Before this chapter begins, I would just like to say thanks to blueprince for clearing up what 'coup de grace' means. And your English is good actually. Anyway, onto the story!
Pretty Hate Machine
Anger forces me out of the safest places.
Chapter 3: The Sick Among the Pure
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
I lifted my head off my arms, groaning. It was the best sleep I had in a long while, believe it or not. It was like I didn't get any sleep at all last night and now I feel like I fully recovered. It was a weird feeling, especially experiencing what happened before. I looked at my watch, which displayed on its small screen, 16:01. I stood up slowly, attempting to get some movement in my body. As I straightened my legs, I fell backwards. Luckily, the wall behind me stopped my fall. I sighed in relief, but realised that my recovery or getting up from a rest was inhibited greatly.
I finally stood up straight at about ten past four. I carefully stepped towards the ladder up, once again paranoid about Jeremie entering the Factory. I'm aware he could help me with my problems, but I could be placing him in danger. So it's best I better not ask for his help. I grabbed the ladder and stepped up one rung at a time. My strength, which was returning to me, allowed me to make it up to the top quickly. I pulled myself onto the factory floor, and looked around my surroundings.
The sunlight beaming through the high windows was an awe inspiring view. The golden streaks brightened up the Factory, making the metal machines shine under their dusty coat. I never thought machines could become beautiful works of art, but nature proved me wrong. I picked myself off the ground and started running through the Factory, realising how much time I've wasted just staring at the scenery around me. I rapidly reached the exit, closing the door carefully while watching out for any people on the upper floor.
As I let go of the door handle, I heard multiple footfalls from the upper floor. I immediately pressed my back against the pillar holding up the upper floor, using the shade as my cover. I took in deep silent breaths, waiting until I was clear to get the hell out of here.
Abruptly, I heard a loud echo of feet hitting the ground. I peeked over the darkened side of the pillar, knowing it would cover my presence better. I quickly recognised Jeremie Belpois, who went straight for the elevator once he was sure the next recipient of the rope was able to grab it. Looking at Jeremie's lack of alertness of the area, I felt bad that we were so trusting of this Factory that we'd forget how easily somebody could hide from us.
I shrugged that thought aside as I heard more landings on my floor. To my surprise, Odd was there, holding Kiwi in one arm. I wonder why he was here? Anyway, Aelita was also around, probably to assist Jeremie on the multi-agent system.
"C'mon guys. XANA doesn't take any breaks, so we must continue working on the multi-agent program immediately," Jeremie declared.
"What about Odd? What can he do?" Aelita enquired.
"Oh, don't worry about me! I've got Kiwi to play with. Besides, since Ulrich and Yumi aren't here and I'm not on a date, I might as well hang out with you two," Odd reassured.
"Whatever keeps you occupied. Oh, did you guys have fun today?" Jeremie asked.
"Yeah. I can't believe we pulled it off too. I got it all recorded too, so when Ulrich and Yumi return, we could see it altogether," Aelita responded.
The elevator then opened its doors as Aelita spoke the last of her words, inviting them inside. Normally, I would like to follow them in, but I can't afford to reveal my presence, or else they would suspect that something was wrong and I'll have to explain. And that was something I didn't want to do, because to protect them, they have to know little information about my family.
"Let's go," Jeremie stated.
The trio entered the elevator, while I made silent steps along the floor. I remembered that the Factory had security cameras that mainly pick up live footage if the Supercomputer was active. I had to get out of the Factory now otherwise I could be spending a night in this place.
Once the first of the elevator doors were shut, I began sprinting to the other side of the Factory. There was this one time where rats covered the bridge to the Factory, and we were forced to take a boat to another entrance that we rarely use. It was on the side of the Factory that had the largest windows, directly ahead of me.
I soon reached the stairs that lead up to the wooden doors. I quickly scaled the small flight of stairs and burst through the doors, reeking in the sun's rays. For the first time in the last forty eight hours, I felt warm. But I couldn't stay to enjoy it.
I stepped out of the Factory and shut the doors. I ran up the stairs to the bridge and sprinted as fast as I could. I had to find a new hiding spot quickly so I can continue hiding my presence from my friends.
Four hours later, when the digital clock displayed 20:10, I peeked over the corner of Odd's bed, checking if anybody was walking past the dorm room. No shadows were cast across the light, so I stood up from my hiding spot and stretched my arms.
I decided to hide in our dormitory room because it was out of everybody's way. Nobody except Jim walked into the room, and as dense as he was he never looked behind the backboard of Odd's bed. And since Kiwi wasn't in the room, it was almost guaranteed that I would not be found here.
What I meant by almost guaranteed was because I needed to get my food into my body. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and I was starving. So, during dinner, I snuck out of our room and stole some food from Nicholas' room, knowing he always had food, even though he doesn't have a bottomless pit as his stomach. I found Doritos and some Starburst lollies in his room. I ate the whole packet of chips and quite a lot of lollies. It wasn't a suitable dinner, but it could sustain me until I needed to get some rest. When I finished my 'meal', I threw the chip packet into the bin and placed the Starbursts back in Nicholas' desk drawer. I then went back to my hiding spot in our room.
It was hilarious hearing Nicholas go on a rampage about having his chips stolen. Fortunately though, he didn't do a search of our room because Odd did attend dinner in the cafeteria. I'm not sure who looked after Kiwi, but I guess Jeremie did. After all, Odd didn't drop Kiwi off in our room. I think he's learned that I get very annoyed when Kiwi was allowed to roam free in our room.
But for the rest of the time, I repeated the events of last night in my mind. It was difficult to keep those thoughts at bay while I was sitting in one spot, waiting for the right time to run off to another hiding spot. It was something that I couldn't afford to ignore. Why? Because my mother was protecting me from my father, who would be arriving home pretty soon.
Without me there, she would bear the full brunt of my father's wrath. Taking all his punches, kicks… whatever he could throw at her. Then he would take her battered and bruised body upstairs… and I couldn't imagine what would happen after that.
I heavily sighed remembering what I've done during my time here. And now I have to get out of here. Fortunately, I knew the perfect hiding spot for the time being. It was a place where none of my friends would ever go looking for me, and I could have a lot of fun while I'm out there. I hadn't enjoyed myself all day, so I should have fun while I can.
I put my DS game I've been carrying into my drawer and grabbed my wallet. I exited my dorm room, glad that I'm finally getting out of the cramped space I was in. For the next two hours, I'm going to enjoy myself.
It wasn't difficult to sneak out of school, thanks to almost everybody being in the rec room at this time of night. It took fifteen minutes to reach my destination. A motel, or as Australians would simply call it, a pub. It was a place where you could relax or drown out your sorrows. You could talk to strangers where they would love to socialise with you because you're talking to them. It was a great place to kill time.
Before I entered the motel, I set my alarm to go off at eleven o'clock. My watch displayed 20:35, so I'll be there for about two and a half hours. Plenty of time to chat to others outside my school environment.
I walked into the motel with a grin on my face. There were plenty of people to talk to. Some were eating meals while talking to their friends, while others just enjoyed a few alcoholic beverages. There were some kids there too, younger than me, who just drank soft drinks while their parents talked to their friends. There were also some pinball machines and a pool table to keep people amused.
The stereo speakers in the motel were blaring out music, and it sounded rather relaxing. The acoustic guitar strings while the vocalist's mellow voice added to the atmosphere of the environment here. While walking to the counter, I listened out for the lyrics of the song to see if I knew it.
Her name is Yoshimi
She's a black belt in karate.
I sat on the seat and waited for the bartender to serve me. I continued to listen to the song. I hadn't recognised it yet, but I was still curious if I knew it.
Working for the city
She has to discipline her body
'Cause she knows that
It's demanding
To defeat those evil machines
I know she can beat them…
"Hey kid, you need a drink?" the bartender asked.
I stared directly in his eyes, almost jumping at the sound of his voice penetrating my concentration. I think I can safely say I'd never heard this song before.
"Just a lemonade thanks," I responded, grabbing five euros from my wallet.
"That'll be two euros," the bartender stated.
I handed the bartender two coins and waited for my drink to be served. I already felt a lot better just being here. Much better than hiding in isolation that's for sure. I looked over at the rest of the patrons in the pub, who seemed to be having fun. Hopefully, somebody would come up to me and talk to me, other than the bartender of course.
"Here's your drink, kid," the bartender declared.
I turned around and thanked him before taking a sip of my drink. The bartender kept on staring at me, and I wondered why was looking at me like that.
"What happened to your head? It looks like you had a nasty accident," the bartender enquired.
Oh, I completely forgot I still had that bandage wrapped around my head. I couldn't exactly take it off though since the wound wouldn't have healed yet. I just had to use my mother's lie to cover how I attained the injury.
"Some dangerous guys forced me in their car and forced my head out the window so I hit my head on the signposts. I clipped the edge of one of them and I had a serious wound on my head. That happened about a week ago, so I should be able to take off the bandage soon. I'm here to be grateful that I'm alive today," I explained.
"Geez. Well, don't push yourself to stay up late. If you want to take off that bandage soon you better get a lot of rest," the bartender replied.
As I opened my mouth, I felt a hand pat my shoulder. I turned my head, seeing another guy. He was obviously older than me since he had plenty of stubble on his chin. He had shoulder length brunette hair and green eyes. He also looked affectionate, probably because he overheard my story.
"Wow dude, I feel sorry for you. What's your name?" the man asked.
"Ulrich."
"I'm Glenn. Look, I'm only hanging out with two other people, and we need one more person so we can play pool together. And since you've been through a horrible event recently, I thought you should have some fun with us. What do you say?" Glenn offered.
"Of course. Thanks."
"No, thank you for joining us."
I grabbed my drink in one hand and shuffled off my seat. I took another gulp as Glenn escorted me towards the pool table. The bartender told Glenn to look after me, and he gave him his word. This was better than I expected. Looks like I'll end my long weekend on a high note.
Glenn brought me to the pool table, where he introduced his two friends, Nicole and Bonnie. They were sisters, both of them had blonde hair, but they had different eyes. Nicole had brown eyes, while Bonnie had blue. They were very nice, and they felt sympathy for me after I told them my story, even though it was a lie.
I was teamed up with Bonnie when we played pool. Despite that I haven't played the game much; I did a decent job at my role. It was a close match, but we lost after the black ball missed the hole it was supposed to fall into.
"Good game Ulrich. Not bad for playing with an injury, that's for sure," Glenn complemented.
"Thanks, should we go for another match?" I asked.
"Sure, you girls want to play again?" Glenn enquired.
"Yeah," the girls answered in unison.
"But first," Glenn began, scooping up his glass and raising it high.
Me and the girls picked up our drinks and lifted them around the same height Glenn was holding his. I knew what was going to happen, so I smiled.
"To a wonderful night!" Glenn exclaimed.
We tapped each others' glasses and we all took a huge gulp of our drinks. That was the last thing I remember before-
The analogue clock in the motel struck 10:30pm, half an hour before Ulrich's alarm was supposed to go off. The four mainly socialised around the pool table and played the game. After the toast, it appeared that Ulrich was performing at his game better. He was getting in difficult shots and made less mistakes since his first game.
However, during the latest game, he began drooping over the table. The bartender, who watched him very carefully, grew worried. Ulrich was clearly staying up too late for a boy with a severe injury.
"Hey Glenn! You should take Ulrich home! He looks exhausted!" the bartender shouted.
"Yeah. C'mon girls. We better lead him home," Glenn ordered.
Bonnie and Nicole agreed, and finished up their drinks. Glenn put one of Ulrich's arms on his shoulders and carried him out of the motel. The girls soon followed, and walked beside the two guys.
Even though it was later in the night, the streets had gotten busier. There was more traffic on the road, and more pedestrians on the footpaths. It was Saturday night, and everybody was going out for a night out. People either celebrated by going to a motel, a restaurant or a nightclub.
The group lead Ulrich to a place not too far off motel they were just playing pool in. They were in a large gap between two large buildings. Glenn rested Ulrich on the brick wall, and shook his limbs before speaking.
"So, where do you live?" Glenn asked.
"The local high school. Kadic Academy," Ulrich answered.
"Kadic? Where's that?" Glenn enquired.
"It's close by to here. About fifteen minutes walk from here. However, it would be very difficult to get him into the school. I think it's best if he stays with us for the night," Nicole suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea. Do you want to stay over with us Ulrich?" Glenn asked.
"Yeah. That'll be great," Ulrich responded.
"Can you walk?"
Ulrich took a step, but suddenly fell forward onto Bonnie. It was strange. His injury never weakened him like this before. He started feeling that something bad was going to happen soon, and once again, he would be the victim of it.
"Are you alright?" Bonnie enquired in concern.
"No. I'm really tired," Ulrich answered.
"Here, let me wake you up," Nicole declared, advancing towards Ulrich.
Ulrich raised his right arm and planted it on Nicole's chest. He pressed his fingers, pushing her back slightly. He knew she wanted to kiss him, but he wouldn't allow it. His right arm then dropped down to the side of his body like dead weight. He clearly needed some rest.
"Hey, Nicole was trying to help you," Glenn proclaimed.
"She was trying to kiss me. That won't do me any favours at all," Ulrich retorted.
"She was still helping you," Glenn maintained.
"No, she wasn't. And besides, I don't want to be forced to kiss someone I just met tonight," Ulrich argued.
Suddenly, Glenn grasped Ulrich's shirt and nailed him against the wall. Since Glenn was taller than Ulrich, he raised Ulrich up off the ground, making it difficult for Ulrich to breathe. Ulrich started taking sharp breaths, and began to feel immense pain throughout his body.
The girls grew horrified of what they witnessed. They could see Ulrich's life being sapped out of him as he grew slightly paler than he was before. They looked away, afraid of what was going to happen next.
"Why can't you enjoy yourself? What's the problem if you kiss a girl you met tonight?" Glenn demanded.
Ulrich breathed heavily, slowly catching his breath. But as he looked down, he felt his mind painfully drift in and out of consciousness. He realised that his vertigo was kicking in, and he needed his feet back on the ground.
"There's barely… anything between me and her. I won't feel better for it," Ulrich uttered.
When the last of the words escaped from his mouth, his stomach was squashed by a knee and air was forced out of his mouth. Glenn let go of his shirt, letting Ulrich drop to the ground. But Ulrich couldn't stand on his feet, and fell back where the wall caught his fall.
Ulrich stared sheepishly at Glenn, but there was a hint of anger in his eyes. He was angry that his safety was betrayed by this man he had trust in. He was angry that his mother wasn't the only person getting beaten up for their actions. He was angry that he was helpless, like that night.
The injured boy took another blow to his stomach, but held his ground, using the wall to keep him standing there. Leaving Glenn no choice, he threw a kick to Ulrich's face, sending Ulrich down to the earth. Ulrich held his stomach, still recovering from the attacks he withstood. He took heavy breaths, making sure he was still keeping himself alive and conscious during all of this.
Despite his best efforts, he was gradually losing consciousness. His vision blurred, only able to depict human shapes around him. Somehow, he could tell that the girls were sickened by what they witnessed. And that Glenn would continue what he was doing, because no one would stop him.
Unexpectedly, Glenn violently fell near Ulrich. The teenager looked up, wondering who saved him from another beating. But as he stared at the sky, he found the last of his strength sapped from him. He couldn't identify the mysterious hero as he unwillingly closed his eyes.
-I shot up in a cold sweat. My fingertips pressed the soft mattress underneath them. I felt tired, but I'm on a mattress. So I had to get some sleep. I looked down to see a blanket over the lower half of my body, with top part of it scrunched up against my lower chest. I assumed that the blanket was covering most of my body. But if I was sleeping… why was I still tired?
I planted my head in my hand, suddenly feeling heavy in my head. Why was I feeling this way? Was it how I woke up? Ugh… I wish I knew what was going on. All I remember was that me, Glenn, Bonnie and Nicole had a toast and we drank up our drinks.
"Ulrich! Thank God you're awake!"
I recognise that voice. I turned my head in the direction of where the voice came from. Then I realised why I instantly knew that voice.
It was Yumi Ishiyama. How on Earth did I end up in her house? What happened between drinking up my lemonade and waking up in her house? I really hope it wasn't a bad reason, but I had a strong feeling that I did something wrong.
Her parents sprinted into the room I was in, sighing in relief. Yumi weakly smiled at them, I'm not sure whether she was glad to see them or not. But I must have worried her parents. But what did I do? I guess I'll find out soon.
"Thank God you have woken Ulrich," Yumi's mother, Akiko, proclaimed.
"But we must know why you went out by yourself on a Saturday night. It's dangerous out there, and shouldn't your parents keep an eye out for you?" Takeo, Yumi's father, demanded.
I found it difficult to utter a sentence. I had no intention of revealing why I was out of my family's safe home. Even if I told them I escaped my house, they would wonder how I got there, then they would wonder why my mother drove me to school, then they would wonder why I was at the shopping centre. The questions would lead to the root of the problem, which I wasn't ready to reveal, knowing that Yumi's life may be in jeopardy.
I looked down, to look like I was ashamed of my actions. It was the only way to avoid speaking to Yumi's parents about this. Although, I'm perfectly aware that Yumi was incredibly stubborn, and she probably inherited that trait from one of her parents, or both of them. So they could be ready to interrogate me whether I like it or not.
Fortunately, after some time, they left the room. I'm glad my tactic worked… well, it mostly worked. Yumi was still in the room with me. She gazed at me, concerned as her parents were about me. Deep inside, I want to subside whatever anxieties she had about me. But I did not want to expose Yumi to my father. Knowing her, she would do anything to make my life better, but that would be at the expense of putting her life on the line if my father were to hear about it.
"Ulrich," Yumi called, interrupting my train of thought, "Do you want to tell me why you were out?"
I was perplexed. My heart was divided on telling her or not telling her. I knew the consequences if I told her, but what if I didn't tell her? What would she think of me? I assume I'm already in trouble with her parents and they were really wanting an answer. Could they kick me out? No, they're not that heartless. But they certainly wouldn't trust me. I had no clue what was the right decision, but I had to make one right now.
"It's complicated Yumi," I started, biting my lip nervously, "But you might as well know what's happening."
Yumi looked clueless. I think she was aware that I would answer her question, but I don't think she expected to receive an explanation for it. After all, I talk in straight answers to her, not long winded answers that take forever to get to the point.
"Are you saying that something caused all of this?" Yumi questioned.
"Yes. Is it fine that I start with what happened recently first?" I enquired.
"Sure."
"Before I woke up here, the last thing I remember was drinking the last of my lemonade, with a bunch of people I just played a game of pool with," I began.
"Wait, you don't remember the fight at all?" Yumi asked.
"Fight? What fight?" I said, sounding completely puzzled. Did I really get involved in a fight?
"This guy with brown hair, came up around his shoulders… He fought with you. And he was easily beating you too. Your attacker drew out of knife before I intervened," Yumi explained.
"Glenn," I hoarsely whispered, loud enough so Yumi could hear it, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted him."
"Yeah, he almost killed you. After I dealt with him we got him arrested. And we found out something that you probably need to hear about Glenn," Yumi replied.
I acknowledged Yumi, preparing myself for what I could possibly hear about this guy I met. I hope it wasn't as bad as I thought it could be.
"This Glenn guy was carrying pills in his pocket. I thought they were ecstasy pills or something like that. But it was worse than that. The pills were Rohypnol, designed to put you in this drunk state so that you would be weakened for some time. It also makes you forget the events that occurred during that time. I didn't believe you took it, but when the paramedics showed up they took a blood test from you and it ended up positive for containing traces of that drug," Yumi explained.
However, something was very wrong about this picture, so I retorted, "Didn't they call my parents?"
"They did… but they couldn't get in contact with them. So my parents decided to take you in for the night."
"When did they call my parents?"
"About quarter to eleven."
Crap. I must have been drugged. I didn't believe it at first, but the memory loss and my lack of awareness of the time told me otherwise. Plus I feel horrible at the moment. Must be a side effect of the drug. However, I was mostly concerned about my parents. If they ignored the phone call… It must've meant… Oh no.
My father would've been beating her, then, when her strength was almost depleted… he would've… I don't want to think about it. That's the only reason why they didn't answer, because that was happening. The scary thing was, as I just suddenly realised, that could've happened to me tonight. Glenn had two girls with him for a reason and now I could see that reason. It sickens me.
"Sorry Yumi, this is a lot to take in. Can I continue a little later?" I asked.
"Yeah. Whenever you're ready."
"Oh, and thanks for saving me. I owe you one."
After ten minutes, I continued explaining what happened to Yumi over the past day for me. I was quite amazed that a lot has happened to me over the past twenty four hours. But I didn't want them to happen. Wherever I went, hell was close behind me.
Yumi was shocked to hear what I've been through. And she respectfully remained silent through all of it, even when I told her about going to school and hiding from my friends. And I haven't even told her about the incident that started it all. But I know she can take whatever I can tell her. She's a very strong person. I just hope she doesn't think she could take my father on.
"Ulrich… why did you have to hide from Jeremie and everybody else? They could've at least prevented… this from happening," Yumi questioned.
"This is the most difficult part to tell to you, and-" I trailed off.
I stopped myself from saying too much too soon. Was I truly prepared to tell Yumi what happened last night, potentially knowing how much danger I could put her in? Would it be too much for her to handle? I found it difficult, but that's because I was there as a victim and a witness. Maybe she won't find it hard to swallow… no, that wouldn't be the right thing to think about. What could I possibly say to make this… emotionless?
"I want you to promise me you won't tell anybody outside your family about this," I proposed.
There was no way in hell she was going to keep this a secret from her parents. Her parents probably told her to tell them everything I said to her. And she also can't carry this burden alone, even though she would say she would be more than capable to. If I receive her word that she would not tell Jeremie, Aelita and Odd this, I would feel so grateful for her.
"Alright Ulrich. I'll keep my word for it," Yumi stated.
"I- You know how I got this injury?" I asked, pointing to my bandaged head.
"I thought you got it from fighting Glenn," Yumi answered.
I took a deep breath. This was it. It was time to tell Yumi how this chaos began.
"I know I got it last night. I remember everything that happened between eleven and quarter past eleven last night. My father dropped the blade of a kitchen knife on the side of my head," I replied.
Yumi silently gasped. The pupils of her eyes dilated. Her face lightened up. Her muscles grew tense. She was shocked to the very core of her body. She didn't expect me to mention my father at all.
After a minute, she finally uttered, "W-What the hell h-happened?"
"I caught my father trying to have sex with Mum against her will. I did everything in my power to stop him… But I failed. My Dad knows my weaknesses, especially my vertigo. When I was down on the kitchen floor, trying to take my father down with me… He recovered faster than I thought he would and raised me up in the air and shunted me against the cupboard handle. I lost the fight for my mother's wishes there… and he sounded like he intended to take my life for defying him. He even left me for dead too while doing… that to Mum," I explained, sounding like I was in another world full of pain and misery, "I knew he was heartless about my grades but this is just taking it too-"
Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around my body and a head resting on one of my shoulders. I couldn't believe it. Yumi Ishiyama was… hugging me. I hadn't felt that affection for quite a long while. Once I identified her, I felt my body relax, taking deeper and fuller breaths of air. Yumi had this… calming effect on me. I can't describe it, but somehow, she makes me feel better about this entire thing.
"I'm so sorry to hear that Ulrich," Yumi whispered, "I can see why you did those things."
I responded to that with silence. I simply didn't know how to answer that. But thanks to her, I felt… lighter. I guess what I was feeling was… relief. Relief that she understands my reasoning, my logic, how I did things during the past day. I hope with that thought, she would keep this a secret. Mainly, a secret between her and me.
She slowly let her arms slip from my body. Then, she stared at me with those deep brown eyes of hers. She looked like she was in a lot of pain too. Perhaps just tired. But most likely, there were other things on her mind.
"We should tell the Police about what your father did. We have to bring him to justice," Yumi declared.
"It's not going to be that easy Yumi. My mother told me that my father knew ways around the system. I wouldn't be surprised it's because he's a senior employee of the largest bank in France. So… there's nothing we can do," I explained.
"Shouldn't the justice system support your case? Isn't the damage done clearly on your head?" Yumi demanded.
"Dad's probably smart enough to buy a new set of knifes, make up fake footage of the incident… anything to clear his name. We're dealing with a very powerful person here," I responded.
"Still, isn't there a way? Especially if a third party is involved… like our family?" Yumi asked.
"No! You can't afford to do that! Dad's going to make your lives a living hell! He can easily grab your parents' bank details and screw them over financially, then you'll be forced to move back to Japan!" I shouted.
Yumi's parents came rushing into the room upon hearing the word 'Japan' slip out of my mouth. We both stared at them, with only my breath breaking the silence in between us. I suddenly realised why my mother advised me against going up against my father using the legal system. He could divide families, like the Ishiyama family, just like that. And I started to feel that sick feeling inside again.
"Is there something the matter?" Takeo enquired.
"Yes," Yumi answered, "But I'll tell you tomorrow. It's getting way too late… and I really need my rest."
"That's a good idea. Talking about it right now isn't going to help us much," Akiko agreed.
"Are you fine sleeping here Ulrich?" Takeo asked.
"I'm fine, sir. Thank you for your hospitality. And I'm sorry to cause… this to happen," I apologised.
"We were in the neighbourhood. And you supported my daughter during our… redundant arguments without incentive. We need to do the same for you in your hour of need," Takeo responded.
I was left speechless. Did my past actions really put me in the Ishiyamas' good books? All I did was help Yumi because she looked like she needed it. It appeared that supporting Yumi was like supporting the rest of the family.
Yumi stood up and walked in the direction of her bedroom. I was sad to see her leave, but understood that she really needed the rest, especially after what I told her. As she was in the doorway, she looked back at me and gave me a weak smile. I smiled back, and mouthed 'thank you' before she entered the hallway.
I turned my attention back to her parents, where Takeo waved to me and returned to the kitchen. Akiko however had one hand on the light switch, ready to turn it off. I carefully let my back relax on the mattress, staring at the ceiling above my head. Boy, I was glad I had a roof to sleep under.
"Goodnight Ulrich," Akiko said.
"Goodnight, Mrs. Ishiyama."
Click.
I was left in the darkness. I wondered what the near future would hold for me. I hoped that my mother was fine despite what consequences she would've suffered. But then it suddenly hit me. I had not shed a single tear during this entire rollercoaster ride. Not even a tear for my poor mother, who was taking every punch and kick for me.
So, what did I feel during that time? It definitely wasn't sadness or happiness. And it wasn't confusion. It appeared I had been completely neutral throughout this ordeal. But how was that humanly possible?
Wait. I did feel an emotion towards all of this. Hate. Why? Because I hated how this single event lead to all of this crap. I hated how my mother was suffering. I hated how I was forced to hide from my friends. I hated that the only way I could enjoy myself was to hang out with strangers. I hated how another family got involved in my problems.
I'm definitely feeling sick among these pure people.
Author's Notes: The song that Ulrich picked up as he entered the motel is called Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt.1 by The Flaming Lips. This song actually has a very depressing meaning behind its lyrics. The song is about a girl dying from cancer (represented by the Pink Robots) and a friend is trying to cope with her illness, depicting her as a superhero who is fighting against cancer. This is similar to Ulrich's case, where he's trying to fight off isolation and thoughts of what happened that night which is slowly killing him inside like cancer. Oh, and you can play this song on Rock Band 3, which is pretty awesome.
Countries in Europe use twenty four hour times, so, instead of 8pm, they say its 20:00. I put this in the story just to be realistic with how the clock system in Europe works. Although, I did use an analogue clock once in the pub scene but I have no idea whether European countries use analogue clocks at all.
The temporarily third person POV was to signify that Ulrich had lost his memory during that time. Even though I could've easily not put it in, I wanted readers to know what happened to Ulrich while he was drugged.
Speaking of POVs, this is the last chapter in the story that uses Ulrich's POV. The rest of the chapters in this fic are in third person POV. Some readers may be a bit disappointed about this because it was a pretty awesome setup, but I have to change it starting from next chapters because other characters are getting more involved in the story. Plus, this fic wasn't intended to be an all about Ulrich show throughout every chapter of it.
Like always, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and please review!