♦ CHAPTER 5 (KASAI)
ONE MONTH LATER…
“Why do you use the computer so much?” Mizu asks.
“To do research, hack files and stuff like that,” Chikyu answers. I smile. The door opens and someone walks in. Aisu. I can smell mint.
“Aisu! Where were you at dinner?” Mizu says.
“Sleeping. See, Kasai’s sleeping. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I’m not sleeping,” I say from under my book. I’m leaning back on the sofa in the Institute’s drawing room. With a book on my face. I hear shuffling and someone removes the book. I squint up at the bright light and see Aisu’s despicable face. He’s smirking.
“Then want are you doing?”
“Resting. Go away.”
“You guys are actually talking more. I thought this would never happen,” Mizu says wiggling her eyebrows. I glare at her and get up. Aisu picks up my book.
“‘The Tale of Two Cities’? Not a bad read, Yanai,” He smiles mockingly. He sits down on the sofa and flips to the beginning.
“Don’t call me by my last name,” I stretch and walk over to Chikyu. “So, what are you hacking into now?”
“Nothing, really,” she smiles back at me. I nod. And then I notice Mizu slowly walking toward the door with her bag in her hand.
“Where are you going?” I ask her. She freezes.
“Um, the club?” She says it like it’s a question. Chikyu and Aisu’s heads snap up.
“No, you won’t go clubbing,” Aisu says at the same time Chikyu asks, “You go clubbing?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Mizu smiles uncertainly at Chikyu before turning to her brother. “Come on. I promised my friends I’d be there,” Mizu gives Aisu her puppy face, and he lets out a groan.
“Fine,” he says stiffly. I shake my head and Aisu glares are me.
“Oh, my god! Thanks bro! You’re amazing,” Mizu says as she skips out. Aisu turns to me.
“Hear that? I’m amazing.”
“She said that so you wouldn’t change your mind about letting her go to her club. She wasn’t even being nice. Amazing? Don’t make me laugh,” I say. Chikyu smirks at my comment. He scowls. Master walks in the room after Mizu leaves.
“Where’s she going?” He asks.
“To her—” Aisu starts.
“To her friend’s house. Isn’t that right, Aisu?” Kaze walks in behind Master and nods at him. Aisu sends her a weird look but nods.
“Yeah.”
“Well, how are you a lot coping with staying here in the Institute?” Master smiles at me as he takes a seat on the couch.
“We’re fine. My father hasn’t talked to me, yet. Taiga, my butler, says he’s working so I guess he’s really busy. That’s all,” I say, trying to avoid all eye contact. Master nods at me. I knew that it actually wasn’t because he was busy. He was pretty mad at me when I told him that I wanted to come here. He said I was digging my own grave. I guess I am. I mean, Elementals don’t have a peaceful life. That’s what Master told me.
“I miss my trees,” Chikyu says, interrupting my thoughts.
“Well, you better get used to it,” Aisu smirks at Chikyu. Chikyu sends him the finger. I feel a sudden jolt of jealousy. And then I silently scold myself. Aisu hated me, and I hated him. We couldn’t ever possibility be friends again.
“Yes, you should,” Masters turns to Aisu.
“I’m fine. Doesn’t this place remind you of the imaginary castle that we used to pretend to live in, Kasai?” He looks at me expectantly, like he expects me to remember it. I do. But I don’t say it.
“No,” I answer coldly. He just shrugs.
“So,” Chikyu says. “Who else is an Elemental?”
“Do you mean the other Elements? Like Metal and stuff?” Master asks.
“No, I mean—”
“She means famous people,” I interrupt Chikyu. Chikyu nods.
“Ah. Well, once you’re an Elemental, you don’t really have a whole lot of freedom because we’re too busy protecting mundane people from the Other Elementals.”
“Other Elementals?”
“The evil ones. Metal, Sand, and a few other. Including the legendary power...Time" Kaze says. Aisu and I nod.
“But wasn’t there a famous sport player that is an Elemental?” Master looks at Kaze, who nods.
“Yeah, a soccer player from the team Barcelona,” Kaze picks up a book from the shiny coffee table and dusts it off absentmindedly. Chikyu suddenly jerks up from her stool and looks at Kaze with wide eyes. Aisu looks up from his book, alarmed.
“Wait, wait, wait; what team?”
“Barcelona. Why?” Kaze blinks at Chikyu.
“What’s his name?”
“It’s Neymar Jr. Do you watch soccer?”
“No. No, no, no. You are kidding! You mean Neymar de Silva?”
“Yeah,” She answers slowly. “Neymar de Silva.” She looks at Chikyu like she’s crazy. Well, I don’t really blame her. Chikyu was usually quite calm.
“Oh. My. God,” Chikyu falls back onto her stool.
“What is it? You’re acting like—” Chikyu cuts Master off.
“I am only, like, his biggest fan!” Chikyu squeals excitedly.
“Only a fan?” I ask teasingly. From the way she’s blushing like hell, I could tell that she liked him. A lot.
“Whatever. So Master, tell us about Elementals,” Chikyu says.
“Well, some Elementals are evil. Some are not. And there are mundane people that know about us because they have a relative in their family that is one of us. Some of them are hunters. Elemental Hunters, that’s what they’re called. They hunt us, but since they aren’t Elementals, they don’t know where the Institutes are.”
“So my sister could be an Elemental Hunter?” Aisu closes the book and places it on the coffee table.
“She could, but she sees no reason to do so. Elemental Hunters choose to be Elemental Hunter because a loved one died an Elemental.”
“Wow, so she could’ve been one. Mom and Dad died and. . .” Aisu trails off.
“And Father could be one, too,” I add. And then everyone’s awkwardly silent. I wince. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
“Your mother,” Master starts. “She wanted you to have a normal life. But once you’re an Elemental, there’s danger everywhere unless you’re with your kind.” I nod numbly.
“Alright,” Master gets up. “You lot should go to sleep. Mizu will come home soon, right?”
Home.
“Yeah,” Aisu shoots me a look. He’s worried about Mizu. Mizu’s never been one to be time conscious. I shake my head my head helplessly when Master isn’t looking.
“Goodnight, Master.” Chikyu shuts down her laptop and waves to the rest of us. We nod.
“Goodnight,” I say to Kaze and Master as they leave. As soon as they are gone, Aisu turns to me. He opens his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.
“You shouldn’t have let her go. We both know that she won’t be back until she passes out drunk.” I sigh. Aisu sighs. He runs a hand through his white hair.
“I know. It’s my fault. But she’s almost an adult. She needs to be responsible.”
“I guess you’re right. And there’s no use crying over spilled milk,” I say. He nods. I turn to leave.
“Wait!” Aisu calls after me. I turn back around to face him. He has on his signature smirk and I’m immediately suspicious, expecting him to tease me in some way. But he doesn’t.
“Goodnight,” he walks toward the other end of the room.
I just stand there, watching his back disappear in the dim light of the hallway. And I feel tears pricking at the edges of my eyes and wave of longing wash over me. Longing for the friendship I once had. Six years ago. Oh, why were people so confusing? I blink a few times before pulling myself together.
“Goodnight.”
♦♦♦
I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing. I groan. I grab my phone and prepare to cuss off whoever decided to call me so late. My phone said that it’s bloody 2:30 a.m.
“Look here, I don’t give two—” I start.
“No, no, no. You look here. I’m with your friend, Mizu,” the girl on the other end says. In a flash, I’m awake.
“What? What about Mizu?”
“Um well, you see, I’m a vampire—”
“Wait, what? You’re a vampire?”
“Nooo, I’m not.” Sarcasm drips from her voice. I narrow my eyes. She wanted to play that game, did she now?
“What happened to Mizu?”
“She was talking non-sense to me and I bit her, thinking that she was a mundane,” she says.
“You what?” I feel my eyes widen as reality comes crashing down on me.
Mizu got bitten by a freaking vampire.
