingers wrapped around my heart, and I froze a little. The rest of Minako’s excited babbling grew more and more quiet as my raging thoughts pushed it aside. Female monster? Demon spirit? My organs felt like mushrooms that rotted away and sank heavily into my stomach.

“Thanks, Minako,” I replied with a monotone voice, not knowing whether I had interrupted her endless flow of words or not. With nearly robotic movements, I walked away from the blonde. I had to get home as soon as possible. But I was not looking forward to my arrival at all.



“Good afternoon, honey!” my mother said cheerfully, tearing her greedy gaze away from the romance novel she was reading. She hardly took a moment to look at me while I trudged past, before returning to her lovey-dovey booklet. I mumbled something inaudible in return. I felt as though I was approaching my executioner; watching him twirl his axe triumphantly, encouraged by the loud cheering and booing of a huge audience.

I wish it had been an executioner. This was way worse.



Within seconds, I found myself in Motoko’s musty closet, clenching my fists and screaming out at her.

“Listen to me, Motoko! I know you can hear me, don’t pretend to be sleeping!”

Eerily, her frozen pupils moved and settled upon me — glass doll eyes rolling in dead sockets. Always that same, condescending look. I could see the corners of her perfect lips curl slightly, laughing at me.

“Did you attack Ayumi?” I snarled at her, my throat already raw. “Did you do those things to her?!”



Surprisingly, Motoko giggled. It made me think that her reactions had become uncannily unpredictable lately. I tried to shrug off the shudder that her low, rasping laughter made, but it made me feel scared nonetheless. What’s so funny?

“Oh Mei-Lin, my sweet Mei-Lin!” Motoko finally squeaked, in-between uncontrollable fits of maniac chuckles. One of her bony fingers pointed at me, while her other hand sought to cover her joker-grin. “What a joke, what a joke.”

“So you didn’t do it?” I shouted in relief, wanting to wrap my arms around her and snuggle my cheek against her bosom.

She laughed more, causing a chill to seep into my skin. “No, no — that’s not right, not right. Just a little warning, Mei-Lin. Be happy the witch lives! It could have been worse, you know.”



I gasped angrily. “So you did do it! Why? Why can’t you leave my friends alone for once, Motoko? Why must you always harm them? Why can’t I care for someone else?”

The temperature inside the cobwebbed closet seemed to drop tremendously.

“Becaaauuse, you arrrre minnne.”

I hissed back at her. “How can I love you when you do things like these, Motoko?! I am your nightingale, locked up in a cage! I want to meet other people — no, I don’t love you anymore.”

Furiously, I spun around, kicking the door open. Its wood swung out of my sight and hit the wall, and I heard Motoko whimper behind me. The same moment, she leapt back in front of me, with a strangely calm smile on her face.



“I am so sorry, my sweet. . . I should not have done it. Please, give me another chance, oh please. Oh Mei-Lin, you know I cannot help it! I am but a doll, and I am heartless.”

She moved her body closely towards mine, until I could feel her sour breath dampening my cheeks.

“Yes, I am heartless. That is what we shall do. . . poppet, I have a plan. . .”

I gasped. “What?”



“Fetch me. . . fetch me, a heart.”

My jaw dropped, and I knew my skin must have turned a few hues paler.

“What?”

“A heart,” Motoko repeated, lisping softly. “A real human heart. Then I will be able to love. Fetch me one. I will be waiting for you.”



And so I went.

To find a heart for Motoko.

Chapter four

[ note: hehe, the cover really doesn’t have that much to do with the chapter but I was in the mood for it – merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone! I hope you’re all well and having a good time. ]



Chapter four: the heart.



A heart, where was I supposed to find a heart? I could never kill someone, and stealing one from a hospital seemed impossible as well. Like a lost child, I roamed the streets, the darkness kissing my pale skin. The bag I was holding started to cut my fingers, and my feet were getting painful, but I did not dare giving up and return to Motoko. Would a heart really allow her to love?

She used to be sweeter. . . hold me and cuddle me like a second mother, and make sure I was forever happy. Why had she become so nasty, so evil? Was it something I had done or said? In that case, perhaps I deserved it. Better find that heart for her.



I paced through the shadiest alleys without knowing where to go. The sordid smell of rotting garbage polluted the air around me, and big fat rats rushed past my feet. I shuddered when something hairy suddenly rubbed against my leg, but when I looked down, I noticed it was just a big dog. Its fur shimmered beautifully in the moonlight, and its friendly eyes begged for a treat. However, I had no food. So I merely knelt down to pet the animal’s head.



When the dog was long gone, I got an idea. Perhaps I did know a way to get a heart. Why hadn’t I thought of that before?



As fast as my short legs could bear, I ran through the city. Through more alleys, and through tall, sharp grass. My throat started to feel raw and my legs tired, but I kept running and running and running.

Until I reached my destination.



The butcher’s. I had never been here before, and was not sure whether they were still open at this hour. But when I pushed the door, it appeared to be unlocked. Tentatively, I stepped inside, the coppery odour of blood stinging my nostrils. I instantly pulled up my nose and made a disgusted face. I was a vegetarian, and definitely could not stand things like this. I had to remember it was for my own good, if I were to believe Motoko.

The bloodied hall was not empty. In the distance, I saw a man getting ready to remove his astonishingly clean apron, and a younger employee staring into nothingness. When the man noticed me, he approached me quickly. He arched one of his bushy eyebrows, undoubtedly wondering what I was doing here.



“Hello sir,” I said quietly. “Do you sell pig hearts, by any chance?”

He frowned. “Pig hearts? What do you need those for?”

“School project,” I mumbled, uttering the first cliché lie that popped into my mind. With all my might, I tried to keep my cerulean eyes focused on the man’s face, and not the disturbing blood splotches on the wall.

“Well, alright,” he replied. “I believe I should still have one.”



Before he had even disappeared out of sight, the young employee leapt towards me.

“You stink!” he hissed.

I gasped. “I beg your—“

“. . . of evil!” he interrupted me, wildly pointing at his chest. “I can feel it.”

“What?”

“You have to get away. Or else, else. . . it will kill you!”

I stepped backwards, feeling insulted and slightly uneasy. I thought the boy looked strangely childish and odd, as if he was not right in the head. I swallowed and pulled the corners of my mouth downwards.

“Are you mad?”



“No, I. . . the doll! She is not what you think she is!”

I felt as if all air was squeezed out of my lungs. Blanching, I turned my back to him, cheeks turning red of anger. How did he know of. . .

“What are you talking about?” I spat. “I don’t play with dolls anymore. Perhaps you do, but that’s no reason to call other people’s barbies evil.”

He stammered: “B-b-but no! Listen to me, please! You are in grave danger. I c-c-can see it. I can see the future!”



“Rubbish. No one can see the future.” I wanted to punch him in the face. “Now please stop bothering me, or I will tell your boss.”

He wheezed desperately. “You will die!”



Right then, the butcher returned with a small package lying on his rough hand palms. He cast an irritated glance into the boy’s direction, and then turned to me with a cunning smile.

“Here you go, your heart.” And to the boy: “Get back to work, Rush. Or you’ll find your @$$ on the street tomorrow.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said politely, feeling the guy’s eyes piercing my back.



I had finally found Motoko’s heart.

Okay. . . it was a pig’s heart. But a heart was a heart, right? Weren’t pig hearts and human hearts almost the same? I supposed it would do. And Motoko would be satisfied.

I paid for the organ and dropped it in my bag, heavily swathed with white towels. As soon as the red flesh touched the fabric, blood stains soaked through. I just hoped that no one would see me.



I swiftly returned home, stuffed the bag in the freezer and ran into the bathroom. I felt dirty for some reason, and filled the bathtub with hot water to wash all my sins off. The warmth calmed me down a little and made me drowsy.

But Rush’s warnings dominated my mind.