Meeting The Ghost of You

Page 3: Memories

Page 3: Memories

We started out as friends, Mayuri and I. Our paths crossed when we both decided to beta test Sword Art Online. Unfortunately, our paths also separated due to THAT game. I remember the first time I saw her... It was during the meeting, the lecture we got stating the conditions of beta testing. I should have been paying attention, I should have been writing things down; but all I could look at was her. I couldn’t help but notice the way her chestnut hair reflected the light, making it look like she was wearing a halo. She, unlike me, was able to focus without wavering for even a second. Her captivating dark eyes never left those of the speaker. With that kind of focus, she would certainly be a formidable foe. She could probably learn your weakness just by watching you. In fact, she could probably see straight through you. She could probably see who you are, and be able to tell you what makes you want to keep on living.

At the end of the meeting, we were some of the last people to leave. Should I talk to her? I wondered, a plethora of questions popping into my head. What would I say? Should I just tell her that I think she is using her simplistic appearance to hide the warrior inside? Should I tell her what I see when I see her? Should I tell her what I see behind those neutral colored clothes and overall generic and common wardrobe? In her struggle to get her notebook back into her tote bag, she dropped her pen, which I picked up for her. She thanked me with in a quiet whisper, only momentarily looking into my gray eyes. Almost as quickly as she looked away from me, she looks back again. “Your avatar is the one that looks like it is is nearly albino, isn’t it?” she asked, surprising me. How could she so easily tell which avatar shown was mine? We had designed our own avatars, giving the game makers some last minute tips on how much more we thought we should be able to customize. Unsure of how to respond, I said nothing. “Your avatar is the complete opposite of you,” she added, with a brief pause, “The eyes appear to be lost, or distracted, but in reality a storm is raging within them. In that moment I realized I would never be able to get her out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried.

A light tap to the head brings me back to reality. That’s right, Mayuri is gone now, I remind myself as I shuffle through the stack of papers given to me, trying to ignore Brent, one of my coworkers that just loves to annoy me. “What did you do, zone out? This copied is crooked!” he says, shoving the paper he tapped me on the head with in front of my face. What do you know, it IS crooked! I just thought he was just being a jerk like usual. Brent thinks he is a hot shot because he got to go to America during one of the bank’s overseas trips. “Hurry up with the copies, would ya? Everyone is getting impatient... We couldn’t help but wonder if you died or something.” 

DEATH. 

DYING. 

DEAD. 

Mayuri... Mayuri is dead... And it is all my fault. 

I can’t help but watch Mayuri’s ponytail with each step she takes. The sight of it, something I see everyday, something familiar gives me comfort in this world of hell, in this world of kill or be killed. Just the other day a wolf nearly bit my face off. Wolves make terrible alarm clocks and the outdoors make a terrible bedroom, just take my word for it. 

“The guild’s headquarters are just past these woods,” Mayuri explains, now skipping along the path. “I can’t remember the name of the guild... But I remember hearing that they give a TON of equipment to their members, along with training. With the guild’s help, we could join the battle on the front lines and help bring this to an end. We could save COUNTLESS lives, including our own lives, of course.” She says it all in a cheery, hopeful tone of voice. I know it is all an act... The truth is she knows very little about the guild she is mentioning. I had tried to persuade her into not joining any guild at all... I couldn’t stand to lose her... She is a skilled fighter, whether she realizes it or not. The question isn’t IF she will be able to fight on the front lines, but WHEN.