Chapter 13: Escape

"Sometimes I feel my bones are straining under the weight of all the lives I am not living"- Jonathan Safran Foer

It was the longest and most uncomfortable silence that Aoi and Menchi ever had.

Aoi's suitcase was askew near the door panel, as she sat on Menchi's couch, with tear stained face and dishevelled hair. The undersides of her eyes were colouring up puce and her nose looked as if she got punched. Menchi couldn't remember when was the last time she had seen Aoi really cry this bad. Menchi was pacing up and down in the room, her fist curled up and her tan bronzy cheeks turning magenta in anger.

'I'm sorry for barging in-'

'Shh...' Menchi snapped, and then she started pacing again. Aoi nervously pursed her lips into a thin line as a bitter briny taste dissolved in her mouth.

'I was only gone for 2 days... 2 DAYS... AND THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS GOT YOU KICKED OUT?' Menchi howled in anger, 'so what? They decide now that you're not good enough?' Menchi thumped on the couch, 'and where were you? Too far to receive a phone...? I had been worried sick—' Aoi straightened up her face and looked at her with surprised expression 'You don't know?' Menchi raised her eyebrows and cautiously looked at her, 'what I don't know?' she asked almost threateningly, to which Aoi sombrely responded.

'I was in the hospital...'

Menchi's eyes rounded up in surprise; a range of emotions flashed through her eyes rapidly—fear, concern, guilt and finally anger. Taking chance of her bafflement Aoi explained everything from the start—the video, her fainting, followed by every details from the beginning to the end. But Menchi stayed as baffled as she was at the beginning.

'Say something Chi-chan...' Aoi quietly mumbled, and then she sniffled, 'say something... please.'

Menchi did not say anything. Instead, she got up on her feet, dialled her land-phone and aggressively put it on her right ear. Aoi looked at her with alarm and anxiety that she might be calling her father, or worse, Aoi's father. She stood up shakily to stop her friend, but a dominant hand gesture made her sit again on her seat.

'Hello, Yorkshin Railway Service... I am Menchi Kitagawa—spelt K-I-T-A-G-A-W-A, I wish to reconsider my ticket to Lawrence today at 8:30 pm.' Then she disappeared behind her kitchen door with a loud slam. After a few tense moments, she came back with an unreadable expression.

'Chi-chan... I don't want you to cancel your trip to your home.' Aoi stood up guiltily, 'you rarely visit your mom—don't cancel for me, I will go to our old place—'

'I am not cancelling anything...' she smirked, 'you're coming with me.'

'But Chi-chan you—'

'Shh... If you speak again, I'll cut you.' Menchi smiled briefly and went inside to grab her bags.

...

The girls journeyed overnight and on the dawn break they entered Lawrence. It took them two more hours to find a cab that was agreed to drive all the way to the edge of Lebanon where the Kitagawa family lived, shrouded by the temperate forest.

'Home sweet home.' Menchi uttered exhaustedly looking at the brown coloured Victorian mansion as the whirling sound of the cab disappeared in the forest. They walked on the leaf strewn paths slowly as Aoi looked around the leafy canopy filtering a dull olive green morning sun into the property. Aoi suddenly was reminded of Wuthering Heights, and walked past the antique wooden sign named 'Aspen Hall'. The distant sounds of the birds chirping and the strong smell of pine registered into her senses which made her head throb slightly. Menchi rang the doorbell and thudded noisily on the dull teak door, which was opened by a baffled looking woman in a stained jeans-n-tees covered by a yellow apron.

'I told you to wait when you ring the bell... we don't have a valet you know!' The woman tossed her stray red hair from her face, and then her eyes fixed on Aoi 'ara ara Aoi-chan... How could I forget you! Come inside...' she almost grabbed her arm ecstatically and lead her into the house, 'Chi-chan, bring the bags in and close the damn door before the entire battalion of bugs comes down zooming.'

'But Moooom... 'Menchi feigned weakness, 'how could you tell this to a small delicate girl like me!' she kicked the entire luggage in and thudded the door close, 'You... Weak?!' her mother answered her sarcastically 'tell the door hinges you broke last summer... 'She then focused on Aoi whom she made to sit in the open kitchen adjacent to the sitting room. 'You brushed your teeth deary?' she asked gently without the sarcastic domineering voice she used on Menchi, who sat with her legs, sprawled on the stairs to remove her shoes. Menchi's mother's quick eyes veered at her 'look at that abomination... who on God's earth sits like that?'

'Then how am I supposed to take off my shoes?' Menchi replied snappily, to which Mrs. Kitagawa raised her food stained spatula towards her 'you speak to me with respect young lady... now...' her tone softened up as she addressed both 'you go freshen up while I spin you something.' She smiled as they entered the ground floor common bathrooms.

Aoi could not think of what she should change into this atmosphere. Her lounge wears looked too refined and mannerly in this kind of environment. So she stood in her lace, sugar-pink camisole and boyshorts in confusion. Suddenly Menchi walked into the room, (as it was the changing room lined with the twin bathrooms) without noticing Aoi. Aoi kept staring at the pale black curtained figure with feline eyes in front of the mirror as Menchi walked around in her bralette and panties, spilling with curves. She always thought that Menchi was the beautiful one despite what the other school girls thought. She was only fifteen and yet she looked so much matured: she always got what she wanted; she always flaunts herself without being embarrassed (even when it comes to her masturbation practices which she effortlessly confessed to Aoi since she was ten or eleven)

'Like what you see?' Menchi jokingly struck a seductive pose by bringing her elbows together in front of her chest. Aoi broke from the trance and looked behind her to meet the real Menchi who smiled at her goofily, 'now c'mon... tell me you like them' Menchi gave her breasts a light tap, causing them bounce, 'or wait... should I go topless now—'

'Chi-chan... stop joking...' Aoi smiled and slapped her arm as Menchi resumed to rummage through her clothes pile, 'c'mon... you saw my tits last year at the hot spring and I saw yours... no judgement!' Aoi made a pout towards her and said 'let's stop about our body parts and find something that I can wear... I don't want to wear those skirts again.'

Menchi threw her a pair of gray sweats and t-shirt from the clothing rack that her mom placed for her, 'here... wear this for now, and for god's sake take off that god awful lace cami—' Menchi tried to force Aoi out of the article of clothing but she prevented her. 'No... Chi-chan, I have nothing underneath it... your brothers live with you. That is indecent!' Aoi said warningly. But soon she softened up and sat on the washing machine, with her eyes tearing up, 'I never go without it... you know that!'

'My god... what on earth they did to you!' Menchi whispered softly as her brows drooped, 'It's okay... I won't force you. Wear the sweats, they are comfy...' she grabbed a flannel shirt and knee-length khaki shorts, and closed the door shut behind her, 'watch out with the draw-strings.'

...

The girls arrived on the breakfast table a little earlier than usual. The open kitchen emitted wafting aroma of greasy bacons, omelette and pancakes. Mrs. Kitagawa was handling everything with a quick and firm hand. She was almost startled when she saw Aoi arrive to the table, so she smiled at her as a greeting and sat with Menchi at her opposite.

'Sorry Sweetheart... I'm still not finished yet. In this house people are not early birds like you are you know.' She wiped her hands on the greasy apron and tossed the bacon on the kitchen towel from the frying pan. Her tone was much genial and softer, but soon it amplified to a thundering boom when she went to the bottom of the stairs and screamed, 'BOYS... YOUR BREAKFASTS' GETTIN' COLD...'

Within a few moments, a couple of guys started to descend the stairs with bedhead and dull coloured sweats which was really unfamiliar with Aoi. Usually at Matsuhashis, people came to breakfast in either dressing gown or properly dressed. She never saw any of her step-brothers in such a laid back look. Menchi's brothers/ cousins with their orchestras of yawns took their seats lazily around the table, and when the last seat was about to be taken, one of Menchi's brothers looked at Aoi's face and said 'Sorry... but who are you?'

'Aoi... that's Shota, my cousin from mom's side' Menchi said to Aoi and she bowed her head slightly as a greeting. Shota gave a small smile a sat down. He looked a couple of years older than both the girls, had messy black hair and deep brown eyes. His good natured face was occupied with an awkward civility of having a stranger female guest on breakfast.

'Aoi Tanaka-desu, Ojamashimasta...' Aoi mumbled apologetically, and Shota gave a nervous laugh, 'its okay... you must be her classmate right?' he spoke, 'I am Shota, Shota Kazehaya.'

'Okay... Aoi, so you met Shota right?' Menchi then points at her right 'This is Kyoya' then points at the left 'and this is Kai, his younger brother. They are my dad's elder brother's sons' the two boys bowed at her slightly. The elder one, Kyoya was a sharp, black haired bespeckled guy with calm exterior, while his brother with a resting face was dozing off on his chin with his gray hair covering his eyes. Menchi thudded on the surface in front of him to cause him startle and slip off. While everyone broke out with laughter he frowned at Menchi with lavender-gray eyes. But Menchi was unperturbed by him as she said 'I am trying to keep this family together so greet my friend...!'

To Aoi's surprise, he complied and bowed to her, and drawled 'Kai Hiwatari Kitagawa desu... hajimemashita.'

'I've heard about you from Menchi.' Aoi said, 'it's not a surprise that she grew up with her cousins. But don't you miss your family?' To her response Shota flashed a brief smile 'We like to stay here most of the time' Shota said, 'it's quiet and not much humdrum around. Our parents' lives are kind of hectic and full of public exposure so we live with our lovely aunt...' he pointed at Menchi's mother, who blushed appreciatively 'so that we could have a normal life.'

'But our cousin wanted to go on full swell didn't you?' Kyoya added as he cut through his sunny side down omelette. 'Yeah... luckily I have guts and I am tough as nails, unlike you autophilic rich brats.'

'Thank you for your opinion,' Kyoya added sarcastically, 'now, if you'll excuse me I would like to have my breakfast retort-free.' He smirked and shoved the egg pieces in his mouth, 'oh, auntie, can you hand me the siraccha?' he caught the red sauce bottle single handedly when Menchi's mom threw them from the kitchen. Aoi looked at him with awe.

'What? Never saw that coming?' Kyoya asked her lightly.

'I am no good at catching things, so...' Aoi replied as everyone laughed around her. Kai was lazily twirling his bit of pancake on the maple syrup and Aoi noticed he didn't join in the conversation. Shota, noticing this reassured Aoi discreetly 'Kai is a kind of introvert, and until he has some food in his system he won't even make a sound' Shota took a bite on his pancakes and sipped his coffee.

'Kai-kun, how's the application coming along?' Mrs. Kitagawa asked the dozing boy, as an awkward attempt to make him join the conversation, 'its okay... needs more work' Kai said briefly, 'even if I get in, I doubt there will be any financial aid.'

'Wait... what is he talking about?' Aoi whispered to Menchi with the coffee cup in front of her face, Menchi stashing her half-chewed bacons on the side of her cheek, said 'Kai applied for the YSIU for Engineering, but he is not poor enough to be having financial aid.' Aoi, being a sheltered girl obviously did not understood what Menchi meant; Kai's family, being Menchi's uncles must have a lot of money, but before Menchi could answer anything Kai broke the silence 'My old man disowned me when I said I won't be going to be a Hunter.'

And Aoi thought her family was dramatic.

'Okay, who wants another round of coffee...?' Shota attempted to lighten the mood up, but the grimace refused to wear off.

After the breakfast, Menchi and Aoi were sent off to Menchi's room to sleep, but Aoi was way too wide awake to fall asleep. She sat on the bed and tucked the flannel bedspreads on her feet as Menchi sat beside her. Aoi looked around at the dull coloured room that was messily furnished with a bean-bag chair, a settee, a study table and chair with lots of stickers sticking on them, and a make-shift dressing-table and cosmetics locker. Aoi sat on her friend's bed, clutching her knees.

'It's a bad time, isn't it...?'

'No...' Menchi answered, 'I should have told you before.' Menchi huffed and sank herself beside her, 'they all have mommy and daddy issues... my uncles and aunts are all vile pretentious creatures, they sort of look down on my dad because he is an army official and does not run companies like them. Yeah... I was never as rich as you thought me Aoi, but that's okay.' Menchi smiled bitterly, 'I love my family and the guys out there... I grew up with them. They too, are tired of their parents and sort of trying to make their own way in here... it's hard, but they are doing their best.'

Aoi was giving Menchi her undivided attention.

'Shota is my mom's nephew. The son of her only sister... his parents died in a car crash and that broke my mom in half. I was eight and he was ten at that time. My dad, being my big-hearted papa bear, took him in... Shota was a wreck when he came. I still remember him crying in his room for a week, never speaking a word.' Menchi looked pensively outside, 'and then... tragedy struck again. Kyoya ran away from home and came to us... it was a stormy night. His father beat up Kai for defying him not being a Hunter at his 15th birthday. They both came to us, single clothed. Dad took them in too. They have been legally disowned by their parents by the next week and it was confirmed that they never wanted to hear them from again.'

'I am sorry Chi-chan... I didn't know.' Aoi barely whispered, 'I know they love you and your family more than mine... I never saw people so happy under the same roof.'

'Thanks blueberry... that means a lot to me.' Menchi sighed, but then again she tried to change her voice into a happy tone, 'anyway... now Kai cannot have a financial aid, Kyoya will now pawn his Hunter's license for some money.'

'Kyoya-san is a Hunter?' Aoi was very surprised.

'Yes... sad isn't it... even he got a shitty treatment from his parents for supporting his brother. Anyway, He's still a junior Hunter; he will have to do some heavy duty work by the time he is 21 to get one star status. Only then, he can apply to the authoritarian job and live on full government expense... he is the one who finances Kai's livelihood.'

Aoi felt a gush of respect towards the bespeckled cousin of Menchi. He looked very cool and silent from the outside and it was hard to imagine that he was such a warm hearted loyal brother. Without Menchi's knowledge some ideas started to brew into her brains that for now she decided to keep only to herself.

...

Aoi woke up on Menchi's bed alone. The east window was already dark and the clock told it was three in the afternoon. She had skipped lunch, and nobody called her. Suddenly with a modest knock, someone came into the room. It was Kyoya.

'Auntie called you for lunch several times but you were so deeply asleep that—anyway, would you like to have some tea?' he asked with a polite smile.

'Where's Menchi?' Aoi asked, she was still uncomfortable around stranger males. Kyoya gave a small laugh and pointed at the east window, 'she's playing baseball outside with the guys, come join us—'

'I think I will stay here a little longer—' Aoi nervously replied, scratching her head, Kyoya observing her discomfort gave another final smile, 'okay, come when you're ready...' then he shut the door behind him.

Aoi went towards the east window, which gave a clear view to the porch and the yard. Shadowed by the light forest, Menchi and his brothers were lively engaged in playing baseball. Even Kai joined the match. Mrs. Kitagawa and Kyoya were having teas in the side, and cheered them on from time to time. Aoi never seen such harmony in real life, there were discords and imperfections, financial troubles and family issues, and yet they were so happy like nothing ever happened to them. Menchi was luckier than her that she had most valuable people in her life than wealth.

The ball flew between the worn out mitts of Menchi and Shota, and Kyoya and Mrs. Kitagawa sat on the porch floor, hollering at them. They hadn't any fancy little gazebo where they could sit down and chat, and sip tea, like the backyard Bower Afternoon every Sunday in the Sunshine Mansion... they had an open path, a tawny patch of a ground, beyond which the light woods guarded them. Suddenly they stopped playing, as both Menchi and Shota sat down, glistening with sweat and Mrs Kitagawa unscrewed two bottles of reddish coloured soda. After the boys and Menchi settled on the porch, Aoi saw Mrs. Kitagawa leaving them. After a few moments, with a soft knock, somebody stepped inside and sat on the bed.

'Talk with me dearie...' Mrs Kitagawa called her softly.

Aoi slowly turned from the window and looked at her kind face. She didn't know exactly what to say when Mrs Kitagawa started to rub her back, and then it all came down in a big ugly meltdown.

"You can stay as long as you like darlin', you ain't bothering nobody 'ere." She wrapped Aoi in a tight hug and kissed the top of her head, "you a good girl, you are... I heard er'thin' from Chi. Don't be upset with her sweetheart... I pressed her on. All you need is to be around some girls, a good blanket to sleep in and a smashin' dinner... Did you tell your dad about where you are?"

"No..." Aoi sniffed up, "and please Mrs Kitagawa, don't tell anyone... they will drag you into this and I don't want any drama... just a place to lay low." She straightened up, "please..." Mrs. Kitagawa nodded and left. As the door closed after her, Aoi stared at the window till the sun sat behind the canopy. As the darkness fell and the crickets started to fill the silence of the woods, something whirred in the darkness and a strange light filled the East window. Aoi knew that whirring sound anywhere. It was her father's Mercedes.

Aoi rushed to the window and looked down as her father with Mr. Morel descended from Aoi's dad's GT and stormed inside the house. Aoi removed herself from the window and went to the door and sat on the floor leaning on the door. She knew the door would knock any moment so she tried to dispel that tension by eavesdropping what was going downstairs. She recognised Mrs. Kitagawa speaking heatedly in her southern accent as she tried to negotiate with Mr. Morel and Aoi's father. they sounded patronising, condescending, mostly annoyed. Aoi slowly peered her head from the door to hear clearer.

"Do ya realise what you're doing with that li'l girl? She was cryin her eyes out this afternoon, and you're tellin' me you are taking her to the looney bin where everyone is too busy bein' prissy?" Mrs. Kitagawa was screaming at her husband. "don't think you are takin' her anywhere until she gets better."

"Mrs. Kitagawa... Mrs. Kitagawa please, I know you don't agree with either one of us, but she is my daughter and she did something improper that she shouldn't have done. I am sure it was not intentional but she lived all by herself-"

"THAT GIRL IS PERFECTLY FINE AND EVEN I HAVE TO SWALLOW HELLFIRE YOU CANNOT MAKE ME THINK SHE HAS DONE SOMETHIN' WRONG." Mrs. Kitagawa was almost standing foot on foot with Aoi's dad, "You wanna hear something about her? Fine, listen... she is scared the hell out of herself. Why shouldn't she be, she is surrounded by asshole brothers and a father that kisses his wife's ass because she practically owns him-"

"YOU WILL REFRAIN FROM SPEAKING LIKE THAT!" Knov's scream silenced the whole house in an instant, Aoi felt the ground shaking and her forehead went clammy because she never saw Knov this angry, "she is my daughter and I will take her whenever and wherever I have to... AOI" Knov suddenly looked upstairs balcony where Aoi was eavesdropping and she hastily stood up "I will get my stuff papa-"

She could feel Mrs. Kitagawa's eyes moistening, even though she did not see her eyes, she slowly took out her suitcase and followed her father without complaint.

"Sweetheart..." Mrs. Kitagawa grabbed her hand for the last time, "I am so sorry for this."

"No, thank you..." Aoi's mouth refused to form a smile in this situation but she could not stay in her frown, "thank you for your time." she silently followed her father's car. She felt that the last drop of defiance was trying to choke her for this treachery and she hated herself for that but there was nothing she could do anymore.