Everyone. The people close to me, the people I loved, not one of them wanted to talk and open up to me…
They never gave me the chance, when in truth, I could do anything for them if they’d trust me, even a little.
That night…
I fell asleep that night, but... I remembered something. I knew there had been something, so I kept mulling it over and trying to remember it. But all I knew was—
Sophie.
The onlything I remembered from that night was my own surname.
The name Zioh was always used for me.
« -- * -- »
Zioh
Four Days Ago
After swallowing the pills, I took a long breath, my trembling hand gripping the kitchen island harder as my head rose to scan the surroundings.
Chair. Table. Stove. Fridge. Fruit.
A few minutes later, I finally managed to straighten my back and walked toward the cabinet. Opening the cabinet, I scanned the shelves. Tea packets—green, chamomile, lavender, peppermint—my eyes kept searching until I grabbed a few chocolate brands to bring upstairs.
When I arrived, Tshabina was gone, and only the TV remained, playing Harry Potter. Then there was a faint sound that came from my bedroom. I moved toward it, my hand wrapping around the door handle. I was about to push the door open until—
“Where the hell have you been—and wait… why are you under a blanket?” A man’s voice? I nudged the door open and peeked inside. There was someone beneath my blanket.
“Rain? Cold?” It was Tshabina’s voice, coming from under the blanket, her tone frantic.
When I was about to push the door open and approach her, a man’s voice—blaring from her phone—made me stop in my tracks. “Well, you’ve got to hear this,” he lowered his voice, whispering with far too much intensity. “It’s about the Bakti episode I’ve been waiting for. You never believe me when I say Bakti has a weird fetish, right? Then you need to watch this with me so you’ll see I’m right.”
My grip around the chocolates tightened.
“Andi, I can’t right now,” Tshabina hissed under her breath.
Andi.
“Keep your promise!” Andi snapped. “You said there’d be a day you’d watch with me, and that day is today!”
Tshabina sighed, lowering her voice. “I can’t—”
“You have to! It’s a live stream!” he insisted, raising his voice. “They never do replays, it’s only for paying subscribers!”
“But I really can’t—”
“Why not?” A pause. “Where are you, anyway? And since when have you used a black blanket? You in Tsabinu’s room? Then call him in. Unless—”
“Okay, okay, fine!” Tshabina cut him. “Let’s do it, alright?”
I stood beside the door, as if I were a statue. But then… my heart started hammering as Andi yelled again.
“Shit, Bib! Look at the title!” His voice escalated. “Founder of INDTV Group, a Pedophile?!”
I went rigid. My fists balled up hard at my sides.
Then another voice appeared.
