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a-robin-among-thorns · 5 years

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In The Shadows of the Rising Sun: Chp 8

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

My apologies for the long delay hopefully this extra long chapter makes up for it :)

Chapter 8: Sticks and Stones

Word Count: 2,677

“Are you sure you’ll be fine there?”

“There will be no small children?”

“No, they don’t have school for another hour.”

“Then I will be fine.”

A slow deep breath expanded Chise’s chest and stomach before puffing out her mouth. The air taking with it the last of her nerves that she would acknowledge. No more stalling.

The cold brass knob filled her palm and slowly turned, opening to the outdoor world. A red mop of hair poked out looking to and fro before cautiously stepping out and locking the door behind her with a clink. Her footsteps reverberated against the concrete of the inner complex building. Tennis shoes clanged against the metal steps and before she knew it the apartment was long behind her.

The early sun peaked over mountains and spilled across the concrete and if she concentrated on remote corners she could see them. Formless creatures and colorful demons alike stood just on the edge of alleys and buildings but not daring a step near. Mist spilled from their maws as they glowered at her openly. Their noses crinkled and fell downward where a dull pair of red lights glowed amongst her shadow.

“Relax Chise,” she almost yelped at his muted voice somehow delivered directly to her ear, “nothing will hurt you while I am here.” As if to illustrate his point, a lanky fox-faced demon huffed in defeat before spinning on its heels back into the trenches from whence it came. She sighed through her nose. “You’re right.”

Chise had almost considered letting Elias reside at home while she attended school but the notion was vehemently rejected. She had worried that Elias would have been put out by being forced to reside in her shadow while she attended her daily sentence of obligatory schooling. Yet he resigned to his place beneath her soles diligently with nary a complaint. If he had been put out by anything it was the oven clock shrieking at them to awaken earlier than noon.

More and more creatures peeled away as they came to realize she was no longer an easy target, and to her surprise, the walk to school became almost...pleasant. The tense lines in her shoulders eased and her feet slowed to an almost leisurely pace. How strange it was to walk down the streets with no fear of monsters thanks to the liquid darkness pooled at her feet trailing each step.

Despite the late winter cool still permeating the air, the sun felt warmer and more inviting than she could ever place before. She knew the stretch from the apartment to school like the back of her hand. Every escape route and hiding place was like an old friend. But she found herself noticing small details, colorful designs in store windows, flowers poking through the cement or sweet scents surrounding cafes, that she had always been too busy to notice before. Had it always been this way? Had her newfound security colored everything in a different light? Or was she finally moving slow enough to see it all?

However, her new found calm and quiet has a very noticeable setback that becomes obvious as soon as they entered the schoolyard parameter.

Her whispering classmates, although irritating, were often easy to ignore in the face of more pressing dangers. At least when they weren’t taking time out to yank out her hair or push her down the stairs. But these eyes wouldn’t care if her shadow was thicker than normal and would gladly glare at her with disdain.

She entered her homeroom building and her stomach dropped as she saw that the hall was not empty. Normally she tended to arrive a bit late and students would already be on the move to class. The bell was yet to ring and students were nestled here and there in the halls eyeing her with disgust or avoiding eye contact altogether. A group of girls resembling ravens in their shiny black hair and congregating in their little nest chittered amongst themselves in Japanese.

“Would you look at that, the gaijin is actually on time.” Sneered a girl wearing a pink hair clip.

“Two days in a row must be a new record.” Her tall friend replied.

A short mousy girl chirped in with a scoff, “Thank god we’re not in D class huh?”

“No kidding, she smells like a first aid kid someone left in the rain.” Pink clip said disdainfully.

Mousy girl rose a brow, “How would you know that?”

“Please, she reeks from a block away.”

“I once had to deliver a message from my teacher to her class” the tall gal began with an air of authority, “and the freak just sat there squirming and out of nowhere started kicking the desk so hard she made herself bleed. It was horrific.”

Chise tightened her grip on her bag and sped down the hallway. Distantly she noted her shadow bristling along the edges. She made a B line for homeroom and sat down heavily despite the classroom’s emptiness. Hot shame boiled within her, threatening to spill over her eyes and throat. She shuddered. The day had only just begun and she already felt exhausted.

“...Chise” Elias’ voice was just barely a whisper “are you ok?” Closing her eyes with a sigh she answered in whispered English, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Wearily, she rested her cheek in her right hand letting her left drift off the edge of her desk. A faint feeling of weight, like a thin mist curled in the space of her palm. Reflexively she curled her fingers inward.

Students began filling in the class just before the bell rung. Chattering rang throughout the walls but she could take solace in the fact that she would no longer be the primary focus. Once the teacher was seated and speaking the gossip quieted down. A few fringe mentions of her name or reputation sounded quietly as class continued but Chise took to focusing on the feeling in her palm rather than the chittering in her ears. Soon enough she found herself able to tune it out well enough to actually focus on class for once. Come third period she found herself reminded of how much she actually did enjoy literature. The feeling of being transported by the story of a book. Forgetting the daily matters that troubled her.

Lunch came around and after receiving her tray instead of returning to the class Chise sidestepped in the hallway and slipped outside. With hurried steps, she found a secluded blind spot from the school cameras in the shade of a cedar tree. Looking both ways she settled against the tree and ran her fingers through her shadow. Black wisps sifted through her fingers like sand as Elias formed before her sitting criss-cross.

A weight she had been unaware of lifted from her chest. “How are you doing?” she asked as she halved her sandwich and handed it to him. Elias accepted it and answered, “I’m fine, although I do wish I understood what the people around me were saying.”

“Hmm,” she muttered around a mouthful of rice, “You could borrow my dictionary if you think that’d help.”

He nodded, “It can’t hurt.” he swallowed his sandwich before setting his hand on his knees and regarding Chise solemnly. Something was weighing on his mind. “Chise, many of the students...they were talking while they looked at you, why is that?”

She pursed her lips, considering his question, “They...most of them don’t like me." She admitted in a defeated tone. “They think I’m weird and creepy.”

At this, his eyes narrowed. “Why would they think that?” He sounded completely perplexed.

“Well, most humans can’t see the neighbors when they’re attacking me. So people think I’m freaking out for no reason or that I just want attention. It causes a lot of problems…” Chise was perfectly aware of how difficult it was to deal with her outbursts. Especially when no one else had any idea how to change anything.

That did nothing to make it easier.

Save for a low humming, Elias was silent for a long minute. “I suppose I can see why they may think that.” Chise cast her eyes downward and spooned more rice into her mouth, her teeth clenching much too hard. This was something she knew and accepted, but out of his mouth, it stung. She swallowed roughly.

“But,” She stiffened as her jaw was suddenly cupped between his warm large fingers and gently tilted upwards to meet his eyes directly. “They are wrong.” His eyes were intense, staring directly past the walls she kept erected around herself. “If they knew even a fraction of the world you know every day, they would be much quicker to bite their tongues.” Despite the strength in his voice, she could just barely hear something underneath it. Something pained.

They stayed locked in each other's gaze, neither knowing what to say further. Chise’s heart thumped in her ears as she stared into his piercing eyes, ruminating on his words. Part of her felt exposed, frightened that he had gotten past her walls just like that. But more than that, hearing his declaration of validity to the struggles she faced daily, made her happy.

Finally, she nodded and he released his grip. They continued their meal in an awkward silence.

Chise slipped back in the classroom just before recess began and grabbed the wet wipes to begin cleaning off the desks. The teachers didn’t usually mind if she didn’t eat in the classroom with the rest of the class. But they would get huffy if she didn’t help clean up the classroom as that would be unfair to the other students. If she started early she’d be out of the way as much as possible and no one could complain.

She had just finished her third desk when students began putting away their trash and getting their respective cleaning supplies. Desk number four had just been polished enough to see her reflection and she lifted the desk gingerly to place it with the others against the wall.

“Ah!” She yelled as something whacked against her ankles knocking her feet from under her. Two thuds sounded as her hip collided with the floor followed shortly by the desk barely missing her arm. The entire right side of her body ached as she looked up where a burly sandy-haired boy walked away from where she had been standing. Looking over his shoulder, he sneered and rotated his broom so the handle was no longer pointed to the ground. Of course, the teacher hadn’t seen. Or heard.

With a grimace, she placed her hands on the ground to push herself back up when she felt a bristling sensation beneath her palms. A yelp rang out through the room as the boy jumped, dropping the broom. He fell to his knee, prying his pant leg over his ankle where a thin score of blood ran. “Sensei, I need to go to the nurse's office.” He said beginning to look pale. The teacher relented as the boy and the teacher's aid trotted down the hall like a wounded puppy.

Throughout the entire exchange, Chise was still as a statue. She had a strong suspicion that a certain someone beneath her feet was responsible for the boy’s sudden trip to the nurse. In the back of her mind, she knew she would need to chastise him for this. But she could hardly deny that there was something oddly cathartic about someone bullying her actually receiving a slap on the wrist, or ankle, for once. She allowed herself a private grin as she stood with her back to the class, corrected the desk that had been knocked askew and continued her cleaning.

Once recess was finished class resumed without any interruptions. Chise absently heard some whispering about poor Touma going to the nurse after the gaijin looked at him. But she once again focused on the warmth in her palm.

Last period finally rolled around as the teacher rotated for the final class of the day. As he sat down students began digging through their bags and fishing out white sheets dotted with algebra.

Chise’s heart sank to her stomach.

She had completely forgotten about the assignment over the weekend. She couldn’t even remember if she had written the assigned questions in her blind determination to fill her translation sheet Friday. Her grades were atrocious so it wasn’t like the blow would particularly dent her standing. But if she didn’t turn anything in...if they called Reina… Her hands fidgeted desperate for any corrective action.

Should she write something down and hand in a dud? No, the teacher had already sat down, she could never write enough in time. Ultimately, she stayed seated, forcing her hands still and desperately praying that the professor wouldn’t notice her sheet hadn’t been turned in.

The hour dragged on painfully as Chise focused to the best of her panicked ability. Maybe if she did better on tonight’s homework, the teacher would overlook her grievance today. Elias must have sensed her agitation as halfway through the class the mist coiled more completely around her palm and forearm. She clasped back in response.

When the bell finally rung she packed up as calmly as she could and made for the door.

“Hatori-san?”

Ice ran through her veins as she cautiously faced her teacher. “A word please?”

She gulped and nodded, slowly making her way to his desk. He waited until most of the student’s had exited into the hall before addressing her with a tired look on his face.

“I take it you did not complete the weekend homework.”

“N-no, sir.” She answered timidly.

“Is there anything particular reason why?” He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “If there is a problem at home we can see-“

“No! There isn’t!” She blurted much too quickly. “I-i mean, it was my birthday Saturday and we went out to eat. I meant to do it Sunday but there was a huge storm and we had a power outage and I forgot.” It was close to the truth. Close enough. “I really like this home I just forgot with everything thing going on.”

Mr. Ito didn’t look entirely convinced but he sighed, clearly desiring to end the conversation quickly. “Alright then Hatori-san, but I want it first thing tomorrow along with tonight’s homework.”

“Um, sir may I have the assignment number again just so I know I have it correct?”

He rose a brow suspiciously but decided it not worth the argument and scribbled a list of numbers on a sticky note. He held the note out between his thumb and forefinger. “I hope you understand you will only receive partial credit for late work.”

“Yes sir, thank you, sir.” She accepted the paper with a slight bow and hastily made her way out of the class. Her heart still raced from how close she had been to sending a call to Reina, but she slowly felt the painful thrumming in her limbs reside as she trotted down the hall.

As she neared the stairs, she slowed her pace and lingered to the handrail.

Adjacent to the corner of the stairs was a door she was very familiar with. It led to a more secluded path to the school roof, a metal rung ladder. She had taken the path several times and spent many days and evenings there...sightseeing from the roof. Days like today, full of whispering and incidents, often led her there. Always so tempted to follow in her footsteps.

Her fingers unpeeled from the metal railing and she took small steps toward the door. Slowly, she reached for the handle, fingers outstretched. Her fingers twitched as she stood an inch from the door. She peered downward and just caught the outline of thorns and afterimage of a red glow.

She closed her fist and sighed, allowing herself a private smile as she turned for the stairs. “Let’s go home.”

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