• Miko felt a thousand things, but the one dominating her body and soul was exhaustion and confusion. The sun did nothing to quell the tsunami of emotions - it simply acted as an indifferent reminder of the light in her life that had been so suddenly thieved. She yearned for an eternal night. Miko could sleep forever and forget everything, especially the fact that she had ever had a family. She eventually forced herself to sit, but with no intention of leaving her room and stared at the slashes of sunlight glimmering cruely on the tatami mat she shared with her sister. Mirana would be gone in a few months. She was only 22. As a young girl, Meeko frequently went on picnics with Meerana. Meeko loved the sun and Meerana always picked a day when it would be sunny, with a slight breeze. Meeko liked to watch the cherry blossoms drift across her sister's creamy face and settle in her auburn hair. She admired the light dancing on her porclein cup when she rotated it at various angles, like trapped fairies or the moon. Miko still could not fathom what had been confirmed last night. She knew something unnatural dwelled within her sister's womb. It radiated a sporadic black mist, which growled and hissed occasionally. Still, the shock was indescribable, because she tried to pretend nothing was wrong and could no longer pretend.
    The room was always cold now. As Miko sobbed into her pillow, she prayed that her sister's kind soul would remain to warm her.