Chapter Four
"Demons in the Doorway, Monsters Down the Hall"
By Ghost of the Dawn
It was second hour and Robyn was doing her best to pay attention to the work she was given. But the class was so boring and it was still early. Robyn found herself nearly falling asleep every thirty seconds. She hated classes in the morning. This always happened. Now if only she could have some peace and quiet so she could catch a few winks. Unfortunately for her, the group of boys which always sat in the back were making their usual ruckus.
"Man, I don't get this new calculator my parents bought me," one boy was saying while another tapped a rythm on his desk with his pencil. "This stupid thing has too many buttons. All I want to know is what forty-seven times sixty-three divided by two is."
"Here, lemme see," his friend said as he snatched it away. "Woa, look at this thing. Looks more like some computer. Why'd your parents get you this thing anyway?"
The other shrugged. "I dunno, they must think I'm smart or something."
"Hey, go ask Rowen Hashiba how to work it. He knows everything." It was Hiroshi Yumi who spoke next.
Robyn had met him the weekend before at the dance club the guys had taken her to. Her attention to the conversation was given at the sound of the familiar voice and the mention of Rowen's name.
"Heh, yeah," another boy agreed. "Hashiba thinks he's better than everyone else just because he takes those stupid college classes."
The boy with the calculator made a face. "I'm not asking him. I hate that guy. Just 'cause his old man's a genius he thinks he's so cool. I'd love to give that arrogant bastard a punch in the face."
"He thinks he's so great," Hiroshi agreed. "But he's really just a big loser."
Robyn raised an eyebrow as she secretly listened in on the conversation. The pit of her stomach churned as she heard what was said about her friend. How could they say such things? Rowen wasn't like that, was he? True, she didn't know him very long, but he didn't seem like the kind of person they described him as. Was it really true?
The bell rang and the boys' conversation stayed with her as she journeyed to the college for her next class.
"Robyn," Rowen called as he caught up to her. "Trying to beat me to class, huh?" He grinned at her.
Robyn put on a smile that wasn't completely sincere. "Yeah, I didn't want to be seen with you."
She instantly blanched as those words came out of her mouth. She always joked with Rowen and the others like that. But after saying that she felt no better than those boys in the back of her second period.
Rowen didn't seem to notice as he just laughed and kept the joke going. "Yeah, I know. Being seen with me is so embarrassing. I wouldn't want to ruin your image."
Robyn didn't answer this time and the conversation dropped. The two entered the classroom and took their seats. The professor started in on the day's trigonometry lesson, but Robyn paid less attention than usual to it. She kept glancing at Rowen while her mind mulled over what was said about him earlier. She worried about it all hour and into the next.
In fourth hour, however, she soon forgot her worries when she and Kento passed degrading stick pictures of Mr. Kuroda back and forth. Robyn almost got Cye in trouble when she showed him a particular picture Kento drew of their history teacher picking his nose. Cye had let out a large snort which earned the gaze of several of the students and an extremely dirty glare from Mr. Kuroda. Cye didn't appreciate that one bit. Kento was just glad the teacher didn't demand to see what had caused it all.
The bell rang for lunch and Robyn found herself in her usual high spirits as she headed off with her friends. Kento was by her side. Both were still laughing about the pictures they did and how funny it was when Cye disrupted the class. Cye, who walked behind them with Sage, still didn't think it was all that funny.
"Rats," Robyn announced as she fished through her backpack. "I left my lunch in my locker. I'll meet you guys outside, okay?"
"Kay," Kento called as Robyn rushed off the other way. She reached her locker and fumbled through the combination she was still trying to memorize. After a few moments, she managed to get it open and snatched the paper bag sitting on top of her books.
"Hey, foreigner!" a horribly familiar voice called through the crowd.
Crap, it's Min again, Robyn thought. What the heck does she want now?
"I got a few more words to say to you," Miniko announced as she marched up to her, black hair bouncing.
"Imagine my delight," Robyn mumbled as she shut her locker and turned to face the taller girl.
"I saw you with Sage the other night at the club," Min huffed. "I told you, he's mine."
Robyn scrunched her eyebrows and gave her an incredulous look. "What is this? Do you, like, stalk this guy where ever he goes?"
Min huffed as she struggled for a good come back. "Look, just stay away from him, okay? Or you'll be sorry."
Robyn held her peace as Miniko turned on her heels and sauntered off. She wondered what Min would do to her if she found out she got to slap Sage's butt. A smile found its way to her lips as the thought entered her head. Robyn chuckled to herself as she headed off to rendezvous with her friends and never gave another thought to what Min had said.
She stepped outside and started over to their usual spot by the tree but she could already see that no one was there. Odd.
"Hey Robyn!"
There was no mistaking Kento's voice. Robyn smiled as she whirled around and saw the group sitting at one of the tables instead.
"They just watered the grass," Ryo explained as she approached.
"Took you long enough to get here," Rowen teased as he fished out his lunch from the brown paper bag he had.
"Late but worth the wait," Robyn grinned as she sat next to Ryo. Rowen snorted but was ignored by Robyn. She opened her lunch bag and started rooting through it. "Ah, my favorite," she announced as she pulled out a sandwich. "Food." She then started in on her lunch with much enthusiasm.
Kento was giving quick glances to Cye and then Robyn, looking a bit agitated. "I'm going to ask her," he finally said in a hushed voice.
"No, Kento, don't ask her," Cye hushed him.
"I gotta know. I'm gonna ask her."
"Ask me what?" Robyn leaned forward so she could see the two bickering boys.
"It's nothing, Robyn, don't listen to him," Cye tried frantically.
"No, I wanna know! Robyn how come-" Kento insisted.
"No, Kento, don't be rude!" Cye tried to cut him off.
"But I-" Cye tried to put a hand over Kento's mouth but that only succeeded in making the larger boy annoyed.
"Cye," Robyn warned and he looked up at her. "Don't make me sing the "Fishes" song again."
Ryo looked up in surprise as Rowen suddenly broke into laugher. Cye only sulked as he let Kento free to ask his question. "Robyn, do you have an eating disorder?"
Cye groaned and hid his head in shame as Kento belted out what was on his mind. Robyn, whose sandwich hung aloof in front of her face, paused to raise an eyebrow at him. The others at the table hardly reacted to the question. It was apparent this was the topic of their discussion before she had arrived.
"What the heck are you talking about?" Robyn finally asked.
Cye was now praying to the powers above that they would send down lighting, falling trees, anything that would silence his loud mouth friend. But no such luck. Kento continued to push his point.
"Well, look at you! You look like a strong wind could just blow you right away. We know you're not anorexic because you're eating all the time. Do you, like, go and puke all that stuff up in the bathroom somewhere?"
Though the others tried not to look it, they were all interested in the answer to that question and all eyes were on Robyn as she mulled over the accusation. The young redhead chewed on her lip and looked off somewhere above her in thought.
"I sure hope not," she then replied. "That would be such a waste." She then proceeded to take another large bite of her sandwich while digging through her bag to see what else there was to eat.
But Kento's curiosity still wasn't satisfied. "Then how do you stay so skinny with an appetite like that?"
Robyn lowered her gaze on him, looking slightly irked now from all the questions. "Well I wasn't always this skinny. Let's just say that back in the States I didn't have anyone to make a school lunch for me."
Kento nodded, though he wasn't sure exactly what she was talking about. His question thus answered, he turned back to his own lunch, as did the others. Cye was the only one looking at Robyn now. There was a hint of wonderment on his face and perhaps even... regret?
"Besides," Robyn said as an afterthought. "Rowen is skinnier than I am. Get after him."
"I am not!"
"Whatever, stick boy! You're about as big around as my thumb. You look like you're made of toothpicks."
This started in a shouting match between the two about who was thinner. But it didn't last long as Kento broke it up.
"Hey, you guys, knock it off," Kento yelled louder than both put together. "Listen up, okay? All you guys are invited to my house tonight for dinner. Ma's got a surprise for us."
"She's actually cooking at your own house?" Rowen asked with certain awe. "Woo! I'm going!"
"Me, too!" Ryo agreed.
"That's right, you all better come tonight," Kento ordered. "No excuses."
"So what's the big surprise?" Robyn asked after she had polished off her sandwich.
"It's a secret," Kento grinned with a wink. "You won't know unless you come. I better see every one of you there by six."
With everyone's curiosity at their peak, not a single one of the group could hardly say no. Each planned on making it, if anything, just to find out what Kento's big surprise was.
Sage proceeded at a leisurely pace to his sixth hour class. Creative writing was always one of his favorites. It was a small class, never too noisy and the teacher was quite excellent. Sage had always been one of few words, but when it came to writing he was a master of the written language.
Sage loved to write and had received high marks in every English class he had taken during his whole school career. He had a surprisingly high vocabulary for one who didn't say much and he was currently at the top of his class. Here was a place for him to relax for he was in his element.
The blonde young man took his usual seat, one desk back, one to the right and fished out his portfolio in preparation for class. The last of the students filed in as the bell rang and the teacher, Mrs. Matsuo was about to start class when a shorter, chubby man came and mumbled something to her.
They talked to each other for a while. Mrs. Matsuo finally nodded her head and the other man left.
"Okay, class," she began. "It looks like we're getting a new student who will be joining us for the rest of the year."
She motioned to the door and who should step in, but none other than Robyn. She had kind of a reluctant look about her as she seemed to almost drag her feet towards her new teacher.
"Everyone, this is..."
"Robyn," Robyn prodded in a small voice.
"Robyn," Mrs. Matsuo repeated. "We're just starting our poetry section this week. Hopefully we'll be able to get you caught up with the rest of the class real quick. Sage?"
"Yes ma'am," Sage replied.
"I take it you already know Robyn?"
Robyn gave him a look as if she wasn't sure how he'd reply to that question. "Uh, yes, ma'am," Sage said.
"Good," Mrs. Matsuo smiled. "Robyn, take the seat next to Sage and he'll help you get caught up."
"Okay," Robyn said as if she wasn't sure it was such a good idea. She trudged over to the desk pointed out for her and slouched in her seat, not looking too pleased with her current situation at all. She was starting to pull out her already-battered notebook with little flowers and butterfly doodles when a small wad of paper pegged her in the back of the head. She looked behind her to see where it came from and was even less thrilled when she saw Min off to the side.
The taller dark haired girl mouthed some threat to her but Robyn never was good at reading lips. She just wrinkled her brow at her and gave her an odd look. Min matched the look with a threatening glare of her own. Robyn shook her head, she wasn't in the mood to mess with this conceited snob. She turned around and idly scratched at her cheek with her middle finger so that only Min could see it. Robyn's attention was turned back to her notebook so she didn't see Min's vengeful gaze beating down on her.
"You don't look too excited to be here," Sage commented out of the blue.
Robyn looked up when she realized it was her he was addressing. "Huh? Well no, not really. I mean, I've already got enough homework from my college class, the last thing I need is extra work trying to catch up to this one."
"Then why are you in here?"
Robyn blew her bangs out of her eyes in an annoyed fashion. "I dunno. We had this writing assignment due last Monday. The teacher read it and decided I was too smart for the lower writing class and stuck me in here." She shrugged and pulled out a pen so she could doodle a little bee buzzing around on her notebook cover.
"Well, if you need any help, I guess you can ask me."
"I guess," Robyn replied and went back to scribbling in her notebook.
The doorbell rang. A pair of dark pigtails swished around a cherubic face as small feet bounded down the stairs. Seven year old Chun Fa's face was all aglow as she raced towards the front door. "Is Cye here yet? Is Cye here yet?" she asked her older brother excitedly.
Kento smiled at her as he opened the door to let in their guest. "Nope, sorry, Channy. It's only Ryo this time."
The little girl stuck out her lower lip in disappointment and went to go off and sulk by the window so she could keep a watch outside. Ryo raised an eyebrow at her retreating form as he shut the door behind him. "Boy, I sure feel loved now," he joked.
Kento dismissed his little sister's actions with a wave of his hand. "Come on, Ryo, we both know Channy's had this little... crush, or whatever you wanna call it on Cye for sometime now." He kept his voice low so only Ryo would hear.
Ryo nodded his head knowingly. He had seen how Chun Fa always followed Cye around when ever they came over. Kento led the way out of the foyer and into the main room where Sage and Rowen had already arrived. Both were lounging on the couch, idly discussing this and that. Ryo sat down and was immediately brought into the conversation. On the other side, Kento's thirteen-year-old brother Yunis sat quietly in a chair next to the lamp and read his book.
"Yeah! Cye's here! Cye's here!" Chun Fa could be heard squealing from the other room. She jumped off her perch by the window and ran to the door, flinging it open before the brown haired young man behind it even had a chance to knock. "Cye!" Chun Fa announced with glee and immediately glomped onto his right leg.
"Hey, Channy," Cye greeted, ruffling her bangs affectionately. The little girl just clung tighter and Cye was forced to drag her with him as he stepped into the house.
"My, what friendly greetings," Robyn commented as she following in after him.
"Yeah, well, don't expect me to do the same for you," Kento said with a smirk as he approached.
Robyn snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. Chun Fa looked up at the new person Kento was talking to and gave a skeptic glare to the strange girl. "Who is she?" she demanded.
Kento put a hand on the red haired girl's shoulder. "This is Robyn. Remember, I told you about her. She's living with Cye's family. Robyn this is my little sister Chun Fa, or Channy if you'd like."
Robyn looked down at the little girl still clutching Cye's leg. She had a round face and big round blue eyes just like Kento's. Her hair was also the same color as his and was tied up in short little pigtails at the top of her head. "Hey, kid," Robyn greeted as she bent over to be closer to the little girl's height. Chun Fa only buried her face in Cye's pant leg and hugged him tighter. Robyn and Kento exchanged looks and the latter shrugged.
"Hey, looks like the gang's all here," Ryo announced when he appeared in the doorway.
"Great," Kento rubbed his hands together happily. "Now we can eat! Come on, you guys, we set up a table out back so there'll be room for everyone. This way."
Kento led the way through the main room, passing Yunis who was still reading quietly, through the dinning room and out to the back porch. This led to a small back yard with newly cut green grass. Two picnic tables had been placed together and covered with several large table cloths. Places were set all around while Mama Faun and a taller man with brown-black hair, Mr. Faun, we moving in and out of the kitchen to get the food set on. Cye was the last one out, tolerantly taking a stubborn Chun Fa as he went.
"Everyone's here now," Kento proclaimed to his parents. "When do we eat?"
"In a little bit," Mama Faun replied. "Go get your brothers. As soon as we're all together we can start."
"Right," Kento turned and headed back for the door. He poked his head inside and yelled. "HEY, YOU GUYS!! MOM SAYS IT'S TIME TO EAT!!"
Mama Faun shook her head at her son's display. It was obvious that wasn't what she had intended. Mere seconds later a noisy blur of colors rushed out of the house.
"Woo hoo!" Ten year old Mei Ryu whooped as he burst into the yard. "Ryo!" He immediately flung himself on the black-haired teen's back, knocking him over.
"Hey, you little monster!" Ryo retorted playfully and the two proceeded to laugh and wrestle in the grass. Mei Ryu was dressed in baggy shorts and a T-shirt with Pokemon monsters printed on the front. His dark brownish black hair was styled similarly to Kento's but was unkempt as rowdy little boys go.
Soon after, the door was opened again and Yunis stepped calmly outside. He didn't really look a thing like Kento and the rest of his siblings. His face and eyes were more angular than round. His hair was straighter, neatly kept and a dark brownish black shade like his father's. Yunis quietly surveyed the scene before him and went to take a seat at the table without a word.
Several more minutes passed and they still were not all there. The food was all ready and Mama Faun was growing a bit impatient. She walked over to the back door and called inside with a quieter, less demanding voice. "Rinfi, we're waiting on you. Please come on down so we can eat."
It was still a minute or two more before fifteen year old Rinfi, with arms folded over his stomach, stepped out the door. He looked exactly like Kento's younger copy save his dark bluish hair was styled different. A pair of round glasses perched on his up turned nose and his expressions held that of boredom and slight annoyance.
Mama ignored his gloomy attitude and cheerfully called everyone to the table. Rinfi took a seat next to Yunis. Rowen and Sage sat down next followed by Robyn and an eager Kento. Chun Fa let go of Cye long enough to let him sit down and she sat next to him, a big smile on her round little face. Ryo was the last one in with a still hyper Mei Ryu under his arm.
"Oh boy! Dinner time!" Kento said enthusiastically as he reached for the nearest plate of food. But Mama Faun was quick to slap his hand away.
"Kento, have you introduced Robyn to everyone?"
Kento gave her an exasperated but pleading look. "Mo-om!"
"Kento," his mother warned back.
Kento sighed. "Fine. Robyn, meet Channy, Yunis, Mei, Rinfi." But he didn't stop there and continued on. "Cye, Rowen, Sage, Ryo, Mom, Dad, Kento. Can we eat now? Please? I'm starving!"
Mama Faun looked into her son's pleading eyes and finally gave the word. They all dug in. Everyone was quiet at the table for a time as they filled their plates with Mama Faun's delicious meal. All those present at the table currently seemed occupied with their own plates and thoughts except Chun Fa who was preoccupied with Cye and Mei Ryu who kept looking at the red-haired girl across from him.
"Are you really from the United States?" he finally asked.
Robyn hardly looked up from her plate as he spoke. "Nope, I'm from here. But I lived for several years in the United States."
"Wow," Mei marveled. "What's it like there?"
This time Robyn stopped to look at the ten year old. "Well, it depends on where you go. Some places are always hot and some places are always cold. There's really wet places by the ocean and miles and miles of desert further inland. In Alaska, the sun goes down for several months at a time."
"Have you ever been there?" Mei continued to ask with wide eyes.
"No, but I've been other places. Up East around New York and those places it's like one continual city from state to state. Kind of like some places in Japan. But in other states, like Wyoming, there's nothing at all! I drove through it once. It's like flat land and a stretch of highway, that's it. I think Wyoming must mean 'no state here' or something like that."
Robyn was rewarded with a few chuckles from her last statement. Cye was once again giving her his usual confused look when she mentioned anything from her past in America. "Robyn, I was unaware you traveled so much," he stated.
Robyn shrugged. "Well, I knew I wasn't going to stay there forever so I might as well see the sights before I go."
That answer seemed to satisfy Cye's curiosity but Chun Fa was frowning now that Cye's attention was no longer on her. "Cye, I drew a picture yesterday. Ya wanna see it?" she asked.
"Sure, Channy, I'd love to," Cye replied with a kind smile.
"Yay!" Chun Fa started to climb out of her seat but was stopped by her mother.
"You can show Cye after we eat, okay?"
"Aww..." Chun Fa pouted as she remained in her seat. Cye playfully ruffled her hair which seemed to lift her spirits and she went back to eating her dinner. All remained quiet again until Rowen cleared his throat.
"Um, I'd hate to ruin any surprise you guys might have planned, but I have to admit I'm awfully curious as to what this is all about."
"Yeah, Ma," Kento instantly agreed between his mouthful of food. "Can I tell them now?"
Mama Faun looked around at the teenaged faces, all looking at her and brimming with curiosity. "Oh, all right, Kento."
"Cool! You see guys, We've got this little cabin thing out on the coastline. We've had it forever and Ma and Pop wanna sell it. But they said we could all camp out there this weekend before it goes up for sale. What do you all think?"
There was a small span of silence before anyone spoke. "I think it's great," Ryo said.
"Yeah, a whole weekend by the sea, I'm in," Rowen agreed.
"Me, too!" Cye added. "Sounds like fun."
"Mia couldn't make it to dinner, but she will also be there," Kento's father added. "You guys need a chaperone."
"Aw, Dad, ya know we'll be good," Kento grinned.
"Still, it's nice to know she'll be there as well," Kento's mother replied. "At least this way Robyn won't be the only girl there." Robyn quirked her mouth to the side at that comment and went about eating her food.
"I still don't see why I can't go!" Rinfi suddenly spoke up. "Kento gets everything! It's not fair!"
Mama Faun sent her second oldest a warning look. "Now Rinfi, we talked about this. While Kento's gone you can have friends over here."
"It's still not fair! Just because Kento's the oldest he gets to do anything! You never do anything like this for me!"
"Rinfi," his mother said tolerantly. "That's enough or you won't even have friends over here."
"Fine!" Rinfi growled as he punched the table. He got up and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him.
Mama Faun sighed tiredly and everyone resumed their dinner in a less comfortable atmosphere.
Dinner finally ended and Kento's parents stayed behind to clean up. Yunis quietly lent a helping hand though it took more than a few times for Mama Faun to get Kento to help as well. While they were doing that, the rest of the boys had started a soccer game in the yard with Ryo, Sage, and Mei Ryu on one team and Cye and Rowen on the other. Robyn, who insisted she was too stuffed to run around, sat on the porch and watched. She laughed at the boys' antics on the field and winced as Rowen and Ryo both charged for the ball and ended up plowing into each other.
It was then that the four boys decided to dismiss the younger from the field so they could proceed with jungle ball rules. Mei Ryu whined for a moment as they asked him to get off. But in the end he was glad when he saw how much the four boys were tripping, kicking and running over each other. "Woa, when they play soccer, they play for keeps," Robyn commented as she watched the heated game.
"No kidding," Mei replied as he stood next to her. Both closed their eyes as Cye went flying head first over Ryo and landed in the dirt. "Man, I'm really glad I'm not playing that anymore."
As the two watched the gore fest, little Chun Fa was keeping a skeptical eye on this redheaded intruder that was now living with her Cye. She approached the older girl timidly and finally sat down on the steps beside her before Robyn noticed she was there. "Hey," Robyn greeted as she glanced at the little girl.
Chun Fa looked at her for a minute before she spoke. "Are you Cye's girlfriend?" she asked.
Robyn looked back down at her, now giving Chun Fa her whole attention. "What?"
"Are you Cye's girlfriend?" she asked again.
"Channy," Mei scolded.
But Robyn merely gave a crooked grin and chuckled. "Nope," she replied.
Chun Fa furrowed her small brow in thought. "Are you Kento's girlfriend?"
"No again."
"Do you have a boyfriend at all?"
Robyn returned her gaze back to the game and answered casually. "Nope, I'm a lesbian."
Mei Ryu instantly burst into laughter and quickly moved his hands to cover his mouth. Robyn grinned in spite of herself while Chun Fa still looked confused.
"I'm done," Kento announced as he bounded out of the house. He paused as he noticed the four dirty, panting boys in his yard. "Hey, who said you guys could play jungle ball without me?!"
"Relax, Kento, I think we're done," Sage, who had managed to stay the cleanest, said as he walked up to him. The other three followed. Rowen looked completely out of breath while Cye was limping and Ryo was nursing a nasty grass burn on his elbow.
"Well, come in, guys and I'll show you what this place looks like," Kento called as he went back into the house.
The four boys plus Robyn went in after him and followed as Kento led the way up the stairs. Along the way Robyn made a comment about the size of the house so Kento took the initiative to show her around as they went. The upstairs consisted mainly of a long hall, three bedrooms, and a bathroom.
"What's in there?" Robyn asked as she pointed to the closed door at the end of the hall.
"Oh, that's just our... other room," Kento said, not knowing how to explain it. "Come see."
He opened the door for her and switched on the light. The room was medium size with some weight lifting equipment in one corner and an old fooze ball table with most of the little plastic men taped together in the other. Off to the side was a smaller door which led to a closet-like room used as a storage space for games, videos, and decorations. "See, not much," Kento said. "Let's go to the attic, I'm sure we've got a picture of this cabin somewhere."
They walked back down the hall to where a rope was hanging from the ceiling. Kento tugged on it, pulling down a wooden case of stairs leading to a higher level. The gang all climbed up with Kento still in the lead.
About this time, little Chun Fa, who was left in the back yard, remembered her picture she had promised to show Cye and ran off to her room to get it. She rummaged through her drawer of crayons and paper and finally found what she was looking for. She bounded out of er room towards the retractable staircase, but paused when she noticed the door to the room at the end of the hall had been left open.
She stood stalk still, eyes wide. The yawning darkness from across the hall seemed to capture her, calling to her with an unearthly voice.
"Don't you guys ever dust up here?" Cye asked as he sneezed from all the dust floating about up in the attic.
"Give it a rest, Cye," Kento said as he dug through some old boxes. "Anyone hardly comes up here as it is."
As Kento searched, the rest of the group milled about. Sage discovered an old cracked mirror covered in cobwebs. He gazed curiously at his dusty reflection as Rowen popped up behind him wearing a large, feathery hat. "Hey Sage, is this totally me or what?" Rowen asked in a girlish voice.
"Get that off," Sage retorted as he snatched the hat off his head and tossed amongst another pile of junk.
"Here it is, guys," Kento called from his corner. "Come take a look." The group huddled around Kento and peered at the black and white picture he had in his hand. It was of a younger version of his family standing in front of a quaint little cabin by the seashore. "That's where we're going, guys," Kento announced proudly.
"Man, how old were you in that picture, Kento?" Ryo asked.
"Oh gee, like seven or eight."
"So that's you?" Robyn asked, pointing to the oldest of the little boys in the picture. "Who's that little kid beating you up?"
"That's Rinfi," Kento muttered while the others chuckled. "He's a lot meaner than he looks. Then my dad's holding Yunis and my mom was pregnant with Mei Ryu."
"Looks like a nice place, Kento," Cye said. "I can't wait to go."
Kento grinned in reply. "With it right by the seashore, I'm not surprised, buddy." He put the picture away and then turned back towards the stairs. "Let's go talk about the details over dessert."
No one could disagree with that suggestion and they all trooped out of the attic, putting the stairs back up as they left. "Come on, Shorty," Kento said as he snatched up Chun Fa, who had been staring down the hall, by the waist and tucked her under his arm.
It took a while for the little girl to realize what had happened before she started struggling out of her brother's grip. "Put me down, Kento!" she whined. But Kento waited until he reached the kitchen before releasing his captive.
"So just how far away is this place?" Sage then asked.
"It's about a three hour drive. That's why we're selling it, because it's so far away," Kento explained. "We're gonna have to leave right after school if we want to get there before dark."
"Great, a long road trip with the four of you," Cye teased.
Kento grabbed his head and gave him a playful noogie. "Always the optimist, aren't we, Cye?"
"Cye! Cye!" Chun Fa called as she tugged on his hand. "Look at my picture I drew!"
Cye took the large piece of paper from her little hands and looked at it. It was a colored picture of two stick figures - one with brown hair and one with dark blue hair - holding hands and smiling. They stood in front of a little house with windows and over them was a smiling sun and a rainbow in the sky.
"Oh, that's very nice, Channy; is this.. .me?" Cye asked.
Chun Fa beamed. "Yup! And that's me and that's our house when we go live together."
Cye's cheeks flushed slightly as he was all too aware of Kento snorting over his shoulder while the others snickered a bit more indiscreetly behind his back. Robyn was fighting so hard not to laugh she had to sit down at the table and cover her face with her arms.
"Well ah, thank you for showing that to me, Channy," Cye said politely, if not a bit embarrassed. "Why don't you go put it back in your room now?"
"No way! This is my best picture ever!" Chun Fa argued excitedly. "I'm going to put this up on the fridge!"
The laughter was even louder now as Chun Fa marched proudly up with her picture and attached it to the fridge with a large magnet for everyone to see and admire. Cye's cheeks went even brighter as he sat down at the table. Robyn patted his hand sympathetically though she was still trying to stop laughing herself.
"All right, boys," Mama Faun announced, coming to Cye's rescue. "Who wants fresh pie and ice cream?"
For a moment everything was forgotten in the light of the wonderful dessert. But as they sat around the table to eat, every once in a while someone would catch a glimpse of the brightly colored picture on the refrigerator and the whole thing would start all over again.
The bowls were almost empty as Rowen was the first to get up from his seat and put his dirty dishes in the sink. Mama Faun was still cleaning up in the kitchen when the blue haired boy turned to her.
"Do you have any aspirin or anything?" he asked quietly. "I think I'm getting a headache."
"Sure thing, Rowen," Mama Faun replied as she reached into a cabinet and produced a small white bottle. "Here you go."
Rowen thanked her quietly and quickly downed two of the pills. No one else seemed to notice this, except for Sage who watched his friend with a raised eyebrow and then turned back to his ice cream as if he hadn't noticed.
It was late at night as Kento saw all his guests out the door. Each one expressed their thanks for the meal to Mama Faun and gave Kento hearty good-byes as they stepped out. The Faun household instantly grew a notch quieter as the five teens departed their separate ways. Rinfi and Mei Ryu were already up in their rooms working on homework or whatever it was that was deemed the most important thing to do at the moment. Yunis was in the kitchen quietly cleaning up the last of the dishes. Chun Fa was the only one who stuck around to bid farewell to Kento's friends - or at least to Cye. After the door closed she ran over to the front window and watched the group proceed down the sidewalk.
"Well, that was fun," Mama Faun commented after they had gone.
"Sure was," Kento grinned. "Thanks, Ma."
Mama Faun smiled appreciatively as her oldest son gave her a large hug. "Well, with thanks like that, I don't mind doing this kind of thing once in a while." She turned to her daughter still sitting by the window. "Come on, Channy, time for bed."
"Aww..." the young girl whined. "Can't I stay up a bit longer?"
Mama Faun walked over and picked her up in her arms. "It's already long past your bedtime as it is so I don't want to hear another word."
"Okay," Chun Fa drudgingly agreed. She paused and then looked at her mother curiously as she was carried up the stairs. "Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"What's a... lesbian?"
Mama Faun was shocked to say the least. Kento, who heard the question from where he had flopped down on the couch, burst out laughing.
"Cye, I know I'm new in this town, but I don't think this is the way to go home," Robyn pointed out.
Cye regarded her with a sly smile. "I know, but there's something I want to show you first."
"Oh boy," Robyn replied, giving him a sarcastic smile.
"Oh, come on, Robyn, it's not so bad," Cye winked at her. "Don't you trust me?"
"I'll answer that after we get home," Robyn replied. She withheld any further complaints as Cye led her down one street and then another. They eventually arrived at a large building complex and Robyn regarded it curiously.
"Cye, where the heck did you take us?" she wanted to know.
There was a certain gleam in Cye's eye that Robyn had never seen before. "You'll see," he smiled as he took her wrist and led her on. Robyn allowed herself to be pulled, even though it was through a hole in a metal fence surrounding the building.
"Cye, I get the feeling they put up that fence for a reason," Robyn said in a worried voice.
"Relax," Cye countered as he led her across the small span of open ground to the dark building. "I do this all the time."
"I'm starting to wonder about you, Cye."
"Sh-h-h," Cye quieted her gently as they reached a dark, locked door. He paused to reach into his pocket to pull out a small brass key. Then he proceeded to put it in the lock and turn the doorknob.
"Where did you get that?" Robyn hissed.
"Stole it," Cye grinned.
"YOU WHAT?!"
"SH-H-H!!" Cye silenced her again. "I know the guy who owns the place. He gave me the key, okay?"
Robyn still didn't look too convinced. Cye pretended not to notice as he pulled her inside and shut the door behind them. The building was very dark inside. The only source of light came from a series of dim blue light bulbs than panned down a dark, metal hallway. The air smelt damp and salty and the humming of generators sounded in the stillness. Robyn edged closer to Cye as she looked the scene over.
The sandy-haired young man just gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I know this place inside out."
Robyn didn't look too sure and decided she had best keep a firm hold on Cye's sleeve to make sure she didn't run into anything in the dark. They continued on, Robyn nervously watching each shadow, unsure of what she was going to find there. Further down, the walls changed form from flat titanium snaked with metal pipes to convex glass walls holding in large amounts of water.
"Water tanks?" Robyn mumbled to herself as she put a hand on the cold glass.
The thin body of a six foot long shark darted out in front of her and then swam away. During the day it might have been a fascinating experience for most people, but it startled Robyn. She gave a small cry of surprise and stumbled away. Cye chuckled as he caught her.
The red haired girl gave him an unappreciative look. "Why didn't you just say we were going to the marina?" she demanded.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Cye responded simply. "This is one of my favorite places to be. I go here alone sometimes to think." He took a deep breath and inhaled the musky scent. "I feel relaxed here."
Robyn just shook her head. "I'll never understand you and sea animals," she mumbled. Then a little louder, "Cye, you know how I feel about... deep water." She eyed the shark tank again and moved a step back.
Cye furrowed his brows. He had almost forgotten about Robyn's small phobia. "It's okay, Robyn," Cye assured her as he pulled her further down the hall. "We're not here to go swimming or anything. I just want you to meet some friends of mine."
Robyn sighed and allowed herself to be tugged along down the dark hall. They finally stopped at an exceptionally large tank and Cye stepped forward, tapping softly on the glass. Within seconds a large killer whale swam up and rubbed its massive body against the glass, making a deep rumbling sound in the back of his throat. Cye grinned at the display.
"Robyn, I'd like you to meet George."
Robyn laughed. "His name is George?"
Cye threw up his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't name him. He's not my killer whale. Come on." He once again grabbed Robyn's wrist and led her around the tank and up a flight of metal stairs. They ended up on a platform at the mouth of the tank. Cye squatted down and dabbled his fingers in the water. The large sea mammal was instantly at the surface to greet him. "There's my bud," Cye greeted as he rubbed the whale's rubbery skin. George opened his mouth and squeaked and rumbled - almost like a cat's purr - while Cye rubbed his tongue.
Robyn made a face at his actions. "Cye, that is so gross," she informed him.
"What?" Cye wondered. "Killer whales like to have their tongues rubbed."
"Yeah, so they can get a taste of you," Robyn muttered.
"Come on, Robyn, come down here and pet him."
"No way, Cye, I'm not touching that thing!"
"Come on, scaredy-cat. He's not going to hurt you."
Cye gently grabbed her hand and placed it on the whale's nose. Robyn had a look on her face that was a mixture of disgust and intrigue - like she wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. She allowed her hand to stay there for a moment but then stood up and wiped it on her pant leg.
"I'm done now," she announced.
Cye gave her a lopsided grin and shook his head. "Fine. Just give me a few more minutes and then we'll go."
Robyn nodded and while Cye continued to pet and talk to George, Robyn quietly made her way back down the stairs. Cye hadn't even realized she left until he stood up and looked around after he was done. A bit more damp than when he had gone up, Cye descended the stairs and looked around for his female friend. He found her with one hand clutching her jacket collar as she stared silently through the glass of another tank. She was watching a lone bottlenose dolphin as it swam slowly - almost sadly in the water. Robyn could see Cye's reflection in the glass as he came up behind her.
"He doesn't look too happy," Robyn stated, referring to the dolphin.
"He just arrived here a few days ago. He's still adapting to the new environment."
"I don't think he likes it here," Robyn replied, not moving her eyes from the tank.
"He's better off here," Cye insisted. "I myself would like to see all these creatures released into the wild. But with them being born into captivity, they just don't have the instincts to survive out there. I know personally they take good care of the animals here. He'll always have plenty to eat and clean water and lots of room to swim."
Robyn pursed her lips as Cye went on. She closed her eyes and took a breath before whirling around to look him in the face. "But Cye, it's just not the same!" she insisted with a certain tone of frustration in her voice.
Cye regarded her with confusion. "Robyn, what are you talking about?"
"It's not the same to merely have everything you need," Robyn continued with passion in her voice. "Not when you don't have any freedom. To know that no matter what you do or how great you seem to have it where you are, you can't change it." She turned and looked back at the tank, setting her hand on the glass as if trying to touch the animal inside. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she spoke. "Sometimes I feel like that. Like this is it. Like there's nothing I can do to change anything and everything is stuck the way it is."
There was a span of silence as Cye attempted to interpret what she was trying to say. "Robyn?" he spoke softly. "What happened to you back in the United States?"
Robyn closed her eyes at the question. "A lot," she breathed.
"I thought you were supposed to stay with your cousins until you were eighteen."
"That's what I thought, too. But as it turned out, I couldn't stay there long."
Cye took a step closer. "You couldn't stay there? Robyn, what did you do?!"
Robyn spun around, hurt and bitterness clearly written on her face. "Cye, it wasn't my - you don't understand!"
Cye grabbed her shoulders. "Then tell me, what happened?"
Robyn shook her head and suddenly threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in the front of his shirt. "Please don't ask me," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I promise, you'll know sometime but please don't ask me to tell you right now."
Cye suddenly felt helpless from her quiet pleas and he instantly faltered. "Okay," he said as he touched her shoulder. "I'll let you tell me when you're ready."
Robyn pulled away and nodded, her head hanging down in shame for acting like that in front of her friend. Cye put and arm around her shoulder and led her away, waving good-bye to George before they started off for home.
By Ghost of the Dawn
Chapter Four - The Getaway Plan
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
