Just the Truth

Chapter 13

Akio's POV

"Akio. Up Akio, you're late,"

"Kaasan," I yawned begging my mom for a few more minutes in bed.

"Are you crazy, iie. Its already one in the afternoon. Get up, you have to drop your sisters off at school," she shook her head at me muttering more things inJapanese that I couldn't hear because she had already left my room. I sighed and got up. We had a late start day in school today. It starts at three rather than our regular seven o'clock so we got to sleep in, I think I slept in a little more than I should have.

I put on fresh clothes and walked across the hall to the small room my two little sisters shared. Well our apartment in general was pretty small but we were better off than most of the people in my neighborhood so I wasn't complaining.

"Gina why aren't you up yet? Where's Mai?" I asked poking my head cautiously into their room. Gina was still curled up in her bed.

"You were still asleep until mom came to yell at you," Gina countered.

"I can't tie my shoe," I heard a voice complain and I went around Gina's bed to see Mai on the floor, frustrated.

"Here," I told her, bending down to help her.

"She's five and she can't even tie her shoe yet," Gina scoffed.

"Yeah, well you're nine and you're not even changed yet. Let's go or I'm leaving you," I told her and Mai giggled as we left their room and headed around to the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast?" Mai asked our mom who was bustling around in the kitchen muttering some more. My dad must've already left for work.

"Udon," my mom told us, suddenly remembering we were in the kitchen with her. She turned around and handed us three bowls of thick rice noodles in soup.

"What? But we had that for dinner," Mai complained.

"Well you're having it for breakfast, now eat. You're late," she scowled, biting her nails.

I left Mai to eat her food when Gina arrived at the table in her school uniform.

"Kaasan?" I called out for my mom softly as I followed her into the kitchen.

"What?" she asked me.

"What's wrong?" I asked her and she gave me a soft smile as she put her hand on my shoulder.

"Nothing Akio, nothing. I just woke up with the worst feeling in my stomach today. I need to go pray. You should take the girls now, before you miss school altogether," she sighed as she fixed the collar of my shirt.

I was worried for my mom but she was right, we were running late. Gina was in the kitchen braiding Mai's long black hair. When she saw me she quickly tied the braid at the end and ushered Mai out of her chair.

"Everyone got their backpacks?" I asked and they both nodded their heads.

"Can I take Nobu with me?" she asked

"Alright but run and get him," I told her and she gave me a huge toothy smile before running back to get her stuffed teddy bear from her bed.

After we were all finally ready to go we left the apartment hurriedly. If we walked quickly we could make it to the subway on time. I'd probably get to school late but at least I'd get both of them on time. We bustled through the busy streets avoiding all the people yelling and walking.

Mai saw a stray dog and tried to feed him some of her lunch from her pack so I had to pick her up promising we'd come back and find the dog after school.