Window
Title: Window
Fandom: Nine Muses
Characters: Hyuna & Sam
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,700
Summary: Hyuna's only friend is an unnamed girl in the window across the courtyard.
Hyuna was awake at 12:30 and she thought that she might be the only person awake in the whole building. The whole world, even. She could hear no sounds and no signs of life, even though she knew that people must be around. The building was so large, and so many people lived there, and yet they had not chosen to make their presence known to her. They lived alone in their own little bubbles and she lived alone in hers. Except they were all asleep and she was awake.
She had her laptop on her lap, but the screen had gone blank because she had left it untouched for too long. She was meant to be writing a message to her mother, but she ran out of things to say. There really wasn't much to say about this place, other than that it was lonely, and quiet. She worked all day and didn't have time to make friends, and when she got home it was just her and this small room.
Hyuna shuffled over on her bed so that she was up against the window. Her window gave her a view of the courtyard, a dirty place where people kept their washing and bins. It was too dark to see anything now though. On the other side of the courtyard was another apartment building, a mosaic of windows, some black, some glowing from lights behind a curtain.
Hyuna's laptop screen switched off again as she watched the windows. A light came on in the window of the apartment directly across from her. It looked like someone coming home. A figure came straight over to the window and stood for a moment, then pulled the blind down. Hyuna was so fixed on the window that it took a moment to realise that she might have been caught staring. It was somewhat embarrassing, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed when she saw the apartment light go off.
Lights were going off everywhere, so she closed the laptop and went to bed.
* * *
Another night, and Hyuna was alone in her room, thinking of sending a message to someone. She had her laptop on her lap and she was thinking about who she wanted to talk to most. After a moment’s thought, she decided that she missed her cats the most. Right about now they would have been creeping into her room and rubbing their heads against her foot, whining for attention. Cats are proud animals, but they crave your attention even though they act as if they hate you. Hyuna had always sympathised with their complex nature, their conflicting need for independence and love.
The laptop screen went blank, but Hyuna didn’t notice. Her gaze had been shifted to the window and she was watching the mosaic of lights on the other building. It had not been a conscious decision but now that she was watching it, she remembered the window directly across and the person who had come home late. She supposed they were like her - some young person come to find work, living alone in a tiny room in a massive building.
She put the laptop away. It was probably best if she went to sleep early, since staying up was doing no good for her health. Still, she was curious to see if her unnamed friend would be coming home late again. She stayed watching the window carefully as she got undressed, but it stayed dark the whole time. Perhaps they were asleep already, or perhaps they were not coming home.
Just as she was about to turn out her own light, the light came on. Feeling suddenly anxious, she threw herself on the bed, so that she would not be seen. She was guilty about being caught staring again, but she couldn't resist to look carefully out of the corner of the window, keeping her head low.
She saw someone enter the room. It was a girl, tall, about her own age give or take a few years. The girl was putting her bag on the ground and taking off her shoes. It was a perfectly ordinary sight, and yet Hyuna watched with fascination.
The girl walked straight over to the window and waited there, looking around as if she was expecting to see something or someone. Hyuna held her breath. At last the girl pulled the blind down and shortly after the light went out.
* * *
For once, Hyuna was glad to be home. Or, place where she lived, if she was not yet ready to think of it as home. She opened the blind of her window and viewed the outside courtyard with a warm familiarity. She prepared for bed slowly, rolling each stocking down her leg with unnecessary precision. Out of the corner of her eye she hoped that she would see her neighbour again, that girl who lived across the courtyard, a girl with no name, but a room and life that almost resembled her own. She pushed the thought far into the back of her mind, since she was almost ashamed to find herself thinking about such a trivial thing.
Still, she knew that she wouldn’t be satisfied until she saw the light come on. Only then would she be able to sleep.
* * *
Hyuna saw her again the next night. She had been sitting on her bed, crossed legged, working on her laptop, when she saw the light come on in the neighbour's room. She had been busy so she wasn't even thinking about it, but as soon as she saw the light her eyes locked onto the other window.
This time she was certain she had been caught. The girl came to stand at the window again, and even though she was far away Hyuna could tell where her eyes were focused. She's looking at me! she thought, but there was no time to duck away. They stayed that way, staring at each other for a few seconds, and then the girl turned away. She pulled things out of drawers and went about her usual activities. Hyuna went back to looking at her computer screen, but when she looked up again she noticed that the girl had not bothered to pull the blind down. It looked now as if she was about to get undressed. Hyuna looked down in embarrassment. Perhaps she had forgotten that she had not pulled the blind, and she would probably be embarrassed herself if she realised that someone could see her.
For a minute she contemplated pulling her own blind down, but it was just a thought.
* * *
When they saw each other sometimes Hyuna wondered whether she should wave, but this would probably be silly, since they had not actually met each other yet. It was puzzling, thinking of ways to communicate with someone whom you had never met, and yet felt that you knew intimately, since you had seen inside her bedroom and glimpsed right into her life.
Hyuna suddenly wished that they did know each other, as friends. How strange would it be though, to figure out who she was and what number her room was. Then show up one day? Ah, the thought! It was really mad of her. What would a stranger think if you showed up like that one day just asking for friendship?
She was there again, the girl, waiting at the window. I don't even have a name for her, Hyuna thought sadly. An idea suddenly possessed her and she quickly typed something onto her laptop screen, in the biggest type possible. She went right up to the window, and held the screen up.
My name is Hyuna.
She didn't know if the girl was able to read the message, but she turned her head away slowly and then pulled down the blind.
* * *
The next night Hyuna did not see her. She watched for some time, but no light came on in the opposite window. At last, she turned off her own light and went to bed. Sleep came slowly as sadness overcame her heart.
* * *
Hyuna tried to push the thought of the neighbour out her mind over the next few days. She was late home one night and she nearly tripped over a bin that had been turned over. As she caught her balance, she heard the familiar sound of cat whining. It was coming from somewhere in the dark, and the sound filled her with a sad nostalgia as she remembered her beloved pets back home.
As she looked around she finally spotted the cat. It was with someone a few metres away, on the steps of the other building. The cat was winding itself around the legs of this person, whining for attention. Hyuna watched on fondly; she hadn’t noticed any alley cats around this part of town before, and she was curious to see if this cat was some kind of regular. She considered asking, but as she walked over to where the cat was, the person looked up and Hyuna recognised the face. It was her neighbour, the girl from across the courtyard. Hyuna was taken by surprise, and frozen with nerves, so she didn’t say anything. The girl recognised her too and gave a quick lopsided smile, before going back into the building.
Hyuna cursed herself as she saw how her opportunity to make friends had vanished. No doubt the girl would think that she was very strange. She had not even had the chance to ask for her name.
Just as she thought about going back inside, she noticed an envelope lying on the ground, near where the cat was sitting, licking itself carelessly. Hyuna realised that the girl must have dropped it without realising. When she went to pick it up she realised that the envelope was in fact empty, only a scrap of paper. She turned it over in her hands and saw large deliberate writing scrawled over the back.
My name is Sam.
Hyuna smiled to herself as she folded the paper in her hand. She went back inside feeling light and happy.
Fandom: Nine Muses
Characters: Hyuna & Sam
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,700
Summary: Hyuna's only friend is an unnamed girl in the window across the courtyard.
Hyuna was awake at 12:30 and she thought that she might be the only person awake in the whole building. The whole world, even. She could hear no sounds and no signs of life, even though she knew that people must be around. The building was so large, and so many people lived there, and yet they had not chosen to make their presence known to her. They lived alone in their own little bubbles and she lived alone in hers. Except they were all asleep and she was awake.
She had her laptop on her lap, but the screen had gone blank because she had left it untouched for too long. She was meant to be writing a message to her mother, but she ran out of things to say. There really wasn't much to say about this place, other than that it was lonely, and quiet. She worked all day and didn't have time to make friends, and when she got home it was just her and this small room.
Hyuna shuffled over on her bed so that she was up against the window. Her window gave her a view of the courtyard, a dirty place where people kept their washing and bins. It was too dark to see anything now though. On the other side of the courtyard was another apartment building, a mosaic of windows, some black, some glowing from lights behind a curtain.
Hyuna's laptop screen switched off again as she watched the windows. A light came on in the window of the apartment directly across from her. It looked like someone coming home. A figure came straight over to the window and stood for a moment, then pulled the blind down. Hyuna was so fixed on the window that it took a moment to realise that she might have been caught staring. It was somewhat embarrassing, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed when she saw the apartment light go off.
Lights were going off everywhere, so she closed the laptop and went to bed.
* * *
Another night, and Hyuna was alone in her room, thinking of sending a message to someone. She had her laptop on her lap and she was thinking about who she wanted to talk to most. After a moment’s thought, she decided that she missed her cats the most. Right about now they would have been creeping into her room and rubbing their heads against her foot, whining for attention. Cats are proud animals, but they crave your attention even though they act as if they hate you. Hyuna had always sympathised with their complex nature, their conflicting need for independence and love.
The laptop screen went blank, but Hyuna didn’t notice. Her gaze had been shifted to the window and she was watching the mosaic of lights on the other building. It had not been a conscious decision but now that she was watching it, she remembered the window directly across and the person who had come home late. She supposed they were like her - some young person come to find work, living alone in a tiny room in a massive building.
She put the laptop away. It was probably best if she went to sleep early, since staying up was doing no good for her health. Still, she was curious to see if her unnamed friend would be coming home late again. She stayed watching the window carefully as she got undressed, but it stayed dark the whole time. Perhaps they were asleep already, or perhaps they were not coming home.
Just as she was about to turn out her own light, the light came on. Feeling suddenly anxious, she threw herself on the bed, so that she would not be seen. She was guilty about being caught staring again, but she couldn't resist to look carefully out of the corner of the window, keeping her head low.
She saw someone enter the room. It was a girl, tall, about her own age give or take a few years. The girl was putting her bag on the ground and taking off her shoes. It was a perfectly ordinary sight, and yet Hyuna watched with fascination.
The girl walked straight over to the window and waited there, looking around as if she was expecting to see something or someone. Hyuna held her breath. At last the girl pulled the blind down and shortly after the light went out.
* * *
For once, Hyuna was glad to be home. Or, place where she lived, if she was not yet ready to think of it as home. She opened the blind of her window and viewed the outside courtyard with a warm familiarity. She prepared for bed slowly, rolling each stocking down her leg with unnecessary precision. Out of the corner of her eye she hoped that she would see her neighbour again, that girl who lived across the courtyard, a girl with no name, but a room and life that almost resembled her own. She pushed the thought far into the back of her mind, since she was almost ashamed to find herself thinking about such a trivial thing.
Still, she knew that she wouldn’t be satisfied until she saw the light come on. Only then would she be able to sleep.
* * *
Hyuna saw her again the next night. She had been sitting on her bed, crossed legged, working on her laptop, when she saw the light come on in the neighbour's room. She had been busy so she wasn't even thinking about it, but as soon as she saw the light her eyes locked onto the other window.
This time she was certain she had been caught. The girl came to stand at the window again, and even though she was far away Hyuna could tell where her eyes were focused. She's looking at me! she thought, but there was no time to duck away. They stayed that way, staring at each other for a few seconds, and then the girl turned away. She pulled things out of drawers and went about her usual activities. Hyuna went back to looking at her computer screen, but when she looked up again she noticed that the girl had not bothered to pull the blind down. It looked now as if she was about to get undressed. Hyuna looked down in embarrassment. Perhaps she had forgotten that she had not pulled the blind, and she would probably be embarrassed herself if she realised that someone could see her.
For a minute she contemplated pulling her own blind down, but it was just a thought.
* * *
When they saw each other sometimes Hyuna wondered whether she should wave, but this would probably be silly, since they had not actually met each other yet. It was puzzling, thinking of ways to communicate with someone whom you had never met, and yet felt that you knew intimately, since you had seen inside her bedroom and glimpsed right into her life.
Hyuna suddenly wished that they did know each other, as friends. How strange would it be though, to figure out who she was and what number her room was. Then show up one day? Ah, the thought! It was really mad of her. What would a stranger think if you showed up like that one day just asking for friendship?
She was there again, the girl, waiting at the window. I don't even have a name for her, Hyuna thought sadly. An idea suddenly possessed her and she quickly typed something onto her laptop screen, in the biggest type possible. She went right up to the window, and held the screen up.
My name is Hyuna.
She didn't know if the girl was able to read the message, but she turned her head away slowly and then pulled down the blind.
* * *
The next night Hyuna did not see her. She watched for some time, but no light came on in the opposite window. At last, she turned off her own light and went to bed. Sleep came slowly as sadness overcame her heart.
* * *
Hyuna tried to push the thought of the neighbour out her mind over the next few days. She was late home one night and she nearly tripped over a bin that had been turned over. As she caught her balance, she heard the familiar sound of cat whining. It was coming from somewhere in the dark, and the sound filled her with a sad nostalgia as she remembered her beloved pets back home.
As she looked around she finally spotted the cat. It was with someone a few metres away, on the steps of the other building. The cat was winding itself around the legs of this person, whining for attention. Hyuna watched on fondly; she hadn’t noticed any alley cats around this part of town before, and she was curious to see if this cat was some kind of regular. She considered asking, but as she walked over to where the cat was, the person looked up and Hyuna recognised the face. It was her neighbour, the girl from across the courtyard. Hyuna was taken by surprise, and frozen with nerves, so she didn’t say anything. The girl recognised her too and gave a quick lopsided smile, before going back into the building.
Hyuna cursed herself as she saw how her opportunity to make friends had vanished. No doubt the girl would think that she was very strange. She had not even had the chance to ask for her name.
Just as she thought about going back inside, she noticed an envelope lying on the ground, near where the cat was sitting, licking itself carelessly. Hyuna realised that the girl must have dropped it without realising. When she went to pick it up she realised that the envelope was in fact empty, only a scrap of paper. She turned it over in her hands and saw large deliberate writing scrawled over the back.
My name is Sam.
Hyuna smiled to herself as she folded the paper in her hand. She went back inside feeling light and happy.