Red Days

Chapter Two

The next day she was on a plane bound for Japan. As promised she was flying first class, which was an experience in itself. It felt strange to be flying 40,000 feet above the ground and not be crammed in beside hundreds of other passengers like sardines in a tin. Julian, who always flew in the luxury and comfort of first class, always cringed at the idea of business class and she feared, after this experience, she might do the same.

Leaning her chair back, she fitted a pair of headphones over her ears and flicked through the film selections. She discovered one for the Free Willy films but decided against it, considering her destination was where many dolphins, including some Killer Whales, used in the entertainment industry were captured. Selecting a tongue-in-cheek comedy, she snuggled beneath the blanket that had been left on her seat along with an eye mask and a small bag of toiletries, only half watching the film as her mind wondered ahead of her to that cove in Taiji.

She dreaded what she would find there.

Surprisingly, Keiko managed to sleep through most of the flight, only waking when the air-hostess' came offering food and drink. Yet, when she stumbled off the plane she felt utterly exhausted. Despite her comfortable, spacious seat, hours spent cooped up, breathing re-circulated air still took their toll.

After going through security and then collecting her baggage, she exited Kansai city airport and queued for a taxi to take her to the hotel where she would spend the night before headed to Taiji in the morning.

The first thing she did when she got up to her room was log into the Wi-Fi and try to Skype Julian. He had been less than pleased when she told him she was going to Japan.

Answering on the third ring, his handsome face filled the screen. "Hi, babe, how was the flight?"

"Long and boring, but you were so right about first class. I don't know how I'm ever going to go back to the holding pen."

He laughed. "I told you, it's worth the extra money."

"It's only worth it if you actually have the extra money."

"Well, lucky for us I make a lot of money," he smirked, but then his expression turned serious. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about last night. I got pissy for no reason; this is a really good career move and I don't want to hold you back. I've been under a lot of stress at work and I took it out on you."

"It's already forgiven," she answered with a smile, lying down on her bed, "I know you work long hours and it gets to you sometimes. Besides, I stop listening once your voice goes above a certain level."

He laughed. Clearly, he thought she was joking.

They chatted for a while longer and he told her about his day and that he planned to go drinking with friends on Friday night. Before hanging up she cautioned him not to get too drunk, but she knew he wouldn't heed her warning.

Once she'd put her phone away, she decided to take a bath, sinking down into the bubbles she'd poured into the steaming water. A long soak relieved her aching muscles and a cup of green tea, boiled using the little plastic kettle on the desk, filled the hole inside of her. She was hungry but couldn't be bothered to go in search of food.

After carrying out her nightly ablutions, she curled up in bed and tried to sleep. Hours of restless sleep on the plane had left her shattered, but despite that she couldn't drift off. Eventually she gave up. Shoving the covers away from her impatiently, she swung her legs off the bed and padded over to the desk where she had put her laptop.

She made herself another cup of green tea and decided to check her email. Finding nothing of importance, she wasted time scrolling through social media, before decisively shutting the tabs down and opening a new one, searching for more information about the man who was supposed to be meeting her at the train station.