Paige Stevens
"Itadakimasu"
People were eating in their classrooms. Paige on the other hand was in a passage outside the principal's office her back against the door, not doing a thing beyond listening to her heart thumping against her chest, infinite potentials forming in her mind.
She pulled up her phone and scrolled for Drake, dialled and got ringing back. She'd have thrown her phone, weren't it… you know… her phone…
She went to voice messages.
"I don't know what you're doing. I never do anymore. But, I miss you, I get it, you took Jin being gone hard. But he can't be the only reason you were going to school, you have a family, me and now Jin. Yeah Jin's alive and is going through the fucking most." Paige said in a tight throated whisper yell.
"Come back!"
She buried her face into her hands and hugged her knees.
"Gochisosama!"
"Fuck" Paige sighed, listening to the scrapping of tables, time was messing with her.
The door she'd rested her weight on opened and an army of adults marched around a teenage blonde buffoon on her back with her knees up, like a roach.
The principal locked eyes with her as she jumped up.
He didn't say a word, simply turning away. She hadn't noticed the non-Japanese man between them. He smiled directly at Paige.
"[You must be his friend.]" He said in American, the twang subtle.
"[Yes.]" Paige said smiling.
He hesitated. She fake smiled, staring at the ground, face turning red.
"[That's her real accent. She's a native.]" Jin said.
"[I really can't believe how good yours is.]"
"[I play a lot of Warzone. I've learned a lot about how you all treat other people's mothers.]"
The man laughed.
"Paige, I have to be pranced in front of the camera for a moment." Jin said dropping back to Japanese.
"Sounds fun." She said, trying not to look at the fascination in the foreigner's eyes as she spoke.
"Let's go."
"Let's?" She repeated, brow raised.
"Yes, unless you found Drake."
"No."
"Then 'lets'"
"Cool."
It was awkward and awful with her working to be supportive using nothing but the power of existence. Despite herself she retreated. Jin turned, they locked eyes before he gave a nod, his face suggested he was letting go of a limb. She smiled, a camera in his face, Jin spoke of what he remembered, which was nothing.
She needed to pee anyway, preferably in a toilet that would let her just sit and process. She froze.
Jin hadn't eaten.
She took off at speed, running to a high wall overshadowed by a huge tree, she climbed the branches and leant over the wall. There was a street cart with a young man working a flat sheet of metal where meat sizzled loud like the cheers of an invisible crowd. She was assaulted by a mix of smells bonding hard enough to make her diaphragm sink and stomach-ache.
"Arai Sempai." She yelled.
He turned.
"You still have Bento?"
"Of course, I have extra just for you."
"You seen Drake? Is he working the construction yard?"
"I didn't go to the yard in the morning. But I saw him packing at the ports." He said, to her, box in hand.
"Wait, make it two, Jin's back."
He froze.
"What? Didn't he disappear? It's been a month!"
"Yup, that's what this is all about," She said, pointing at the vans.
"It's that big?"
"Well, I guess, but most people don't care. I think it's all the conspiracy theory forum people."
"You make us sound weird."
"You're a forum lov-"
Paige screamed, hands had grabbed her ankles and yanked.
She dropped like a log, thudding and bouncing around the branches until she flattened on the ground. She squirmed, hugging her chest before being kicked. She popped an eye open to find Rie and Natabane kicking her.
Paige could taste blood, it sped up her battle to worm away. Solid kick after solid kick landing where they could, yet to be kicked skin tingled, the hairs stood only to be flattened by feet.
Stomping followed.