The Carnelian Sparrow

Chapter 5

Alice was idly poking at her half-eaten salad, plastic fork lightly tapping along the side of the bowl in a strange, uneven rhythm. She was staring down at the table, her expression was sullen and her eyes a little dull. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she pulled out her phone for the seventh time since she arrived at the cafe with Yui. “She’s still not answering…”

“Mm. Sorry, babe.” Yui’s plate, which at one point contained a sandwich, was practically picked clean. Three empty glasses which once contained iced tea were beside it, and she was awaiting a fourth. “I uh… I don’t think there’s anything I can tell ya that’d be of any comfort.”

Alice shook her head, pocketing her phone again. “It’s fine. I just… I’ve never gone this long without Esther around, you know?”

“Can’t really relate. I was an only child, after all. Sure, Mom always talked about havin’ another, but, well, that’s the downside of livin’ on the edge of your family’s side of the tracks in the middle of a turf war.”

Looking up, Alice blinked as she stared at Yui. “I thought you were joking about being born into a yakuza family.” Yui joked about a lot of things. Her impeccable poker face and quick responses to everything made it hard to tell if she was being serious or not at any given time.

“Oh. No, I wasn’t kidding. Kinda surprised that Pops didn’t give it away whenever you were around.” Yui’s fourth glass of tea arrived, the server giving a polite and silent bow before hurrying away. “Not even sure ‘Arashi’ is their original name. But yeah. My folks, Yuma and Kaito Arashi. Mom died like a month or two after I was born, and Dad went a couple years after that.”

“I’m sorry, Yui.”

Taking a drink from her glass, Yui quickly shook her head. “Don’t be. I’m not. Never knew 'em, so no reason to get torn up about 'em, y'know? Anyway, not like I got a lot of stories to tell. Pops didn’t really ever say much. He might, given the mood he’s been in, if I asked. But I kinda don’t care. Your mom’s been more than enough of one for me to avoid prison.” Yui laughed quietly.

“Shouldn’t that be your grandfather’s job?” Alice knew the answer, but poking this side of Yui, looking for any cracks in her armor was a pasttime for Alice. She never found any, but it didn’t stop her from trying.

“Heh. Nah. Pops did his time bein’ a proper parent with my dad. Crappy job at it, though. But hey, he’s keepin’ a roof over my head, makin’ sure I don’t go down that road myself, and past that, he’s livin’ life how he sees fit.”

Alice sighed quite heavily. “I wouldn’t call amateur cage fighting in some shady underground den a happy life…”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing neither of us know what went on around the time I was born, then, huh? 'Cause I get the feeling that Pops wasn’t exactly any better back then. Nah, this is definitely tame by comparison. Or he’s pulling my leg, who the hell knows? I don’t care enough to dig that deep.”

Trying to ignore Yui’s carefree tone, Alice finally managed another bite from her salad. “Still… I can’t imagine living without either of your parents.”

“Bet you’re doin’ just fine with only one of 'em now.” Yui’s tone was no longer joking, and her expression darkened a bit. “That son of a bitch…”

Alice closed her eyes, as if trying to force her breathing to stay under control. “…It’s gotten easier. Just like you said. Just like mom said. Just like the doctors said. But it doesn’t feel better.”

“Lemme tell ya somethin’, babe. I had a tooth pulled after a fight last year with some dumbass upper classman. My tongue kept goin’ over the spot it used to be in, as if somehow, it missed the damn thing. But it didn’t hurt anymore once it came out. I was better off without it, but I kept checkin’ the spot, to see if it was still there.”

“Yui… are you comparing my father to a broken tooth?”

“Damn right I am! An’ I damn well wish I was the one to break it off. Son of a bitch, thinkin’ he was on top of everything. Treatin’ you all like that…”

Alice was silent. It was uncomfortable, of course, to confront the abuse that her sister Esther, her mother Marian, and even she herself had suffered at the hands of her father. The details were becoming more and more hazy as time went on. Sometimes, Alice had thought that maybe, just maybe it was all a bad dream, and that she would awaken to a normal, if not distant family unit someday.

But Yui often brought her back to reality. It was that unrelenting bluntness, that complete absence of fear of saying the wrong thing that made most people around them dislike Yui. It was also one of only two tethers Alice had to her reality. And unpleasant as it was, Alice wouldn’t give it up for anything. The alternative frightened her to her very soul. Without both, Alice feared she would lose her mind.

“Ah well. Might not have been me, but the bastard’s rottin’ in jail. I wanna make the biggest bowl of popcorn when he gets to trial. If even one of those charges manages to stick—”

“S-Stop. Yui, stop… that’s enough now.”

Yui relaxed a bit, releasing the grip she accidentally had on the glass. Thankfully, no cracks had formed. “A'ight.” Yui never apologized for any of this, and she never had before, either. Yui was aware, vividly so, of what these talks did for Alice. But Yui also knew when to back off.

Alice would take a moment regain her breathing, doing various exercises to bring herself back under control. Muttering quiet, almost inaudible instructions to herself, various little phrases and chants, and after a minute or two, she looked back up at Yui. Her friend was calm, yet nearly expressionless, just sipping at her fourth glass of tea and staring at the waitress on the other side of the cafe. Alice decided to brave another bite of her salad, followed by a sip of water.

How long had they been here, anyway? Twenty minutes? Thirty? Forty-five? Alice couldn’t really tell at this point. Braving herself to shift the conversation back into comparably more pleasant territory, she looked back away from Yui. “…So what really happened to Koharu the other day?”

“Witch’s Kiss.” Yui’s answer, as expected, was immediate and to the point. “I got to the Witch a little late. Hanako was already kickin’ that thing’s ass, but she was also slippin’ up. I had to step in. She got all…” Yui made a weird swirling motion with her wrist. “She got kinda competitive, I think. Wanted the kill for herself. I get it, given I messed up her first hunt. Problem with that, though, is that this Witch got away.”

“And it went towards the high school? Instead of the college dorms, or even the campus itself? Class had to have still been in session…”

“I thought the same thing, but no. If I had to guess, I’d say there was some attachment to the student body. But instinct’s gonna instinct, so…” Yui took another drink, then continued. “Anyway, we chased it back to the school. Koharu was there, and Hanako was losin’ her mind with worry. So I decided to just step back, keep Koharu safe, and let Hanako just… let it all out. I knew she’d be fine, she almost beat it 'fore I even got there.”

“But she only made her wish this last week, right? Er, not even a week ago… how can someone already have that level of control over her powers?” Alice was tapping the dimmed screen of her locked phone in her pocket, looking puzzled.

As usual, Yui had an answer. “It’s her wish. She told me on the way over to the school. She has depression, like… really bad depression. Worse than you do now, and without any trauma, from what I understand. Shinju’s told me a lot. Anyway, like, she’s had a parade of doctors and mixed bag of every medication under the sun, and this thing didn’t even budge. So she wished for the strength to fight it. That kinda resolve, to live with her problems instead of getting rid of them? I think it made her really powerful.”

“Does Hanako even know that that’s how that works?”

“Not a chance. She’s still figurin’ it all out. Hell, I might not even be right, either.” Yui’s affinity toward her 'sixth sense’ led her to be right more often than not, but even this wasn’t infallible, and both Alice and Yui knew better than to rely on it wholeheartedly.

“Well, Hanako finished off the Witch in less than five minutes. Koharu’d tried to jump out the window. She’s a quick little kid, man. Slipped right out of my arms the second she faked giving up, and bam. Good thing I’m quick. Hanako wouldn’t have gotten her in time, that’s for sure. Maybe later on, when she’s lived this life awhile, but…”

Alice visibly shuddered as the thought crossed her mind. “…Anyway, Koharu is safe and sound now. Midori’s finally starting to relax, if her text messages are anything to go by.”

“Yeah… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if my cockiness caused something serious to happen to that kid. That family’s already got it rough. But Koharu’s a fighter, too. She didn’t roll over with the hand she was dealt, she decided to fight like hell in spite of her condition. Ah, any word from Midori? They went to that journalism thingy this weekend, right?”

Alice shook her head. “Midori wouldn’t let her go after that injury. Koharu threw a fit over it, of course, and I can’t blame her.”

“Tch. First time a chance to let Koharu just… exist as a person without any labels, and Midori goes all worrywart on her. God damn it.”

“Hey,” Alice interjected, “I can’t blame her. You saw that cut, Yui. Besides, would you want to take your autistic child to a group of reporters while she’s recovering from a head wound? There would be child abuse accusations all over the news that night, Yui.”

“…I guess it wouldn’t be any better than throwin’ her into the sharks directly. God knows who’d make what phone calls, or have ties to the government or something. Yeah, I guess I get it. But man, it still sucks, y'know? That kid deserves a break.”

Alice was quiet for awhile longer before she spoke again, returning to a hushed tone. “Do you… think that Koharu will try and wish it away, or something similar to what Hanako did?”

Yui shook her head. “Nah. Those two, they don’t know about that side of the world just yet. An’ if I had my way, they never would. Sometimes, people should just be people.” Yui idly swirled what was left of her iced tea. “It was pretty close, though. I thought Koharu was gonna jump out of her skin when she came back, an’ I was holdin’ onto her. I’m just glad I changed back before she could see it.”

Alice hesitated before speaking again, more quietly than before. “…And then you left a rock in the room, to set up the story that it was vandalism. All without anyone else realizing.”

Yui closed her eyes. For once, she didn’t have an immediate comeback. It would be a few silent seconds before she spoke again. “…I didn’t think they’d actually pin it on someone to save face.” The rare hint of guilt was obvious in Yui’s voice. “I figured, y'know, 'oops, some kid got mad and broke a window, oh well’, y'know? Made sense at the time, when the alternative would be Koharu bein’ blamed for the damage.”

“I get why you did it, Yui.” Alice’s voice was calm, yet still quiet. “But in doing that, I think you accidentally made a bigger mess out of things. And I don’t know how you could even begin to clean it up.”

Yui shook her head. “I protected Koharu, and the big secret about magic. It’s definitely better this way. But you’re right. I gotta figure out how to get the school to let this all go, somehow.”

Alice scoffed a bit. “Too bad you don’t have your wish anymore, huh?”

“Hey hey hey, I don’t regret mine for a second. Sure, it’s weird now, seein’ how quiet things are at home, but I know in my soul I did the right thing.” Yui finished her tea, setting the fourth empty glass down beside the others.

“I guess we’re both in cursed families after all,” Alice muttered. “I wish I could find out what caused all this in the first place—”

Yui quickly cut her off, looking around rapidly. “Careful, babe. Y'never know when that damned cat could be sneaking around, waiting for that exact choice of words.”

Alice jumped a bit, looking around herself now. “R… Right. Sorry…”

After a moment, Yui relaxed in her seat again. “Eh… I don’t sense it around. S'probably safe…” Yui paused, one eye open and scanning the rest of the cafe. “Damn thing’s determined. Not a doubt in my mind that the little cat’s got its paws in your family’s business. Wouldn’t surprise me if it was the reason that you got that cursed blood in the first place.”

“Maybe. Do you think it’s responsible for your lot, too?” Alice was trying to find any silver lining to cling to. As expected, Yui shut it right down.

“Nah. My family was just messed up from the start. I come from organic evil, babe. Yours was storebought. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter s'long as I can keep the genie cat away from you. And as long as you never get so desperate as to want something so bad that you’d sell your soul.”

Alice pulled out her phone again, as if responding directly to Yui’s words, scrolling through messages and social media feeds. “…I wonder. Is that what’s keeping Esther away for so long?”

“What, y'think that Esther’s off diggin’ for some secret, hidden chapter in your family history?”

Alice looked up at Yui, a bit of resolve showing in her eyes. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? She’s never been away this long before, not even close. But why now of all times? Dad’s in jail, we can finally relax for awhile… and then she just vanishes for a week.”

“Has it really been a week already?” Yui’s voice was inquisitive, but Alice knew Yui’s mindset well enough to know what her intentions were. “Seems like a big deal. She must’ve gotten a tip or something, or some kinda hunch. Maybe I oughtta…” Alice braced for the words she had feared upon broaching this subject with Yui, but her actual response caught her off guard. “…Maybe I oughtta just let it be. You keep tellin’ me to stay out of Esther’s business. 'Sides, I’m not in the mood to get my ass kicked again, what with Hanako growin’ the way she is an’ all, I can’t afford too many strong rivals anymore.”

Alice sighed in audible relief. The calmness ended in a flash, however, as Alice’s phone vibrated, the screen coming to life in a bright flash. Unlocking it as fast as she could, she stared at the message as if clinging to a life preserver in the middle of the ocean.

[“On my way home. See you soon. ~E”]

Yui gave a little smile, and Alice knew she had been read like a book. There was no sense hiding it anyway, and she was struggling to get her breathing under control. “Heh. For once, I’m not eatin’ crow. I can make the right call sometimes.”

Alice was too busy trying to calm her breathing to reply. For Alice, her sister was really all she had in her life, for as long as she could remember. Her parents were often away at work, odd hours, long into the night, weekends, days, nights… it seemed like they were hardly ever around.

And when they were around, it wasn’t any happier. Marian was often tired from work. Esther took care of the house more or less on her own, though she never seemed burdened by it. The way Alice saw it, Esther wanted to provide their mother with any fleeting comfort she could. It was the least she could do to soften the burden that Marian faced under her husband’s presence. Alice never really knew the depths of her father’s abuse towards her sister or mother, and almost everyone that knew her agreed that it was for the best. Someone just entering high school didn’t need the burden of learning about the minute details, after all.

The day Tomokazu Rinju was dragged out of his home in handcuffs was the most emotionally turbulent day of Alice’s life up to that point. Marian had spent the day crying, covering bruises in an effort to keep the peace, to lessen his punishment, or perhaps simply out of fear. Esther had locked herself in her bedroom, only coming out hours after the police had left. Alice hadn’t even registered the questions she had been asked, let alone able to give any coherent replies.

After that, there was a lot of silent meals, awkward conversations in passing, and an overall stillness in the Rinju house, making the air itself heavy with tension. Days passed, and the silence would gradually show cracks in its foundation. Esther would leave her room more often, and Marian would show fewer tears as her wounds healed. In all of this, Alice couldn’t understand it all. But everyone reassured her that it was better this way.

“Yo, Alice!” Yui was waving her hand in front of Alice’s face to get her attention. “You uh… you alright, babe?”

And through it all, Alice had Yui. A loud, disruptive anchor that kept Alice grounded at all times. The band activities helped as well. Midori was quickly proving herself to be a trustworthy confidant, and the newcomer, Shinju, had proven herself a constant source of positive morale. Even Yui was more at ease when Shinju had joined the band, and made no secret of it.

“Y-Yeah, sorry.” Alice only briefly glanced up at Yui from her phone, giving a weak, yet reassuring smile before turning her gaze squarely back down. “Um… I guess I don’t have to worry about it anymore. Not right now, anyway.”

Yui gave a warm smile in return. “Heh. Told ya so. Now, anyway, I have no idea what I’m gonna do about this whole broken window…” Yui’s voice would slowly fade into a sea of white noise as Alice drifted back into her mind, finally able to relax a bit.

[“On my way home. See you soon. ~E”]

An older looking girl, about eighteen years old, wearing a simple, sleeveless white dress, skirt neatly straightened down to her knees stuffed her phone into her pearlescent purse. Her light blonde hair was held back in a tight ponytail, resting perfectly in the middle of her shoulders, pressed against her back.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, leaning against the inside of the bus shelter she was standing under, listening to the rain falling against the wooden roof. “At least you’re not lying to her this time…” She was muttering to herself in a somewhat frustrated tone.

Esther’s search hadn’t proven fruitful at all. The lead had been promising, but all she found was yet another dead end and cryptic puzzles. For all she knew, this little village had nothing to do with her family at all. She was putting her academic future in jeopardy coming here, and it was all for nothing.

Almost nothing, she would remind herself. She felt the plain, unmarked envelope stuffed into her purse beside her phone. Esther didn’t remember finding it, but as she prepared to return to Mitakihara, she had found herself with it, as if someone had snuck it into her possession.

She dared not open it. Not yet. Not here. Not now. But somehow, she knew more than anything that she couldn’t let Alice find this envelope, either. Somehow, she had a feeling of dread, that everything she had done since making her contract with Kyubey would come undone if Alice knew what was in this envelope.

Even if Esther herself didn’t know the contents yet.