Chapter Two

Awakening

I had heard a voice in my sleep, kind and inviting. Though I did not understand the words in my slumber, it was like a lullaby and calmed me and pulled me deeper into rest, but I fell part of the way and was lost in the depths.

I knew that something was wrong with me. I felt hot all of the time, becoming partly conscious again before heavy fatigue dragged me back. Nightmares raged through my mind, each ending with the wave that pressed me against the sandy depths until I lost all of my breath. Sometimes the voice would return, but my mind would distort it and give me night terrors. I could feel my arms thrashing around, but I was too weak to fight of the constant fear and aching pains.

I was sick.

Reki caught the new Haibane's arm as she jerked and thumped her arms against the mattress continuously. The girl was reliving the nightmare over and over again, a usual thing when one had just made it out of the cocoon, but she had a fever, and that was definitely not a given effect.

The time in the cocoon that she had spent slowly dying had not left her unscathed it seemed. She was suffering inside and out, and all the woman could do was stay at her side and stop her from hurting herself in her fits of terror.

It was the morning after the new girl had been born, and Reki had not slept at all that night. The other girls tried to stay up with her, but she sent them to bed as they had work the next day. She was the only one who would be with the girl for that time, and the House Mother had said that it was fine, somewhat reluctantly.

Reki knew that the old woman wouldn't be able to hold back her wrath for long. She could already hear the children downstairs screaming up a storm as they faced plates of vegetables for lunch. A small smile crept up on Reki's face as she pictured herself struggling with the pancake hungry kids. The House Mother would merely laugh behind her hand and leave her to deal with it.

"Looks like the tables have turned," she said quietly to herself, but the grin on her face faded as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Before she could even begin to brace herself the door was flung open and a very worn out House Mother stared at her through narrowed eyes.

"Is there a problem?" Reki asked smartly, unable to stop taking revenge at the only opportunity she would have.

A vein in the old woman's neck looked as though it were about to burst. "Yes, there is a problem, Reki! Those kids are absolutely wild!"

"Well that's not very nice."

"Reki! Get down there and help me!"

With a frustrated sigh, Reki nodded her head at the sleeping from in front of her. "She's still out, and she is also fevering pretty badly. I asked Kana to get a doctor on her way back from the clock tower tonight, but in the meantime I need to keep a closer eye on her than I have for the other newborns before. Anything could happen to her in this condition when she was in the cocoon for thee days." She spoke for a while as to delay the House Mother and abate her anger, but her eyes flashed dangerously and she shut the door behind her as she entered the room fully.

Uh oh, Reki thought, lighting a cigarette and getting it into her mouth to look peaceful and calm as her hidden hand gripped the edge of the chair hard. She was not in the mood for a tantrum from the old lady, but to her surprise, she spoke calmly.

"So it was three days after all," she said as she stared down at the form, her eyes running up and down her weakened body as though she were examining a science experiment. "Rakka said something to me like that as she headed out this afternoon, but I didn't believe what I had heard. How did she survive?"

Reki shrugged. "Beats me, but at least she made it."

The stern woman's calm demeanour returned as she turned to Reki. "I understand your feelings and I know how badly you want to stay up here with her, but I am afraid that I must go back on that promise I made earlier. I didn't realise that you had another bundle of children from the factory, and one pair of hands is simply not enough."

Reki crossed her arms stubbornly. "Sorry, but there's no one else available to watch her, and with her body getting hotter every minute and her nightmares becoming harder to handle she can't be trusted on her own."

"Than get Nemu. Surely the library will understand enough to let her leave and take care of this Haibane just for the remainder of the day," the House Mother persisted, growing more and more agitated. "You don't have a choice in this Reki. It's a madhouse down there."

Knowing that there was no way around this, the smoking Haibane gave in and headed downstairs, giving one last longing look towards the sleeping girl. She knew that she had to hurry incase the Haibane panicked in her sleep or her condition suddenly worsened.

"If Nemu is still unavailable, check the other girls. I am sure one of them will be allowed to leave," the old woman said as she descended the final steps to be swamped by the young children again who were screaming out that vegetables were evil.

"Whatever," Reki muttered as she left the house. Although she was almost as certain as the woman that Nemu would be allowed to leave to babysit the girl, she felt a little uncomfortable that she wouldn't be able to watch her. After all, she had grown used to the job, and when it was as serious as this she wanted to be in that room more than anything.

"Damn I hate jealousy," she admitted to herself as she walked across the street. Rain fell down on her gently and she looked up to see a sky that resembled her feelings inside: Grey and dismal.

After she had learned that she was a caring person inside instead of the cold hearted monster she had thought, she became a lot more aware of her emotions and allowed herself to care for everyone else without a selfish wish on her mind. Because of it, though, she had become more of a mother to the girls and therefore the births were a big deal to her.

"If that girl dies…" she whispered to herself, biting her tongue as punishment for the thought. She couldn't think about that outcome, but she knew that if it happened, it would shatter her. She had never lost a newborn before, and she didn't want the experience to start now.

*****

I woke to the sound of soft snoring.

The darkness had finally released me from its clutches, though my body felt wearier than it had before, and my head felt as though it would split. Nevertheless, I allowed my eyes to open and stared at the burning lights around me. I had been in the darkness for too long and the brightness made me shut my eyes tightly.

The snoring got a little louder, and I opened my eyes again. Squinting, I looked to my side and stared in shock at a woman with thick brown hair, rough white clothing… and a pair of grey wings on her back.

I swallowed a startled scream and leapt back in the bed only to have the blankets around me fall to reveal a white medical styled dress tied at the back, but the attire was not what bothered me. The spots of blood on the front of the dress is what made me leap back again until I was lying on the floor with an aching back.

"What the hell is going on?" I gasped, staring at the ceiling and trying to remember what had happened. It was all fragmented, and my memory only back as far as the cocoon. Anything before that was lost to me, including my name. Officially freaked out by this new scrap of information I started to panic.

Need to calm down, need to calm down, I thought to myself, breathing in and out slowly before attempting to sit up. As soon as my back straightened, pain raced up my spine and I almost cried out again. I felt my back and learnt of the piercing agony again, and I trembled as I realised that there were two bones sticking out of my shoulder blades!

For the third time I had to choke on a scream. By this point I could barely bring myself to stand. I had no idea where I was, what had happened to me to make me so ill, why I had broken bones in my back, and who I even was…

I had to get out, I knew that much. Using the bed, I hoisted myself up on weak legs and turned to leave the room, seeing that the woman was still asleep in the wooden chair at the side of the bed. That was when I noticed more spots of blood on the covers and the pillow, and I felt light headed. I rushed towards the door, stumbling on frail limbs before I grappled with the door knob for a painstaking moment. As soon as I heard a moan from the stranger in the room I practically knocked it down.

Before me was a line of steps that I almost fell upon. Luckily I had good instincts and swayed myself around to clasp against the wall, my fingers gripping loose wooden boards desperately until I regained my footing.

I started to descend the stairs, hoping against all odds that they weren't creaky, but as I heard voices I realised that my real problem lay before me. There were others in the house, and many by the sounds of it. I could hear children yelling and jumping around, and two older women screaming back. For a moment it sounded a little funny, but I mentally slapped myself for losing concentration. Escape was my top priority.

The only way was to sneak further into the house until I found the door, and that meant going past the arguing family downstairs. The thought terrified me, but then so did this illness and confusion. I weighed up both and decided that the more pressing problem was the mysterious sickness, so I slipped down to the final steps and worked my way into the shadows.

I had no idea where I would go once I left the house, for I had no idea where I even was, but all I knew was that I had to get out. They had done something to me, and that had me completely convinced that they were dangerous.

Hiding in the shadows of what appeared to be a kitchen, the scene of the screaming and shouting was revealed to me. Children raced around the tables and chairs as plates of colourful vegetables faced them. Two women, one a black haired adult with a cigarette in her mouth and the other older and sterner tried to round up the kids. The sight was so unfamiliar to me that I felt even less safe in this house.

As one of the children headed into the next room, the younger woman chased after her, leaving only the older woman to command the still present youths around. As soon as she turned her back I raced across the room into another hidden in shadow. Slowly I closed the door and disappeared down a short hall until I found the door.

The way out.

Without a backward glance or a second thought, I ran outside into a quiet street and kept running, racing through side streets, passing through small crowds, and I only stopped when I was well away from the house. Shuddering and trying to calm my thundering heart, I took in a great lungful of air and studied my surroundings.

I was in what looked like the town square. I stood on a patch of dying grass that stretched out to the edges of the road in which people walked, fearless and joyful. Everyone was dressed in ragged clothes, and the buildings and stalls were all made of wood and bricks, gloomy and cheap, yet the people seemed to enjoy their existence as they laughed together and greeted each other in harmony.

I felt a chill and wrapped my arms around my slim body. I was freezing cold, starving, thirsty, and scared in a world that I did not know. I had no money or things to trade. I was in my skin with a thin dress hanging over me. There was no way I could survive this sickness unless I found some better clothes.

Trying not to waste time nor look suspicious, I wandered the street, peering at shop signs to find one that would sell clothing and avoiding everyone as best I could.

"Are you lost there, young one?"

I screamed out in fright as an elderly man with barely any more than a grey over coat, stained pants, and a walking stick spoke to me. He had his hand out to grasp my arm, but I had no trust to spare. I raced in the opposite direction, ducking and diving out of the way of other people until I tripped up on my tired feet and landed in a filthy stinking puddle.

No one came to help me this time, and I was left to pull my face out and deal with the soaking putrid water as it soaked down my back and front. People were staring at me, and finally some approached to lend me a hand. Again I could not bare the help and shoulder my way past them, tears stinging my face.

I hated this.

Through all of my growing sorrow and the pain that wreaked havoc through my body, I found myself staring right at the shop I had been searching for. The sign hanging above the door showed the picture of a shirt, and I almost cried out in relief as I entered eagerly.

The inside of the shop was very warm and cosy. Hangers stood everywhere, bearing clothes that caught my eye immediately. I stared at my own dress which was now patched with brown mud mixed with the blood, and saturated with the filthy water I had fallen in.

From my left, a voice came and made me jump. "Umm… are you looking for something there?"

I turned to see a middle aged man standing behind a counter, his hands folded out in front of him as he waited for me to come over.

"Y-yes," I stuttered, surprised at the dead tone of my voice. "I-I'm looking for-for something a little, umm… warmer."

He looked me up and down with dark blue eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I recognise that dress. The Haibane wear them after they arrive here, but I don't see any wings on you."

Another tear rolled down my face as frustration and fear caught me in a deadly embrace. "Please! I can't go back there! Please lend me some clothes! I'll pay you later!"

He smiled as I panicked and raised a calming hand. "Hey, don't worry about it. I would send you back to them seeing as you look like you're about to pass out, but if you really don't want to go back…"

I shook my head quickly. "Please, please don't take me back!"

He could see how desperate I was and caved in, though he did not look pleased with himself. "I'll give you some clothes for free seeing as you look as white as a sheet, but even though I know it's all up to you, I think you should go back for your own sake. I know those girls, and they'll take good care of you."

I shook my head again, another tear falling and pattering to the floor. He sighed at my miserable face and pulled out a box of old clothes.

"These are the newest winter clothes I just got in. Take whatever you want."

I dove into the box, pulling out great bundles and sorting through them until I had found a deep blue sweater, thick black pants, brown furry gloves, and a matching pair of boots.

"Thank you so much!" I gasped as I headed to the door with my new clothes, now as eager to leave as I had been to arrive. But I stopped dead as he cleared his throat from behind me.

"We have a change room, you know."

Going red with embarrassment, I turned again and followed his direction to the changing rooms. He spoke to me as I switched my clothes inside.

"If you're going to stay away from those Haibane girls, can I suggest a place for you to stay?"

I thought for a moment, and then decided that he was trustworthy enough with all his kindness. "Okay."

"Head to the fields just beyond this town, alright? You'll see them because of the big windmills there, but one thing…"

His voice had turned heavy and I froze with my sweater halfway over my head. "What is it?"

Hs tone changed again, this time tense and serious. "Stay away from the wall."

I needed no more warning. Although it quirked my curiosity, the way he spoke it convinced me enough that there was no way I would go anywhere near this mysterious wall.

Once I had finished dressing, I stepped out find him leaning against the side of the next changing cubicle boredly. He smiled as he saw my new clothes and offered to throw my dress in the bin. I obliged without a second though and thanked him for his help.

He nodded, and then turned grave again. "So like I said, stick to the fields, and stay away from the wall, okay?"

Knowing that I owed him at least that much, I agreed and left the shop, feeling a little better now that I was wearing warm clothes. Although my body still felt like it had been dragged out of ditch, at least I was no longer freezing cold.

It took me only a moment to find the fields as they rose high from the levelled ground just outside of the town as he had said. The windmills turned in gentle unison and I smiled at the calming sight. It seemed the perfect place to go to start thinking about things and working out what was going on.

*****

Once Reki and the House Mother had the children eating their vegetables quietly, the motherly Haibane realised that it had been some time since Nemu had come into the house and she hadn't heard a thing. She started to worry, and the House Mother saw her standing on edge as she peered at the stairs constantly.

With a sigh, the old woman nodded her head. "Go on then, I can take care of things here. After all, it looks like all they need is a little scare of uneaten vegetables coming to life and they're little angels all of a sudden."

The idea had been genius, and Reki had to stifle a giggle as she headed up the stairs to her room. The horrified faces of the kids had her laughing until she was on the edge of her seat, but she had still been forced to eat a mouthful of vegetables herself to make the threat appeal more convincing.

Nonetheless, she was glad to finally be checking up on the girl again, but as soon as she opened the door she was faced with a terrifying sight.

Nemu was fast asleep, and the bed was empty.