Erin didn't show up for humanities that day. Miku didn't know why, but Erin's absence bothered her. It didn't make sense for her to feel this way.
Since when have I begun looking forward to seeing Erin? Miku wondered. Her disappointment surprised her more than she cared to admit. Gumi rattled on about an annoying customer at work the day before, completely oblivious.
Miku nodded along and maintained conversation well enough for Gumi to not notice anything was off. Yet Erin still sat at the back of Miku's mind. Erin was always at the back of Miku's mind.
"See you later at algebra!" Gumi exclaimed as she walked towards the campus parking lot. On some days, between humanities and algebra, Gumi nannied for her older sister. This was one of those days, and Miku wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved her friend wouldn't be around to help distract her from her persistent thoughts.
"Might as well kill some time," Miku muttered to herself. Mall walking, she half-heartedly decided, was a decent way to pass the hours. With no homework to do and not interested in going home just to drive all the way back to the campus, Miku was desperate for something to occupy herself with.
First she checked one of the many clothing stores, then the bookstore. It was at the movie store it happened.
"That's a good movie."
Miku was so focused on reading the description that she didn't know anyone approached her. She jumped and snapped her head in the direction of the speaker. It was Erin.
Using her cerulean eyes to indicate the DVD Miku held, Erin asked, "Have you seen it?"
Dumbstruck, Miku looked at the front of the case again. Wreck-It Ralph. "No," Miku answered, "but it has been under my radar since its release."
Erin nodded. "If it makes any difference, I recommend it. Totally took me by surprise."
"A good kind of surprise?"
"Yes. Very."
"You watch movies often?"
"Not really, but I do enjoy one every now and again."
Miku hummed to herself. "Have you seen The Darkest Minds?"
"No. Is it good?"
"I don't know. I still can't find anyone to see it with me." It wasn't until Erin didn't respond that Miku realized she hoped Erin would offer to see it with her. What's gotten into me all of a sudden? "Missed you in humanities this morning." As soon as the words were out, Miku wished she could take them back.
Erin, however, didn't seemed bother by the comment as she looked through the DVD display. "Slept in," was the only explanation she gave.
Defeated, Miku took the DVD she held to the check out and bought it. She didn't make it ten steps outside the store before Erin called for her to wait up.
"Wanna go get lunch at the food court?" she offered, looking calmer than Miku felt. "My next class isn't for another hour, so I got a lot of time to spare." She frowned. "Or do you have other plans?"
"No, I'm free." Miku could barely hear her own words over the sound of her pounding heart.
"What do you like to get at the food court?" Erin asked as they walked to said food court.
"The Asian noodles," Miku answered.
"Ah." Erin grinned. "A woman of taste, I see. Me too."
It was stupid, but Miku's heart fluttered at the thought of her and Erin having something in common.
After the two ordered and paid, received their food, and found an empty table in a corner of the food court, Erin asked as she sat and broke apart her chopsticks, "So, what did I miss in class today?"
"Just more on the fall of Felicity," Miku answered before biting into her eggroll.
"More dead royals."
"Unfortunately."
Erin shook her head. "What a terrible thing that must have been to live through."
"It was horrible." At Erin's confused gaze, Miku quickly and panickily said, "Or so it sounds to have been. Professor Hiyama really knows how to bring our lessons to life. The way he talks about it makes me feel as if I was really there."
The explanation must have worked. Erin did nothing more than shrug and reply, "I think you might be right. I've been having nightmares about the fall for a while now. Like I actually lived through it. It's weird, right?"
"Really weird," Miku agreed, brows furrowed. "What kind of dreams, if I may ask?"
Shrugging again, Erin said, "I don't really remember them when I wake up, which is pretty freaking frustrating because I want to know exactly what's going on. It's almost like watching a television series, except you forget what happens in the last episode before starting the next, and there's no recap."
"Oh." Not knowing what else to say, Miku slurped some noodles into her mouth.
"I think Michaela Marlon got away," Erin said out of the blue minutes later.
It took all Miku had to not choke on the food she still had in her mouth. "What makes you say that?"
"I don't know. It's just a theory. A pretty popular one too, if you recall. Professor Hiyama did say Michaela's body was never recovered, and what truly became of her is a mystery to this day."
"Maybe she did get away," Miku said, thinking of her dreams.
"Maybe," Erin agreed, looking at Miku but not really seeing her. She blinked and gave her head a quick shake. "Sorry. I was spacing out. Anyway, if Michaela really did escape, how do you think she did it?"
The image of Riliane coming to mind, Miku softly said, "She had help."
Riliane rubbed Michaela's back as the woman threw up again. Unfortunately, getting off the boat didn't ease Michaela's seasickness as quickly as either wished. It was still the first day since arriving to Thornton, but both women hoped solid ground would have been the instant cure.
"I wish Kyle was here," Michaela said before spitting up again. They had just checked into an inn, and their room quickly became another hospital of sorts for Michaela.
Hand frozen on Michaela's shoulder, Riliane replied with nothing more than, "I know."
"How come you survived while he was murdered in our bedroom?"
It wasn't possible for Riliane to have gone more still. "I wish I could tell you," Riliane said, words spoken softly. "I fought the rebels. Killed some of them. Kyle fought just as bravely. When he went back for you, he was confident everything would be all right. Neither of us anticipated how much we underestimated the numbers and cleverness of the rebels." When Michaela didn't respond, Riliane asked, "Do you wish it was he who lived instead of I?"
"No," Michaela answered. "I wish the three of us were here right now. I wish we all got away."
Riliane sighed. "Had Kyle lived, I would not be here with you."
"Why is that, Riliane?" Michaela began to look sick again.
"He only planned for the two of you to escape."
"What of you?"
"What of me, my lady? He employed me to protect you. In a lot of ways, I was no different than a servant."
"I would never have fled without you."
"I would never have allowed you to stay."
"Why?" Michaela gagged again. With no contents in her stomach left to spill, she merely dry heaved. After the episode subsided, she tried again. "Why continue to protect me? Why come with me in Kyle's place? Nobody knew who you were – Kyle hired you to guard me under the guise of a maid. You could have walked away that night, and no one would have known or blamed you if they did."
Stroking Michaela's hair, Riliane replied, "Even if abandoning you would have been the more beneficial choice for me, my heart would not have allowed it."
"Why?"
It was after she lead Michaela to bed and tucked her in that Riliane answered, "I care too much for you."
Ever since that day at the mall, Miku and Erin spent a lot of time together. Erin even insisted that Miku start calling her by her nickname. The permission was like a medal of honor in Miku's mind.
"Rin, why on earth did you text me at two in the morning?" Miku asked as she and Rin walked to class together as they had done every class day for the past few weeks.
"I was bored, and you were the last person I texted," Rin answered matter-of-factly.
"Why on earth were you up so late anyway? No wonder you have problems with oversleeping."
"You know me, always up during the ungodly hours of the night." Rin chuckled. "I always tell myself, 'Rin, you're going to go to bed early, get up at six, and start doing all the things you keep promising yourself you'll start doing.' Then one A.M. hits, and I find myself having this overdramatic lip sync concert in my room."
"Night owl."
"I'll accept it. Besides, people who get up early are masochists."
"And you want to be one of those people?"
"What? I like to make myself suffer."
Rin scowled. "I hate science."
"So do I, Rin, but we need two science credits. Might as well take one of them now, right?"
"Can't we just put science off for as long as possible?"
Shaking her head, Miku said, "I hear biology's an easy A if you take Kamui. Why don't we knock at least one science out next semester? If we're in the same class and lab, we can be lab partners!"
"You wouldn't want that," Rin snorted. "I'd make you do all the work."
Miku smiled to herself as Rin looked over the credits she still needed to get her degree. To her surprise, it was Rin's idea they take classes together next semester. After humanities that morning, they got lunch before heading to the computer lab to register for their next classes. Gumi had to nanny that day, but she and Miku texted back and forth in attempts to get another class, preferably pre calc, together.
After she took a massive bite of her burrito, Rin asked over the food in her mouth, "When do you think our grades for the midterm will be posted?"
"Sometime this week, I guess," Miku answered. "You still sure you did badly?"
"Could go either way, honestly."
While Rin took a bathroom break, Miku updated Gumi on the class schedule she was working out for herself. Gumi's response had nothing to do with shared classes or schedules. It almost had Miku spitting out her soda.
Have you asked Rin out yet?
Making sure said blonde wasn't coming back, Miku shook as she replid, You know I'm not gay, Gumi.
Well I don't think you're straight either. Deny it all you want, but you got a legit crush on Rin.
"Legit crush"? I don't know what you're talking about.
All I'm saying is you obviously like her. If I'm not reading too much into it, I think she likes you too.
Miku was about to reply that Gumi was reading too much into it, but Rin made her reappearance right then. Suddenly afraid Rin could read minds, Miku turned her phone face down and started thinking about her class schedule again.
"Aye or nay on biology?" she asked as Rin sat back down.
Sighing, Rin finally agreed. "Aye." After registering for her classes, Rin began to draw in one of her notebooks to occupy herself as Miku continued texting Gumi about classes they should share.
Every time she awaited a response from Gumi, Miku snuck glances at Rin. Now that the weather was cooling down, Rin's attire drastically changed. Instead of clothes that showed off her athletic figure, Rin wore baggy clothes to hide it. Her T-shirts were three sizes too big, and Miku was half convinced Rin was wearing boy jeans. Of course it didn't matter what Rin wore; she looked cute in everything.
"Do I have something on my face?" Rin asked, and that was how Miku realized Rin had caught her staring.
"No! No," Miku answered, her face feeling as if it burst into flames. "Uh, what are you drawing?"
"Whatever random Pokémon that pops into my head." Rin showed Miku the doodles. "I still don't understand how I can draw the perfect Mewtwo but still fail at Ditto of all Pokémon."
"That's talent, for sure."
"Hmm, I guess you're right." Rin frowned. "Hey, Miku?"
"Yeah?"
"Wanna go get dinner this weekend?"
Whether it be fate or some stroke of luck, Michaela and Riliane both got jobs as maids in a merchant's home. They spent the day working together, and each night they slept in the room they shared. Their beds were nothing more than mattresses on the floor, but it didn't matter. Michaela hardly used her own anyway.
"I don't want to wake up," she mumbled into Riliane's back as the morning light entered through the window and crept up towards where their heads lay.
"We must," Riliane said, wishing it wasn't true.
Michaela held Riliane tighter before her arms went completely slack. "How long have you loved me?"
The question completely caught Riliane off guard. Ripping herself from Michaela's grasp, Riliane looked the other woman over. Michaela merely gazed up at Riliane, her determined eyes conveying that she knew the truth and nothing Riliane said would convince her otherwise.
At Riliane's failure to reply, Michaela sat up and looked her in the eyes. "You didn't leave me," she said, her words so soft they were barely audible. "You left everything you ever knew behind to help me get here where I could be safe. You protected me, cared for me, and loved me in these dark moments. I might not know how you love me, but you do. Don't deny what is so obvious."
Riliane opened and closed her mouth a few times, lost for the words to say. Then, "I have loved you from afar since the day we met."
"But I was married to Kyle," Michaela pointed out.
"And I hated myself for loving someone I could never hold." Riliane sighed. "My own feelings are a mystery to me. I love you and care deeply for you, but I have no desire to love you the way Kyle did."
"Because I'm used?"
"No! Gracious, Michaela. Of course not." Riliane took hold of Michaela's hands. "What we have now, whatever it is, has been enough for me to be content with. And even if not, I could never ask you to abandon your love for your husband just to fulfill my selfish desires."
Shaking her head, Michaela replied, "You only half understand. I never loved Kyle, not in that way. Our marriage was arranged. Fortunately, we were fond of each other, and I believed love would come eventually. Except it never did. We were only ever good friends. Yes, I miss him dearly and wish every day he was still with us, but my loss isn't what you think it to be."
Riliane looked at their joined hands. Once upon a time, Michaela's small hands were pale and delicate. Now, after months of working as a maid, they were dry and scratched. However, they were still beautiful.
"Are the arrangements we have now really satisfying to you?" Michaela asked, wiping away a tear Riliane did not know fell down her cheek.
"Truly, almost," Riliane answered. "Simply loving you and being loved by you are enough for me. I don't need anything else."
Letting go of Riliane's hands, Michaela held Riliane's face and leaned forward so that their foreheads touched. "Neither do I," she whispered. "You are dearer to me than anything else in this world. In my own way, I have loved you as well. Only now do I understand how deep my feelings run." Michaela then pulled Riliane into a hug, which was immediately returned. "Promise to never leave me?"
"Never shall I leave you willingly," Riliane promised. "If fate ever forced us apart, I swear we shall be united again. I will always find you."