Chapter 13
On the day Elbert left for abroad, I saw him off at the airport.
After getting out of the car, outside the airport, he suddenly turned to look at me.
The wind blew my scarf loose around my neck, and he reached out, helping me retie it awkwardly.
With people bustling around, he stared at me for a while and suddenly said, “Why don’t we just go together?”
Before I could respond, a figure suddenly darted out.
Elaine got off the car, dragging two huge suitcases, running over breathlessly.
She was panting, her face red, and she hopped over to Elbert.
Her eyes sparkled with youthful excitement. “Elbert, I heard Pandora can’t go abroad with you.
“So I decided, I’ll go with you!”
I didn’t know why.
I had managed to hold it together the whole way, not showing an
But because of her words, my eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
signs of distress.
Afraid Elbert would see, I pretended to cough, turning away and covering my face with my hand, coughing twice.
Elbert said in a deep voice, “You’ve caught a cold.”
Elaine looked up and said, “It’s okay. I brought a lot of medicine.
“And once we’re abroad, you’ll take care of me, right, Elbert?”
My coughing just wouldn’t stop.
After a while, I finally managed to control it, took out my phone, and said, “My classmate asked to borrow a book.
“I have to go back.
“I won’t see you off to boarding then.”
I wanted to call him “brother” one last time.
But somehow, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Elbert seemed to say something else.
But I quickly left the airport and got into a taxi by the roadside.
My mind kept replaying Elaine’s words. “Pandora can’t go abroad with you, so I’ll go with you.”
It turned out being truly replaced could be this painful.
I curled up in the backseat of the taxi.
The snow in Springville had long since melted, and the city reverted to its usual spring–like charm throughout the seasons.
Though the temperature had risen a lot, I still felt very cold.
That chill seemed to seep from my bones.
Sudden, overwhelming, and fierce.
The taxi driver was a middle–aged uncle, and a small photograph hung from the rearview mirror inside the car.
It was a chubby little girl, about four or five, smiling at the camera.
Probably his daughter.
My nose started feeling hot, blood gushing out non–stop.
i grabbed some tissues from my bag, but my hands shook badly as I tried to wipe.
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13
8:15 PM
Chapter 13
My consciousness faded fast, my vision getting blurry quickly.
I was running out of tissues, and my stomach cramped, vomiting more blood.
The driver only heard my cough. When he looked back through the mirror, I hid the bloody tissue.
I covered my face and nose with the other hand, pretending to cough.
He asked worriedly, “Miss, you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?”
I suddenly thought, what if I died in his cab?
His family would be stuck with such bad luck, making life even harder for them.
I mustered the strength to point at a nearby mall. “Sorry, could you drop me here?
“It just came to me that I needed to buy something at this mall.”
He pulled over.
I paid and got out, hearing him call from behind, “You only went half the distance. No need for so much. I’ll refund some.”
waved back. “No need, thanks.”
Another car honked behind, so he had to drive off.
I reached for a roadside tree to steady myself.
With my vision too blurry, I missed.
My hand groped empty, and I fell forward.
I heard a dull thud.
It came from me when I fell from the sidewalk onto the street.
But the sound seemed distant, like it wasn’t from me.
I heard cars screeching to a halt, horns blaring.
The next moment, everything turned extremely noisy eerily
