Sarah Lewinski
My face is not nearly wide enough to contain my smile. The second we step off the plane and into the streets, I'm whisked away by the fantasy world of Japan. The demographic is so much different here than it is back at America's Asylum. The Japanese have more defined facial structures than we do back at home; sharper cheekbones, edgier jawlines, angled eyes, prominent collarbones. On top of that, their hairstyles are far different than anything I've encountered. How I'd love to just set up my art easel right in the center of the city and begin to sketch. I'd have to completely alter my shadowing techniques, but I think I could produce some of my best work here.
"If you don't get your head out of the clouds, you're going to miss them," Elektra's voice buzzes in my ear, gruff and husky as usual. "I don't see those guys anywhere, and it's not like they're hard to miss, either..."
"She'd look but I don't think she spontaneously grew a whole foot since boarding the plane," Leo defends, putting his hands on his hips. "And don't even ask me to help," he sasses, putting a hand up in the air. "I'm not much taller."
"As if I'd expect help from you, Leo," Elektra barks back. Aggravated, she sighs. "Ren's a giant. I figured he'd be towering over these people." I'd say that Elektra grows impatient, but she's always that way.
"Mother dearest seems upset," Leo whispers into my ear, standing out like a sore thumb. Nervously, he tugs on his suspender straps and looks around. "I know I said I'd bet that Ren and Kya would tear each other to shreds the other day, but I didn't think that they'd be so beaten up that they couldn't pick us up."
"They're just late," I hopefully assure. "Besides, I don't mind staying out here for a while. Even in this one spot, there's so much to see. And I haven't seen Cerberus or the girl he's with, so there's always something to be grateful for."
Warmly, Leo smiles down at me, almond eyes softening his gaze. I stare back into his chocolate pools, feeling like I could dive into their sweetness and be satisfied with just seeing him. Leo is the one who breaks the contact, shifting his weight between his feet and taking in the bustling people. "There's a lot to take in. I remember working in the cafeteria and seeing everyone line up for dessert on Saturdays...I thought that was a lot of people. I can't imagine how you're feeling. You've been locked up in Asylum for six years and went bonkers every time one new person showed up. Now you're here among hundreds...thousands."
Leo promised he would never read my mind, and it's times like these that makes me think he broke that pact. He thinks exactly what I think and seems to be the only one who knows how to console me or share my feelings. And in times like these, when I'm forced into such new and overwhelming environments, that I truly realize how important he is to me; how lucky I am to have such a great and familiar friend by my side.
"It's incredible," I muster. "I wish I could capture it all in my head, like pictures."
Eagerly, a slow smile forms on his elfish face. "Like pictures, huh?" he coyly asks. He reaches into his carry-on bag, fishing for something that he seems anxious to give. "So, you're currently in the market for a camera?"
Leo, not without his usual bravado and confidence, unveils a camera – a digital one with attachable lenses and flash and a wristband. Star struck, I gasp and reach out to snag the small device, but right before my fingertips brush the gadget, Leo pulls it out of reach. "This is actual torture," I grumble, knowing that no matter how far up on my tiptoes I go, I'll never be tall enough.
"I said you were in the market for a camera – not the go-fund-me charity."
"Right. So, what's it going to cost?" I prod, willing to get down on my knees and beg in front of all these people. If that's what it takes – I'll do it.
"How about we go out tonight?" he suggests.
"We are out," Elektra points out, not caring to conceal her obvious eavesdropping.
"I meant out out," Leo corrects, rolling his dark eyes to the top of his head. "How about the Minato Mirai, in Yokohama? It can't be more than an hour's drive from Tokyo," he insists, cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. "Just an hour at the MM and the camera is all yours, m'lady."
"Hmm..." I hum, acting like I have to contemplate a win-win situation. "I really want a camera, so I guess you're my guy." I wink at him just as something catches Elektra's eye, distracting me from seeing the furious red blush taking over Leo's mocha skin.
"Kya's here," Elektra says over the buzzing crowd. "And she's alone."
I follow her train of sight and spot Kya, smiling and waving us down from outside the taxi she must've arrived in. Indeed, Ren isn't in sight. I don't even feel his familiar and vibrant energy threads – and that's not just because there's tons of people packed together like sardines. Making sure we're all together, we hurriedly shove our ways through the crowd and dive into the taxi, Kya taking the front seat and flashing a strange medallion to the driver and rattling off a destination.
Right when Kya's stopped talking, Elektra wastes no time in pouncing on the whereabouts of Ren. "Where's our fire boy? And what's that medal you're carrying around?"
Kya frowns as she looks down at the bulky object, which is a half-inch thick and the size of her entire palm. It's golden and the emblem on one side is of a dragon, while the other side is a Japanese character. "It's Ren's symbol. But the entirety of Japan knows and worships him as the Dragon. We get anywhere and anything virtually free with this. By carrying it, we're allies of the Dragon and have his blessing."
My breath hitches in my throat. "You mean the people know about his power and they glorify it?" I don't think Leo's been praised for his power, but I also don't think he's been deprecated because of it. As for Elektra, I have no idea about her past, but I know that my abilities were far from being well-received. I was considered a demon, and shunned from everyone because of the scars I bare. I'm almost jealous of Ren for basically having a fanbase.
I almost resent him for never wanting to return to a place so accepting of our kind. We're on the run from people who only want to lock us up because we're dangerous, and none of us have a refuge. The fact that Ren was so reluctant to keep this place away from us angers me. And to think that he had some damaging past here. What much could've happened? What could've possibly happened that would overshadow this magnificent place?
Leo brushes the side of my arm with his soft fingertips. Whispering, he asks, "What name do you think they'll give me when I make it big? Something like the Mastermind? The Puppet Master? The Reader of Souls..." he rattles ridiculous and totally-unattainable names, which gets on Elektra's nerves, but it helps me lighten up a bit.
"So, how is the young master doing, if I may be so humble to ask?" the driver asks us, but mostly Kya.
Her cheery smile vanishes and her teeth tug on her bottom lip. One of her slender fingers traces the outline of the medallion dragon and her shoulders sag with a sigh. Both Leo and I notice the sudden change in attitude, and both of us are as baffled by it as the next guy. "He's solemn," she finally answers, not giving any details to the driver.
"That's a change," the man notes.
This peaks Elektra's curiosity. She leans forwards so her head is between the driver and passenger seat. "You mean to tell me that we're not the only ones who know that guy as a hateful bastard?"
Kya cringes at her words as the driver gasps and slams on the brakes, swerving off the road, ripping his seatbelt off, and lurching at our Zeus. She stays as is, unfazed by the man's advance. Her seafoam eyes are flat with strength as one of her caramel brows raises high. "The Dragon is a token of the gods! One with blessed powers can only be delivered to us by the heavens itself. The fact that the young master exists here is proof that the divinities favor us. He is a living gift!"
A smirk crawls on her tanned face. "So, you're saying people with powers like that are special? You dedicate shrines to them and worship them and do as they want you to?" she challenges, eyes sparking with a strange gleam I don't understand. I reach out for her threads, entering what Leo calls "Dress Up Time," where "the doll" fastens her threads to another being and takes on what they feel.
Once I connect with Elektra, I feel a sudden desire that burns bright in my chest and runs in my veins. It's unmistakable, even though I've never personally experienced this feeling, I know what this is. The feelings of ambition, desperation, and hunger. She wants power, and in my mind, I see the concept of power as bright and furious shades of red. Ever since I was taken into Asylum and took up painting, I've related emotions to colors – it helps me know what I'm feeling, and if you're close to me, like Leo or Kya, you'll know what I mean when I say I'm feeling yellow: happy.
"Of course," the driver says in a matter-of-fact tone. "Those with the gods' taint are our masters. We must honor them."
As if possible, Elektra's sly smile stretches farther. "Well, then...I'll have you know that –" The lightning markings by her hands start to glow. Hurriedly, I reach out and clasp my hand on them. She looks down and makes eye contact with me. Discretely, I shake my head – multiple "young masters" in Japan will certainly raise suspicions of other potential Asylum lurkers, if not give Cerberus and his companion an idea of our exact whereabouts.
But Elektra doesn't care for holding back her identity. She opens her mouth. "I have the ability to –" She doesn't get to finish her thoughts. Elektra suddenly gasps for air, doubling over and clutching her abdomen, as if willing her lungs to expand. I find myself doing the same, considering I've knotted my threads with her and punched myself in the diaphragm. For now, she's confused as to where this fit of pain has come from. Later, I'm sure she'll be coming after me once she figures out it was my doing.
Kya's pale gray eyes widen, then look to me, instantly figuring out what's happening. For a moment, I wonder if I've disappointed her. Violence was always Kya's last resort, and ever since we met and became good friends, I've always kind of looked up to her. She'd never harm a fly. I can't possibly imagine what she did to get put in Asylum in the first place...
She smiles and nods her head, approving of my actions. We must've had the same idea: one supernatural celebrity is enough to go around. Relief inundates my chest in shades of light blue as the knowledge that I won't be penalized from my action sinks in. Leo leans over. "The Voodoo Doll strikes again," he whispers, lips curled into a prideful grin.
"Keep it up and I'll keep on going," I threaten. Both of us chuckle. There's no way I could ever really hurt Leo, even despite his name-calling.
The driver huffs, pulls back onto the road, and drives us closer to the country part of Japan. When I imagined seeing the dojo, I pictured one of those smaller buildings with a pointy roof and paper walls – something like that. Then again, this is based on hazy knowledge I learned as a child before Asylum, and that library didn't exactly have many works on the architecture of Japan...
But when I see this structure, it's enough to put my frilly ideas to shame. Yes, there are some pointy roofs, but that's where the similarities start and end. There are multiple buildings themed gold and red, swooping archways with elaborate décor, a pavilion of stone with the design of Ren's dragon, a shallow, rectangular pond with flowers, a majestic view, and what looks like a viewing deck three stories above the central dojo. Excitement builds up in my chest. I want to explore, I want to paint the scene, I want pinch myself and wonder if it's real. Swirls of fresh green discovery flow in my mind. There's only one thing missing from the picture here: Ren.
Elektra whispers, looking at the enormous dwelling. "Nice place."
"Nice?" Leo echoes, jaw on the ground. "My grandmother was nice, my cooking was nice, and eating five cheese dogs before engaging in a car chase? While stupid, I'll still admit it: it was nice. This..." Leo opens his arms up to the home, beaming at its entirety and stillness. "This is a palace! That driver guy was right. This place really is fit for the creation of the gods."
I imagine Leo has taken particular interest in this reclusive location because of the noise. I think being a boy who reads minds and has the side effect of turrets has a lot of noise going on upstairs. This will be the perfect place for him to enhance his power and get that noise under control.
"Kya," Elektra gruffly calls. "Where's everyone? Where's our moody boy?"
She takes a deep breath before telling us everything; if we need anything at all, just call for a Sage; Ren has requested time alone, and though Kya hasn't seen him at all for hours, she's seen a lot of activity among the Sages; in the viewing deck, she's certain that the nearby traditional village has caught wind of Ren's presence and has been preparing something special.
"Do you know what happened to Ren?" Leo asks.
Kya sees through his meaning, knowing he's asking about the Dragon's past. For some odd reason, she gives Leo a funny look and dodges the answer. "He's requested time alone." She covers up the behavior with a charming chuckle before spinning on her heels, hair flowing behind her. For the first time, I notice she's showered and changed into clothes that aren't hers; flowers decorate her hair with bangs braided back, and an informal yukata is what she bares. "Sage!" she summons. From inside the red home, a couple of elderly men and women dressed in gray robes emerge. "These are the others."
A woman steps forwards and nods. "Master Walker extends his welcome. Please, allow me to show you to the bathhouse. From there, we'll take your measurements and dress you. Tonight is a special occasion: the return of the young master."
The bathhouse is one giant, steamy facility in which we all will be cleaning in...together...at the same time...naked. The thought of Leo and Elektra – or anyone for that matter – seeing me naked is mortifying at the least. It's not that I'm insecure about lacking in the curvy department, but my scars will surely put my companions on edge. For me, the markings covering my flesh aren't tattoo-like imprints or glowing eyes or tinted hair – it's the raised, wrinkly, pale slashes and spots of healed wounds. Every scar stands for a time where I wanted to hurt someone so bad that I risked damaging myself. And I have many, many scars...
We're dressed in satin robes, lingering at the edge of the bath, which is large and square, filled with what looks like (but isn't) watered-down milk. Rose petals float on the surface and the scent of the sweet flora almost relaxes me. Despite Leo's bold behavior, even he is hesitant to disrobe and dive into hygiene; he's always been hard on himself about how he looks, saying he's too skinny and his hair is too wild, and his eyes are boringly brown. I never paid much attention to how he looked, physically, because Leo's boisterous and cheery personality always outshined what was on the outside.
Both of us are surprised when Elektra lets the robe fall on the tiled ground and descends into the bath. Her shoulders instantly relax as she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. An almost-smile crosses her typically harsh face.
Sudden shock crosses Leo's face as his chocolate eyes widen. Gasping, he points to the door as if Asylum is right behind me. Whirling around, I discover I am too easily fooled, as nobody is there and a splash startles me from the bath. Leo has dived in, ashamed of his physique. In a way, it's kind of nice that out of all our supernatural problems, we still have time to worry about things like appearance. Although, for someone who wants me to paint him naked so bad, he is a bit sheepish...
Sighing, I sit on a bench, which is built into a wall. Elektra opens one of her green, sea glass eyes and stares me down. Before the silence gets uncomfortable, she shrugs and closes it again. I wonder if, in the end, she's happy we accompanied her on the plane instead of hitching another flight.
"You're not going in?" another voice asks. I'd jump in shock, but I recognize the smooth tone. Shades of dark blue familiarity taint my vision as I make eye contact with Kya, who smiles at me. "I was a bit uncomfortable with it, too, but it took one look in the mirror to make me forget all about modesty."
"It's not that, exactly," I grumble as Kya sits next to me, tossing her hair to the side. Nervously, I roll up the sleeves of my jean jacket, exposing my blemishes. "It's embarrassing."
"I don't think so," she negates, reaching out and touching them. "But I'm guessing mere opinions don't matter." It's like she's read my mind, and I wonder if I'm that transparent. "I doubt that anyone here would view you differently if you showed your markings freely. And there's no need to hide it from the Sages – they know just about everything."
Lightly, I shake my head, watching Leo doggy-paddle through the white water like a child. "That's not it, either. To me, the scars have a darker meaning. It's like a tally-sheet of everyone I've hurt. Nobody else has markings like these."
Kya cringes, like I've hit a soft spot. Is she feeling sorry for me, or is she relating to me? I want to connect to her strings and see which it is, but it feels wrong to know how everyone feels without them disclosing it on their own will. "I don't know about that," she whispers, eyes looking at a floating rose petal, but mind travelling down a darker path. "But hey," she perks up, suddenly cheery and spritely, as if trying to thwart off the shadows trying to consume her. "Maybe if I learn that healing sub-power, I can get rid of them for you."
Creamy swirls of hope swim in my head and I smile. "I'd love that."
"You know what else I'm sure you'd love?" she asks, getting a deviant gleam in her pale eyes, which is something I've not seen in her before today. Maybe that long plane ride with Ren had him rubbing off on her.
"What?"
"Not smelling like a hobo," she teases, smiling. "Try to enjoy yourself."
"Okay..." I unsurely mutter, stepping to the edge of the pool. To stall, I ask Kya a final question. "How's Ren doing?"
Her smile falters, but she doesn't try to put up a happy façade. She lets herself look vulnerable and fragile, and in these moments, it's crazy to think she can stop bullets in frozen rain. "I don't know. It's like the moment he got here, he's locked himself in his room. Or, maybe he's snuck off into the city, or for a walk outside..."
"You're worried," I state, not needing to tether myself to her to know what feeling she's experiencing.
"Yeah," she admits. Though I guessed her qualms, I'm still a bit astonished at the revelation. From the corner of my eye, I see Leo drop his jaw again, shamelessly listening in. "The Sages are keeping quiet as to what he's up to, and I don't know if it's because they want the celebration tonight to be as much a surprise as possible, or if it's what Ren requested."
"Wait, the celebration is tonight?" I inquire. "Leo and I were going out around midnight..."
A husky voice groans in agreeance: Elektra. "Yeah. I was going to look around, too."
Kya frowns and taps her foot in thought. "If you guys can be back around one in the morning, I'm sure it can be pushed back a bit. Or we can start at the normal time and extend the duration..." She furrows her brow and releases a frustrated breath. "I'm not the one in charge here. I'll have one of the Sages pass the message to Ren. I'll see you guys around," she finishes, turning away and stalking out the bathhouse, a cloud of vexation looming over her head.
I can't blame her for being aggravated. We've all come here, to Ren's home, seeking safety from Asylum and the chance at a new life. Things got complicated when our pursuers followed us to Japan and the Sages showed up. We would all like to know the game plan: where are we accepted? Where should we stay away from? What customs should we adopt? Will we impede on the duties of the Sages? Yet, Ren has chosen to hide away.
Frowning in hues of black, I get over my scars, slide my robe off when no one is looking, and slip into the white. Warmth consumes me in welcoming oranges and Leo paddles to my side. He asks me a question that will probably consume the rest of my evening. "So, if we get rid of our Asylum stalkers, are we staying in Japan? Or, are we going home?"
I'm a bit confused, at first. "Home?" For six years, Asylum was what I called home. For the nine years before then, the little cottage in Montana was my home. Remembering this, I'm struck with uncertainty. My dad was out of my life, but my mom was doing just fine, last I remember. But has she remarried? Moved away? Has the absence of me in her life been filled with another child? Has she forgotten about me? "Home..." I repeat, lost in mysterious fogs of gray. "I don't know if home even exists anymore. We've been gone a long time."
Leo's shoulders sag with my assumption. "I worried about that." Sighing, he cups his hands and lifts some of the water up in his palms, staring at it as it slips out of his grasp. "I always wondered if they forgot we existed. I mean, we all forgot how we even got to Asylum. I wonder if my mom forgot I was ever there at all..."
"Impossible," I state. "Our families have pictures, preschool graduation certificates, our clothes in our rooms, the stretchmarks from our birth. That can't all just disappear. Even if their minds forgot us, we'd still be all around them. They'd figure us out again, eventually."
Leo shudders, which sends shivers down my own spine. I feel connected to him, but not in the way that uses my powers. "What if they don't want to?"
My reaction is similar to being slapped in the face. Our parents not wanting to remember us? That's insane. They are our mothers and fathers and grandparents and foster guardians. They raised us and they love us, right?
But the more I think about it, I start to doubt myself. I've been missing from my home for six years. You'd have thought that, if my mother really wanted to have found me, then it would've been done by now. Asylum would've been discovered and we'd all be rescued. Somehow, it doesn't make sense that six years of dedicated searching would give us weak results. Unless...maybe...our parents knew we were taken someplace strange and they've been trusting that we're in decent hands. I pray to God that isn't true.
Despite my negative thoughts on the issue, I place a hand on Leo's shoulder. I forget that beneath the water, we're naked and I'm consequently touching open skin. I retract my hand, somehow uncomfortable with touching my best friend. "I'm sure that's not true," I promise, my lies coming across as crimson slashes of violence.
Leo seems to drop the issue, and at the other end of the bath, Elektra sizes us up, as if putting Leo and I on one end of a scale and putting something else on the other. Her lips curl downwards with whatever thoughts she's thinking and she rests her head against the bath wall.
Despair seems to be slowly taking hold of the future, despite finding a haven that accepts our powers, if not exonerates them. Part of me wants to know Kya's thoughts on the situation with our parents, but I know she already has a lot on her plate. Ever since she exercised some odd part of her power in the car, she's been off. Though she tries to hide it with sudden smiles and a cheery tone, I still notice it. Ren's disappearance doesn't seem to be helping, either. I don't know if it's because of the Swap or if they've become friends, but I'm almost positive Kya would relax a bit if he came out of hiding. Maybe she'd even tell us what was wrong.
The Sages come into the bathhouse, bringing tape measurers and sample garments. "I hope you've washed," the ambassador-like Sage begins. "We will take you to get your measurements and clothes for tonight now. Please, come with me."
Too much is on my mind to care about being seen without clothes. I crawl out of the bath, sleeve into my robe, and follow my assigned Sage. The world is decorated in teardrop blues, bottomless blacks, and muddy browns; sorrow, hopelessness, and confusion.
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