A typhoon was coming, but it may as well have been the apocalypse. Mayor Hamilton stapled warnings on the town's bulletin board, harassed every shop to remind them to close down, demanded the weather channel air reruns of his "plea for safety" and mailed flyers to those who didn't own a TV. Chase was one of those people. He found the flyer on his doorstep one morning before work. He laughed before balling it up and tossing it in the garbage.
The mass hysteria was ridiculous. Chase had traveled the world and experienced every storm imaginable: hurricanes, tornadoes, monsoons, blizzards, etc. In fact, a few months back he and Pascal had made the trip to Castanet through a pretty relentless tropical storm, and it was awesome. He slept undisturbed as the ship thrashed through the night. Chase couldn't recall any instances of widespread panic in all the places he lived. Extra precaution, yes, but no one ran screaming for the hills. Then he realized Castanet was pretty isolated from the outside world and probably wouldn't be receiving much help in the way of money and goods should things go awry.
Maybe this was a bigger deal than he thought. His paycheck was at stake.
"My parents are staying here till the storm passes," Selena grumbled. She stood outside with her arms crossed as Chase and Hayden hammered boards against the windows. The bar had next to no business; everyone was either gathered at the inn or the general store in preparation for the storm. This was the first time he went into work and didn't have to cook. He felt agitated by the change.
The blustery breeze did nothing for the intense humidityChase felt as though the air was closing in all around him. Beads of sweat dripped from Hayden's unkempt beard. All the while Selena stood there complaining about everything, especially her parents.
"I mean, I get not wanting to stay onToucan Island," she babbled on, "But do they really have to stay at the bar? Why can't they check in at the inn?"
Hayden sighed. He brought his calloused fingers to his temples. "Why would you make your parents pay to stay at the inn when they can stay with you for one night?"
Selena raised an eyebrow. "Because they're annoying!Why do you think I left in the first place?"
Chase opened his mouth to speak but decided against it. He was trying to get into the habit of not insulting other people. Maya now received three insults a week as opposed to one every day as before. Both he and she were noticeably happier with this arrangement. However, Selena still noticed his hesitation. "What?"
Chase shrugged. Forget tact, she asked for it. "I mean, you brag about being a dancer. Don't be embarrassed now because your folks are coming. You don't care if a bunch of guys sit around and watch."
Selena stooped down to pick up a spare hammer and came charging toward him before Hayden stepped between them. "Stop you two! I mean it!"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm going inside."
Hayden shook his head. Working with 20-somethings had to be taxing on the poor man. "Before you go, do you know where my daughter is? She was supposed to help us out this morning."
She stood at the door and pursed her lips. "I think she went to see Akari."
Hayden frowned. "That was over 3 hours ago."
Selena shrugged. "Don't look at me. I don't know what's going on. But I'm sure she'll be back any minute now." She opened the door and walked inside before it squealed shut behind her.
Hayden glanced at Chase for answers, but he was just as clueless to Kathy's whereabouts as Selena was. She didn't meet him at the steps before he clocked in as she normally did. The two men boarded the last window and heard the sound of clicking heels. They turned their heads and saw Kathy jogging toward them. Her pale skin was a light shade of red and her hair was plastered against her face.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she said. She reached for the first bottle of water she could grab, which happened to be Chase's, and chugged it down, water pouring down her chin and wetting the collar of her tank top.
"Me too. Chase and I already finished," Hayden said.
"Yeah, it was a lot of hard labor. We could have used your masculine touch," Chase teased.
A childish pout spread over her face. "I really am sorry, dad. It's just...I can't find Akari anywhere. I went to every district, and no one has seen her. I'm worried."
Hayden stroked his chin. "Did you ask Owen?"
Kathy shook her head. "Chloe told me he was sleeping. And when I went again-just a few minutes ago actually-Ramsey said he was still sleeping."
That piece of information caught Chase's attention, although he wasn't sure why. Owen was known to wake up before the birds and the earthworms to go smash rocks in the Garmon mine until sunset; him sleeping until noon was definitely unheard of. Still, he didn't understand why his brain recalled this insignificant detail and registered it as weird. He had not seen Akari or Owen in a few weeks, and he didn't think too highly of either to be concerned about their wellbeing.
"I'm sure she's fine," Hayden said. "You know Akari. She's probably in the Fugue Forest gathering lumber for the storm."
"I hope she's not going to stay in that rickety old house tonight," Kathy said. "It's just not safe."
Around 5:00 pm, Selena's parents arrived with about ten bags of luggage in tow. Selena looked horrified. Apparently, her folks one night only had changed into a mini vacation. While Selena's mother, Sue, was pleasant and grateful, Selena's father, Samson, had a bigger mouth than his daughter. As Chase and Hayden hauled the overly packed bags on their backs and shoulders, Samson complained about staying in a "dank, rotten bar with a bunch of low-lifes" and chastised Sue for not booking a room at the inn. Chase was tempted to throw Samson and all of his bags in the ocean and make him swim back to Toucan Island. Thank God he wouldn't have to spend another minute with that family.
Hayden allowed Chase to leave early. After Kathy made him promise to stay safe, he headed back home. Harmonica Town was desolate, but Chase found the solitude peaceful in the ominous atmosphere. The waves below were thrashing against the pier, causing it to creak from the pressure. He inhaled the now cool, salty wind as it whistled through the air. Lightning zigzagged through the stacks of gray clouds blanketing the sky like a dark veil. He sped up his walk as it started to drizzle. If it started pouring, he was screwed. When he passed Akari's farm, he glanced at her house. Dark. Didn't mean anything. She could have been asleep.
Unfortunately, the floodgates of heaven opened and brought a downpour of rain as Chase reached the bridge to Flute Fields. He swore. Now he was unable to see more than a few inches ahead of him. He broke out into a run. Almost there…
He tripped! He landed hard on his knees before catching himself with his hands. He felt the stinging pain immediately. Fantastic. An injury was the last thing he needed. He looked behind him to see what had caused him to fall.
A body. A ghostly white, petite body with short brown hair. Akari!
He crawled over to her and put his head against her chest. Her shallow breath tickled his ear. She was alive. She had blood leaking from a gash above her left eyebrow. The cut wasn't clean, like with a knife. But he wondered how long she was there and why no one noticed her. He racked his brain for an idea of what to do, but he didn't have any other choice than to bring her back to his house. The storm was raging, and no one was going to come out to help them.
He gathered her tiny frame into his arms and hobbled to his house. The flashes of lightning and sheets of rain made it impossible to see, but he made it home. His door was conveniently cracked open, so he only had to push against it to go inside. His sandaled foot landed in a pool of water on thehardwood floor. He flicked the light switch with his elbow. Nothing. Flicked it again. A wavering, dim light emerged and gave the room an eerie asylum look. The power was going to go out. Now he wished he had prepared for this storm. The general store would have carried some matches at least. He carried Akari to his room and placed her on the bed. She groaned.
He needed to find something to stop the bleeding on her forehead. As an afterthought, he looked down at his own skinned knees and saw that they too were rain had washed the worst part of it away, but the blood was beginning to resurface. He went to the bathroom and grabbed two damp washcloths and two towels. He pressed one washcloth against Akari's cut and wrapped the towel around her shivering body. He used the other cloth to alternate between dapping the blood from his wounds.
No, he would not be winning any medical awards for this, but he had to make do with what he had. In the morning, he was going to take her to the clinic and then he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. If the clinic was even standing by morning.
With the towel over his shoulders, Chase slid into his armchair and sighed. Akari's breathing returned to normal, her chest rising and falling with the towel. He remembered his last harsh words to her from a few weeks back. And truly they never spoke after that encounter. It was better that way. He would never allow himself to feel genuine concern for anyone else again.