“I’ve packed a few bottles of your favorite shower soaps, lotions, and perfume sprays. I packed a month’s worth of outfits, though I’m sure you’ll buy more once you go shopping in the city. I’ve also packed your favorite sweatshirt since I know it’s your preferred sleepwear. Finally, I’ve packed Sir. Al with my handkerchief for his scarf in case you get lonely.” Katia wiggles a stuffed brown bear in the air and dangles it in front of Nadia’s face in a playful way, making her laugh.
“How old do you think I am?” She frowns as though she’s annoyed but doesn’t commit to it.
“Well, you were quite fond of him when you were younger. You wouldn’t sleep without him by your side for the longest time. It was only a couple of years ago that you tried to throw him away, but naturally I took him out of the trash and have kept him all this time. I figured now that you’re willing to move forward with your dad, it shouldn’t cause you so much anger anymore. I added a personal effect of my own since last I checked you still held some degree of fondness for me. Unless something has changed? Should I throw it away after all?” She pulls it back.
“I never said that!” Nadia walks over and takes the bear, holding it against her chest and looking away to hide her bashful face. Katia giggles quietly, finding her to be quite cute and docile.
“I hope now that you’re leaving the nest, you’ll learn to be more honest with your feelings Nadia.” She gently takes the bear and places it in the center of the large suitcase, shutting the lid afterwards. “Otherwise, you’ll never get what you really want and by the time you’re ready to reach for it, it’ll already be taken. I’m sure you wouldn’t be very happy about that, would you?”
Nadia pouts stubbornly. “Why does it feel like you’re secretly lecturing me right now?”
“If it feels like a lecture, then perhaps it’s something you need to hear?” Katia smiles at Nadia innocently, but Nadia knows better than to trust that smile. Katia has always been sly and calculating to get the result she wants, but she’s also right about everything, so her indirect teachings shouldn’t be ignored. Nadia doesn’t respond to her, but she certainly heard her.
“Excuse me ladies, hope I’m not interrupting?” Minster Lowell stands in the doorway of Nadia’s room. He looks around the room, as though it may be the last time. Then he says, “The porter will arrive in a moment to take your bags. I believe he’s stopped by Kei’s room first.”
“No, you’re not interrupting at all, Minister. Nadia and I were just finishing up. I think that’s about everything.” Katia answers on Nadia’s behalf, allowing her to stay silent.
“It’s still hard to believe that after all this time, our young Nadia is leaving home for a new adventure. It must be bittersweet, huh? I’m sure you will look back fondly upon this place.”
“Not at all,” she answers bluntly. “I lived here, yes, but this was never my home. Don’t misunderstand, I have no intention of returning.” Her words introduce an awkward tension to the room, but it’s short-lived when a piercing voice echoes from down the hall, startling them.
“No! What are you doing?! Don’t touch that!” There’s a loud crash from down the hall.
“That came from Kei’s room!” Before anyone else could move, Nadia flit from where she stood to the entrance of Kei’s room in the blink of an eye. “Kei, what’s going on?! What’s happened?”
“Look what you’ve done! I’m going to kill you bastard!” Kei has the porter pinned against the wall with her right arm, while her left-hand grips something desperately in her shaking palm.
“Kei, what are you doing? Put him down right now!” Nadia shouts at her, shocked at the sight.
Kei doesn’t seem to hear her, her gaze locked on the man and a shimmering light outlines her body. Nadia can sense it, her murderous intent. She never could’ve imagined Kei of all people could harbor such a feeling and for a brief moment it scares her, while also giving an odd thrill.
“Keiko!” Nadia calls her more forcefully and uses her full name. This seems to be effective, as the shimmering dissipates and her hand releases, dropping the man to the floor with a thump.
The man wastes no time scurrying away from her. “She’s insane! I just went to take her backpack, and she flipped! She snatched it from my hand so quickly, the force caused that toy to rip in half. It wasn’t my fault!” He pleads his case as his body trembles from the fright.
“Kei, please explain yourself!” Lowell demands an explanation, but Kei again seems out of it.
Still clinging to the item in her hand, she turns away from them and falls to her knees as her sobs become audible. “I’m sorry...I’m sorry...I’m sorry...I’m....” She repeats this continuously. At first it seemed she might have been speaking to the man, but as Nadia steps forward and gets a clearer view of her face, she can see that Kei’s eyes are empty and she probably doesn’t consciously realize they’re there. Looking closer at her hand, she can see a small cotton doll ripped in half.
The stuffing is bursting out and it seems as though it may be broken beyond repair. Nadia recognizes it as the trinket Kei always had hanging from her bag; the single thing she brought with her the day she arrived and the one thing she made clear to never touch.
“Minister, if you could please direct the porter to my room, I have a large suitcase that needs to be transported to the taxi. I’ll offer a formal apology later, but could you leave us now, if you wouldn’t mind?” She speaks maturely and with a rare level of respect to Minister Lowell.
“Very well, but I will expect an explanation and apology from you both later,” Lowell says before leading the porter away, who glares spitefully at the girls before he goes.
“Katia, could you please bring me the sewing kit? If you’d be so kind?”
Katia doesn’t respond right way, still a bit shaken by the uncharacteristic behavior of Kei, but she recovers soon after. “Oh yes, of course Nadia. Just a moment.” She leaves and comes back a minute later with the kit in hand and passes it carefully to Nadia. “Is there...anything more I can do for either of you?” She’s not used to being of no use to them and it rattles her to her core.
“Not right now, but thank you, Katia. I think we just need some time alone if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. Take all the time you need. I’ll go handle that situation in the meantime.” She quickly leaves, closing the door behind her. Only the two young women remain.
“I’m sorry...I’m sorry...I’m sorry....” Kei continues her mindless repetition, each apology sounding more broken than the last. She clings to that doll like a lifeline, and while Nadia doesn’t know the significance behind it, she’d have to be blind to not see it’s clearly something precious to her. Which means she must approach this situation with the utmost caution.
“Kei, do you mind if I borrow that for a few moments?” She reaches her hand down and places it over hers, but Kei’s grip is too firm. “Keiko...trust me.” She hesitates for a moment, but soon Kei loosens her grip and allows Nadia to take both halves of the doll as she finally falls silent. However, her eyes remain the same. Empty voids of agony and devastation. It causes Nadia pain.
The room is deafeningly silent as Kei stares at the ground and Nadia gets to work on repairing the doll. About ten minutes later, she holds the doll in her hand, it possibly looking better than before. She inspects it to ensure no loose threads remain, and in the process she sees something etched into the doll’s dress at the bottom. It’s a name, written in small, yellow words. “Delilah?”
Like a trigger, Kei grabs Nadia’s arm and stares at the doll, her eyes looking as normal. Her gaze then drifts to Nadia. As though just realizing that she was gripping her arm so tightly, she lets it go and drops her hands in her lap. “Sorry...I didn’t mean....” She falls silent again, shamed.
Nadia is silent for a moment, deciding on the best way to approach the situation, but in the end she does what comes naturally. “This doll seemed to be having a rough day, but no worries, I fixed it. She’s all patched up. Doesn’t she look like a real beauty?” She takes Kei’s hand into hers and then gently places the doll in her palm before wrapping her fingers around it. “She’s delicate, so be sure to take good care of her, ok? We wouldn’t want her getting hurt again.”
Kei finally looks up and stares at the doll in her hand. Her tears fall steadily now, streaming down her cheeks and on to the carpet. She presses the doll against her chest and falls forward into Nadia’s arms. “Thank you.” She cries hard, her sobs intensifying with each passing second.
Nadia knows there’s nothing she can say, so she simply wraps her arms around her and comforts her silently. Kei seems to cry endless tears, but Nadia doesn’t rush her. She stays there in that position until Kei finally calms down and falls into a peaceful sleep.