𝔼𝕂𝕀𝕃𝔸

6

The seconds seemed to drag by as the object moved lower and lower down her neck, sending jolts of pain as it trailed on. She took in deep breaths, trying to focus on anything other than the way her heart drummed heavily against her chest.

It was a struggle to remain still as her mind raced with thoughts—questions which seemed clogged up in her throat as she gasped for air. She had a vague sense of her trembling hand inching up when it happened.

A flash of light. That was all it took and the previous incidents could have as well been imagined.

Her left hand shot up in an attempt to shield her eyes with her head jerked to the side and her eyelids shut. It did little to reduce the effect of the assault, leaving her blind for a few minutes.

Her eyes still throbbed as she reopened them slowly. It took quite a while for her to adjust to the blinding light and even longer for her to focus on what or rather who it emanated from.

Still peering into the darkness, she barely made out a feminine figure when she was startled by a voice.

"Hey! I have been calling out to you for so long now. Where are you going to?"

Her lips parted but the words remained trapped as she let the incidents from minutes before flood through her mind. She gave her head a small shake before turning back and looking around frantically.

There was no sign that anyone had been behind her. Even with the flood of light pouring into the darkness, she couldn't make out as much as a shadow.

"Neme? I'm talking to you!"

Chidiogo turned around slowly, still letting the previous incident sink into her head. Her brain felt slow, the questions and supposed answers muddled up. Only one question flashed clearly through the sea of confusion. What the hell just happened?

The images flashing through her head left her further disoriented, severing the small hope she had of getting the incident to make sense. Reality or not, she couldn't tell.

"MMACHINEMEREM!!!"

The high pitched voice startled her once more out of her thoughts, sending her heartbeat—which had just fallen back to its normal pace—sky high. It took a while for her to calm down and regain back her voice.

"Who are you?"

"You really don't recognize my voice?!"

Chidiogo shook her head. Nothing about the extremely high pitched voice ringing through her ears seemed familiar.

"It's me. Chikaima!"

As the words made their way out, the flashlight lit her face. Chidiogo squinted at the dark skinned girl for a long time, as if doing that would spark some kind of familiarity.

After a while, she let out a sigh already feeling tired of the routine.

"Sorry, I don't know who you are. I'm Chidiogo, not Mmachi."

The dark skinned girl blinked. She stayed quiet for a while thinking about what Chidiogo said. It was drawing near eternity when  Chidiogo finally heard her speak.

"Um . . . You aren't playing with me right?"

Chidiogo raised her brow at first, ready to question her when the meaning of her words hit her. It wasn't beyond Mmachi to say something like that just to throw the girl off her neck.

Although making up an imaginary twin sister would be overstepping some kind of line, even for Mmachi.

"No."