Chapter 12
« So Scholastica…Goodnight. »
« … » She didn't answer to her brother. She looked dreamy. They just moved in Index and they will spend their first night in their new apartment. Despite it, Benedictus could see that his sister wasn't accustomed at all and everything was new to her. He could guess his sister was sad for having come there and she missed her old house. So she just said she didn't like these sheets. Benedictus sighed.
"Oh come on, Scholastica. This isn't so bad after all."
Scholastica shook her head. She said she wanted to come back at home. To this sentence, Benedictus came closer to her and sat down on her bed.
"Our new home is here. Nothing can be helped."
"…" When Benedictus saw his sister had tears in eyes, he just could barely remember his sister loved their old house very much and she was very fearful, especially if there isn't an adult at home. So, her brother patted on her head gently.
"After all there are a lot of advantages to be here. No school anymore! No our unbearable neighbor anymore! That isn't great, Scholastica?"
"…" Scholastica slowly nodded. Then her brother smiled warmly to her. "And furthermore…The yard is pretty big. We can play there as much as we want."
Scholastica barely made a smile. However, she wondered if there are others children like them in Index. Benedictus sighed to it. "Georgius said we're the only ones, Scholastica."
"…" Benedictus shrugged. "What does it matter? Everyone else is human after all. We still have each other. Isn't it important?"
"…" Scholastica nodded although she didn't look at him. Benedictus sighed then patted on her head again. "It would be alright, Scholastica."
"…"
"I promise you. It would be alright."
"…" Scholastica ended up by making a little smile even if it seemed a bit sad. Benedictus entered into his own bed then sighed. After all, it was true. If he had his sister, what else could be important? He wasn't forced to make friends if he had his sister.
No else was important to him.
Benedictus opened his eyes but didn't wake up. His dream still invaded his mind. He sighed. That was something he always thought of, since he came to Index. More years passed, more he learnt to be independent of his sister. When they were little, they just played with each other and didn't talk to anyone else. They thought the others wouldn't understand them and avoided them as soon as possible. As Benedictus was the elder, he had a "dominant" role in this relationship and his sister did everything he wanted. No matter what he did, she always followed him and supported him. He never knew if she did it willingly or not. But now they are older, Benedictus had still this "dominant" state, but Scholastica seemed more independent of him. And since Misao arrived in Index, and especially since Scholastica had this new body, Benedictus had this feeling he and his sister moved away from each other and Benedictus seemed to lose his "dominant" state. That's a feeling which became stronger since Misao said these words…
…
Everything you do is wrong.
Probably. He never really thought about this. Even if others said how much he was wrong he never listened to them. To him, he was the one who was right. He was always the one who had the final word.
No matter what, even if that's painful for the others…
But apparently in this case, he couldn't say Misao was wrong there.
He was the one who was wrong… That's the same thing with Scholastica's body. He was wrong about it too.
Scholastica…
He woke up. He hoped she received the paper he finally bought for her and Misao didn't throw it out.
It wasn't big, but he hoped his sister could see a little gesture of regret from him, even if it was small…
"…" Misao sighed, while she pushed Scholastica's wheelchair in front of her and they headed for the apartment. It wasn't because she was tired of pushing this wheelchair; it was because she didn't want to face Benedictus after all she said yesterday. Even Scholastica could admit she was a bit harsh in her words. Yet, she smiled to her, apparently grateful for care she gave to her. Misao smiled to her back, forgetting Benedictus.
"It's okay, Scholastica. If there is a problem, you know you can still call me."
Scholastica shook her head. She was sure there wouldn't problem. Then, feeling the coldness around her, she made another origami with the paper they received.
"…" Suddenly, Misao stopped. Scholastica noticed it then turned her head toward Misao, as for asking what's wrong.
"…" Misao opened her mouth, seeing something she didn't expect to see.
"…"
A man stood in front of them. Misao took a surprised look, wondering where she already saw him. She already saw him, that's sure. Where? She didn't know. The man stayed silent but kept staring at them. His stare made Misao a bit awkward and nervous, desperately trying to recall where she saw him.
Then Scholastica turned back then saw the man too. And let her origami fall on the ground from her hands, opening her mouth, completely astonished.
When she did it, the man goggled. "…What's the meaning of THIS?"
Misao didn't understand herself when the man hastily ran toward them then knelt over in order to talk to Scholastica who kept staring at him without any response.
"What's happened, Scholastica? Answer to me."
Scholastica didn't answer. Misao took a whispering voice, as she was afraid of the man's reaction. "Who are you?"
"Who are you too? I'm her father!" The man answered coldly to Misao.
"…Her father…"
"Where is my son?" He asked to her rather rudely, glaring at her in the waiting for her answer.
"I don't believe in it. I definitely don't believe in it." The man kept repeating while he was walking in the apartment. Benedictus just quietly watched his father. He admitted it, he had been surprised when he had seen his father in front of his door, holding Scholastica's wheelchair at hand. Finally his father turned back toward him.
"How could you let it happening?"
"That isn't my fault!" Benedictus answered him back. It just made his father angrier than he was.
"That mad scientist told you something which you even doesn't know about and you let her do without any question? But are you crazy or something?"
Benedictus looked away. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"
"…I couldn't know. How could I? I couldn't expect that Scholastica's body would…" He didn't find any word to end his sentence. He just helplessly sighed. His father came closer to him.
"Furthermore, that's about your own sister! But what was the hell with you?"
Benedictus glanced at Scholastica. She was in the kitchen while the two others were in the lounge, as her father didn't want her to assist to this scene. "…I didn't have some ill intentions. I wanted it…I thought it would be better to her."
"YOU'RE SO DUMB! WHY ARE YOU SO RETARDED?" His father spat on. It made his son hunching his shoulders under his father's yell. In the kitchen, his sister had the same reaction.
"…" His father clenched his fists. "Is there anything we could do about it?"
"…I tried many times to join Sophia. It seems she is absent."
His father glared at him again. "What did you expect? That's a witch! There is anything she can do about it but betraying people and let them down, especially while Scholastica's body is deteriorating more."
"But daddy…" Benedictus tried to say. "What can we do? Sophia is the only one who can do anything about it. She is the one who created the body!"
"Oh…" His father frowned. "Who could tell you if she can do anything about it? Who tell you if she didn't do it just in order to test her mad experience then seeing your sister as an object?"
"…" Benedictus looked down. He didn't find any answer for it. "That's…all of your fault! What did you expect from it?" His father yelled at him. "No. Actually that's my fault."
"Daddy…" Benedictus began but his father cut him off. "I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have let both of you alone and living by yourselves. I thought it would be alright…but I was wrong."
"…" Benedictus couldn't do anything but giving a sad look toward his father. "…I shouldn't have." His father shook his head, seeming very desperate then left the lounge. "Daddy…" Benedictus called him. "…What are you going to do?"
He followed his father to the kitchen. He found him kneeling over his younger sister. "That's obvious. As she became more and more ill…We must find a way or another."
"…which way?" Benedictus asked him. His father shook his head. "…Bring your sister back to your room. I must…join someone."
"…Daddy." Benedictus tried to say it was stupid but his father glared at him fiercely. "DO WHAT I ASK YOU TO DO FOR ONCE!"
"…" Benedictus nodded then pushed Scholastica's wheelchair to his room. Then he closed the door and went to cover his face in his pillow. Scholastica quietly watched him. Then she called his name, which he didn't answer to. Scholastica, seeing he wasn't right, ended up by saying it wasn't his fault and Daddy was wrong about but Benedictus just said from his bed. "Shut up."
Scholastica looked down. Noticing she didn't have some paper again, she could do nothing but helplessly watching his brother from her wheelchair.
It hurt...She glanced at her right hand.
It burnt…
Benedictus didn't know what happened but apparently he should have fallen asleep in his bed as he was awakening by the neighbor who was outside and yelled alone. He growled then glanced at the old clock to the wall. 7:00 am. He sighed, holding his head. He didn't want to wake up but he was apparently forced to know if his father was still here. So he woke up then looked around him…Scholastica wasn't here anymore and he didn't see his little shape in her bed. He frowned then headed for the door. He glanced at the kitchen then the lounge. Scholastica wasn't here either.
It was weird. Maybe she was with Misao again? He shook his head. How she could push her wheelchair by herself? Or maybe his father brought her to Sophia? He shook his head again. No way after everything he said yesterday. He frowned. Where she was?
"…"
He had a bad feeling. So he hastily came back to his room and looked around. Nobody. He sighed. What did he expect after all?
Then his look stopped to the wardrobe, where there were Scholastica's clothes recently bought for her inside. He stepped toward it then stopped. He didn't know how to react. But something popped in his mind when he recalled his father's words from yesterday.
He ended up by opening the door of the wardrobe, expecting to find her clothes inside…
"…"
He stopped in front of it, letting the door closing on.
The wardrobe was empty.
Outside, Misao faced the sea. She didn't want to believe in but she had preferred to check in. So she came to the port.
Unfortunately, all of her thoughts were right, although she wanted to be wrong this time. So while the boat moved away toward horizon, she just contemplated the sea in front of her without saying anything…
