Appetizer 2.1
⸻1⸻
He had never felt so hungry. Dana Alouette clutched his stomach. It felt like his insides were being twisted around a metal pole until they were torn apart. In the cold winter of the northern Canadian wilderness, it was all he could feel anymore.
His small ten year old body was huddled in a mess of blankets he had raided from the plane's supply closet. The fire he had made from a book of matches and discarded luggage burned brightly in the black night. The way the fire tinged different colors as it burned along the various zippers and buttons of the suitcases reminded him of the northern lights. Watching the flames was his sole entertainment, a brief repute from the horrors of his reality.
His stomach growled.
Stacks of empty dinner trays laid scattered a little ways from camp. He had eaten all the food that had been on board the plane. He thought about carrying the trash farther away, but had neither the will nor the energy to do so. At this point, drawing a bear to his campsite would be a small mercy. Being eaten alive would still be a quicker death than starvation. It might even be less painful.
The pain in his stomach grew impossible to ignore and Dana staggered unsteadily to his feet. Trudging through the snow, he reached the shattered fuselage of the crashed jet. He tried to avoid it at all costs. The bodies of all the dead passengers were inside there, many of whom were still strapped in their chairs. A few people survived the initial impact along with Dana, but without receiving the proper medical help, they too died. Dana was the only one left.
Was he lucky or unlucky? He himself couldn't tell anymore.
The fuselage was like a time capsule. It hadn't changed since he last was here scouring for food. The bodies were well-preserved in the frosty air and if it wasn't for their bluish skin and ice-over eyes, Dana could imagine that they were only sleeping. That his father was only sleeping.
On the floor by his father's body was the spilled bento that his mother had made for him. Dana scooped up every morsel of the meal he could all the way down to the last grain of rice. Returning to the fire, Dana sat down and ate the several weeks old lunch.
He couldn't stop his tears.
It tasted delicious.
⸻2⸻
Dana woke up from his nap with a jolt. He yawned softly and rubbed his eyes. A piece of paper that had stuck to his cheek fluttered down and joined its kin in a disheveled pile on the large round conference table. He had stayed up way too late the night before working on a new recipe, which combined with a long, boring, and drawn out meeting, resulted in him basically passing out.
He was kind of surprised that he had even woken up before the meeting had ended. It was the rumbling of his stomach that did it. Like a needy dog constantly begging for table scraps, it barked beneath his skin. Dana reached into the pocket of his school blazer and grabbed a packet of spearmint gum, taking a piece for himself to stave off his hunger for a bit.
"Do you mind?" Erina Nakiri snapped, her arms folded. She tapped a finger against her bicep and a vein of anger pulsed across her temple. She was one of ten people seated at the conference table along with Dana. In fact, she was only two chairs to his right.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Did you want some as well? I have enough for everyone," Dana said, holding out the packet of gum. To his left, the 4th Seat, Momo Akanegakubo, and Tosuke Megishima, the 3rd Seat, each took a piece; and Dana slid a piece to the otherside of the table for the 7th Seat, Satoshi Isshiki, too. They gave their thanks with a nod—and from Megishima, a grunt.
"I was not talking about that! I meant you blatant disrespect by sleeping during this important meeting! Actually, why are you even here? This meeting is for members of the Elite Ten Council, not for stray cats who just wandered in because someone left the window open or something!" Erina stood up and slammed her hands on the table.
Stuck in the chair between Erina and Dana, Eishi Tsukasa nervously tugged on his striped tie. He'd rather be anywhere else. He struggled to deal with any kind of awkward tension. Unfortunately for him, the seating at the table was assigned in numerical order clockwise around the table. Meaning as the 1st Seat, the 10th Seat was to his right and the 2nd Seat would sit on his left. Tsukasa took a sip of his tea and suggested, "Maybe we should take a quick break?"
"What, you think I actually want to be at this stupid meeting? I'm only here because Rin didn't want to be," Dana said, ignoring Tsukasa. Reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out a slip of paper and tossed it at Erina. "I have been given authority by the 2nd Seat, Rindo Kobayashi, to act as her surrogate for this meeting. So, for the duration of this meeting, you are looking at the acting 2nd Seat. How about you show some respect, Little Miss 10th Seat."
Dana blew an extra large bubble with his gum, and Erina retaliated by tearing up the paper. "Noooo! My authority! You witch!"
"Can we cease these theatrics?" Nene Kinokuni, the 6th Seat, asked. She glared at Dana and Erina from behind her round glasses. "Nobody enjoys these meetings, but your antics are derailing the proceedings and making them take longer. Mr. Dana Alouette, you might have been given permission to sit-in on this meeting, but all we really need from you is to sit there and be quiet. And you, Ms. Erina Nakiri, just ignore him. You shouldn't let guys like him get under your skin so easily."
"Oh, come now, Nene. You need to lighten up," Isshiki said with a smile, "There's nothing wrong with livening the meeting with a little friendly banter. It builds comrademanship."
"Don't you mean camaraderie? And no, it doesn't. Why don't you just sit there quietly too."
"See? We're closer already!"
"No, we're not!"
"Why don't you take your own advice?" the 9th Seat, Etsuya Eizan muttered under his breath. He had his cell phone out and was going through his emails and messages. If this meeting was going to take too much longer, he might have to reschedule his upcoming consultation. Though, he really should have known better. Every meeting with the Elite Ten ended up like this.
Terunori Kuga, the 8th Seat, leaned back in his chair, rocking it with a foot on the table and twirling his blond bangs absentmindedly between his fingers. "I'm still wondering why we have to have this meeting at all, and so early on a Saturday too. Sure, the first-years' "Training Camp from Hell" or whatever is coming up soon, but all the details for that should have been hashed out, like, a month ago when the semester started, right?"
"That would be correct." Somei Saito, the 5th Seat, nodded. Mindful not to bump his beloved maguro bochi, Isanakiri, that he had propped up against the table and grabbed one of the papers. It was the budget and expense report for the upcoming camp. He held it up for Kuga to see. "Everything appears to be in order. I believe this meeting was more to make sure we are all on the same page rather than vote on any major changes to the itinerary or the school as a whole."
"Lame!" Kuga replied, "I should do what Rindo did and get some poor schmuck to be my stand-in too. I wouldn't have joined his council if I knew how much admin would be involved."
Dana raised his hand and asked, "Uh…What is the Training Camp from Hell? It sounds hella interesting."
"Ugh, are you serious? How can someone from the Nakiri Family be so densely ignorant about Totsuki Academy?" Erina complained, repeatedly slapping her hand on the table. "This is ridiculous!"
"Well excuse me for living!"
"It's officially known as the Totsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp," Tsukasa said, digging through the pile of papers for the event's informative brochure. He offered it to Dana. On the front was a smiling cartoon chef and a fox companion. It was marginally cute. "Basically, all the first-years are required to spend a few nights at the Totsuki Resort and Hotel, where you'll undergo a series of tests and challenges. It is widely considered the first major obstacle for every Totsuki student."
Dana clasped his hands together, sparkles in his purple eyes. "So it's like a field trip? Wow, my first ever school field trip! This is going to be so much fun!"
"You've literally traveled the world! Why are you getting so excited for a trip that takes only an hour by bus?" Erina snapped.
"Don't ruin this for me, dammit! Wait…If all first-years are going, does that include you?"
Erina flicked her long hair over her shoulder. "Obviously."
"And I wouldn't be so quick to celebrate, L'il Alouette," Kuga said, a sadistic grin splitting his smug face, "It won't be all fun and games. There is a very real chance that neither you nor any of your friends will return. There is a reason why it is referred to as the Training Camp from Hell."
"Geez, you make it sound like we're all going to be murdered. I thought we were going to Totsuki Resort, not Camp Crystal Lake," Dana said, "It can't be that bad."
"At last year's Training Camp, 900 of us made the trip there, and less than 400 made it back. And even some of the students that did pass were irreparably damaged by the mental strain of the experience," Nene informed him in her dulcet monotone voice.
"Oh, so it is that bad, huh."
"Not to worry, young Dana," Isshiki said, "Last year was just a bit more extreme than usual. More often than not, around 60% end up passing!"
Momo, with her face half-buried in the purple fur of her plush cat, mumbled, "Is that supposed to be comforting?"
Isshiki continued, "I'm sure you and everyone at Polar Star will pass with flying colors! There's no need to be stressed. You're still in the springtime of your life."
Dana gave him a thumb's up. "Swag."
Erina sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Is there anything left that we need to talk about?" asked Megishima. The tall man felt like that meeting had gotten off the rails a while ago and wanted to get things back on track. But mostly, he just wanted the meeting to end already.
"I…I guess not," Tsukasa said, glancing around the room, "Unless anyone here has something they want to bring up while we're all gathered here."
The room was silent for a moment, and then Dana gasped. He stuck his hand in his pocket and routed out a crumpled scrap of paper.
"Rin wanted me to bring this up. I almost forgot!" Clearing his throat, Dana read the note in a poor, falsetto imitation of Rindo's voice, "I hear by motion that all meetings shall commence no earlier than 10 in the morning!"
Kuga waved his hand. "I second that."
"Very well. Shall we put it to a vote?" Tsukasa asked.
⸻3⸻
"And in a 7-3 decision, the motion carried! Ta-da!" Dana explained to Rindo, giving her jazz hands. He had been regaling her with the basic details of the meeting over a cup of humanely sourced civet coffee, which in all honesty, didn't taste that great. Especially not for the exorbitant price.
"Good job," Rindo said, patting him on the head.
"Thank you, thank you; you're too kind!" Dana said, playfully bowing to imaginary applause, "Though, if you are feeling grateful, have you given any thought to my own proposal?"
Tsukasa set down three small plates on the coffee table that adjourned the modest, yet high quality, kitchen, before kneeling down on a cushion himself. On each porcelain dish was a slice of Quiche Lorraine, a savory tart made with cream, eggs, and bacon. Rindo and Dana, sitting on a pristine white couch, picked up their portions and happily gobbled them down, neglecting to use any silverware or table manners.
"I'm glad that you're enjoying my food, but ah…could you be more careful? Please? It took me hours to clean the stains from the last time I hosted brunch," Tsukasa said, nervously. His hands were raised like he wanted to stop them, but couldn't muscle the willpower. "I don't get why we have to meet at my apartment all the time. You have your own apartment, Rindo, or we could go to the Polar Star Dormitory. There's more space there."
"True, but your place is a lot nicer," Rindo said.
"And cleaner," Dana added.
Dana didn't know much about Eishi Tsukasa's financial situation, but the guy must have been pretty well-off to be able to afford a studio apartment within a few miles of Totsuki. It had high ceilings, granite countertops, and a state-of-the-art bathroom. When Dana first tried to use the toilet it had so many buttons on it that his head spun. Whatever happened to just pull the handle to flush? He needed to relieve himself, not land a rocket on the moon.
His mother may be from the esteemed Nakiri Family, but he definitely didn't grow up with that Nakiri money. This level of luxury was completely foreign to him. He was like Tarzan visiting England. Me not understand.
"So, what is this proposal you mentioned?" Tsukasa asked.
Wiping his face with a napkin, Dana put down his plate and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Okay, get ready for this. I want to start…a research society! My goal in life is to create the ultimate cuisine, remember? So I figured the best way to maximize my time at Totsuki would be to pool all the collective knowledge into one central place—the Totsuki Academy Centralized Research Society (name patent pending). Using our combined might, we'll challenge any and every relevant RS to Food Wars, gaining access to their decades of specialized research notes and recipes to further our own cooking."
"We…? Meaning?"
"The three of us, of course. You, me, and Rin."
"You want the three of us to take on the entire school?"
"Well, for now at least. I'm sure we'll be able to plunder new members as we go along."
Rindo slapped Tsukasa on the back. "Come on, Tsukasa, it'll be fun! And we can even have our very own clubroom. No more ruining your fancy modern furniture, or flooding your bathroom ("Hey! That was one time!"). We will be able to elevate the level of talent at Totsuki as a whole. Just imagine it! We can usher in a new era, cementing your name next to other legendary 1st Seats like Gin Dojima or Mari Glascock."
"It sounds like you two had put a lot of thought into this," Tsukasa commented, taking a sip of his coffee. The hot, bitter drink made him scrunch his nose. He would have much preferred tea, but he felt he had to use the coffee beans that Rindo got him for Christmas. There was a reason he only served it when she was his guest.
"We've been mulling over the idea for the past month—ever since I had my Food War with Momo and she let me go through the Sugar RS's notes, honestly. But that wasn't my proposal," Dana said, crossing his arms, "The creation of the Totsuki Centralized Research Society is happening regardless. That was just context for your benefit. The real proposal is to make me club president."
"No way!" Rindo interjected, making an X with her arms. "If anything, Tsukasa should be club president. I, naturally, will be the vice president. And you'll be the tag-along sidekick character that we keep around for comic relief."
"It's my idea! So I should be president! Eishi didn't even agree to join yet!" Dana replied, grabbing a throw pillow from the corner of the couch and bopping Rindo in the head with it.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be? You want to get into a pillow fight with Rindo Kobayashi? You just made the biggest mistake of your life!" Rindo grabbed a pillow and smacked Dana upside his head. He responded with another whack of his own. Tsukasa observed the two exchange blows, moving his head back and forth like he was watching a tennis match. Eventually, Rindo tackled Dana off the couch and they rolled across the fluffy gray area rug spread out on the hardwood flooring of the living room.
"Not to interrupt all this, but, um, according to Totsuki Academy regulations, we'd actually need a fourth member to officially create a brand new research society," Tsukasa said, and the fighting paused almost instantly, "Even if I joined."
Dana threw off Rindo, who had been straddling his waist while trying to suffocate him with a pillow, and asked Tsukasa, "What, why?
Rindo, getting one last shove in, knocked Dana out of the way and said, "Yeah! What gives, Tsukasa? I know for a fact that there are clubs with fewer members than that!"
"Well, those are pre-existing clubs and thus protected under the hereditary clause. There used to be a big issue in the past with individual students starting their own clubs with only themselves as the sole members, and the school's budget was stretched too thin. It even led to the school's very first Regimental Food War. The resulting battle royal between the influx of tiny clubs is what caused the four-person mandate to be passed," Tsukasa explained.
"Hmph! I was hoping to get started right away!" Dana pouted, puffing out his cheeks, "I guess I can just ask one of my dormmates to join. I bet Soma would jump at the opportunity."
"No, wait! I have a better idea," Rindo said, grabbing her phone off the coffee table. Scrolling through her messages, she pulled up an invitation to judge a local cooking contest. "The Spring High School Bake-off is this afternoon. It is a semi-famous competition that brings in a few talented high school chefs from the surrounding schools, including Totsuki. Since I have agreed to be one of the judges, I need to be there anyway. Don't you think this'll be a fun way to scout out our fourth member?"
Dana shrugged. "I guess. I never even heard of this competition before though. I'm not sure we can count on a super talented chef being there, but what the hell. I might get to try some good food."
Glancing over Rindo's shoulder at her phone, he saw the location for the venue. "Hold on, this convention center is, like, on the other side of Tokyo. Are we going to have to take a train or something?"
"Just leave the transportation to me," Rindo said smugly, puffing out her chest.
"Um…I never actually agreed to join." Tsukasa said half-heartedly, but the two pretended not to hear him.
"Let's go, gang! To West Tokyo!"
⸻4⸻
Dana and Tsukasa stared at the white unmarked van parked on the side of the road with equally blank stares. It was the kind of van that parents warned their children never to go near. On the back of the vehicle were heavy looking doors with iron latches. Rust had eaten holes in the bumper and corroded the paint along the wheel wells. Plus the windows were tinted beyond what should have been legal.
"You're kidding, right?" Dana looked over at Tsukasa, "She's kidding."
"Nope. This baby is a decommissioned food truck from my parents' catering business. Though the logos have been painted over, of course. She's all mine now," Rindo exclaimed, slapping the side of the van. Flakes of paint splintered off and fell to the street like lead snow. "Now who's ready to go pick up some kids?"
She skipped over to the driver's side and threw open the door. It creaked, threatening to fall off completely. Rindo hopped inside and slammed the door shut behind her. A moment later, the black window rolled down and she stuck her head out. "You guys coming or what?"
"We're so gonna get arrested," Dana commented, but made his way to the passenger side regardless. With a nervous gulp, Tsukasa followed.
The van peeled away from the curb, squealing as Rindo pressed the gas pedal to the floor. A plume of deathly black smoke jettisoned from the tailpipe and a smell of burnt oil filled the air. Dana and Tsukasa quickly fastened their seatbelts and held on for dear life. Rindo laughed, the wind blowing her crimson hair like crazy.
"Next stop, the Spring High School Bake-off!"
End of Chapter
⸻Author's Note⸻
Welcome! Welcome! We've reached Arc 2 of the Wendigo, Appetizer! Sorry the chapter's so short. I find that the first chapter of an arc is often the hardest to write, followed by the final chapter. Basically, Dana and Rindo are looking to recruit members for their own research society. In order to do so, they decide to check out a local cooking competition called the Spring High School Bake-off. (Rindo is to be one of the judges.). There is also the looming threat of the Training Camp from Hell on the horizon! Just what is in store for our intrepid young heroes? Not even I'm all that sure. Lol. I can't help it; I'm a Pantser that pretends to be an Architect.
At the end of the day, I'm not a writing savant. So if things go a little off the rails that's fine with me. It's not like I'm trying to write an actual, full-fledged book here. I'm looking to have fun, that's all. And if a few people happen to enjoy reading the story, that's just a bonus.
I'm actually kinda excited for this Arc, though it might get a little messy. Hold onto your diapies, babies, we're going in!
Hazardously Yours,
A Horseshoe Crab
Chapter Word Count: 3,510
Arc Word Count: 3,510
Story Word Count: 59,576