She remembered, the day the monsters appeared, that her sister had been looking out the window, the one next to the front door.

 “Sa-Sa,” her sister, Lo-Ta, said, “Something’s gonna happen today, and sissy is gonna have to stay here. You’ll leave through the back door.” “Why?” she said, “Why can’t you come?” “Because it’ll be better this way.” Lo-Ta replied, “Now, just promise me you won’t dive too deep, okay?” She didn’t understand what she meant that morning, but maybe this is part of it. 

 Her friend sat in front of her, still crying. “...Ketu...?” she asked. The girl perked up, and turned around. “Sa-Sa?” she sniffled, “What are you...?” She broke down into tears again. “You came...” she whispered, “No one else cared enough...” Sa-Sa sat down next to her friend, and wrapped her arms around her. “Of course I came,” she whispered back, “You’re my best friend, after all.” Ketu smiled weakly, then looked away. 

 “I’m sorry... I’m sorry....” she muttered through sobs, “I hate it here. I wanna go back. Let me go home!” 

 “There’s no more home to go to.” Sa-Sa said, “Monsters destroyed it all.” 

 “...Is that why you’re here? Because you’re dead?” Ketu mumbles.

 “No, I came looking for you.” she replies, brushing her friend’s hair with her fingers, “There’s a bad version of you on the surface that’s being mean, so I came to see why.”

 Ketu begins to sob again, “This is why they hated me, because I was always bad, no matter what I did. I’m dead and I’m still causing problems!” “It was only your mask that was bad, and that’s the only thing they saw.” Sa-Sa says gently, “You don’t need your mask anymore, it’s just me here! Let you be yourself!

 “Cry all you want! I’ll listen to you,” she whispers, “Because there are those who’ll hurt you, and those who’ll heal you.” Ketu hugs Sa-Sa, crying into her shoulder. “Y’know, all I wished for,” she says through her muffled sobs, “Was to feel something as warm as this...” Her voice began to fade, and she let go. She smiles and Sa-Sa, as everything around them begins to fade. 

 “I’ll miss you.”