Chapter 7
It had been another morning, Len sat up in bed. He was still alive, they had not come for him.
A week had passed since that incident and life had continued on normally. He had attended classes, chatted with class mates, and taken the exact route home. Well, maybe not the exact route. For the most part he had avoided the solid cement house, the market, and the carrot lady.
He looked down next to him, Rin was not there. She was probably making breakfast. She had been rather hard on his health recently. Cooking all his meals and making sure he didn't eat too much junk food. That he woke up on time every morning. He was always a pristine clean, and well fed before he stepped out the door. Sighing he stepped out of bed. Somehow she was taking over in his own home. Surprisingly it didn't bug him. He scowled hard at the wall. It was probably an after effect of the incident. She had freaked when he had bled.
"What are you doing Len?" He asked himself. Once this slum he was in was over he would definitely take back rein over his own home. For now he was hungry, needed food, and had to get to school.
"Rin please if you can remember anything, anything at all." Len pleaded from across the table at lunch that afternoon. He had tried not to let last week get to him, but he couldn't just leave it be and act as if nothing had happened.
The truth was something had happen, and he wouldn't be able to escape it. The words Ted had said were getting to him. 'You don't know what she is, you don't know what's she's capable of.'
The past week he had been heckling her to remember. That even the smallest detail could help. But no matter how he pried the answer was always the same. Judging by her face she was trying her hardest to remember for him. And when she couldn't she would always tear up. He had noticed that she cried quite a bit whenever she felt she had let him down. It was beginning to get rather annoying. How easily she shed tears for him. So far though nobody else but himself had seen her cry, at school anyway.
When he heard the familiar sound of idle chatter getting nearer to him, he would hide her face in his shirt. Resting his head on hers as she cried, trying to deceive people into thinking it was just another awkward hug. The front of his shirt would get slightly wet but nothing that couldn't sun dry before class. Again she was crying.
"You cry so much, stop crying already it's annoying. What are you gonna do if you're in a fight huh? You can't cry infront of your enemy." Len said sighing. Rin adjusted her position so that her head was just laying on his chest.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled her words barely audible. "You should have never gotten involved with me."
"You say that now, but we're too deep in this to simply cut each other off. I would have left you go if I didn't want to be apart of this right?"
She looked down for a while and nodded her head, it was slow and questionable but she still nodded. Everything that had happened was taking it's toll on them; especially mentally. Len had never been mentally tired before, but recently he was. All the words Ted had said resounded in his mind all day long whenever Rin did something. It was really wearing him down. A mental invasion where the intruders we're someone else's words.
'Come on Len, I'm sure you've noticed already, that girl isn't normal. You've already seen how unnatural she is. Look at all this shattered glass I'm sure you've seen more.'
It was all painfully true. No matter how much he tried to deny it. He was a genius, and could put two and two together. To shatter glass from just a scream, sure it was possible to break one, but two full isles of them? Front to back? Then there was the vaulting boxes, and how high she had jumped.
All those weren't the only amazing things Rin had done. There was their class soft ball game, soccer, football, and cross country. No matter what she did it always had exceptional results. She could hit soft balls so hard they probably passed through the earths atmosphere, and probably farther. Kick soccer balls so intensely the ball imploded, or could just barely be stopped by the net, and not seen with the naked eye till it stopped dead. She wasn't even allowed the throw the football during football games, cross country wasn't even a challenge to her. She could reach the finish line in less than a minute. No matter what it came down to all his mind could come up with was
She wasn't normal.
Rumours spread throughout the school about Rin faster than anyone had ever had to talk about. The names followed faster than anyone could take a breath. And she became a school idol faster than it takes for someone to flick a switch. Around school everyone nicknamed her the Goddess of Luck. The Angel of Forgiveness. Frankly she did look like an angel.
'That girl isn't normal...' Repeated again in his head. But he knew already. He knew. He wasn't gonna let that change anything. No matter what Rin, was Rin. His faithful underling and no one else. Her soft hand intwined with his.
"Len, I'm scared." she whispered. He didn't really know what to say. He really wasn't good with such things. He wasn't used to comforting people. He wasn't supposed to. So he just asked a simple question.
"What's scaring you?" He asked almost afraid of the answer. Why did he feel afraid? Rin was harmless. She was innocent old Rin. His mind was fighting him telling him otherwise, so he shut it out. He just wouldn't think anymore.
"I hear this voice sometimes, not all the time. Whenever I'm scared or upset it just tells me things." Len's eyes widened, then they narrowed.
"It's okay, Rin. You can tell me. What does it tell you?" Rin clenched her teeth, and looked away from him. As if she was scared to tell him, more than scared, she was petrified. Even though her head was turned away from him her whole body trembled as she tried to get the words out of her mouth.
"It tells me to...to hurt people, to destroy things. I'm scared Len. What if I really hurt someone?" He patted her on the head.
"You won't I'll stop you before that happens I swear." He needed to protect Rin from whatever was going to happen. From the voice that was troubling her. "Let's go class is starting."
"No!" She yelled tugging his sleeve. "You don't understand." Len stopped in his tracks, and stared at her. Waiting for an explanation.
"I don't know who's voice it is, and then there is this warmth I feel."
"Stop thinking about it okay?" Len said assuring her. "I won't let anyone hurt you, just trust me."
Rin nodded weakly, letting go of his sleeve following after him. She needed someone who could protect her, and right now he was all she had. However, at the moment Len couldn't deny was having a hard enough time protecting himself, from himself.
A breather is what he needed. Badly and a long weekend was just around the corner. However so was a test and he would have to do well on it to earn his long weekend. Mrs. Meiko also believed in tests, quizzes, and exams before and after long weekends. She believed that peers got together during long weekends, and that during that time maybe they would set some time aside to study together. In general, Mrs. Meiko had high expectations of all students in her class. Always had and probably always would.
And as much as nobody showed it on the surface, they tried to live up to them. Generally because Mrs. Meiko did something no other teacher in the whole of Vocalo High did. She cared. Being in her class was still a bit of a pain though. But she cared about all her students and wished them the best in all their endeavours. Sitting down in class he felt a small smile creep across his face. Maybe this time, just once he would study. For Mrs. Meiko's sake. He wouldn't enjoy it but he would at least study.
"Hey, Len." Someone behind him whispered. Rin took her seat and he looked back.
It was Mikuo during the whole seating thing when Rin came he must have taken the chance to claim the empty seat next to Kaito.
Mikuo could be classified as Len's friend. In reality though he was just someone who talked to Len. Someone he had beside him just to cause trouble. Mikuo was not a nearly bright as Len. He was the kind of kid that would put a bullet proof vest on just to shoot himself in the head. Still they were friends to some degree.
"Len, we're all going out this long weekend. Mountains, hiking, all that." Mikuo said rather excitedly, gossiping like a girl. Len turned around in his seat, sighing and dispersing the interest he had even bothered building up.
"Why would I be even remotely interested in that?" Len stated, staring straight ahead.
"Because, we are going to be staying at a hot spring hotel! Come on, you can't say that is not exciting." Mikuo pressed, further trying to convince his friend. Len yawned again further losing interest.
"Fine, but are you really gonna pass up a chance to push Kaito off a cliff? On accident." Mikuo made hand motions in the air, while saying it.
Honestly, Len really wasn't interested, but the thought of his hands reaching out and making contact with Kaito's back as he pushed him off. The way he would yell as he tumbled all the way down, getting an abundance of deep cuts, and scraps as he rolled. A wide grin crossed his face, he couldn't help but laugh at the thought. The Foolish Kaito falling prey to Len the Genius. He started imagining ways for him to trick him. It wouldn't take much effort.
"See? How can you say no to that, huh Len?" Mikuo's voice cut into his thoughts.
"I guess I could go," he said flatly trying not to let his amusement show. He felt a presence close by him.
Upon turning he came face to face with Rin. Her eyes were practically sparkling, hands clasped together. She was excited, he knew. More than knew. He could tell it was written all over her face.
"Len, we'll be going right? Right?" A smug grin crossed his face as he answered.
"Sure we can go if you're so eager. Jeez, how childish can you get?"
Mikuo stared skeptically at Len himself. Then he smiled it was rather amusing to hear that coming from Len's mouth. He slapped him on the back.
"Okay! Then that settles it! Study hard, Len," Mikuo nodded to Rin. "You too, Rin." Len scowled back at him.
"If you ever hit me again-" He slapped his back again, and Len socked him. Hard right in the jaw.
