Thanks for the review, teamBLAZE! Haha, it's great to see you again. How've ya been? I'm happy you're reading another one of my stories – it's such a compliment! Much appreciation your way, and I hope this story is worthy of your praises. :D
New chapter for ya! Thanks for reading, everyone!
Seven
Heartbeat so fast it quakes the entire body beyond control. Silence but for a dull buzz centered somewhere deep in her ears. Limbs numb and feeling detached. Mouth widening with the eyes in an expression of dumb shock and horror.
Soft blue eyes. It wasn't what she expected. Not the dumb, lifelessness they had in her imagination. Except for being all too large, they were… normal. And warm.
The human was staring right at her. There was no doubt she had been seen by him. His expression slowly turned from surprise to a curious wonder. He was standing at the counter, right at eye level with her. His head leaned forward to look closer, and she felt the world start moving again.
Minori's heart clenched painfully, and her jaw tightened as her teeth ground together. All at once, she was blinking again. Breathing hard. Hyperventilating. A choked squeal came from her throat to replace the scream she couldn't make.
She scrambled backwards as his hand approached. Her back hit something solid, and she was rising to her feet. The flight had finally kicked in, giving the poor girl a helping hand. The adrenaline pumping was the only power lifting her.
His massive hand paused, and a frown of concern appeared on his face. Minori couldn't believe what she was seeing, but he looked worried. Even sad. Then, he was talking, and Minori covered her ears. "Sh-sh-sh… I'm not going to hurt you."
Minori carefully let go of her ears, finding he had softened his voice for her sake. She was still gaping at him like a frightened, little child, feeling very much like prey. Her stomach promised to make her sick if she tried running, and her feet were icily planted. She shivered, for the first time feeling how cold the rain made her.
"I didn't mean to scare you," the human surrendered. His shoulders went slack as he attempted to give her some space. "You… surprised me."
He's talking! He's talking to me! What do I do?! Her father's warnings were rattling her brain and preventing any sort of friendly introduction. And the human was taking it all too casually. Like he ran into a mouse. His hand moved closer to her again, testing the waters, and her knees loosened. Minori finally felt the kick she needed to run.
Minori made a dash in the opposite direction of his hand, which happened to be the end of the shelf. She yelped as she came to a stop. When she turned, she found his hand moving again. With nowhere left to go, Minori slipped right off into nothing. Her gut became her center of gravity as she was caught in a free fall. With a whoosh and a clap, her vision boggled and went out.
"Wait!"
It was too late. She panicked and fell backwards. His hand shot out, and he captured her like a firefly.
Rega held his hands together, careful to create enough space between his palms. He let out a breath of disbelief and shook his head. He couldn't believe it. On any other day he wouldn't believe it, but he couldn't mistake the definite weight in his hand.
A tiny girl fell off of his spice rack. And he caught her.
Just to be sure he wasn't dreaming, he turned and saw his grandfather's restaurant stretched out before him. The chairs were all up, the walls had their old time wheels and lanterns hanging, and there was a nick in the post where Fritz threw that knife on a dare last spring. So he was home.
Still unsure if he was awake, Rega leaned against the counter behind him and sighed. For the first time since he caught the little… thing, he worried that it wasn't struggling in his hands. Not even moving. Nervous that he squashed or was stifling her, Rega slowly parted his thumb and peered in.
The girl was very real indeed. She was sprawled out on her back. Her dress was wet like she had been swimming in it. Rega cautiously lifted his hand for closer inspection. Scraggly brown hair under a little red knit hat. Spritely features with infinitesimal detail. There was no way she was one of Melody's dolls. His last hope of reality was lost.
Her chest moved rhythmically up and down. She was breathing. Rega held a hand over his heart in relief, bracing the counter behind him to steady himself.
He nudged her head with his pointer finger. Her eyes began to flutter, and soon, she was groggily moving before she started to look around wildly. When she shrieked and attempted to crawl away, Rega closed his hands again.
"Wait! Wait!" He cautioned her, forgetting to quiet his tone. Rega was back to square one with disbelief. He sighed, feeling her tiny fists pounding his fingers for an escape. Half of his speech was reassuring himself as well. "Wait… You have to promise to calm down, okay? I don't want to drop you on accident. Do you promise?"
There was a shift in movement in the dip of his palm. An almost imperceptible sound came from within his hands.
Rega sternly set his mouth, ready for anything. "Okay… I'm opening my hands now…"
This time, Minori didn't try to escape. When Rega saw her again, she was curled up in a ball with her head in her knees. His slight movement caused her balance to be upset, and she toppled over but didn't relinquish her fetal position.
It was best to start with the basics, he reasoned. Rega couldn't see any physical injuries, but he had to ask. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"
Minori shook her head. That was more definite communication. At least they were speaking the same language.
Rega took a deep breath. It had been a long day, and this whole thing reeked of an exhausted psyche. But in case it was all somehow not a figment of his imagination (which he would be giving quite a bit of credit to), he needed to roll with the punches.
Minori's heartbeat was still pounding in her ears, but it was slowing as the panic seeped away. Now she was just left with the lingering feeling she was in a world of trouble with her parents. The fact that this human hadn't killed her for sport yet was just all too baffling for her. It went against everything she had been taught since birth. Though it was hard to grasp, she couldn't deny the proof before her. This… human… was being civil.
And he was trying to communicate with her again. "Do you live around here? Can I help you get something? Food?"
Now that was just shameful! As one of the little folk, Minori had pride in their secrecy and way of life. They only took what they needed, and what wasn't missed. She couldn't accept pity handouts! Minori released herself from her self-inflicted headlock and slowly unwound her body. She chanced a peek at his massive face that was curiously leaning over his hand. She was just about as mystified as he was. "I… I live nearby."
Her voice was small but clear. Akin to the trilling of a little bird. Rega nodded his head in understanding. "Would you like me to take you there?"
Minori found herself nodding in the affirmative. After all she had been through, she just wanted her warm bed and safe little home again. She carefully repositioned herself in his palm so that she was sitting up on the wobbly surface. "The… Trade Station."
"Right…" Rega took a deep breath, shaking his head to clear it. He took a step, and Minori was jerked backwards. She tumbled around with a squeal. He quickly stopped, cupping his hand better and hovering his other above her protectively. "I'm sorry! I'll walk slower. Are you ready?"
"Mmhm…" Minori replied, crawling to his ring finger and hugging it tight.
She closed her eyes as Rega took the next step forward. There was a whistling breeze that passed through his fingers around her hair in odd currents. His body carried him steadily in an up and down motion she felt every minute rise and fall of.
Rega got to the front door soon enough and dumbly looked around as he thought of what to do. It was still pouring rain, as evidenced by the girl's wet clothes and hair. He went to the first dining table and carefully lowered his hand down to the surface. Minori got the hint and clambered off, standing up for the first time and staring up at him. She was surprised her legs were working after being so shaken. "Wait there. Don't… disappear or anything."
Minori watched as he went to the coat rack and took the last dark jacket hanging there. He quickly stuck his arms through it, giving her a nervous glance every now and again as if she would fade like a mirage. He looked around again and took the lit lantern off the wall hook. Reaching in, he bit his tongue as the wax touched his skin. Rega removed the candle and set it beside Minori on the table, resting the empty lantern open for her. "Here. You can stay in this to keep dry. Just the Trade Station, right?"
"Okay…" Minori bit her lip, climbing up onto the warm metal. The lantern was roomy for a six centimeter girl, and she eyed the high-vaulted ceiling above her in wonder. She jumped as Rega closed the door behind her and latched it, her heart thumping again in fear.
"Nice and easy," Rega promised, lifting the lantern.
Minori tottered and decided to sit where the candle had been in the center. She gulped as the door to the restaurant opened, and Rega stepped out into the rushing torrents of rain.
It wasn't a long walk, but Minori found herself sweating in the closed environment. She fanned her shirt and tried to control her breathing. Rega lifted the lantern closer to his face so he could talk to her, and she involuntarily flinched again. "Just at the front door?"
She debated how safe it was to tell him, and she didn't see the cat around. Besides, the man hadn't killed her yet! Minori relied too much on that…
"The… there's a grate. Around the side of the house. I can make it from there," she answered, nearly shouting so he could hear through the glass panes of the lantern and the rain coming down.
It was Rega's turn to look wary as he eyed the Trade Station's impressive building. He stepped to the side of their porch and meticulously searched the dark ground, barely believing this is where the evening took him: stalking Jonas' house in the middle of the night. He dodged a windowsill, his head low enough to walk straight into it as he passed. The promised iron grate appeared soon after. It was an old window well, kept fairly dry due to the unusual elevation of the foundation and angles of the gutters.
Rega set Minori and the lantern down in the grass. She hurried to the window and pressed her hands and face against it to see what he was doing. He slid his fingers between the bars and took an unsure grip of the rusty metal, testing the weight. It was bulky and awkward, but it lifted easily enough, snapping the strings of ivy woven through it. Minori gasped as he took it off and set it aside. He opened the door on the lantern.
Minori stared at his open palm. She wondered if her parents heard the grate coming up, and if they did, she had best hurry. Rega waited for her doubt to pass, rain sticking his brown bangs to his face. "Go on – I'll lower you down."
She found herself accepting his offer with numb detachment, hopping aboard his fingers and crawling to the center of his palm once again. He did as promised and reached down to her family garden, stopping his hand just inches from the ground.
Minori leapt down, catching her fall with her hands. When she turned and stood, Rega had already extracted his hand and was replacing the grate. She watched as he picked up the lantern and stared back down at her. They shared a moment of eye contact before Minori took a step backwards. Her feet began to work of their own accord, bringing her deeper into the shadows.
She saw him stand to leave, and Minori made a sprint for the kitchen door - bolting it tight behind her.
