Chapter 4—The Despair
The moment I transformed, I knew that I had to kill Alex/the monster. If only the princess was here. She was the only one that could restore anyone back to normal. I had no choice. Even if there was a glimmer of hope that the monster could transform back to Alex, it was all lost the moment I attacked. "Deep Submerge." Whoosh. The powerful ocean came to my aid and the monster cried out as it died.
I collapsed to the ground, heaving and throwing up. Then the floodgate of tears opened. Overcame with grief, I yelled and screamed until there was no strength left. The ocean seemed to have felt my pain and it too was crying. Tall waves slammed down, bent on destruction. I yelled "Deep submerge" again so that the ocean could come to my side. It felt safe like a hug. I kept throwing my attacks out into the open sea. I did it until my energy is drained and I de-transformed.
Slowly, I walked back to the house. The rain had finally stopped. The sea returned to normal. I felt numb.
The phone was ringing when I entered. I let it rang. I slumped down on the couch and curled up like a fetus. The phone rang again. And again. Finally, I picked up.
"Hello. Is this Kaioh Michiru?"
"Yes."
"I am so sorry to tell you this but your parents' cruise sank. There was a freak storm and it came out of nowhere. A lot of people went missing, including your parents. The rescue mission is still ongoing, so there is still hope."
Thud! I dropped the phone and raced out of the house. "Mommy, daddy, please be okay. Please be okay." I thought over and over in my head as I ran. "I can't lose you now. Please. Please oh god, let them live." What have I done to be punished this way?
It was easy to find the spot where they sank. Ambulances and fire trucks lined up along the shore. Helicopters were flying overhead, searching for survivors. Families gathered around the bulletin board, grasping desperately at hope.
It was then when I connected the dots. I was fighting the monster close to here, on the other side of the shoreline. It was my grief and my anger. The sea responded to my emotional turmoil and it too grieved.
By morning, the rescuers called it off. There were no survivors. I killed my parents. I killed everyone.
I called my mom's manager. She was sobbing and screaming on the other side of the phone. I was strangely calm. I told her what happened emotionless. It was like Michiru vacated the body and now it was a shell walking around. Maybe Michiru floated to the heavens, where she was reunited with all the people she loved.
For the next two weeks, it was all a blur. I barely left the house. My parents' friends came over and they brought me food. I left them on the counter and watched the mold grew. The lawyers came and gave me the will. My mother was always the prepared one. She left me enough money for college and I should be fine until I graduate. As the lawyers were leaving, I told them I wanted to sell the house. I shut the door on them before they could ask any questions, or before they could stare at me with those sympathetic eyes.
On the day of my parents' funeral, I hit rock bottom.
A lot of people came to the funeral, including my parents' friends, some fans, and a few reporters. Their death made the news. I was initially asked to play a song at the funeral but I declined. Ever since their death, I had stopped painting and playing. The music room and the art studio were locked a week after their deaths. Trapped inside were my dad's paintings and my mom's music sheets. Sometimes I peeked inside, hoping to get a glimpse of them. Then it hurt too much so I stopped doing that. When I locked those doors, I have also locked away my feelings. My emotions, while painful, were also destructive. I was grieving Alex and I let my emotions run wild. My emotions killed my parents and everyone on that cruise. It was my hands that pushed that wave and drowned everyone.
After the funeral, the caskets were loaded into a hearse and it was ready for transport to the crematorium. Storm clouds started rolling in and the wind started to howl. I always thought that howl sounded like a cry.
It was at that exact moment, as the rain started to fall heavily, that I saw the premonition.