Marvin entered his front door after finally coming to grips with the situation, hearing the girls chatting back and forth upstairs as well was them clamoring about. He tentatively ascended the winding, crescent-shaped staircase to the next level, the dread of his situation filling his mind. How was he to care for these girls? He knew all about the legal hell he could catch for taking care of foreign exchange students improperly. Then, he thought, it would be ridiculous to worry about that after he saw all they were capable of. What about their powers? Clearly, he was on the lower end of authority now, even in his own home. If he so much as looked at Natsuki the wrong way, he'd be pulp. Or say he accidentally hurt Yuri, then he would receive the same wound. But, he supposed, they had been very obedient and kind thus far, despite their powers. As he reached the top step, he found what he dreaded most: taking care of four teenage girls.
He made his way down the hall to the first room on opposite the staircase, finding Sayori stacking her books on a night stand next to the head of her bed that had a tall, arching lamppost next to it. The room was identically furnished like the others. A twin bed was draped in a maroon comforter with a matching pair of pillows, lying parallel to the wall opposite the entry with a window overlooking the middle of the bed. Near the foot of the bed was a small closet with a white door and a silver rack, a light chestnut colored dresser standing next the very foot of the bed. The hardwood was covered by a gray shag carpet. Sayori took notice of Marvin as she headed back to her coffee-colored luggage, greeting him with a warm smile and a giggle before saying, "Thanks again for letting us stay with you, Mister Wright. I promise we'll be as little trouble as possible..."
In the midst of her sentence, an argument broke out in the next room over, Natsuki demanding, "Why do I have to share a room?!"
"Because you're little." Yuri bluntly replied.
"Girls, come on, we just got here." Monika reminded them, trying to maintain order.
Marvin strolled over to their room and saw the three girls in the center of the room. Natsuki's arms were crossed in indignation, Monika had her hands authoritatively on her hips, and Yuri stood laxly with little emotion. Marvin knocked on the open door, getting their heads to swing towards him as he said, "Knock, knock."
"Sorry, Mister Wright, we're just figuring out the living situation. Two of us have to share a room and we're trying to figure out who it is." Monika informed.
"I don't understand why I have to share a room with her," Natsuki vented, pointing her finger in Yuri's face, making her slightly recoil and look at the digit in annoyance, "I don't ever get a say and you guys just treat me like a little kid! I'm an adult like the rest of you, too!"
"An adult who sleeps with a nightlight." Yuri added.
"You said you wouldn't tell anybody!" Natsuki yelled.
"Girls, let's just talk this out. There has to be a reasonable solution for everyone to get what they want." Marvin reassured.
"Well, if we all want a room apart from each other, maybe one of us has to stay in your room." Natsuki proposed.
"Well..." Yuri began, blushing.
"Yeah, no, absolutely not." Marvin rebuffed.
Monika had her hand on her chin, thinking of solution before a smile lit up her face, exclaiming, "I got it."
And, with a snap of her fingers, the house began to shake, as if it were an earthquake. Marvin propped himself up against the doorway and looked around him in shock. He noticed the wall began to get longer, the hall extending with it. In the new corner that met with the wall of his office, a miniature door appeared and then expanded to the same size as the others before it. Finally, the house ceased its trembling and Marvin slowly stood upright on his own, Monika cheering, "There, now you have your own room, Natsuki!"
Natsuki continued to glower as she exited the room with a "hmph." Yuri then expressed her gratitude, "Thanks, Monika."
"No problem, anytime!"
With that Monika walked past an amazed Marvin, still looking in awe at his larger hallway. "Mister Wright," Yuri called out, getting his attention to snap from his home and looking to her as her timidity made her look to the ground, "Thank you. I really hope you enjoy our time with you as much as we will."
Her comment brought a smile to Marvin's face, nodding as he made his way to the next room. He found Monica loading her clothes into the dresser. She froze midway through putting a pair of purple panties into the drawer, slowly turning to face him with no expression of any emotion on her face, underwear held before her for all to see. Marvin hurried on to the next room, curious to see what it looked like but moreso hoping to escape the uncomfortable situation. As he crossed the doorway, he heard Natsuki speaking in a hushed voice, and finding her with a teddy bear in her extended arms, her back to Marvin. She took on of her hands out from under his armpit and poked him on the nose with her index finger, baby-talking, "Don't worry, Kesagake, you'll have your own bed to sleep in and cuddle up next to me."
She then brushed the top of his head with a few gentle strokes of her hand before pulling him in for a tight embrace, spinning around with a blissful smile. She opened her eyes to find a Marvin looking in on her, her visage betraying how mortified she was as he entired face became as red as a fire hydrant. She took the bear under one of her arms and slammed the door shut with the other, the wind rushing through his hair as the door stopped in the jamb just before his nose. He merely shrugged it off before heading back to the top of the staircase, Sayori stopping him as she called from her room, rushing out to meet him, "Mister Wright?"
Marvin slid his hands into his pockets as he looked back at the girl, inquiring, "What's up, Sayori?"
Too embarrassed to keep eye contact, her eyes fell to her hands as she rubbed the back of her left hand with her right, asking "Could we go out to get breakfast?"
"Sure," Marvin replied, shocking Sayori a bit as he continued, "No problem, tell the others and meet me downstairs when you're ready."
Marvin descended the staircase, hurrying to the door at the bottom and rushing outside to observe what it looked like on the outside now. He was struck by confusion as he saw no difference to the exterior of the home from what Monika had done. His home was a Victorian with a high, sharply pointed A-frame main roof, several other rooflines from the house converging towards it to form the rectangular home's walls. The exterior was tan-colored siding and concrete-colored asphalt shingles. A turret rose above him on the right side of the house, a trio of large panel windows wrapping around the first and second floor levels to it, capped off in a conical piece covered in the same asphalt shingles as the rest of the rooflines. A small awning covered the front entryway a pair of windows equidistant on either side of the door and one, large plate window above the door where his office was. He walked to the side yard to inspect it as well and, to his annoyance, found no difference once more in the home's exterior. He heard the front entryway door open, snapping him out of his trance, and saw the girls file out of the house. "You girls ready?" Marv called out, making his way back to them.
"I'm not hungry." Natsuki grumbled, earning Monika's hand over her mouth as she interjected, "Of course, it's been so long since we've had a good meal to start the day."
"Great. I know a perfect diner but it's a bit of a walk. If you aren't hungry now, you will be."
The sun glinted off a metallic, ovoid diner that signified what it was in large, neon, red lights above its walkway entry. The group sat in a corner in one of the wrap-around booths, interacting with their plates to varying degrees. Marvin was cutting apart a Belgian waffle, eagerly place forkful after forkful into his mouth. Sayori chewed into a strip of bacon with her other hand resting on her lap, trying to be as demure in public as possible. Natsuki rested her head against her propped up arm, her free hand rolling around a blueberry atop her stack of untouched pancakes. Yuri merely held on to her cup of coffee, a plate of scrambled eggs next to her that she disinterestedly took spoonfuls of egg every now and again. Monika took a quick sip of a glass of tea, a fruit bowl's contents having nearly vanished. Sayori dabbed a napkin to her lip and wiped the grease from her fingers as well, mustering, "Mister Wright."
Marv froze mid-chew, his lips puckered out as he looked at Sayori, managing to get through his mouthful, "What ish it, Shayori?"
"I just wanted to thank you for taking us all out. Really. We can't thank you enough."
"It'sh no problem at all."
He took notice to a tear escaping the corner of her eye, Sayori quickly obscuring it as she rubbed it away with the back of her wrist, assuring him, "Sorry, I got something in my eye."
"Is something wrong?" Marv asked, chewing his food down to managabley talk over it.
"It's kind of a big deal to us. We've never been treated this way since we came to America." Monika stepped in.
Marvin's gaze fell over the rest of the girls, the discomfort of what she had said made their demeanor sour, even more so for Natsuki. "I'm sorry to hear that, why'd he do that?"
"We were just a bit much for him, I guess. We basically just stayed out school in our club all day just to go home and go to bed to start the next day. He just left us alone on weekends." Monika replied, grabbing her opposite arm as if to comfort herself in a one-armed hug.
"He was really quick to get rid of us, too. Jerk." Natsuki hissed, bringing her arm back and stabbing her fork through her blueberry and pancakes.
"I don't know if I blame him, this happens to us all the time. People get scared and don't want to be around what they can't understand. Our parents were always busy taking care of the world. Our peers ostracized us. Nobody understood us, so they didn't want us. We're basically all we've had." Yuri added.
"And the government just threw us on him like an unwanted pet and gives us orders. They only care about what we do." Sayori commented, looking at the hunk of pancake at the end of her fork.
Marvin finished chewing his mouthful and swallowed it down, comforting, "Hey, you girls have been fantastic."
His words brought shock across all their faces, continuing, "I mean, I'm not sure how to count how long we've known each other with how weird time has been, but you girls have been amazing. You did what I couldn't do in months over the course of a day. You girls are also trusted by the government to try and save all of existence as we know it. That's not nothing. As far as I'm concerned, you're all cool in my book, and that's an understatement. And it's not just because you're doing my or the government's work. You're probably the nicest people I've met since I became a DA."
No sooner had he finished his shpiel than did Sayori wrap her arms around his neck, nearly choking him as she embraced him. Natsuki tried her best to keep her composure, her eyes shimmering as she let loose sniff, muttering, "Yeah, right." Yuri lowered her head, the shadow of her bangs obscuring her eyes and nose. Monika held the top of her fist to her mouth, barely managing to hush out, "Thank you, Mister Wright."
"Hey, easy," Marvin reassured, helping Sayori to release him before he said, "I don't get it, though. I mean, your teacher-slash-host-parent is only one guy. And you girls have these awesome abilities that can get you anywhere you want to go. What's not to like?"
"Because we're alone." Sayori sheepishly replied, rubbing the tears from her eye.
"Oh...I'm sorry." Marvin said, shame overcoming him for digging up old wounds.
"It's okay, Mister Wright. We all come from rough places. We're just all hoping we find a home together that feels like what we've read in so many stories. To find a real family." Yuri explained, still obscuring her face beneath her hair as twin streams of tears ran down her cheeks.
Marv once more took in all the girls were doing, Yuri's words bringing tears from the rest of the girls. Sayori covered her face, Monika held her position of her fist to her mouth, and Natsuki angrily released her own with grit teeth. Children of abuse and neglect, Marvin thought, happens all the time. I can't count the number of cases of this I've seen it here. Parents beating their kids, ignoring them, projecting onto them, or just not caring enough to do anything. Why it happens to any kid is beyond me. To these girls...it's unfair. They can't help having these powers. Now, what Marv? What've you said to kids just like them to try and make it all go away? To erase all that time that scarred them? How could you possibly even begin to make this all better?
"I can relate. My family was furious with me when I told them I was going to law school. My parents ran a grocery store and my dad always dreamed I'd take over by the time he retired since I was their only kid. I was basically persona non grata to them for all the years I was in school. Never wrote me, messaged me, or even reached out through other family. My mom died of a heart attack the day after I graduated law school, my dad blamed me for breaking her heart. Said I crushed their dreams at her wake the day I followed through on it, that I killed her. My family took his side. They physically threw me out. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and all my old friends. We haven't spoken in two years, any of them."
"We're sorry to hear that, Mister Wright." Monika reassured.
"Don't be. Maybe some day we'll patch thing over. I don't hold out hope. I'll tell you girls something I wish I knew when I was your age. How old are you all, anyway?"
"Eighteen, what does it matter to you?" Natsuki growled, earning a punch to the arm from Sayori that made her shriek and groan as she grabbed her aching triceps.
"Perfect, you're the age when I told my parents what I was doing. What you girls need to know is that you don't need the affirmation of others to be fulfilled. Look at me. I'm the youngest DA my department's ever had and all that's done is made most people hate me for it. They think I'm a threat to them. That's why I'm convinced Chief hates me. I don't know all of your life stories and I hope I can find them out when you're comfortable with it. But, until then, just remember that. You girls, from what I gather, are family. You're set with how invested in you the government is and your abilities will never leave you wanting for a job. You've got it all. Don't look outside of yourselves to be happy, look at what you've got and realize it for what it is. Cherish it."
"Shut up," Natsuki snapped, slamming her palms on the table before hopping up on the seat to point her finger down at Marvin, "You don't mean any of that! You're just trying to convince us like all the others so you can use us! You're just going to hurt us like everyone else."
The entire diner fell silent, the patrons staring in a mixture of annoyance and amusement. Marvin ignored the eyes he could feel pointed in his direction, gently responding, "I've worked cases with kids like you more times than I'd like to count these past two years..."
"We're not kids!" Natsuki shouted.
"You're right. But I've seen that hurt in kids and adults who've had these bad hands dealt to them from a young age. I know nothing I say will prove to you who or what I am. Nothing I say will make any of that go away and stop hurting. Trust me, I know all to well that nobody else understands what you go through, not even each other. But I'm willing to prove it in how I act if you give me a chance."
Natsuki, still heaving with fury, lowered her arm and sunk back down to her seat, staring daggers at Marvin as she began to scarf down her pancakes. "I will." Yuri finally rejoined, looking up at Marv with a teary face and smile.
"Me, too." Sayori concurred, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her sleeve.
"Me, too." Monika agreed, swiping her thumb under her eyes to dry them.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Natsuki quibbled, going back to hoovering down her pancakes.
"And that's entirely fair. But let's not make this about me fixing anything or proving anything right away. Let's just be exchange students and host parent for now. And let's start off on the right foot with a day out exploring New York. What'd'ya say?"
The girls, minus Natsuki, nodded in agreement. Marv set his silverware aside, asking what had racked his mind, "So, I have a serious question. And I only ask from here on out that I get your honesty."
The girls all nodded in agreement, Natsuki weakly so. "What happened the day we met with those gangsters?"
The girls eyes all snapped to Monika, their leader nervously rubbing the back of her head and stammering, "Well, I, uh...it's a funny story. They kind of shot you in the head and I just, y'know, brought you back from the dead."
Marv's brow was furrowed as he appeared to process her words, his expression softening as his eyebrows shot up and he shrugged his shoulders, responding, "Alright, that's all I needed to know. Thanks."
Now Monika's brow furrowed as she stared at him as if he grew a second head, questioning, "That's it? That's all you want to know?"
Marv mulled it over, humming in his throat before answering, "Yeah. I didn't buy your story about them shooting the pizza box and leaving you all alive. Nice try, though."
Marv went back to eating his waffles as Monika looked on, the girls still staring at her to see what she would do next. "Mister Wright," she objected, "No disrespect but you were shot in the head and killed and you don't have any questions?"
"Nah. I just figured it was your powers and I don't need to question it."
"But why?!" Monika nearly yelled in her surprise at his response.
"I'm just accepting this is how life is now. You girls have amazing powers that can take us outside the universe that you got from radiation that can be used in oddly specific ways that make absolutely no sense to me how that works. I don't think me being brought back to life is really that unbelievable in the grand scope of things."
Monika's jaw hung agape, frustrated she could not find away to make him intrigued or surprised by anything that was going on. Marvin finished his last bite of waffle before setting his silverware on the plate with a satisfied sigh. He stifled a belch with his fist to his mouth and excused himself, offering, "Alright, what's the plan for today?"
The girls were too unsure to answer, afraid they'd get rejected in some way. Jokingly, Natsuki offered up, "Shopping. Let's go shopping."
"I'm cool with that. Let me guess, bookstore?"
"YES!" all four girls shouted in unison, composing themselves before they went back to what they were originally doing.
"O-kay then, bookstore it is."
Rows upon rows of shelves lined the floors of the Book Worm. Marvin made his way through the aisles, seeing whatever caught his eye. He picked up a few books along his way, observing their cover and reading their back to get the gist before replacing them on the shelf. He made his way to the next row and found Monika sitting against a shelf with several stacks of books on either side of her, her knees drawn to her chest; the shelf before her was missing many of its own books with large, empty spaces. Marvin peered up at the sign hanging from the ceiling that read "Politics". Marvin shook his head slightly and muttered, "Oh, boy."
He approached a transfixed Monika and took a seat opposite her in the row, one knee bent and his other leg extended out. The girl holding up her index finger as she finished the last page of her book. She set it aside on the pile to her right, nearly double the size of the stack on her left. She looked at Marvin and smiled, saying, "Thanks for bringing us here."
"So I take it you want to just read everything here and not take anything home?" Marvin asked.
"Sorry, I just love reading so much. I love ideas and how to understand them better. I'll try to pick out the ones I like to bring home to share with others. Maybe we could start a book study at home, if you like."
"I'd love that. So, what are you reading into?"
"Environmental activism. It's why I'm a vegetarian. I want to fix what's happening in the world with all these farms that are contributing to the carbon footprint."
Marv looked at her for a bit, as if he were studying her, before speaking, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"You have a ridiculous amount of power from what I gather. I'm not pointing fingers and I'm not judging. Yesterday, did you make Yuri stab herself and Sayori choke herself?"
Monika stammered out unintelligible noises for a few moments before signing in resignation, admitting, "Yes. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry to me, be sorry to them. Why did you do that?"
Monika's face began to light up in embarrassment as she further incriminated herself, "I just was jealous of the attention they were getting, I guess. Nobody ever notices me. I just want to be to be recognized."
"There are better ways to do that, y'know?"
Monika sat in silence, unsure what to say. "But here's my point. You can manipulate your friends if you so choose. But you won't do that to the world when you could, right?"
Monika merely continued her silence, her head sunk low as she rubbed one thumb against the other. "I'm not going to tell Rich or anybody about this. No matter what any of you say, it stays between us."
Monika let loose one last sigh and came clean, "Yeah. You're right."
"I'm sorry if it seems like I'm lecturing you. But think about it for a second. You can change the whole world by force. But you won't. Why is that?"
Monika pondered for a moment before answering, "I guess I just believe in the goodness in people that I can make a difference with them cooperating rather than being coerced."
"Exactly. Obviously, you know, making your friends hurt themselves isn't good but think about it. Have the same care in your friends you have in all people. And that's what's going to get you noticed, making a difference, Monika."
A smile once more spread across her face, Monika able to face Marv and look him in the eye as she beamed, "Thanks, Mister Wright."
"No problem. How many of those books you think you want to take home?"
"As of right now," Monika drew off, putting her chin between her thumb and forefinger in thought, "Probably about six so far, is that too many?"
"You can get as many as you like. I only expect you to teach through them in our study group. I want to learn some good stuff, alright? I don't think you'll get me to quit meat but who knows."
Monica laughed in response, diving into her next book. He rose back to his feet and made his way out of the aisle. He saw Sayori across an empty area within the the center of the bookstore, leaning up against a shelf as she flipped through her book. Marvin made his way over to her, observing she was under the "True Crime" section. "Let me guess, getting ideas for that crime/horror story?" Marvin queried.
"Yes, actually! You remembered?" Sayori replied, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
"Of course. I work with this stuff all the time, it's my life, remember? We had a case built against a guy a few months ago who was putting people's bodies in his garden to fertilize his prize-winning garden."
"You dealt with that case?!"
"Yep. And I can get you a lot more. I studied it all in law school. I can even show you some of the books in my office, if you like. It might be a little technical and boring."
"No, not at all! I'd love to read them."
"That's awesome. What got you into the crime genre?"
"I just really like seeing what makes people tic. Like why they do the things they do and how they go about doing them. Yuri just really likes scary stuff, I hate that kind of stuff. I had to borrow Natsuki's nightlight whenever Yuri got to choose what we watched during movie night."
"I like the ideas of what we should be doing at home. Movie night sounds fun, Monika suggested a book study night."
"I love that! Our last host parent didn't want to bring work home with him. He was the language arts teacher at school." Sayori said, her joy slowly giving way to sadness as she recounted the past.
"Can I ask you about your powers?"
"Um, sure, I guess." Sayori consented, caught off-guard.
"It might be a little personal. If you can't handle it, I understand."
Sayori nodded in response, Marvin continuing, "I was thinking, when I was getting an idea from Monika, that your powers are tied to you somehow in a personal way. When you said you could make nooses, I said that was dark, and you said I didn't know the half of it. Why is that?"
Sayori seemed shrink up against the bookshelf, as if she was trying to escape through it. "You don't have to say it out loud. I just told Monika and I'll tell you, it stays between us, this talk. I know your struggle. When everything went down with my parents and everyone else, I won't lie, I was in a very dark place. Especially after my mom's wake. I didn't care if I died and I didn't want to live. I guess you could say I didn't have the courage to...to make it all end. I was alive but I didn't live. But I can tell you this. There's a light at the end of that tunnel. It wasn't the next day it all just, poof, went away. It just slowly got more manageable, life slowly got better, and I finally was just better. I can only promise you that, at some point, it all gets better. If I knew exactly how, I'd tell you."
Sayori hugged the book tightly to her chest, choking out, "It's so hard. I just want everyone else to be happy so I can feel better. But it's not working."
"You're already better than me. I didn't want to be around people. To be honest, I hated everyone and everything. My job helped until I realized how hated I was. But, I guess, everyone tackles it their own way."
Sayori's head sunk down and tears began to wet the floor beneath her. "I'm scared." she squeaked out.
Marvin's hand instinctively reached out, drawing it back in apprehension. Sayori lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his chest and back. He froze, unable how to handle her embrace. At first, he threw his arms up at his sides to avoid any suspicion of what he was doing. Sweat forming on his brow, he tried to alleviate her. Overcoming his reservations, Marvin pulled her in by her shoulder and wrapped his other arm around her head, gently rubbing his thumb through her hair. "It'll be alright, I promise. We will do everything to help you get better, Sayori. I promise."
Sayori managed to wrap an arm around his back, blubbering out, "Thank you. I believe you."
"I believe in you, Sayori," Marvin reassured her, extending his arms to give her room as she once more dried her eyes, "Pick out whatever you like and we can buy it."
Marv turned to head further into the bookstore before Sayori called his name, asking once more, "Does it really get better?"
Marv smiled and once more guaranteed, "It does. What helped me was finding my purpose again. And other things, too. Let's not dwell on it now, let's enjoy the day out as much as we can. We can talk more later."
"Of course, thanks, Mister Wright."
Marv gave her a thumbs up as he headed to the horror section. Sure enough, he found Yuri staring blankly at the books on the shelf, having none around her either. Perplexed, Marv approached her with a, "Hey, Yuri, find anything you like?"
"No," Yuri replied with a deep, disappointed exhale, "I've read all of these."
"Really? That's saying something."
"That's the problem with book stores. They never have anything new, really. They get the classics that everyone loves but never anything that's new and good."
"Maybe that story you and Sayori are working on will be that new modern classic."
Yuri chuckled, "She told you about it, didn't she?"
"Yeah. Let me run a few good ones past you. Ever read the one about the shapeshifter that terrorizes a bunch of campers?"
"The one with the camper it sneaks into? Read it."
"The one with the girl who's friend gets taken by a fleshgait with a bunch of marines?"
"Read it."
"The gym guy who punches a ghost in his house and intimidates them through sheer tyranny of will?"
"Read it."
"That one with the vampire outbreak in a rural area?"
"I've never read that one, actually."
"Really? It's a classic! I grew up in the country and it was the first book I ever read that made it hard for me to sleep. Hang on," Marvin paused, running his finger over the titles before yelling out, "Ah-ha! Right here, give this a read."
Yuri finally had a smile on her face, looking over the book as Marvin braced himself. He rubbed the back of his head, took a deep breath, and brought a finger back to begin the conversation. Before he could say a word, Yuri started it off, carrying on the conversation without taking her attention from the book in her hands, "You've figured us out, haven't you?"
The wind left Marv's sails has his arms slunk back to his side, recognizing, "Yeah. At least, I'm putting a lot of pieces together."
"What do you think is wrong with me?"
"I wouldn't say it that way..."
"However I put it, it means the same thing."
"I'm gonna be real with you. You're kind of a mystery, which is funny when you think about it. You know, literature club and all," Marvin chuckled, getting nothing in return from Yuri. He masked his laugh as a cough before continuing, "Real quiet. The other girls, I've seen there cases a lot with kids of traumatic situations. The quiet ones are always the toughest for all the worst reasons."
"Did Monika and Sayori tell you about the other hosts we had before?"
"They only told me a little about the last one that was your teacher."
"I get very attached very quickly. There's no other way to put it. Ever since I met you, I've been cataloguing every single detail I can about you. Eye color. Your mannerisms. Interests. Anything of note I think that will matter. I was probably what pushed it so far over the edge with our teacher. Pretty off-putting, right?"
Marv was unable to hid how exasperated he looked, shaking his head to regain his composure before stating, "It's odd, I'm not gonna lie. But I get it."
"I assume you know a lot about neglected children because you dealt with them?"
"Not a lot but you're not wrong otherwise. I do get it, the desperate need for affection and doing absolutely anything to maintain it happens a lot. All I can say is you don't have to try so hard. I promise, I'm not going anywhere and you don't have to try so hard to keep me around."
"Thank you, Mister Wright. I can't promise I'll get that right away and it'll probably get annoying when it does happen."
"Yuri, you don't know the half of it when it comes to Rich. Trust me, if I can handle him, this is nothing."
"Thanks, Mister Wright. I'm grateful we've met."
"Same. Meet me by the checkout, I'm going to talk to Natsuki."
"Good luck. I believe you know what you're doing and know where she is, am I mistaken?"
"Manga, where else? And it depends on how this goes. "
Marvin made his way further into the depths of the store, finding the anime and manga sections, along with Natsuki intently looking through a splash page. She didn't even need to look at Marv, sensing his presence instead, and turned her back to him, flipping to the next page. "Alright," Marv began with a huff, "I know you have a lot of anger and hatred. I know that all to well. There were a lot of nights I couldn't fall asleep because I was so angry and I couldn't do anything about it. I just thought about all the things I wanted to say to my dad and my mom, all the things I wanted to do. Y'know, I was this close to driving to my old man's house on the Fourth of July that year to burn the house down, the store too, and kill everything he cared about so I could make him suffer as much as he did to me."
Marv held his index finger and thumb so close together they practically touched. "I'm not gonna sit here and speculate about your life and tell you what you need to do. I had my own mental health crisis and I still barely understand my own emotions and how to handle them. I'm not an authority and I'd say I'm not a role model. All I can say is what helped me and might help you. Hitting the weights and exercise did a lot for the anger I felt; I could channel that negativity and hatred into something productive. You have every right to be skeptical of me and demand I prove myself. All I ask is you give me a shot..."
Natsuki refused to acknowledge him, Marv segueing as he pointed to a book on the shelf, "And definitely give that one a shot if you want some good horror. I know, it's technically a Korean light novel anthology but, trust me, the artist knows how to make a splash page that sends chills down your spine and set them up like a master."
Natsuki snatched it off the shelf, demanding, "It better be good."
"If it's not, consider me untrustworthy from here on out."
"Mister Wright," Monika said to get his attention, the other girls with her. Monika and Sayori's arms were loaded with books, Yuri merely clutching the book Marvin gave her with white knuckles before her like a tablet.
"We're ready to check out." Sayori said.
"We can't thank you enough for taking us out today, it means more than we can express." Yuri agreed, staring intently at her book's cover.
After they had all checked out and Marvin paid the expense of $162.64, the group exited the bookstore onto the busy streets and bustling sidewalks, people parting around them like a stream around rocks. Marv had to shout to be heard, "Alright, what do you girls want to do next. It's only a bit past noon."
The girls all eyed each other before Monika spoke for the group, "Well, how about we check out whatever it is you like to do in New York. You live here, you have to know some cool things about it."
"Well, there's two places I really love here," Marv drew off, looking up at the sky that was giving way to an overcast of white, puffy clouds, "Let's see what we can get at the first one if the weather holds out. It's gonna take a bit to get to my house to drop everything off and get back, we'll see."
"Uh, Mister Wright, allow me to remind you of something." Monika offered, snapping her fingers.
The bags vanished from their hands, Monika clapping her hands on a job well done as she explained, "There, they're all home and waiting in our rooms. Where to next, Mister Wright?"
"I really need to keep your powers in mind. Let's check out Central Park."
The white, blooming clouds soon began to darken to look like billows of smoke. The newly formed acquaintances marched through the forests around the large reservoir in the park. The girls took in all the sights , save for Natsuki, continuing to cross her arms and pout her way through the day. Finally, finding a clearing that gave them a clear view of the reservoir through the trees, Marvin leading them to a bench to look over the dark yet glistening water. Marv sat in the middle, hunching over and propping his elbows on his knees, and the girls crowded around him, Yuri and Monika to his immediate right and left, respectively, with Sayori and Natsuki on the far left and right. After a long pause as he looked blissfully over the man-made lake, Natsuki was the first to ask, "So, what's so special about this place?"
Marvin chuckled to himself before apologizing, "I realize this probably isn't a thing you girls enjoy."
"No, we're enjoying it, Mister Wright," Monika tried to convince him, desperate to override what Natuski had said, "We never really got to see anything like this anywhere. We've always been in big cities. I can't remember the last time I got to be out in the woods."
"I am curious, too, Mister Wright. Why do you enjoy this so much? Is it something special," Yuri began, growling in frustration at herself as she corrected, "Sorry, that's none of my business."
"No, it's alright, Yuri. I asked for honesty in you girls, it's only fair to keep that a two-way street. I didn't grow up in New York City, I'm from Indiana. My town was barely a thousand people and we were surrounded by forests and creeks and rivers. This place just reminds me of home."
The girls continued to look out on the water as the skies, grew darker, Sayori wondering aloud, "Do you ever miss it, Mister Wright?"
Marvin mulled over her question for a while, finally concluding, "I haven't really thought about it like that. I guess I just kind of remember the good times when I come here. It's just a pretty place to come destress and get back in touch with what I'm used to."
"What's your favorite memory from back then?" Yuri blurted out.
Marv hid his bemusement at the question as if he were pondering, saying, "It's hard to say. Just depends on the day. Right now, this reminds me of when me and my cousin, Ariana, were catching fire flies before a storm when I was, like, six, maybe? We were using empty peanut butter jars to make our own little lanterns. Then it dumped rain and we had to cancel making s'mores. I had a cold for the next two weeks. It's why I hate getting sick."
"Do you like living in the city?" Sayori added.
Marv once once more left to think about how he felt, admitting, "I don't know. I like my job and my house. But I just miss some privacy and space. That's why I like this spot, too, it's one of the only places where I can see the water and the trees but not all the buildings."
The group once more fell into silence, looking over the reservoir, the birds, and the trees, the wind beginning to make them sway back and forth with a deep, relaxing swish of the breeze. "What was it like? Back in Japan?"
Monika sprung on the question, "It was just like here, basically. Very busy, very crowded, and everyone was just in a hurry to get where they wanted to go. None of us have been in Japan since we were 8."
"Have you girls been anywhere else besides here and there?"
"We get shipped wherever they want us. We've been to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, and so much more. Oh, we were in Boston last year before they moved us here this school year. It was just us trying to take these girls down. There used to be four of them but we took one down in Boston. We're basically just hunting dogs, they send us on a scent trail and we chase them down." Monika said, regaining her control of the conversation.
"Who is it that does that? Who're your bosses?"
"There's no easy way to put this, Mister Wright. We're basically the property of any government who needs us to take these people like us who go rogue down. They just set us up in homes by force and, whenever these girls move on, so do we."
"I see the Third Amendment means nothing."
"We tried to use that, at first. They either ignore us or say it doesn't count since we're not citizens."
"That's fucked. Oop, sorry."
"It's alright, we've heard it all." Yuri promised.
"We're just hoping they stay in New York for a while." Monika confided.
"Why's that?"
The girls went silent, Marv nodding in what he understood the silence to mean and reconvened with them at staring over the water. "Me, too." he said.
The skies continued to darken until a rumble of thunder hit the air like a bowling ball down a wooden alley. The sound of raining hitting the leaves coincided with the wind rustling off of them, many people in the park ducking out from the rain as fast as they could, another deep roar of thunder echoing across the sky. "Oh, man, rain?!" Natsuki moaned.
"Alright, girls, let's head on home." Marvin gave in, rising from the bench with a stretch.
"Wait," Yuri objected, "Mister Wright, didn't you say there was another place you really like in town?"
"Well, yeah, but it's starting to pour. Why don't we head home and we can check it out some other time? Let's get home, out of the rain, and I can make some dinner. First movie night, right?"
"Sounds good to me." Natsuki agreed.
"What if we do the movie stuff tomorrow and get dinner after this?" Yuri offered.
"I mean, how do you girls feel about that?"
"I like the idea. Sayori?" Monika answered.
"I wanna see this, too. It's the least we could do, Mister Wright."
Natsuki growled to herself before grumbling out, "Fine, let's go."
"Alright, Mister Wright, where are we heading?" Monika asked, raising her hand with her thumb and middle finger once more pressed together.
"Hang on, Monika, I have a different idea of how to get there. It's not far."
The rain poured down in sheets upon a red brick cathedral, capped in onion-shaped domes that had greened under the elements. Five figures obscured by umbrellas approached the entry to the gigantic place of worship. They entered the entry way and collapsed the umbrellas, Marv instructing them to hang them on a nearby coatrack. The girl were overwhelmed by all the sensations going on within the building. A red carpet rolled from the middle of the of the nave all the way up a small set of stairs to wooden screen between them and the altar. The beginning of the carpet lie under a podium then held up an icon of Mary and the infant Jesus. The floor was laid out with striped, square, wooden panels, their corners perpendicular to the four walls of the church. The walls were decorated with blue paint as well as more biblical scenes, as were the stained glass windows. The icon screen was adorned with floral gilt and images of Christ, his angels, and various figures throughout the early history of the church. Before them, too, were a pair of lecterns that held up a few more gilded icons on either side of the one in the middle of the room. Red, velvet drapes closed off the open spaces of the of the screen. The space between the raised area before the screen and entryway was empty of pews and people. The only other thing present were several golden candle stands filled to the brim with candlesticks and oil candles, as were the stairs and raised area around the icon screen with red candles encased in jars. The high amount of candles gave off a bright enough light source to make everything out but shadows still danced across the walls with the flickering of the flames.
Marv led the ahead of the girls, a tall, white candle in his hand. Unfamiliar with what to do, the girls followed behind him. They now took in the artwork on the ceiling. In the center, atop a the interior of one of the domes, was an images of Christ looking down on them, four more scenes of His life forming a cross around it and four blue sections diagonal from one another between them. A large chandelier hung from the rim of the dome, angels filling around this rim as well. Marvin approached the icon in the center of the room and quickly dipped and raised his head. He then bowed over awkwardly, giving off the impression of someone unsure what they were doing or supposed to do. He walked beyond to one of the many candle stands, using one of them to light his own. He quickly tapped all his fingers to his head and began to move them downward before raising his hand once more, staring at it. He carefully joined his thumb, fore, and middle fingers together as one at their tips and curled his ring finger and pinky to his palm. He once more touched his forehead and then his stomach with his three joined digits. He then as he looked up to the ceiling, as if to recall which direction when he sway his hands one way and then the other. Nodding to himself, he tapped his right shoulder and then his left, placing the candle in an empty spot.
He turned and walked back to the girls, taking in all they could, their eyes glued in different directions. He stood on the end next to Natsuki, bringing her out of her wonder and making her scoot away from Marv, oblivious to her indignation. "What is this place, Mister Wright?" Yuri asked, still studying the building's interior.
"A church. I got invited her by my work buddy, Stefan, when he figured I needed more than work and home in my schedule," Marv drew off, laughing to himself, "Sorry, I just realized I haven't even tried to call him in all this. After what happened at the office, I have no idea if he's even alive. Some friend I am."
"Why is this one of your favorites?" Yuri asked.
"You girls have as many questions as I do." Marv joked
"I'm sorry, I know, I'm being too intrusive..." Yuri began to apologize.
"No, it's nothing, I was just messing with you. A lot people think it's rude to ask a lot of questions or boring to just dialogue nonstop through questions and answers, I don't mind it."
Marv looked at the girls, able to tell by their expression they were waiting for an answer. "Anyway, I didn't grow up religious. My parents just didn't really care and neither did I. It was all work for them. It was all school and then all work when I moved out. When I got cast out by everyone I'd known, I eventually realized I had to find something. I tried fitness, I tried spending every free moment at the park, nothing really made me feel less empty. Even therapy just kept digging out old skeletons and making things worse. I tried this last fall because I had nothing to lose and it felt like the closest I've been to whole. I don't know if I even buy into this yet or if I ever will. But it helps."
"Why is that?" Monika pressed.
"I guess it's just nice to hear what they say. Something that loves us created us all and knows what it's like to be us since they became us. I'll be honest, I don't really understand a lot of this stuff. But I didn't feel as alone. They tell me I'm always watched out for and listened to. It's comforting, if nothing else. I got a new family, in a way. They told me the people who come here can be my family, too. And they say people that die living the life of the church are praying for us and watching out for us, too."
"Why are we here then?"
"It just is a helpful place to pray. To God and the people they call saints, those who've died a part of the church."
"Do you think your mom can hear us?" Sayori wondered.
Marv's eyes instantly became glossy, stifling a cough in his throat as he struggled on, trying to keep his voice from breaking, "No."
"Then why try?"
"Because I'd like to be wrong. There's so much I don't understand yet. Maybe someday I can convince myself she or anybody else is there."
"You don't hate your parents, do you?" Natsuki asked, her expression softening as she stared ahead at the screen.
"No, how could I? Even as bad as it's been these past few years, that doesn't erase what they were to me all those years before," a small but loud laugh escaped his lips, Marv correcting himself, "Sorry, I just remembered. We went to my aunt's church one Christmas when I was very young. The pastor handed out candy canes and I slobbered all over mine and stuck it in my dad's beard. He had to slice his whole beard off with a pair of scissors."
The girls, even Natsuki, looked to him with a smile, turning back to the icon screen and staring on in silence. "Mister Wright," Sayori called out, earning his attention, "What do you do while you're here?"
"I just think of things I need to ask for and go from there to what I think others need. Might come true, might not. But it's nice to take some things off my plate."
Sayori nodded with a smile and clasped her hands together, closing her eyes as she began to pray.
The rain lightened to steady pace from the downpour they entered with as they stood inside. After several moments of silence, Marv finally crossed himself with more confidence and no need to contemplate the next move. He spoke to the girls, "Well, anything else you girls want to do?"
"Actually, there is one more thing." Monika wagered.
"Girls, hurry up, the movies starting!" Marvin bellowed out.
"We're coming!" Monika cheered back, rushing in with porcelain platter from the kitchen.
Marvin had sunk into his crevice on his leather, wrap-around sectional sofa, right in the crook that faced the tv. Monika placed the platter on the ottoman in the center, revealing several grilled cheese sandwiches and large metal bowl of tomato soup. The girls all clamored around Marvin, save for Natsuki, who leaned against the arm on the far end. "So, what did you choose, Mister Wright?" Yuri asked.
"It's a found footage horror movie..." he began.
"Oh, no..." Sayori whined, wrapping her head in her arms and curling into a terrified ball.
"Hey, it's my choice. Anyway, it's about this girl who drowns and her family think she's haunting them."
"I've seen this! Great choice, Mister Wright." Yuri exclaimed, her glee pouring out before she regained herself, embarrassed.
"Here we go." Marvin prepared, pressing the play button.
The credits began to roll, revealing where they'd missed the real ghost in the background the whole time. Marvin finally began to take not of everything around him. All of the sandwiches were gone and most of the soup was missing from the bowl. Natsuki curled up into a ball against the arm of the couch, drooling all down her cheek. Directly to his right, Sayori had her head lulled back into the sofa cushion. To his left, Yuri had rested her head against his shoulder. On the end of the couch, Monika lay sprawled out, a foot dangling over the edge and an arm propped up by the sofa's armrest. Marvin turned the tv off and hauled each girl up to their room, one-by-one, aloft in his arms. He placed each one carefully under their covers and made sure to tuck Natsuki's bear in her arm, the sleeping girl nuzzling into her bear's chest. Marv gently closed each door on his way to his own room. He sat on the edge of his bed, contemplating. Not a bad first day. Here's hoping it continues.
Marv kicked his legs up under his covers and closed his eyes, readying for slumber. A puzzled look overcame him as his eyes shot open, wondering, "Wait, whose hand did I feel in the shower?!"