Ch.19 "TOO LATE TO RETURN."
Two long hours passed. In her head, Kamari kept repeating Uraina's words, If the storm doesn't quit one hour before midnight, the plane will fall.... She glanced at the digital clock in her room. She turned and took a glimpse of Wishmon struggling, trying to carve a snowflake. She began panicking, glancing back and for at her clock and Wishmon. Only twenty minutes left and I can't even think of a spell.
"Mariana. Mariana. I'm done. You ready?" Wishmon shouted to Kamari. She did not answer.
Only ten minutes left.... No. I must land that plane safely tonight.... I must.... Any spell must do.
"Mariana. Mariana," Wishmon repeated.
"Ah? What? Oh, Wishmon. What is it? Oh, you've finished?" her miss answered as she turned her attention to Wishmon and the finished snowflake.
"Quickly, Mariana. Do it now. Quickly."
"Yes," she answered, "yes, Wishmon." Kamari walked towards the snowflake and touched it. It was cold; it was wet, yet, it was what she had expected. Coldness, yet, refreshment and a run through her spine. She felt it.
Snowflake of Wishmon's creation,
Made to required perfection,
With crystalized tears shed by two,
Shall bine and fix the weather too,
Let the storm be gone on command,
On the count of three I demand,
One, two, three. Let the storm be gone,
Allow this blizzard to move on!
After Kamari cast the spell, the snowflake melted, wetting the floor. Then, the puddle evaporated. She looked at her clock. Five after eleven. It's not possible.... It's not possible.... It was already too late.... It's not possible....
"Mariana. Mariana. What's the matter? You cast the spell. Your dad's going to be all right now. He and the others are safe. The problem's fixed. Isn't it?"
"No, Wishmon," Kamari said, "I cast too late." She was not responding. Kamari was not responding. She was devastated. She couldn't respond. A part of her vanished; she felt incomplete. She wasn't herself.
"What do you mean?"
"The spell must be cast no more after eleven. Or the plane would fall. Uraina told me. It's now six after eleven. The clock is slow. It is ten minutes slow. I never change it. I finished the spell just seven minutes ago. The plane, it-"
Wishmon dashed to the window. Looking outside, she saw that the storm had cleared. "Oh. But, Mariana. I wanted to tell you this earlier, but I guess I forgot. Your father fixed the clock. He set it to fifteen minutes faster than normal. He told me, 'Now, she won't be going to school within the last minute. She'll be early'. Oh. Look, Mariana. Look. There's the plane."
Kamari, stung by her Digimon's words, began to join Wishmon. "Daddy's plane? It's really Dad's plane. It's not coming back. It's headed for America. It's not returning to Japan. It's going to arrive in America as planned."
The clock struck midnight. Kamari received Uraina's words. Your father is doing fine. They decided to follow through with their first plan, to land in the U.S. Within hours, the plane will arrive in the U.S. Don't worry. I will keep a watch on your dad until the plane lands safely. He might return in the few days after he makes arrangements. He'll return safely. So will his message. Thanks for fixing up the weather. Say hello to everyone for me. Make sure you stay with an adult. Take care. Bye.
'So will his message?' What does that suppose to mean? Kamari thought.
Knock. Knock. "I'm coming. Who is it?" Kamari, wearing a fuzzy black unbuttoned robe that goes down to the knees, asked and opened the door. "What?! Aurora?!"
"Good morning, Mariana. Nice day isn't it?" he greeted with a courteous smile.
"So, what if it is? What are you doing here?" Kamari asked rudely. "You know as well as I do that Ange's not here."
"Actually, she called me to come over. I'm to be your guardian till your dad returns in the next few days."
"Just great! Lucky I've got school today. See ya," Kamari replied and grabbed her satchel. No more. Kamari marched out and closed front door.
"Oh, where are you going?"
"School, of course. The bell's going to ring in ten minutes. Got to go."
"I'll drive you there. You'll reach there within five minutes or so."
Kamari glanced around and saw Aurora's motorcycle. There's nothing in this world that can make me go on his motorcycle. "No thanks. I prefer to walk today," Kamari protested as she walked on the pavement. And it'll still that way.
"Won't you be late?"
"Yes, I will if you don't stop it."
"Okay. Fine. Have it your way. But what about giving me the keys to the house?" Aurora requested.
"So you can go in and stay?" Kamari stopped and asked, staring at him.
"Yes. She offered me. She said it would be more convenient if I stay here and look after you. I won't have to go back and forth."
"Fine! Here!" Kamari shouted. "Catch!"
Kamari began to disappear at a corner and she sent an e-mail to Wishmon, informing her to stay out of Aurora's sight. Then, she quickly teleported herself to school with only five minutes to spare.
"Class, we have a new exchange student in our school today. He'll be in this classroom for this week until the school board finds him an opening in the higher grades," the English teacher announced as the door slid open, unveiling a teenage boy wearing a turquoise t-shirt with an emblem of a telescope on each sleeve and navy-blue flared jeans. He was carrying a grassy green backpack.
Von? Davis, T.K., Kari and Kamari thought in unison.
"Hi. I'm Von. It's nice to meet all of you," he introduced.
"Von's transferred from Canada. I hope you'll all treat him rather nicely," the English teacher warned. "Why don't you have a seat next to- ah- behind the girl dressed in black?"
"Why not?" Von replied and smiled at his new English teacher. There doesn't seem to be any other vacant seats besides that one.
"Dressed in black again, eh, Mariana?" Von asked Kamari as he passed her by.
"Tomorrow, it's white," Kamari answered sarcastically. "Why aren't you returning to Canada?"
"I'm here to stay until Uraina comes back," he answered as he sat down.
Just great! Kamari thought. Things are getting more difficult. Or is it? Maybe I can use Von's presence to my advantage.
The second month of the year started to fade away. Kamari's dad returned. Aurora returned to his routine and so did everyone else, except for Von and his dad. They continued to look for Uraina. Still, no luck. Kamari didn't tell them. And neither did Ange.
