The Way the Wind Blows (Third Entry)

A New Rival

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yuri asked me.

I leaned forward on the couch, placing my elbows on my knees and my hands on my forehead as if I was praying. Shaking my head, I looked back up in Yuri's direction. She was clearly concerned.

"I think so. I just don't know what's going on right now."

"Do you think it's Maricana or Odysseus trying to tell you something?" asked Jacob.

I shook my head. "I doubt it. If it was something serious, Maricana would more than likely come to me about it directly, and I'm sure Odysseus has her hands full with Spencer."

"What if something happened to Maricana?" Monika asked, not meeting anyone's gaze. I could tell that she didn't want to say what she said.

I paused before considering the possibility. It was true that I hadn't heard from her in a while, but Odysseus would tell me, right?

"When was the last time you heard from her, Noah?" Natsuki asked me, tightening the grip on my hand.

"I think it was right after the wedding," I answered, pursing my lips. "That was probably about a week ago at this point."

Nobody said anything for a couple of minutes until Jacob broke the silence. "There's nothing we can do about it until you try to get answers, Noah. Try to get some rest, and get ahold of her while you're at it."

I gave him a small smile. "I can't promise you anything, but you're right. Let's meet back up in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Sayori questioned.

I shrugged. "Well, Jacob's right. We can try to guess all we want, but it won't change anything until I talk to Maricana."

Another minute or so of silence passed. I carefully stood up and turned to the group. "Get some rest guys. We'll talk in the morning."

"Alright, then," Monika said. "Good luck, Noah."

I thanked her, and with that, everyone began to return to their rooms. Natsuki stayed close by me in case I happened to lose my balance. As we stepped into the room, I gently placed my hand on her back to put her ahead of me.

"I'm okay, Nat. I promise."

She turned to me and shook her head. "You worry me so much sometimes. At the game, you seemed to be doing fine until later. What was that about?"

We climbed into the bed, but I remained sitting with the bedsheets over my knees. "That was when it started. I began to feel feverish, and a feeling of dread just washed over me."

Natsuki pursed her lips in thought. "I think your body's trying to tell you something."

I gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"I can't really explain it," she said, shaking her head. "I've had similar experiences before."

"Maybe you're right."

After a few seconds, Natsuki sat up and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Go to sleep, Noah. You need to do what Jacob said. Get up with Maricana and get some answers. We'll figure everything out in the morning."

"What if she doesn't show up?" I asked her out of worry. She gave me a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay, Noah. I'm here for you."

Natsuki's words calmed me down enough to where I could lay in the bed with her. She reached across me and placed a hand on the side of my face to make me look at her.

"We're with you until the end, honey," she said softly. "You don't have to worry."

I nodded. "There's just so many 'what if's,' you know? You can't help but think about all of the things that could happen tonight, tomorrow, and the days after that."