THE MOMENT
"My last meal only happens once, right?" Ziya made the decision aloud. She'd developed the habit just to hear a voice after a couple of months. By now, it was second nature. The young woman stared at the significant jar that she'd more or less grown up with. Her father was an odd man and she learned to appreciate his quirkiness before he passed away. "And it'll take a while anyway," she giggled as she dashed to wash her hands. Despite the reality of the situation, it was finally a special enough occasion.
The pickle jar-sized container held perfect, golden, translucent honey. Ziya's father told her it was special, and ancient honey that was thousands of years old. But, she could only open it for a special occasion. And, he was thorough enough to define what qualified; something she was only going to experience once. That was when she was around five years old and now she was 18. Her father insisted on keeping the jar of honey in her room and in general around her. It was 'hers', but she couldn't touch it until the right time.
Ziya cycled through several emotions around the jar over the years. She learned that honey crystallizes over time and that made her doubt the crystal-clear honey in her room. But, as time passed it never even turned cloudy. She hid it out of sight to make sure no one was replacing it on her, but it was too much honey for that to be practical. She hated it and loved it and resented it all in due course. When she needed to stock the bunker for a very real possibility of use, the honey was an easy decision despite its size. Finally, the preparations were complete and she returned to the table with a silver spoon and a wet towel.
"Oh, wow...," Ziya smiled as she wiped a layer of dust off the lid. She was surprised how brilliant white the tin lid still was, with a red scissor logo in the center. It hadn't aged yellow at all; not that it was thousands of years old too. Her father confidently believed the contents were ancient honey in a modern package and she was willing to believe him when the truth didn't matter. Even if wasn't thousands of years old, she had her own bond with it and this was a special moment. She twisted and the lid opened surprisingly easy.
"Huh, okay," She shrugged, set the lid down, and dug her spoon in.
"Whoa, hey!" Ziya hadn't heard another voice in almost a year. And, she certainly wasn't expecting to hear one right then and there. The sudden voice startled her and she jumped knocking over the jar. "Oh, sorry! I Didn't mean to scare you! But, you poked me," the golden liquid rose up and took the shape of a blonde teenage girl. She wore black jeans and a white hoodie with the same red scissor logo as the jar..., "Sorry about your jar..," she smiled at Ziya.
"Are you real??" It was kind of a ridiculous question; but, Ziya's mind was still trying to catch up to the situation. It wasn't unreasonable that she actually already starved to death. "What are you? Who are you??"
"I'm Honey," she giggled. "That answers all your questions." Then, she gave a tall stretch that was inhuman. She stretched herself taller than Ziya for moment, and her arms extended even higher as she gave a satisfying groan. Then, a shimmer ran down her arms leaving translucent skin in its wake for a moment before returning to her tan coloring. "Man, that felt like forever. How long has it been? What's going on now?" she asked. She made several plucking motions at the air, but she looked confused, then disappointed when nothing happened.
"My dad said you're ancient," Ziya shrugged. "Skeletons started raining from the sky about 8 months ago. Everywhere in the world, black holes were pouring out thousands of skeletons that were unkillable. I made it to this bunker... I was the only one to make it to this bunker," she sighed. "a nearby building collapsed on it after I made it in. No one else can get in, and I can't get out. I'm not even sure that I want to, I don't know what's out there."
"Oh, I do," Honey nodded. She gave a glance around the dining room, then she moved toward the more open living room area. She held out a hand when Ziya tried to join her. "Wait there a second.... and, I'm sorry if this gets you killed."
"Wait Wh-" Ziya's question was interrupted.
"BALLISEA!!!!!!" Honey screamed.
"Ah, there you are, little Calavera," a new voice filled the air. It seemed to come from all around Ziya. A tall, pale woman with black hair and bone-white horns stepped into the living from from nowhere and she looked down at Honey. "What can I do for you, mijita?"
"I only just woke up; I'm stuck here and I don't know what's happening," Honey answered.
"Something new," Ballisea smiled. "This is the winter break of the first year of Toku-high."
"That's not new...," Honey shook her head.
"No, but there are new developments in motion." A tall black portal opened next to Honey. "You shall find Sharp Development on the other side to get you caught up."
"And what about Ziya?" Honey asked about her new friend. Ballisea often seemed reasonable; but, she was quite particular. If Ziya tried to use the portal and Ballisea decided she needed permission that might have ended poorly. It was better to ask ahead of time.
"There is room for her too," Ballisea nodded, then disappeared. Her form vanished like shadows exposed to sunlight.
"C'mon," Honey tilted her head at the portal. Ziya took a step forward but paused.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked. It was such a general question, but given the past few minutes, it was still the most appropriate question.
"Not sure yet, I'm gonna go find out," Honey giggled. "You should come too. I'm sure it's more exciting than this place."