Simple Movements
Chapter 6
-Relief-
"...do you remember that...?"
Pocahontas turned abruptly, the look on her face telling Riku she wasn't expecting to hear such a thing coming out of his mouth.
"You want to do what?"
"Check out the outskirts."
She was halfway through her lunch, a veggie sandwich that suddenly lost its appeal. Pocahontas set it aside, using a napkin to dab at her lips.
"You're kidding."
"No, I'm quite serious," he replied tossing the last bit of an orange into his mouth. "I promised Sora I would help him regain his memory. And since his home is somewhere in the outskirts I can't think of anywhere else to begin."
Pocahontas was still trying to wipe the state of disbelief from her features, but the idea proposed to her wasn't sounding at all a good one.
"Riku, I understand where you're coming from, believe me, I'd do anything for you. But you don't know what's out there. You could get hurt."
"I know that," he said placing an arm behind him and leaning against it, "I don't have a clue what it's like. But when I think about how Sora's lived his entire life there, without anybody to support him, I can't see myself doing nothing."
"You said it yourself, Riku. You don't have a clue what it's like. I don't either. You'd be walking into a hornet's nest."
He glanced at his best friend and gave off a smirk. "You're not being very helpful."
"Well forgive me for worrying about you," she replied sucking air into the side of her cheek in an effort to give her reasoning more validity. "If something happened to you, I wouldn't know what to do."
Riku couldn't ask for a better friend in Pocahontas and treasured her input, but his mind was made up. He grabbed the remains of his lunch and balled them back up into a paper bag before throwing it into a nearby garbage can. Riku dusted his maroon colored school shirt and got up, his hair wafting effortlessly behind him. Pocahontas looked up at him, saw the determination in his eyes and let out a defeated sigh.
"I'll come with you."
"No."
"Yes, I wil," she retorted holding up a finger when Riku made to argue, "don't give me the same speech I just gave you. Don't even go there."
Riku smiled. "Alright, we'll go together."
Riku noticed a series of shadows in the hallways and focused his attention on the passing students. The Bimbettes took one look at him and immediately turned their faces away.
"Seems like I've lost my fan club," he said almost too happily.
"They did invite you to that party and then you ditched them.
"Hey," he said leaning over, "it's not like I'm complaining."
"I know, and I agree. But there goes any social ties you had with anybody else in school."
He played with the ends of his hair, watching the ground. "I've got you, and that's enough for me."
"That's not true," she said getting up and wrapping an arm around his, "you've got someone else now too."
It didn't take a genius to understand what Pocahontas meant. He nuzzled the top of her head with his chin and left their little embrace.
"I'll see you last period."
"Okay," she replied taking her belongings in hand, "we'll talk more about this later."
The pair left the sanctuary of the school courtyard and headed in opposite directions. Riku held a finger underneath the strap of his book bag, his eyes cast against the empty space before him and his mind finding itself elsewhere. The halls were oddly sparse for the lunch hour with a few students up against their lockers and completely disregarding Riku's walking presence. The school always held a coldness to it, perhaps it simply being the disconnect he had with his classmates. Everywhere he went, the eyes would look past him, as if he wasn't even there. Riku thought back to the snubbing stares the Bimbettes had given him before continuing on their merry way. It made things very clear to him. If it weren't for Pocahontas, he was truly alone within the marbled walls of his school.
Riku had a few minutes to spare before class started and opted to give Sora a call at home. He reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. It rang twice before he heard the distinct click on the other end.
"Hey, how are you feeling?"
Sora's voice permeated through. "I'm okay. I just finished cleaning your room."
He raised a brow. "You cleaned my room?"
"Yeah, I got bored. I can only sleep so much. Don't worry though I didn't go looking through your things or anything."
"I don't care about that, just don't over exert yourself. Mom said to take it easy while you're on the medication she gave you."
Sora grunted. "Thanks mother."
Riku couldn't stifle the growing smile. "Anyways, I just wanted to check in with you. I'll be home right after last period."
"Alright, I'll see you then."
He hit the call end button and slipped the phone back in his pocket. Riku heard the crackling intercom speakers overhead and looked up.
"Senior year Riku Crescent-Gainsborough, please report to the 2nd floor office."
Not once in his entire life had Riku ever been summoned by staff for any reason. It touched a nervous spot in the back of his head to hear his name being resonated through the speakers. Riku opened and closed his hand a few times before making his way up the nearest staircase towards the appointed office. The walk wasn't long, thus giving him little time to formulate any reason as to why he was in his current situation. He stood in front of the office door for a few seconds, inhaled, and knocked gently.
"Please come in."
He twisted the knob slowly and pushed his way in. A spectacled woman sat at the one and only desk, hands laced before her and bearing a smile. He returned the gesture, albeit a weaker smile as he stood there.
"Lady Tremaine, is there something you need from me?"
The elegant woman clicked her nails against the wooden surface of her desk and motioned for Riku to take a seat. He did so, putting his bag on the floor and sitting upright.
"Thank you for coming, I know it was rather sudden, but you are not in any kind of trouble if that is what you were thinking."
The heavy feeling in his stomach eased up. "That's good, I guess. "
"Yes, well, the reason you were called here was actually by the request of someone else. Normally, as you are a student, we require the permission of a parent or guardian in order to allow such a request. But seeing that you are now 18 and considered an adult that step wasn't necessary."
She had said he wasn't in trouble, and while that had placed him in a state of momentary relief, the words coming out of her mouth weren't really making things any better. Riku was rather confused at this point.
"Who needed to see me?"
A door connecting the office to another classroom opened, a pair of men wearing dark green suits and white gloves standing at the entrance. Riku didn't recognize them as part of the school staff, but zeroed in on the emblem that was stitched into the lapel of their suit jacket. A four point star encircled by a capital "C" told Riku everything he needed to know.
"Good afternoon gentlemen," Lady Tremaine said to the pair, "may I introduce you to Riku Crescent-Gainsborough?"
They entered the office and bowed their head slightly at him. The man with black hair was the first to speak.
"Very nice to meet you Riku, my name is Eric and this is my partner, Phillip."
The light haired brunette offered Riku a smile. "A pleasure Riku, thank you for joining us today."
Riku nodded at them. "Nice to meet you both."
Lady Tremaine got up from her seat and took a step towards the front door. "I will excuse myself so you can talk in private. Riku, your teachers were noted in advance if you are to be late to the remainder of your classes. When you are finished here, go back to class without any worries."
She left the office, the air suddenly feeling uncomfortably thick. The men pulled up seats near him and crossed their legs. Eric cleared his throat.
"I understand if you are nervous, but please be at ease."
Riku leaned further back into his seat. "Kind of hard to be when someone from The Council's office calls you out."
Eric grinned. "Yes, the emblem is rather recognizable, so I'm not surprised you knew of who we were. You are right we are from the office of The Council. More specifically, we are Scripture Readers."
That was as far as Riku could get, their title didn't ring a bell. "Scripture Readers?"
Phillip switched legs and cupped his hands around his knees. "The role of a Scripture Reader is to interpret the messages that The Council members themselves relay to the world. It can be anything, but it is our role to read their language and interpret it. Along with that role, we also have a very important secondary job."
The handsome brunette man looked to his companion, the darker haired man bearing bright icy blue eyes. "When The Council detects anything they feel is out of the ordinary in the wishing flow of human society, we as Scripture Readers are responsible for investigating these instances and relaying the information back to The Council."
"I don't understand," Riku said following their words, "what does any of this have to do with me?"
"That's exactly what we are trying to figure out," Eric added, "a message we received and interpreted informed us of an anomaly stemming from the wishing flow of Destiny Islands. You are more than aware of how our world works. The general population wishes for wealth, so there is a very distinct and set pattern. But in one instance, that pattern broke. To be precise, it was a wish made by you."
"I wish for Sora to awaken."
Riku gripped the armrests of his chair. "Many people hold their wishes in higher regard. My parents are the same. They're well respected doctors that used their wishes to be of help to others."
"We agree with you, and there is nothing wrong for those that take that route. But it is simply our job to investigate anything that The Council deems unusual. Majority of the time, there isn't any issue. We are simply doing our duty."
"And that is why we are here,"Phillip continued scooting to the edge of his seat. "So, Riku, the nature of your wish, will you please share it with us?"
Riku didn't know where to begin. His mind was racing with so many things at once he knew he was giving himself a headache. Despite what they said, this was an interrogation. What was so unusual about his wish? Why would The Council, the very organization that watched over humanity's wishes, seek him out? He sat there in silence, avoiding their gaze as he contemplated his words. Riku had done nothing wrong. His wish was made with sincerity and for the sake of someone else.
"My friend was in a coma. I used my wish to bring him back when I found out he was expected to never wake up again."
"Interesting," Eric mused looking over to Phillip, "I have to admit that is not something we have come across before."
Riku's hands were sweaty from gripping the chair. "I don't see how my wish would pose a problem for The Council."
Phillip shook his head. "Again, Riku, there is nothing for you to worry about. Thank you for taking the time in seeing us today."
"Are we done then?"
"Yes, we're done here."
Riku didn't bother to look at them as he grabbed his bag and immediately walked out of the office, the door slamming with enough emphasis to tell the two men Riku wasn't happy.
"Fiery guy, isn't he?" Phillip uttered holding a gloved hand to his chin. "Wasn't at all what we were expecting."
Eric seemed more pensive. "This doesn't make sense. Why would The Council have flagged their scriptures to us with such priority over something like this?"
The brunette shrugged, "It's not like we came here knowing anything. We find out what the wish is and report it back to The Council. It's that simple. Can we go now? This summer weather is ridiculous."
"Calm down Phillip, we'll go when we're ready to leave. I want to look into this a little more."
There was a long, exasperated sigh. "Guess I can kiss my chances of checking out the inner walls goodbye."
The raven haired man disregarded Phillips antics and ran a finger along his wrist. "Perhaps it wasn't the wish itself…"
"What are you mumbling about?"
"The wish, maybe it wasn't what it was, but who he used it on…."
The minute classes let out, Pocahontas ran after Riku.
"What happened? Why were you called to the office?"
"It was nothing…"
"Bull," she replied joining his side as they left campus. "This is me you're talking to, you don't have to lie to me. What happened?"
She was right, he couldn't lie to her. But Riku knew that by telling Pocahontas what proceeded in that office, she'd find out about his existence as a Third Point. It was something he had hidden from her, and part of him was afraid of what her reaction would be. Not so much the truth about himself, but over the simple fact that he couldn't have trusted her with his biggest secret. That was his concern.
He stopped his stride and faced Pocahontas "Can we go to our usual spot?"
The paopu cider in his cup was reflecting his troubled expression. He hadn't said much of anything as the pair walked to the coffee shop they frequented together. Their order was the same, hot paopu cider and a hot chai tea. The same Replica with a mechanical smile brought it to them and thanked them for their business. But unlike other conversations where they laughed over all manner of stupidities, this time there was awkward silence.
"Riku, you're scaring me, say something."
"I think it'll make more sense if I show you."
He reached behind him, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and pulling the heavy silver drapery aside. Riku turned sideways, the afternoon sun glistening on the green orbs. Two were shimmering, the third lifeless. Pocahontas blinked a few times, pursed her lips even and waited for Riku to drop his hair back over his shoulders. She chuckled.
"Took you long enough to tell me. Now I don't have to pretend I didn't know."
He looked at her in amazement. "Since when?"
"Since always," she said taking a sip from her chai tea, "I'm not stupid Riku. You've always been cautious about your neck. It's the reason why your hair is so long."
"Why didn't you ever say anything to me about it?" Riku asked feeling a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders.
"I don't know, I guess I never thought it was a big deal. So you have three wishes, it doesn't change what kind of person you are. You've been my best friend, that's all I care about."
He ran a hand through his hair, feeling the orbs along the length of his neck. "And I take it you noticed that one of them is lifeless."
She nodded, her eyes telling him she already knew. "Yeah, I did. And I think that was the kindest thing you could have ever done."
Riku ran a finger along the rim of his cup. "But it seems The Council had a problem with it."
This time around, Pocahontas had no idea what Riku was referring to.
Sora sat the house phone back on its stand after finishing the brief call with Riku. He felt a soft warmth in his chest hearing Riku's voice. Every day for the past two weeks he would call to check in on him as Riku went to school. He had spent enough time in the Crescent-Gainsborough household to grow accustomed to their routine. And never once was he made to feel like his presence was an inconvenience. If anything, they had gone out of their way to make him feel welcome.
A room the doctors had used as an office on the second story was quickly converted into a makeshift bedroom. The mattress and bed frame weren't new, and creaked quite often, but it was his. Sora had a hard time accepting the generosity that was being given to him, a perfect group of strangers that had saved his life and expecting nothing in return. They didn't know who he was, where he came from, but then again, he didn't either. The scars he had, his thin figure, they told him of a story riddled with terrible experiences he couldn't remember. Every time he looked in the bathroom mirror and saw that scar above his left eye Sora couldn't help but feel a deep sense of frustration. Not because of what he saw, but because it only confirmed just how different he was to the kind people that had offered him help.
But Sora couldn't look at them and not smile. He couldn't let them see that pained expression. Every morning as he got up and joined the family for breakfast in the kitchen, Sora would force his lips to curl into a smile. Riku was the only one that could see past it, and Sora knew it very well.
Sora walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water to take with his medication. He carefully uncapped the small orange bottle and palmed a pill before tossing it back with a swig. From the window overlooking the sink he could see into the backyard, and the extension to the house that acted as the home clinic. Like every other day in Destiny Islands, the sun was shining and the day warm. Sora craned his neck in a circle, muscles stretching and a sigh leaving him.
"Maybe I pinched something," he said rubbing the back of his neck, "it's been sore for a few days now."
He turned around and began walking towards the living room, the sun hitting his neck and the faintest glimmer of green sparkling in the light.
-0-