Chapter Two: Superstitions and Lessons
Once he was finished dealing with the girl in shock, he tried to observe his surroundings. People were frantic trying to find their loved ones if they traveled with them, frantic about where they were if they traveled alone. Panicked screaming was widespread amongst the women and the men wore the most pained expressions Masaharu had ever seen. The front end of 714 was still burning, too, and Masaharu expected people with severe burns to emerge from that portion of the plane�if they were going to emerge at all.
�All right, everybody, head count,� Mr. Koyanagi said, looking over his students. He counted Asuka, Mariko, Rumiko, Sanae, Reiko, Yuichirou, Shuya, and Ryuhei. �Yurika�s missing!� he cried out.
�Did you see her?� Asuka asked Rumiko.
�I saw her right as we crashed,� Rumiko replied. �Then, she was gone.� She shrugged, her face full of fear.
�Look,� Yuichirou said, pointing to the sand. There were obvious footprints there, making a path towards the jungle. �Footprints.�
�Yurika,� Asuka and Rumiko said, taking off into the jungle, following the footprints.
�Chiyo, darling, wake up! Come on, baby, Mommy and Daddy are okay,� Akina told Chiyo, who was unconscious. Masao had a large purple bruise on his forehead and Akina�s face was slightly cut and she saw blood on her fingers when she touched it, but both of them were okay. Neither parent learned CPR, something they were both deeply regretting.
�Someone help, our baby�s unconscious,� Masao bellowed in his deep bass voice, attracting the attention of a man who was leaning up against the plane, trying in vain to light a cigarette.
�Motherfucker,� he muttered at his lighter, speaking in English. �I thought I trusted you.� He pocketed the lighter and unlit cigarette, glancing over and seeing Masao and Akina. He didn�t speak much Japanese, he was just the air marshal, but he knew by the way their voices sounded that something was wrong. He dashed over to them.
�Look, someone who can help us,� Akina said in Japanese, but when she saw the man�s blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, she switched to English. �Excuse me, sir, do you know�um�ano�CPR?� The way Akina said CPR was slightly flawed, but it was enough for the marshal, who nodded. �Our daughter, she is�� Akina pointed to Chiyo.
�No problem, ma�am. I�ll take care of her.� He started to administer CPR as Akina explained to Masao, whose English skills were rusty, who this person was that was trying to resuscitate their daughter. On the seventh repetition, Chiyo gasped for breath and sat up.
�Oh! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much, sir!� Akina gasped, bowing so deeply that her head touched the sand. �What is your name, sir?�
�Oh, um, I�m James Ford,� the marshal replied.
�James Ford,� Masao repeated. �Thank you.� James nodded, stood up, and went back to try and light up again. In a situation like this, he desperately needed nicotine.
Asuka pushed away a large tree branch before it could slap her and Rumiko in the face. They were deep in the jungle, their school shoes dirtied with mud, the sun mostly blocked out by the canopies of trees. Yurika was nowhere to be found, but the footprints she left were still there, so the girls knew they were at least on the right track.
�Fruit,� Rumiko said, pointing to a fruit tree.
�Let�s remember that for later,� Asuka replied. �Yurika!� she shouted. �Yurika! Where are you?�
�Yurika! It�s me, Rumiko! Come on, we�re looking for you!� Rumiko called out, and in the seconds after her shout, she and Asuka heard a rustling noise and some sniffles. Asuka put a finger to her lips and listened intently, hearing the sniffling again. Cautious not to speak, she tapped Rumiko on the shoulder and pointed in Yurika�s general direction. Sure enough, Yurika was hiding in a grove of thick flowering bushes. She was huddled with her head resting on her knees, rocking back and forth, crying openly. Her blonde hair was tangled�probably from confrontations with tree branches�and her arms were bloodied.
�Yurika,� Asuka said calmly. �Hey, Yurika, what�s wrong?� She entered the grove of bushes and knelt down next to Yurika.
�I�m scared,� she replied simply.
�We all are,� Rumiko replied, picking one of the flowers and tucking it into her hair. Yurika nervously looked left, looked right, and looked down.
�Do you guys remember when we went to that fortune teller on a whim?� Yurika asked Asuka and Rumiko, who nodded in unison, remembering the time the three of them took the Oedo Line train from their school near Ueno Park, almost forgetting to switch onto the Marunouchi Line train to reach Ikebukuro, which was home to a kindly old woman who did all kinds of fortune telling. She was the stuff of legend among the students of Tokyo Jokyu, who all swore that she was the most accurate fortune-teller ever.
It was raining the day that Yurika, Asuka, and Rumiko got on the same train instead of taking three different ones to reach their three different houses, and still raining when they walked down a dirty, narrow road to the destination they wanted. It was a nondescript little apartment, its front door facing the road, with naught but a small dented metal postbox stuffed with junk mail and a window with a purple curtain to look at. Rumiko pressed the doorbell and heard it echo inside the apartment. Asuka considered how unusual the trio must have looked to passers-by, because the three of them were still clad in their uniforms. Yurika simply hummed a tune while waiting for the door to open, which it eventually did.
�Aaah, come in,� a creaky female voice commanded. The three girls stepped in, one after the other, stepping out of their black loafers and leaving their umbrellas in the small foyer. The bottom floor of the apartment consisted of a main room, where the shop was set up, a door leading to somewhere, and a flight of stairs off to the left. In the shop area, there was a squishy crimson couch and a coffee table stacked high with newspapers and weekly magazines. This was supposed to be the waiting area, the girls decided, and so they seated themselves. Asuka started rifling through the pile of reading material, searching for an issue of Iken, but Rumiko nudged her and sharply nodded, telling her to look up without saying a word. Asuka�s eyes flickered up and she saw this famous fortune teller.
�Obaasan,� Rumiko whispered. Obaasan was the Japanese word for grandmother, a word that conjures up a certain image in most people�s minds. This image, the one of a stooped-over white-haired woman wearing mismatched clothing, was one that could easily describe Obaasan. She was, indeed, stooped over, relying on a walking stick made out of shining oak to help her move around. Her white hair was tucked into a bun at the top of her head, letting two tendrils hang down around her wrinkled but smiling face. She wore small glasses over her brown eyes, an excess of necklaces, bracelets, and rings (with one for each finger), an emerald green knitted shawl, a deep brown peasant skirt that swept the floor, and fluffy pink slippers.
�Hello,� she said to the trio. �I hear that you are here for my services.�
�That�s right,� Yurika, who was silent up until this point, suddenly said.
�That�s wonderful. Come right this way, girls.� Obaasan beckoned the girls closer with her finger, light making the rings and bracelets glitter. She made her way over to a set of large purple curtains, drawn together to hide whatever was inside, and gently pulled on a gold cord to open them up. Inside was a large brown bookshelf, jam-packed with mysterious tomes that discussed numerology, tarot, astrology, and other assorted occult subjects. On the wall was a framed map of the solar system, marred with lines and comments. There was also a brown table, covered mostly by a red cloth, coupled with two chairs. �I�m sorry. I�ll have to see just one of you at a time. Who wants to go first?�
Yurika, never being the first to do anything, hung back in the waiting room while Asuka went first. Yurika picked up an issue of Josei Seven, a popular weekly women�s magazine, and started to read celebrity gossip. Asuka came out of her session looking somewhat shocked but happy, as if the old woman was able to correctly guess something that Asuka thought was secret, and then she told Rumiko that it was her turn. Similarly, Rumiko emerged and cued Yurika to go inside.
�Hello,� Obaasan said simply as Yurika entered and shut the curtains. �Sit down, dear.� Yurika did as she was told. �You�re tense, aren�t you?�
�A little,� Yurika replied honestly.
�That�s all right. Most people are.� Obaasan smiled.
�Hey, don�t you usually have a crystal ball?� Yurika remembered being told something about a crystal ball, but she must have misheard, as Obaasan just laughed.
�No, no, I don�t use those. I don�t think they�re very accurate. You�ll find that my method is much more accurate than any silly crystal ball could ever dream to be.� Obaasan read Yurika�s palm and found that she had abnormally long life and love lines, but was destined to never be very rich. She then did a complete tarot reading and Yurika was shocked to find the Death card was drawn.
�Death?� she whispered.
�The death card doesn�t mean you�re going to die. It symbolizes change. Something big is about to change in your life.� Obaasan shut her eyes for a moment. �Say, are you going to be traveling soon?�
�Yes! Our senior trip, well, one of them, is soon.�
�You should be wary of traveling,� was all Obaasan said. When Yurika asked for her to elaborate, Obaasan simply shook her head no.
�You should be wary of traveling,� the present Yurika told Asuka and Rumiko. �I had my doubts about this trip, you know? I was very close to canceling, then I found out that Aloha wouldn�t be able to refund my money after a certain point and I just decided to go anyway.� She touched her injured arm. �I don�t know if I�ll ever travel by air again.� She shrugged.
�Why did you come out here?� Rumiko blurted out.
�I wanted to get away from the screaming,� Yurika said plaintively. �I can�t stand the screaming.�
�But we were worried about you, Yurika,� Asuka argued. �We thought you�� She didn�t want to use the word died. �We were just worried, that�s all. Come on, let�s go back to the beach. We need to show Mr. Koyanagi that you�re okay.� Asuka took Yurika�s left arm, Rumiko took Yurika�s right arm, and together they led her back to the beach. Though they tried to shield her from seeing the plane, they failed, and Yurika squeezed her eyes shut.
�Mr. Koyanagi,� Rumiko shouted. �We found Yurika. She�s okay, just shaken.�
�We all are,� Mr. Koyanagi replied. Yurika saw Mariko, lying down on the sand, a necktie around her waist and her shirt bloodied up, and looked utterly confused.
�What happened to Mariko?� Yurika asked.
�Shock,� Yuichirou reported. �She just needs that wound to heal up. It�s pretty gross underneath the tie. Someone might try to sew it up, too.�
�Is everyone else okay?� Yurika asked. �I mean, aside from, like, where we are and what just happened to our mode of transportation.� The school group exchanged nods and shrugs.
The able-bodied men who survived the crash without being knocked out were now venturing back onto the plane and moving those who were unconscious out onto the beach. Masaharu was with them because he was the most able to tell a dead person from an unconscious one, but his mind was still on Haruka, sitting on the beach holding her stomach. He was worried that the sudden changes in pressure or stress could induce labor, so he would visually check up on her after bringing each person out of the plane. Most of those who were unconscious had nasty bruises and cuts forming on them as well as limbs broken or popped out of place, a rather grisly sight for the younger eyes to see. However, after steadily working without end, the final unconscious passenger�Kaori�was brought forth from the plane and placed on the beach.
�I think that�s everyone,� Masaharu announced, walking over to Haruka. �How are you doing over here?�
�Could be better,� Haruka answered wearily.
�We could all be better. I mean, do you feel like you�re having contractions or anything?�
�No, not yet,� Haruka said, wincing. �But if I do, you�ll be able to hear me scream about it.� She grinned. �I mean, my due date�s not for another month.�
�The due date is just a projection, though. We have to factor in all the unusual facts about this situation, such as where we are and what�s just happened to us.�
�You�ve got a point, doc. I�ll keep you posted on my situation.� Haruka paused. �Say, has anyone come out of the first-class area yet?�
�No, and I�m not expecting any at this point, unfortunately. If I were to get any, they would be badly burned, too. I�d have to find some aloe plants. It�s very possible that they could grow in that jungle.� Masaharu pointed to the jungle.
�Well, if you want to, you should go hunt for it. I�m sure someone will want to go with you if it�s for the greater good. Why don�t you go see if one of those students will tag along with you?� Haruka pointed to the school group. �They could help you collect aloe. I�m sure it would help all the people who have cuts on them.�
�You�ve got a good point. What should I collect the aloe in?� Masaharu asked. Haruka held up her index finger and quickly unbuttoned her blouse, taking it off over her shoulders and handing it to Masaharu. Underneath, she was wearing a black tank top, so she wasn�t showing anything indecent to anyone.
�Take that blouse and make it into a pouch,� Haruka told Masaharu. �It�ll work wonders and you�ll be able to collect so much more aloe with it.�
�Thank you,� Masaharu said, standing up and heading off towards the students. Haruka saw him go and smiled slightly, looking out towards the sea that stretched all the way to the horizon.
�Does someone want to help me?� he asked the students, and Reiko was intrigued by the good doctor�s good looks. She bravely stepped forward.
�I�ll go,� she said firmly.
�Great, thanks. We�re going to go in the jungle and look for aloe,� Masaharu told Reiko.
�Why?� Reiko asked immediately.
�Aloe has a special juice inside that helps soothe cuts and burns. We�ll need it.� He showed her the shirt. �Can you hold the aloe when we gather it?�
�Sure, I can.� Reiko took the shirt and made it into a pouch. �Just show me the way.� Masaharu nodded and led her into the jungle.
�Well, I�ll be damned,� Asuka muttered. �Reiko�s actually helping someone out for once.�
�She�s pretty cut up, too, so she�ll appreciate getting aloe for herself,� Shuya added.
�Ah, so she has found a way that it�ll help herself,� Ryuhei said bitterly. �Of course she�ll do it, then.� The kids snickered but said no more as Reiko and Masaharu disappeared from their sight.
�Pretty overgrown in here,� Reiko said nervously, ducking to avoid her long hair catching in a tree branch.
�Yeah,� Masaharu replied. �Do you know what aloe looks like?�
�No, I�m from Tokyo. I have no idea.�
�An honest answer. Aloe is a green plant that has long leaves with somewhat spiky edges. Don�t worry, if you pick it right it won�t hurt you, and if it does, we can just rub some of the juice on whatever cuts you get.� Masaharu started to glance towards the ground and Reiko simply copied him, looking around for any sort of spiky green plant. She was hoping that she wasn�t missing any potential aloe just by not knowing exactly what it looked like when Masaharu knelt down and gently picked some aloe off the ground. �Here�s some.�
�Great!� Reiko held out her pouch and Masaharu put the aloe in. Now that she had an idea of what aloe looked like, Reiko felt that she could help out. In fact, she ended up finding a large grove of aloe that Masaharu would have missed because he was now concentrating on what kind of fruits grew in the jungle. He only decided that the two should turn back when the pouch was so full that Reiko thought it would burst at the seams, and even then, it seemed to Masaharu that it was a punishment to go back to the beach.
Some of the unconscious passengers were regaining consciousness and asking questions. Those who were already awake consulted the newly awakened passengers on the current situation, completely oblivious to the fact that the seemingly innocent James found a large hole in the cargo hold, large enough to fit a person into, and now he was inside, hauling away as many suitcases as possible and taking them into the jungle. He kept taking loads into the jungle and coming back to retrieve more, possibly taking away things like people�s clothes and medicine, but nobody truly noticed until every passenger was conscious.
�We should start to see if maybe we can get a cell phone signal here,� Masaharu told the group.
�My phone�s back on the plane,� Rumiko said, and many people also expressed the fact that their cell phones were on the plane.
�Fine, then we�ll get back on and look for our phones. While we�re at it, we might just want to bring our suitcases out and set up some sort of camp.� Masaharu pointed to the plane.
�Dumb question,� a young man in a business suit said, raising his hand. �But how are we going to get back on the plane?�
One at a time, the survivors clamored up the inflated slides, mostly grasping onto the sides so as not to slip and slide back down onto the beach. The female students worried about perverts looking up their skirts, so they forced their male counterparts to climb onto the plane first. The impact of the crash caused some of the overhead bins to open and spill their contents out onto the seats and floor, but everything was still there and mostly intact. Instead of stopping to examine what was inside any of these bags, the passengers would simply take everything they had and slide back down onto the beach. When Kaori got on, she made sure to bring down the bounty of blankets and pillows stored in the back of the plane and throw them into a pile.
Those who found their suitcases now sat on the beach, opening their bags, pawing around for cell phones. The nine students sat comparing their phones.
�I don�t have any bars,� Asuka said, shrugging, as she held her silver flip phone with a small charm of a dolphin dangling from the antenna aloft. �I�ve got DoCoMo.�
�Me neither,� Yurika said gravely. Her phone resembled a glittering pink candy bar. �I have Vodafone.�
�Yeah, Vodafone,� Ryuhei added, shrugging sheepishly and letting his plain silver flip phone drop to the sand.
�Same,� Yuichirou added. He simply pocketed his phone.
�Nothing on AU,� Rumiko reported.
�Nothing on TU-KA,� Reiko said.
�Well, Willcom doesn�t have any service either, so that�s pretty much every phone service in Japan,� Mariko said. �End of story.�
The Americans clustered in their own group, comparing phones and services in English.
�Cingular�s got nothing.�
�Neither does T-Mobile.�
�Or Verizon.�
�So, do you think we�re pretty much screwed as far as calling the outside world is concerned?� The Americans nodded sadly.
As Reiko put her phone back in her bag, she glanced over and saw James sneak another bag out of the cargo hold. She decided not to say anything at the moment, because perhaps he was taking his own bag out, and she wanted to get to her stuff before anyone else could. There were a few things she wouldn�t want for Mariko or Mr. Koyanagi to see stored away in her suitcases. She kept this thought stored away in her head and carefully watched James as he disappeared into the jungle, suitcases in hand, and went back to putting her phone away.
Reiko only needed to summon up this thought again an hour or so later as people were starting to take the seats out of the plane and set them down on the beach so that they could sit in a place where little white crabs wouldn�t be scuttling around. They would also push up the armrests on some of them and create beds by placing the airline�s stock of pillows and blankets on them. Akina was lazily braiding Chiyo�s hair as Masao helped to create couches and beds when Chiyo started to go to sleep, clearly in need of a nap.
�Mommy,� she muttered.
�Yes, baby?� Akina asked.
�I want my unicorn.� Chiyo had a little stuffed unicorn that she brought everywhere with her. �And my blanket.� Before she was born, Akina knitted a blanket for Chiyo that she was deeply emotionally attached to. Both of these treasured items were presently in suitcases that were securely in the cargo area mere hours ago.
�Okay, I�ll go find them.� Akina stood up and walked down the beach to where the plane was still smoking, the fire unlikely to stop anytime soon. She coughed as she inhaled some smoke and peered inside the cargo area�s hole to find almost no cargo left, but decided to dive inside anyway and take a better look, especially looking for the big red ribbons she always tied on her luggage to make it stand out. Inside, the cargo area was roomy, due to the fact that much of the luggage was gone, and Akina thought that was odd. Furthermore, she was unable to find any of her family�s luggage, and she got so frustrated that she punched the wall, tearing up some of her skin and making her knuckles bleed.
She emerged from the cargo area empty-handed and Chiyo was visibly disappointed.
�I�m sorry, baby, I don�t know where our luggage went,� Akina said sadly, hiding her wounded knuckles with her other hand. She put her wounded arm around Chiyo and brought her close. From a few feet away, Reiko, who was lazily sifting through sand with her hands, saw this scene unfolding. Reiko was usually only concerned with Number One�namely, herself�but something had changed in her since 714 went down, especially because she knew where this luggage was. She stood up and went over to Akina, a perfect stranger.
�It was the one with the red ribbon, wasn�t it?� Chiyo asked.
�Yes, baby, but I couldn�t find the red ribbon��
�Ma�am, I think I know where your bag is,� Reiko said kindly. �I�ll go get it for you.�
�Oh, thank you,� Akina said appreciatively, watching Reiko disappear into the jungle. Reiko was becoming accustomed to the jungle, too, she realized as she traced the path she saw James take until she was deep in the foliage, taking note of how she came in and getting nervous as she thought that she could get lost on the way back. She stepped on a large twig and heard it snap beneath her foot.
�Shit!� she whispered loudly.
�Who�s there?� James asked in English, pulling aside a nearby branch and peering out, almost like a peephole in the door of a house. �Oh,� he said upon seeing Reiko. �Hey kid, you speak English?�
�I am not a kid,� Reiko replied angrily, using heavily accented English. �I am eighteen years old.�
�Ah. Barely legal. I gotcha. So, what do you want here?�
�I need a suitcase.�
�Well, too bad, sugar. I don�t just give things out to people without them asking nicely and doing me a favor.�
�Please, can I get a suitcase?� Reiko asked against her will, and she saw James giving her the once-over. Oh, so it�s like that, she thought. No problem, you gaijin, I play this game best. She realized that her uniform was still in the skimpy state it was in back at the smoker�s lounge and smiled slightly.
�Okay. Come in.� James pulled aside the entire small tree blocking him from Reiko and ushered her inside to a cozy little clearing carpeted by fallen leaves. This clearing was stacked full of suitcases and also contained a row of airplane seats. One of the seats was in the fully reclined position and a book sat on it, its cover pointing up.
�Japanese for Dummies?� Reiko inquired upon seeing the book.
�Figured I might as well try to pick y�all�s language up while I�m here. Ain�t working so well, though,� James explained. Reiko was both befuddled and amused by James� accent, being that she learned English in school from a young man hailing from New York City. His accent was more guttural and sharp while James� was soft and laid-back.
�Well, what do you know? Maybe I can teach you.�
�I know �konnichiwa�, �oyasumi�, �sayonara�, �konbanwa�, and�� James paused. �And that�s about it.� He shrugged.
�So, you know some greetings. That�s a good start. Do you want me to teach you some of Japanese?�
�If you�ll do better than this dumb book, yes.� Reiko laughed.
�I do better than any book,� she bragged.
�Well then, sugar, I�ve got an offer you can�t resist. How about you can take one suitcase in exchange for teaching me one phrase of Japanese?� Reiko looked at James, the pile of suitcases behind him, and at him again before nodding. He held his hand out for her to shake and she shook it, an unfamiliar custom in the land of deep bows, and she noted how warm his hand was.
�I�ll teach you the numbers one to ten for a bag,� Reiko offered. �You want to learn how to count bags when people come asking for theirs, don�t you?�
�Well, of course! C�mon, have a seat.� James gestured to the row of seats and Reiko sat down in the rightmost one. James took the seat next to her and rested his elbows on the armrest, looking right at her. �C�mon, teacher, teach me somethin�.�
�Okay.� Reiko fumbled around for something to teach numbers with and found her pack of cigarettes. She took it out and gave it a tap, producing one cigarette. �See it?� She held it up in her hands. �One in English, �ichi� in Japanese. Say �ichi�.�
�Ichi,� James repeated. Reiko turned her nose up at the accent.
�God, you sound like some bumpkin from Saga Prefecture. Where you from?�
�Where am I from?� James asked, pointing to himself. Reiko nodded. �I�m from the US.�
�I know that! I mean where in the US? You don�t sound like you are from New York.� James chuckled.
�New York is �bout a world away from where I live. I�m from a city in the South called Atlanta.�
�Well, Saga Prefecture is in the south too. People from there sound funny. I�m from Tokyo. But, I worry about your bad accent later. Let�s move on.� Reiko took another cigarette out. ��Ni�.�
��Ni�. You gonna save me �ichi� of those, cowgirl? I ain�t had a cigarette since we left Tokyo.�
�Okay, I will save you one.� Reiko took out yet another cigarette. �Three, you say,� she said, stumbling over the �th� sound as most of her classmates also did. �We say �san�.� On and on this lesson went until Reiko held a fan of ten, or �ju�, cigarettes in her hand. As a sort of review, she used piles of suitcases and had James count those, and when she was done, she gave him one of her cigarettes for a reward.
�Thanks for teaching me,� he told her.
�It�s no problem. Maybe later, we tackle your accent. Until then�� Reiko exhaled a large ring of smoke. �I take my reward, too.�
�Mm-hm,� James said, his cigarette stuck between his lips, blocking his ability to speak. �You take �ichi� suitcase, okay?�
��Wakarimashita�,� Reiko replied with a grin.
�Hey, what�s that mean? Does it mean �I�m going to steal all the suitcases� or something?� James asked, insecure.
�No, it means �okay� basically, but you also can say �daijoubu�.� She looked over to see how he would respond and saw his face twisted in utter confusion. �It�s OK. I will teach you all of those things later. I have to give a little girl her blanket now.� She saw a suitcase with a large red ribbon tied onto the handle. �You going to stay here?�
�Maybe, unless y�all find some food, and then I�ll come out long �nuff to eat it.� James grinned. �Go on now, take your suitcase.� Reiko nodded silently, almost sad that she was going to leave James for the time being, but she remembered the scared, vulnerable Chiyo sitting on the beach and retrieved the suitcase with the red ribbon.
�I�ll be back,� she said, slinging the suitcase over her shoulder and walking back into the jungle. She retraced her path back to the beach and returned to base camp, where clusters of survivors were starting to lay claim to bits of land. Akina still sat by the still awake Chiyo, still looking sad. �Ma�am,� she said, switching back into her native tongue. �I found your suitcase.�
�Where did you find it?� Akina asked, exasperated but thankful, as she opened the suitcase. It was obviously Chiyo�s, judging by its contents: the aforementioned unicorn and blanket, various little girl clothes, and a plastic bag filled with hair accessories.
�I think when we landed, it must have fallen out of the cargo area. You saw the hole, didn�t you?� Reiko lied, and Akina nodded, remembering the hole she crawled into. �Do you want some aloe for your hand?�
�Oh, I think I�ll get some as soon as I get Chiyo to sleep. Thank you so much. What�s your name?�
�Reiko,� Reiko replied, proud of what she had done. Now, she had to tell Mariko, the one person who still thought Reiko was a rotten delinquent girl who opened herself up to just any man. �I gotta go, my group is probably looking for me.�
�Thank you again,� Akina said respectfully. �Okay, Chiyo, here�s your blanket and unicorn�� Reiko walked off to find her group again, beaming on the inside and outside.
CONTINUE to Chapter Three: Blossoming
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