I was walking quietly down the hallway, a towel draped over my head to wipe the sweat from my hair. I whispered to myself: They've been acting strange today… What happened to them? I let out a long sigh and muttered, "I really don't understand a thing."
I stopped for a moment and furrowed my brow as I looked ahead in surprise: Miro? What are you doing in the middle of the hallway, curled up like that? I raised my voice slightly and called out, "Miro? What's wrong?"
Her body trembled with confusion, and her eyes widened for a moment. She whispered to herself: Siraj… I don't want him to see me like this. Calm down… Focus. Then she stood up quickly and tried to sound calm as she said, "No… nothing."
I approached her and noticed she was averting her gaze whenever our eyes met. I asked her anxiously, "Miro, are you okay?"
She shook her head and said hurriedly, "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry."
I walked past her, continuing to dry my hair with the towel, then said, "Oh… okay."
Miro bit her lower lip as she watched me walk away, then muttered to herself: Why am I acting like this?… I'm such an idiot.
She followed me with quiet steps, silently staring at my back.
Siraj had bought new clothes. Her eyes drifted to my black shirt, then to my black pants and black shoes. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, so she lowered her head and whispered to herself:
"It seems… black suits him better."
I looked at "Miro," and she immediately averted her gaze from me. Then I asked her, "Where's Zoe?"
She replied, "It looks like she's outside."
I sighed and said, "I've noticed Zoe's behavior and haven't understood it… She's been acting strangely today. Do you know what's going on with her? Is she sick or something like that? She used to be calmer and more reserved…"
Miro looked away, her cheeks flushing, and strands of her black hair fell across her cheek.
I raised my hand nervously, waving it in denial.
"I don't mean to offend her, but as you know, I want you to tell me if something's wrong with her—we're friends, after all. Do you understand?"
I was speaking rapidly as I felt a warmth creep up my face, making my cheeks flush, and I nervously placed my hand behind my neck as I turned my gaze back to the wall.
Miro looked directly at me and said, "Yes, yes, I understand… but don't worry. Actually, even I don't understand." Then she lowered her eyes and whispered to herself in disappointment: Well… he thinks Zoe is weird, when I was acting just like her a few moments ago! It seems he thought I was weird, too… I don't blame him; anyone might think that.
Then she lifted her head, looked at me, and added with a faint smile mixed with disappointment, "We girls sometimes don't even understand ourselves, so don't worry about it."
At that moment, Miro saw Zoe standing in the hallway behind me a few meters away, silently watching us as she nervously interlaced her fingers. When Zoe realized Miro had noticed her, she looked away,
glancing nervously from side to side.
I turned around to see what Miro was looking at, and as soon as I saw Zoe, Miro ran toward her and said, "There you are, Zoe!" Then she hugged her.
I turned to them and was surprised for a moment; my features relaxed, and I put on a calm smile and said, "Now that we're all together, let's go fill our stomachs."
Miro smiled, and as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, she quickly buried her face in Zoe's shoulder while hugging her to hide them from view. Then she said enthusiastically, "Let's go!" and wiped her tears quickly and lightly before we noticed her as she stepped away from the embrace.
As for Zoe, she looked silently at Miro, then added with a forced smile, "Let's go…" The signs of worry and tension were clearly visible on her face. Zoe whispered to herself in surprise, 'What happened between these two while I was away? I have to ask Miro later.'
Half an hour later, we were sitting inside a brown wooden restaurant filled with the scent of wine mixed with the sound of sizzling meat echoing through the space. The restaurant was nearly full; some customers were gambling in the corners, their laughter rising as their glasses clinked.
I lifted my spoon, filled with a piece of meat submerged in hot soup from which steam was rising, and put it in my mouth. The piece of meat melted completely, so I chewed it while whispering to myself anxiously:
"I have almost only half my money left—or a little more… Restaurants like this are very expensive.
'
I picked up my glass, then said aloud, catching their attention: "Listen… I have something important I want to tell you both."
They looked at me intently, so I continued, addressing Miro: "Do you remember, Miro, when we first met?
I told you back then that I knew a way to leave this world."
I left Miro hanging for a moment, and she said in surprise, her eyes widening: "Yes! I remember that very well."
I nodded and continued: "Well, I'll reveal the method to you both… In this world, there's a place called 'The Tree of Heaven.' I don't know much about it right now, but once you reach it and fulfill certain conditions, they say you'll be granted one wish… We'll use that wish to get out of here and return to our world."
Suddenly… the glass of water slipped from Zoe's trembling hand, falling to the ground and shattering into tiny pieces scattered everywhere,