"Do you think he's okay?" Jade asks Kestrel, who shrugs in reply.
They are standing outside the trainstation, with a few pieces of luggage
and growing impatence
"Nothing's happened to Ash. He 'happens' to other people."
"But last night - "
"We can't be sure Jade." Kestrel cuts her sister off, but despite herself exchanges an apprehensive glance with her.
They have been uneasy all morning, having shared a disturbing nightmare on the train last night. They were amidst a violent storm, beating down with torrents of hot blood. Chocking on squalls of crimson, Rowan and Ash struggled with them, both held expressions alien on their faces, of utter grief. The four fought against the biting wind to one another, and as their reached out to meet an explosion of scarlet threw them apart.
Kestrel and Jade could hear Rowan's heart, screaming, her lips bound by thorns. Ash, hurtled furthest, shattered into a million splinters.
Jade shudders, troubled by the vivid images and prays her sisters right.
"He's here!" Kestrel yells. Ash strides towards them, his smile, hiding the trauma beating inside him.
As he drives them to the conference, Jade chats excitedly, secretly trying to pick up hidden signs of distress in Ash, who does too good a job concealing them.
"We should call Rowan, to tell her we're here." Kestrel prompts, her real reason being to see if Rowan was okay.
"And see how she's coping without us." Jade adds, punching in the number into Ash's cell phone, while making him promise to buy her one too. "Hey... she's not picking up."
"Try later." Ash suggests. She does, repetitively, for ten minutes. The girls share a worried look. Their fear materializing.
"What is it?" he asks, confused. They consider telling him, about their nightmare and worry about his and Rowan's well-being, but decide against it.
"I'll phone Mark, maybe she's there." She isn't, but Mary-Lynette had visited her earlier and she was fine, missing them, but fine.
"Oh well. We'll talk to her afterwards." Kestrel says, somewhat relived.
****
The knife slits down her hand and blood bursts out. Masami swears under her breath, angry with herself for not paying attention.
Since the grocery episode, her senses had abandoned her, like everyone else.
She shakes her head and runs cold water over the cut and takes a plaster one her work mates had handed offered. As she moves back to peeling the potatoes opening the plaster, her child wakes up bawling.
Leaving the kitchen counter, she dashes to her, huddled in blankets on a few chairs facing the wall in a make shift cot. Instead of stopping, like she would always do upon seeing her mother, the child cries out even louder.
Her twin awakes and accompanies his sister. They continue, even after she tends to them. The kitchen door burst open, and Masami knows all too well what to expect next.
Her boss's shouting is much loader than any cry her children could muster and the few staff stand stiff petrified. "You listening?" he snaps at Masami.
"Yes Enzo," she replies cradling the little crying girl in arm while patting her brothers' back to calm him down too. "I'm sorry."
"Tch, I'm sorry." He mocks. "Shut your brats up or fuck of!"
" I said I'm sorry, they've never gone on like this - "
" Just shut 'em up!" He gives a final shout for the workers to get on with it and goes back out front to the dinner.
In the end, Masami falls apart herself, miserably weeping. Her children had carried on like this, throwing tear frenzies for no reason, since her encounter with Ash last night.
Ash...... Firmly, she wipes away her tears. Determined not to fall into the Ash abyss. Especially here.
She's about to put the still crying child back in the 'cot' when she suddenly stops and stares with terror down at her son, who's sucking on her wounded palm as if it's a feeder. A thin stream of blood is flowing from the corner of his mouth and his angelic face seems strangely content.
"Aiden..." she whispers her son's name horrified.
"Nothing's happened to Ash. He 'happens' to other people."
"But last night - "
"We can't be sure Jade." Kestrel cuts her sister off, but despite herself exchanges an apprehensive glance with her.
They have been uneasy all morning, having shared a disturbing nightmare on the train last night. They were amidst a violent storm, beating down with torrents of hot blood. Chocking on squalls of crimson, Rowan and Ash struggled with them, both held expressions alien on their faces, of utter grief. The four fought against the biting wind to one another, and as their reached out to meet an explosion of scarlet threw them apart.
Kestrel and Jade could hear Rowan's heart, screaming, her lips bound by thorns. Ash, hurtled furthest, shattered into a million splinters.
Jade shudders, troubled by the vivid images and prays her sisters right.
"He's here!" Kestrel yells. Ash strides towards them, his smile, hiding the trauma beating inside him.
As he drives them to the conference, Jade chats excitedly, secretly trying to pick up hidden signs of distress in Ash, who does too good a job concealing them.
"We should call Rowan, to tell her we're here." Kestrel prompts, her real reason being to see if Rowan was okay.
"And see how she's coping without us." Jade adds, punching in the number into Ash's cell phone, while making him promise to buy her one too. "Hey... she's not picking up."
"Try later." Ash suggests. She does, repetitively, for ten minutes. The girls share a worried look. Their fear materializing.
"What is it?" he asks, confused. They consider telling him, about their nightmare and worry about his and Rowan's well-being, but decide against it.
"I'll phone Mark, maybe she's there." She isn't, but Mary-Lynette had visited her earlier and she was fine, missing them, but fine.
"Oh well. We'll talk to her afterwards." Kestrel says, somewhat relived.
****
The knife slits down her hand and blood bursts out. Masami swears under her breath, angry with herself for not paying attention.
Since the grocery episode, her senses had abandoned her, like everyone else.
She shakes her head and runs cold water over the cut and takes a plaster one her work mates had handed offered. As she moves back to peeling the potatoes opening the plaster, her child wakes up bawling.
Leaving the kitchen counter, she dashes to her, huddled in blankets on a few chairs facing the wall in a make shift cot. Instead of stopping, like she would always do upon seeing her mother, the child cries out even louder.
Her twin awakes and accompanies his sister. They continue, even after she tends to them. The kitchen door burst open, and Masami knows all too well what to expect next.
Her boss's shouting is much loader than any cry her children could muster and the few staff stand stiff petrified. "You listening?" he snaps at Masami.
"Yes Enzo," she replies cradling the little crying girl in arm while patting her brothers' back to calm him down too. "I'm sorry."
"Tch, I'm sorry." He mocks. "Shut your brats up or fuck of!"
" I said I'm sorry, they've never gone on like this - "
" Just shut 'em up!" He gives a final shout for the workers to get on with it and goes back out front to the dinner.
In the end, Masami falls apart herself, miserably weeping. Her children had carried on like this, throwing tear frenzies for no reason, since her encounter with Ash last night.
Ash...... Firmly, she wipes away her tears. Determined not to fall into the Ash abyss. Especially here.
She's about to put the still crying child back in the 'cot' when she suddenly stops and stares with terror down at her son, who's sucking on her wounded palm as if it's a feeder. A thin stream of blood is flowing from the corner of his mouth and his angelic face seems strangely content.
"Aiden..." she whispers her son's name horrified.