บท 13: ①③

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Where is home? A question for everyone to answer. Some might say home is where you feel accepted, where you trust that what's inside is safe from prying eyes. Where maybe, just maybe, the corpses you've been hiding will stay behind the closet door for a few months—or a year if you're lucky.

Home. That's what most people would say, but if you ask me? I'll say Sunshine Apartment, the place I'm supposed to live now. It's expensive, sure, but I'm thankful. At least I have somewhere to cower away from the eyes of others. People have been looking at me strangely all the way here. As if they know I don't belong, like I'm not supposed to walk among them. But maybe I'm just paranoid. Acadasia is a busy city—no one has time to waste staring at me, right?

We humans have a knack for complicating simple things. Like building a rocket when someone just asked for a paper airplane. Or spending days analyzing what your crush meant by "K." Or in my case, standing here in front of my apartment door, trading words with a security guard because I can't remember my own damn passcode.

"Sir," the guard says, his expression troubled as he stares at my ID card, "even if you show me this, we still don't know the passcode you set. We never had it."

I grin like an idiot. "Hey, same here. Wanna help me figure it out? I'm thinking 3012. What about you?"

"But sir, this is your apartment."

"Oh, right. Then I'm supposed to know the passcode." I type in 1111. The door denies me with a buzz. "Well, no dice." I shrug, as if I haven't just embarrassed myself. "Guess I forgot."

The guard isn't amused.

"Okay, let's not guess," I say, rubbing my hands together. "We could kick the door down. That could work."

His frown deepens. "Sir, that's not a good idea."

"Oh, come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Every... thing?"

He doesn't seem convinced, probably worried about noise complaints or damage costs. Meanwhile, I'm starting to dread the cold night ahead. Tomorrow is my first session with the girls at Acadasia High School, and I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to fail miserably. But here I am, stuck outside my own apartment like a fool.

"Why don't you call your sister?" the guard suggests, finally blurting out the solution that's been hovering on his lips.

Sister? My brain stumbles. Right, the old me has a sister, Lilly. Only problem: I don't remember my phone's passcode either. I hold up the card again, but the guard shakes his head.

"If you can't solve this tonight, I'll have to take you to the security room."

"But I live here," I protest.

"You've put the wrong passcode in more than five times, sir. We have to treat you as a potential risk."

A risk? Woah, that's rich coming from a mortal. If only he knew I could whip up a death pill faster than he can call for backup.

"How do you know I have a sister?" I ask, trying to throw him off balance.

"Sir, your sister Lily, every evening, she asks me if you've brought anyone back to your room, especially a woman."

"Oh, Lilly does that? She's just paranoid."

"Sir," the guard starts again.

"Don't call me sir let's be good friend."

"Okay, Mr____, if you please come with me to the security room."

Right... Mister something something. I can't hear what he said.

Before I can further embarrass myself, a familiar voice cuts through the tension—a voice sharp like a dagger, familiar yet distant.

"What's going on here?"

I turn to see a middle school girl with piercing eyes and a bag slung over her shoulder. Her dark hair is kept pony tailed. Her gaze could cut steel, but my body reacts like it's used to the pain.

The girl stops in front of us. "What are you doing outside?"

I look at the guard, but he's as confused as I am. I point at myself.

She rolls her eyes. "Are you serious? Hold this." She tosses her bag at me, and I catch it out of reflex as she walks up to the guard.

"So," she says, "did you catch the guy trying to break into our apartment?"

"I did, Miss Lilly," the guard replies. "In fact, he's standing behind you."

Lilly turns, purple eyes narrowing as she studies me. "But this is my brother."

"That's what I thought too."

...

Lilly jabs a finger into my chest. "Are you my brother?"

How do I convince her that I am if she thinks I am? Lucky for me, I remember the body's reaction in the reconcile room when a girl gave it a smug. "I have a femdom collection."

Lilly slumps her shoulders, clearly disgusted. "Yeah, that's my brother. All honest and direct."

So he... like, does have femdom collection. Wow.

The guard looks just as weirded out as she does, but he bows slightly before walking away. "No trouble here, then."

With him gone, I turn to Lilly. "Nice evening."

"Nice my ass!" she snaps, "I left my friend at the store to deal with this mess. You forgot your passcode?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She facepalms. "You are the third smartest student in the city, well, were, and you forgot your own birthdate?"

"Well, you know what they say," I fumble for an excuse. "You forget things that aren't important anymore."

She squints at me. "How is your birthdate not important?"

I'm about to answer when she waves me off. "Never mind. The passcode is 1107, for the eleventh of July. Write it down next time. And clean the place up, I have a friend staying over."

Without another word, she storms off. So that's Lilly, huh? Strict, no-nonsense, and somehow surprised that I have a social life. I'm sure the real brother would be shocked by her bringing over a friend, but I couldn't care less.

I type in 1107. Beep. The door clicks open, and I step inside.