Chapter 13: Dark thoughts.
8:00 PM
Dinner time arrived. The students gathered in groups around long wooden folding tables, where they feasted on bowls of ramen, ham and cheese sandwiches, or other dishes prepared by a squadron of female cooks. The air was filled with the sound of female voices and laughters, plus music from portable radios and other devices. Miho was a guest in Alice's tent, and sat at a table eating a bowl of steaming ramen. Neither of them spoke. Between bites, Nishizumi looked at the surrounding furniture: a cot, a nightstand, and, on top of it, a Boko teddy bear.
"I see you're a fan of Boko," She said cheerfully.
Alice nodded.
"I have been for years… In my house, in my room, I have several Boko teddy bears!"
Miho smiled.
"I have some too, in my apartment at Ooarai…"
And I wonder what will happen to them, since the school will close and I will be left for dead.
Alice nodded.
"It's nice to meet another Boko fan."
Nishizumi giggled, then asked,
"Listen… How long will we be here?"
"2/3 days, then we'll leave. All this chaos makes it impossible for us to enjoy the peace and quiet of the forest… And in any case, our stay was already coming to an end."
Also, there's the risk that Miho's friends and the police will come back to snoop.
The Oorai commander nodded.
"I see… Then will you take me to your mother?"
"Yes… She's currently in her penthouse in Tokyo."
Alice snorted.
"And speaking of which… It's better to inform her of what happened right away."
With that, she reached for her Smartphone. Miho looked at her unconvinced.
"But… Are you sure?"
The brunette nodded.
"Yes… This way we'll avoid any misunderstandings."
Alice logged on to Facebook, and wrote a detailed message to her mother. When the little girl had sent it, she said:
"Now we can only wait for her response. If it's positive, you can meet her."
But… What if it was negative?
Miho wondered, not daring to ask the question out loud.
For all she knew, Shimada-sama would refuse to grant her an audience. Or worse, that woman might alert the police to her presence in the camp. Then Miho's plan would go up in smoke. Alice seemed to read her mind, so said:
"Everything will be fine, Miho-chan… My mother is a kind-hearted woman."
"But will she accept a Nishizumi in the house?"
"Your mother disowned you, right? You are no longer a Nishizumi." Shimada junior reminded her.
Miho was saddened, then took a spoonful of ramen.
Yep… Now I'm an outcast, with no future… And if Chiyo rejects me, I'll remain one.
Since plan A (i.e. suicide) had failed miserably, she now had to try plan B. If that failed too… Well, there was no plan C. She could become homeless, like Saki Yoshida… But the idea of beatings, violence and a miserable life didn't appeal to her at all. She might as well try plan A again… Getting run over, or resorting to other methods. Miho shook her head, to push those gloomy thoughts away, then went back to dinner.