Akari rolled over and landed with a thud on the floor. She thrashed around to untangle herself from her sheets before giving up with a groan. She brought a hand up to rub her stomach and stared at the ceiling. The house was strangely bright for 6:00 in the morning. She craned her neck back to look at the clock on her nightstand.
"1:00!" She cried. She shot up from her position on the floor, but her stomach disagreed with the sudden motion. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she dashed to the bathroom and nearly missed the toilet before spewing up the empty contents of her stomach. The bile burned her throat and tears seeped from her eyes.
"Ugh," she moaned. "What is wrong with me?" She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up to look at herself in the mirror. She brought her face closer to the glass in morbid fascination of the creature staring back at her. The beast had a puffy face, dark circles under the eyelids, cracked lips, and puffy hair. She laughed. It was either that or cry from the sheer horror of it all. She pressed down on the bandage above her eye and winced. The swelling had gone down but the wound itself was still tender and sore. She tried to remember what happened the night before, but the events were fuzzy. She hated not remembering things, especially after she ended up in the hospital a few days ago. Tugging her dress and underwear down in one single motion, she stepped in the shower, pumped some coconut-scented shower gel on a washcloth, and stood under the steaming water for about a minute before soaping up. She combed her fingers through her hair and felt clumps of dirt run down her hands. She wrinkled her nose. How did that happen? She squeezed half a bottle of silky white shampoo over her head and vigorously scrubbed her scalp until it felt clean. Something crazy went down last night, for sure.
She had no idea how she managed to sleep until 1:00 in the afternoon. Her internal clock woke her up every day at 6:00. After wrapping a towel around her body, she stepped back into the main part of the house and noticed a slip of notebook paper by the door. She stooped down and unfolded it, scanning the contents of the note with curiosity before rolling her eyes in irritation.
Good morning, Akari. Or good afternoon. Or good evening...whenever you actually get up and read this letter. I harvested all your crops and put them in the bin. I also fed your cow and horse, because without me, they would have starved. I expect to be paid accordingly. Plus, I should charge you for extra labor, after carrying you home, for throwing up on my shoes, for forcing you to brush your teeth and to get you in the bed. Don't get drunk again. In fact, don't touch alcohol period. You're not that cute when you're intoxicated. Anyway, look in your fridge. See you tomorrow. With my money, of course.
Chase.
How embarrassing. Memories of the night before came rushing back to her. She remembered playing the never-have-I-ever game and chugging down that disgusting, sludgy brown liquor. Gross. No wonder she felt sick. And he had the nerve to make fun of her. The bastard. She peered out of the blinds and scanned the farmland. Tall, luscious green stalks swayed with the gentle breeze. The wooden bin was overflowing with plump, shiny crops. Some of them had spilled over on the grass. She frowned. Her crops were never so picturesque. Chase possessed the coveted golden thumb, a magical limb capable of turning average crops into sparkling objects of perfection. She could imagine the cash flow now and began to worry what would happen when Chase went back to work at the bar. She walked over to the fridge as he had instructed and opened it to find a glass of orange juice and a raisin bagel spread with cream cheese. She took a cautious nibble. It didn't taste weird. Probably safe to eat.
Her stomach released a beastly growl. As she scarfed down her meal, she wondered who actually won the game.
Knock, knock, KNOCK.
Akari's heart sped up with the unexpected sound. She tossed her plate and glass in the sink, dashed over to her drawer and pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of faded overalls with strings hanging from the hems. She wiggled her feet into her work boots and opened the door.
Owen laughed. "Damn! What happened to you, Akari?"
She couldn't help but laugh too. She preferred his amused reaction over a potentially disgusted one. It's not like Owen had never seen her unkempt, and she had certainly seen him roughed up after spending hours in the mines. "Ha ha. Laugh all you want. I guess I had a little too much fun last night."
He raised an eyebrow. "Hungover? So, you can drink now, but I can't?"
She paused before responding. Talking to Owen was like navigating the eye of a storm. "I'm not the one with the drinking problem," she teased, forcing a hesitant giggle.
He just laughed. Whew. "Yeah, you're right. You deserve a little fun. You work too hard." He glanced over his shoulder. "I just looked at your bin. Those crops look amazing! What did you do?"
She opened her mouth to answer, but then she remembered that she never told Owen that Chase was working on the farm. It was definitely for the best that he didn't know. If things were tense between them now, she couldn't imagine how worse things would get if he found out. She didn't know why Owen acted so hostile toward Chase. She talked about him as much as she talked about the other villagers, just a casual mention every now and then. What was there to be jealous of? "Oh, I guess I do my best work when I'm crippled." She slumped over and mimicked holding a cane.
He laughed again. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad, right?"
She frowned. Not that bad? "I don't know. Dr. Jin said I really did some damage to my head. Plus, I'm kind of paranoid that somebody is out to get me."
He dismissed her with the wave of his hand. "That happened a while ago. You feel better. And nothing has happened since. Right?"
She leaned against the doorframe in defeat. "I guess."
"Anyway, I came over to take you on a picnic by the church. I owe you after missing the Firefly Festival last night. Probably better that I didn't come considering how much fun you guys had."
She smiled. "It's not a party without you, Owen. And that sounds great. Did you actually cook everything?"
He winked. "I might've asked for a little help. I'll give you a few minutes. Need me to do anything out here?"
"Nah. I think everything's taken care of. Just let me put on some decent clothes."
"Roger that."
She saluted him as he headed toward the barn and then thumped her head against the door. The last thing on earth she wanted to do was go out and eat. The bagel and orange juice were plenty enough food for the day. Still, she didn't want to disappoint him, and she had to admit that it had been a while since they had a proper date. She rummaged through her drawers for a suitable outfit and decided on a brown skirt and an airy white blouse. She paired them with a pair of diamond earrings Julius had made for her birthday and some jeweled sandals. After applying some light makeup and curling the bottom of her hair, she admired herself in the full-length mirror. "Hey, cutie."
She brought her face closer to the mirror and peeled the gauze from her forehead, wincing more from the adhesive than the cut. She was surprised that the cut looked so small. Dr. Jin had made it sound like this gaping, gushing wound that spewed blood everywhere. The stitches reduced it to nothing more than a light red scratch. She washed around the cut with a soapy washcloth and replaced the old gauze with a nude Band-Aid. She hoped Dr. Jin would remove the stitches in a few days.
"Hey, Akari! You almost done?" She heard Owen shout from outside.
"I'm coming!"
Akari stepped outside and shut the door. The air was crisp and cool under the summer sun. Gold wildflowers and dandelion stalks sprawled across the grass. An orange and black butterfly fluttered from each flower, competing with the hungry bumble bees in search of nectar. Scarlett whinnied and frolicked across the farmland while Bella stuffed her mouth full of hay. Chase was true to his word. They looked well-fed and taken care of. Owen took Akari's hand and gave her a little twirl. "You look wonderful."
She beamed as she dipped back. "I do, don't I?"
He laughed. "You're as humble as ever."
Owen and Akari walked hand-in-hand through town in comfortable silence. They caught sight of Luke, Dale, and Bo towing equipment over to the bar in an orange wheelbarrow. Dale's dog, Boss, gnawed on a large bone as he trailed behind. Owen let out a low whistle and Boss's ears perked up. He dropped the bone and sped toward him, barking erratically. The dog pressed his paws against Owen's chest and nearly knocked him over. "Whoa, boy!" Owen turned his head left and right as the dog licked his face. Akari scratched behind the dog's ears, and his tail thrashed with delight.
"Get your own dog!" Luke shouted. He patted his knees and Boss obediently waddled over to his masters. Akari thought about offering the trio some lunch from her picnic with Owen. They deserved it. Rebuilding the bar was going to be a daunting task.
As the two of them approached the church grounds, Owen placed his hand over Akari's eyes. "No peeking!"
"Okay, okay!"
She felt an unexpected wave of affection for her boyfriend. For a long time, she only felt fear and apprehension. She wondered if she would ever get over all of the pain he caused and now it looked like things were looking up. Finally. He gently placed one hand on the small of her back to guide her. Then after a moment, he removed his other hand from her face. "Viola!"
She opened her eyes to find a red and white checkered picnic blanket spread under a cherry blossom tree. Yellow and white tulips were placed in the center inside a slender glass vase. A pitcher of ice-cold lemonade sweltered under the sun. But the food...so much food. Cookies, pies, sandwiches, fruit, salads, pasta. Akari could feel her stomach expanding. "Wow, Owen. You really went all out, didn't you?"
He smirked. "Not all."
He took her hand and got on one knee. Akari froze. "Akari...you're more exciting than a Ferrari. Sweeter than honey, and damn, you're funny. I'm no good at poems, but I know this to be true. The sky is blue, and I love you."
Akari stared at him for a long moment before roaring with laughter. "God, that was awful."
He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Way to shoot a man down."
She winked. "It's a good thing you're cute."
She sat down on the blanket and filled her plate with an assortment of fruits and leafy greens. The produce looked good but nowhere near as brilliant as Chase's. She hummed to herself as she drizzled vinaigrette dressing over her salad. Owen watched her with a smile. "I'm glad we're here together, Akari. I know the last few weeks have been rough."
She studied him curiously. "And how's that going? I mean, you know. The drinking thing?"
He smiled but his eyes drifted away from hers. He started to pile his plate with desserts. "I told you. You make everything so much easier."
She frowned. "So, you don't miss it at all? No weird withdrawals or anything?"
He laughed. "You make me sound like some kind of drug addict. C'mon, Akari." He stuffed a spoonful of chocolate cake in his mouth and swallowed before continuing. "And no, I don't miss it. I feel great. Let's just enjoy this, okay?"
Akari plastered on a smile. She now looked at all the food around her and wondered how she was going to eat it all. She took nibbles of her fruit as Owen animatedly recalled a story involving Chloe, Paolo, and an unfortunate stray rabbit. Meanwhile, he had already gone through three sandwiches, three bowls of pasta, and half an apple pie. Before long, she could hear footsteps approaching them. She squinted and spotted Gill walking over with his hands in his pockets. Owen caught Akari's eye and raised an eyebrow.
"Gill?"
Gill casually swept his bangs to the side, revealing his icy blue eyes. "You act like you've never seen me before."
"Hey, Gill," Owen greeted warmly. "It's cool to see you and all, but we're kinda in the middle of something."
"I was hoping to speak to Akari privately."
Akari flinched. "Wait, me?"
Gill narrowed his eyes. "Unless you know of another Akari. Yes, you."
She didn't hesitate to stand up, but Owen held out his hand. "Wait. You can't say whatever you need to say to Akari in front of me?"
"It's a personal matter. So, no."
Akari wrung her hands as she watched an eerily familiar look cross over Owen's face. "Relax, lover boy," she joked. "You know Gill's all business. I'll be right back." She outpaced Gill and led him to the front of the church doors. It took him a moment to catch up. She exhaled with relief.
"So, what's up, Gill?"
He cleared his throat. "My father and I have thought a lot about your situation. Well, at least I have. I decided to look further into your case…"
Akari smiled. "I have an actual case?"
Gill ignored her. "Anyway, I spoke with some of the villagers and asked them whenthey last saw you on the day of the incident." He peered sideways at Owen, who remained seated by the tree with his back facing them. "One person who wishes to remain anonymous said that they last saw you and Owen entering the Fogue Forest just a few hours before the storm hit. Do you remember that?"
Akari gaped at the man in front of her. "I-I remember telling him that I needed to get lumber. I was going to board my windows. But...I can't remember actually going. I just know I woke up in the clinic the next day."
Gill placed a hand on her shoulder. She was alarmed by the sincerity of his gesture. "I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet, Akari. But I would advise you to be careful around him."
Akari's legs felt numb and frozen in place. No way. There was no way Owen would intentionally hurt her. He promised to stop drinking. She swallowed hard and turned to look at him. He stood with his arms folded, gazing out at the ocean below. She shuddered at the thought of what could've actually happened and pushed the image out of her head.
She sighed. "Thanks for taking this seriously, Gill. I've been going crazy."
He shrugged. "This is bigger than you, Akari. If you're in danger, then that means anyone on the island could be. And I take my duties seriously."
Now she put a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to be a great mayor someday. I can tell."
Gill's pale face turned a shade of pink before he cleared his throat again and adjusted his collar. "Well then. I'll be in touch."
"Thanks, dude."
He gave her a strange look before heading back towards the town. Owen jogged over before Akari could rejoin him by the picnic. "You two looked chummy. What was that all about?"
Akari felt a cold wash travel down her spine and a heavy weight in her stomach. She couldn't stop shaking. "Oh, you know Gill. I still owe him for that plot of land I bought months ago. I've been way behind on payments." Her laugh came out stiff, but he didn't notice.
Owen gave her a playful punch on the shoulder. "He needs to relax, right? You're doing your best. Plus, you've been, uh, sick."
She bit her lip, trying to blink back her tears. "Just ignore him. Now let's eat."