Vicissitude Yang Side

by Destine Williams

  “She might’ve killed them too.”

  Heaven shakes her head. “Megumi is the only missing employee from that night. And besides, that would’ve meant that she had to carry two bodies.”

  I exhale. What else could it be then? She looked small and petite like Megumi, so there’s no way she could’ve lifted two by herself. “Do you think that woman in the ICU might know something?”

  “Perhaps, but she’s still in critical condition. I doubt she’d be talking to anyone anytime soon, if at all.”

  Bah. I want to kick a wall, but getting upset now isn’t helpful. “So what now then?”

  “You get some rest. That’s all you really can do right now. Be rested so when something opens up, you have the energy to do something.”

  I’m tired of waiting being all that I can do. I pick the mana bottle off the table. For a brief moment, CRISIS-D crosses my mind, but I shake it off. It wouldn’t make any sense for CRISIS-D to be behind Megumi’s death. Sure the girl was covered up, but I didn’t see any of those dragon whisker things that Genji was talking about and she didn’t have red eyes either. And if she did look like one of them, I’d find it hard to believe that they would outright kill Megumi and keep Shig. Especially if they really want Heaven’s research. If anything, it would’ve made a lot more sense to keep Megumi alive and use her as a bargaining tool rather than Shig—no offense to him as bargain bait, of course. “Hey Heaven, can I ask you something?”

  Heaven picks up the briefcase Chandra left behind. “What is it?”

  “I was wondering if you’ve ever heard of any kind of magic creature with red eyes and really long whiskers, but human-looking?”

  Heaven’s green eyes narrow like two sharpened jade knives. “You’ve seen one?”

  I’m taken aback by Heaven’s sudden change in mood. “Seen one? You know what it is?”

  Heaven’s nails drum against the brief case clasp. Then her fingers pull into a fist. “Dragons. They don’t have perfect human forms, but you definitely know that you’re dealing with one if you see red irises.”

  At the old house my Mom’s spirit said to stay away from dragons. I had been thinking that she might’ve been talking about an organization or something, but she’d been talking about real dragons! “What are they like?”

  For a minute, Heaven just stands there looking at me with those narrow eyes, making me wonder if I said something wrong. But then she puts the briefcase back on the table. “Let me show you.” She grips the hem of her dress shirt and hikes it up.

  An old stab wound runs from her navel up the middle of her stomach, skin sewn together with strange light stitches.

  I put a hand over my mouth. “Gods…How the hell did you survive that?”

  Heaven lowers her shirt back down. “I didn’t. There was too much blood and no one around to help.”

  “Wait a minute. Then how are you alive?”

  “The goddess Bastet took pity on me. She’s the one that put those stitches on me,” Heaven says. “You probably heard me talking to her the other day.”

  Goddess? I thought Mai talking about Amaterasu at Ise Shrine was bizarre enough. But Bastet, an Egyptian goddess? What next? Buddha? Jesus? Shiva? Athena? Venus? Satan? Is Zeus and his raging thunder balls in on this shit too? I put a hand on my head. “I’m sorry. I just need a moment. This is a lot.”

  “I understand. It’s a lot to take in, but I don’t really know any other way to explain it,” Heaven says. “But dragons are terrible.” She tucks the briefcase under her arm. “Of course not all of them are, but that stab is from the King of Dragons himself and I’ve lived around them myself. So I can say that the majority of them don’t fall far from his example. They’re dangerous if you’re on the wrong side of their opinion.”

  “I know. They killed my mother and shot someone I look up to,” I say.

  Heaven’s gaze widens in surprise and then softens. “I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t know that they were in this world.”

  “This world? You mean there’s another world?” Oh gods. At this rate, I think I’m going to need a damn drink.

  “It’s not that much different from this one, but yes. This world that we’re in is the Brother World. The other one is its opposite Yin half: the Sister World. That’s where the dragons come from. And where I come from. Kitsune and magic are a lot more common there, but technology is nowhere near as advanced as it is here,” Heaven says. “Most people have a polar counterpart there too.”

  “Polar counterpart? You mean like there might be another me in that world somewhere?”

  Heaven nods. “Another Jun living in Tokaido. But she might not be one hundred percent the same as you. She might live different, dress different, have different views. But she will look exactly like you.”

  The more words Heaven says, my brain feels like it’s ballooning into some kind of hot air blimp, getting lost in this sea of new worlds and doppelgängers and dragons. I don’t know if I should be more terrified or fascinated. “How did you get here then?”

  “The simulator has some capabilities, but you could get there via Bo’s Reservation as well. Though, it’s not allowed for everyone. The council there has to decide on your case. And they’re not that inclusive. You just have to hope that they like you enough to let you through. But I can’t tell you how the dragons get here. They’re beyond me.” Heaven says with a shrug. “But you can probably assume that they’re living under the radar while they’re here. They could be anywhere and the police wouldn’t know it.”

  Prickles spear up my back. Anywhere?

  “If you see even one dragon, I don’t care if you have a whole army. You run, Jun. I told you before that secrets are the strongest weapon you can have. Well…” Heaven turns away with the brief case in her hand. “Dragons are the reason why.”

  Rain showers pelt the car as I drive my way home as if the sky itself wants to punish my car for asking about the dragons. The whole ride my innards are as unsettled as clothes in a tumble-dry cycle. If Heaven, someone who already know magic and wayfinding, got stabbed, killed, and revived so she could have a fighting chance against the dragons, then what chance to I have? Heaven got lucky and Bastet picked her up. But I can’t bank on that happening to me.

  I really thought magic was the way to go. But there has to be something. No one is invincible. And there’s no way I’m going to let them get away with tearing my life to shreds.

  I take the exit ramp back into the heart of Aokai. Cars plod forward into neon light-lit puddles slowly like squeamish kids hesitant to touch an animal, windshield-wipers wildly swatting rain. Everyone unfortunate enough to be on the streets walking are huddled forward beneath their umbrellas, bracing themselves against the weather like explorers braving a harsh wet concrete tundra.

  I stop a block away from the house to refill Tammy’s car at the chi station, grateful that the awning protects me from the rain. I might be immune to Devil’s Disease, but I know for a fact that I’m not immune to colds, the flu, or anything else.

  The rain eases up into a fine drizzle by the time I pull into the driveway. No umbrella on me, I don’t have a choice but to make a run for it from my car while pin-thin droplets pepper my face and eye lashes. Teeth chattering and shivering, I press my finger to the entry pad. My shivers make the pad take a whole extra twenty seconds to read my chi sample before it lets me in. Once inside, the first thing I do is turn on the heater and run upstairs to get out of my wet clothes.

  5:30 and 7:00 are either closer on the clock than they used to be or, I'm just too tired to keep track of time anymore because it seems like I only have a few minutes to catch my breath, change, and get warm before the doorbell triggers King's barking.

  Damn. Regi's here already? I race down the steps to get the door.

  Regi is shivering in a parka and his laptop bag. “Jeez, the weather is losing it or something. I don’t remember Aokai getting this much rain last year.”

  “This the normal amount Regi. We’re still in
typhoon season.”

  Regi grunts. “It’s gonna be streets-full-o-water season in a minute if the rain don’t let up.”

  I hope not. I can only imagine what the rain is doing to my gun this moment. Though the gun itself is fine inside the box, the rain might displace the gravel. The last thing I want is for someone else picking up my box. Bah, I really don’t want to go after work. Or in the rain. But if I keep making excuses, I’ll never go back and get that gun. Tomorrow or nothing. “Did you eat already?”

  “I ate a sandwich a few hours ago, but I wouldn’t mind helping cook something,” Regi says.

  The sound of help with cooking is like a soothing sax solo to my ears. “We could have something simple like curry.”

  Regi snaps his fingers. “I was hoping you would say curry.” He unzips his laptop’s bulging side pocket and tugs out a shaker of curry powder. “We could use this brand. It’s pretty tasty.”

  I quirk an eyebrow at him. “Should I even ask why you’re carrying curry powder on you?”

  “Well, if you must know…” Regi takes off his laptop bag and sets it on the floor. “It was my turn for grocery shopping and Mom wanted curry powder. But when I took the bags in the house we couldn’t find it, so Mom got on my case.” He strides into the kitchen to put the curry powder on the counter. “So I went back to the store and bought some more and she used that. Then I figured out the old curry powder rolled under the seat while I was driving. So here we are.” He grins. “The green top brings out my eyes.”

  “No comment, Curry Boy.” I enter the kitchen and open the lower cabinet. “Take the chicken out. I’ll get the rice cooker.”

  We get to work on opposite ends of the kitchen. Regi chatters excitedly about apartments and houses that he found in Aokai while he slides onions, mushrooms, ginger, boiled potatoes, and cubed chicken breast into the hissing skillet. I, on the other hand, wash and measure out the rice, only chiming in with a question or obligatory “hmms” and “uh-huhs” or the occasional “Really?” It feels like I’m in the middle of some kind of cartoon where all the other characters are going about their business and I’m just an accepted part of the background, or that I’m just in a different world altogether and reality is just a faded echo. I can’t stop thinking of what Heaven said earlier. Megumi is dead. My best friend is dead. How does that happen, just out of the blue? It feels wrong, like I should’ve seen some kind of warning. Is all death this sudden? I never thought about it when I pulled the trigger on other people. Does the surviving family think a victim’s death is too sudden for them?

  “Babe.” Regi’s abrupt voice makes me look over my shoulder. He’s peering at the rice cooker. “Just wondering if you’ll ever plug the rice cooker in.”

  I blink and look down, only to find that the rice cooker is plugged in and on. I scoff and swat a smirking Regi on the shoulder. “Fuck you, liar.”

  “Oh come on. You know I don’t mean any harm. But I was talking to you and you weren’t saying anything so I got worried,” Regi says, rubbing his shoulder. “Are you feeling okay?”

  I rest my elbows on the counter, watching steam collect on the underside of the rice cooker top. “It’s been a long day, Regi and…I found out Megumi’s not coming back.”

  Regi’s warmth engulfs my back as he hugs me from behind. “What do you mean?”

  “She was murdered." Thickness gums my throat. “I walked right by her killer and I didn’t even know it. I could’ve done something.”

  Regi kisses my shoulder. “It’s not your fault. There’s no way you could’ve known that just by looking at them. I mean it’s not like people can walk down the street and just know you’re an assassin.”

  “I know, but…Regi she’s gone.”

  “Well, I’m no expert on grief or loved ones dying.” Regi lets me go to stir the curry. “I can’t say do this or do that and you’ll feel better. Do what you have to do to help move on. Just don’t leave those bad feelings inside, you know? They need to come out.”

  He almost sounds like Dr. Chandra. Almost. But he is right. If I want to be able to keep using my magic, I shouldn’t be hanging onto bad feelings.

  I stand up straight. “By the way, yesterday didn’t you say that your parents got me something?”

  “Oh yeah. I have it,” Regi says. “But I kinda don’t want to take it out because of the rain. It’s in the truck.”

  “You brought your dad’s truck?”

  “Had to. It didn’t fit right in my car.” Regi shakes curry powder into the skillet and coconut milk. “Plus my dad’s truck has a trunk cover. Don’t worry. He’s cool with it as long as he has something to get to work.”

  What the hell did they buy that’s that big?

  “And since you told me about Megumi, I just remembered…” Regi puts the curry powder down and holds up a finger. “Life Insurance. We need some. In case anything happens.”

  I watch the steam vent from the rice with a frown. Bleh. Adulting. That’s all Regi seems to talk about these days. For once, I’d like to talk about something else that’s not marriage, bills, or looking at property. Gods I know it has to get done, but does it have to be in my attention every single second? “We’ll get some later. Big stuff first.”

  “Alright, well how do you want to split chores and bills? I was thinking maybe we could break it down day by day.”

  Hot irritation vipers under my skin. “Regi we can worry about that when we actually have a house.”

  “Well, did the three bedroom apartment sound interesting or the two bedroom house?”

  “Baby, wouldn’t it make more sense to talk about this when we can actually sit down and both look together?”

  My unanswered question hangs for a while. “Regi—”

  “I heard you.” He adjusts the fire. “But you keep saying later, later, later.” He shoots me a narrowed green glare from over his shoulder. “When is later, huh?”

  “I only said later for the Life Insurance. I said we can talk about the house when we can sit down and look together. Not when we’re cooking and watching food.”

  Regi scoffs. “I’m cooking and watching food, Jun. You could look up the houses if you want to that rice doesn’t need watching. I’ll tell you the addresses and everything.”

  I fold my arms. “What are you getting all worked up for?”

  “Because I want to get important stuff done and it feels like we’re just lagging, Jun.”

  I squint at him, arms loosening from their tight knot. “Lagging? Lagging behind who?” When he doesn’t answer I put a hand on my hip and step to his side. “Did you enter us in some get married race and didn’t tell me or something? Because I don’t see the rush.”

  Regi doesn’t reply, his eyes fixed on the curry like two green stones.

  “Reginald Emile Beauregard—”

  Jin pops his head into the kitchen. “Hey, Jun. Mom is on the phone.”

  I exhale. Then hold out my hand. “Here.”

  Jin hands me the phone, then scurries out with King on his heels. I step out of the kitchen and go upstairs to my room and close the door. I press my ear to the phone.“Hello?”

  There’s lots of talking, honking, and on the other end. I can’t understand any of it, but it sound The first thing that comes out of Tammy’s mouth is, “Is that boy at my house?”

  I cringe. “Regi brought something from his parents, Tammy.”

  “Hmph. Well I can’t say I didn’t expect you to let him in…” I hear her cluck her tongue a few times. “Anyway, sorry for taking so long to call. My phone got lost in Shanghai not long after I got lost on the plane. I had to complain to the airport, buy a new one, give that number to everyone I was supposed to meet with. Then right after I do that I get a call from the airport saying that they found my phone. Can you believe that?”

  “Sounds like a nightmare.” I sit down on my bed. “Where are you?”

  “Shanghai now, but I was in Hong Kong when I lost my phone. So I had to waste time getting to that airpor
t to get that since I didn’t have anyone’s number, and I’m just getting back to my hotel right now,” Tammy says. “I was almost going to give up and snail-mail something home. Did Jin’s report card come? Or anything from the cram schools?”

  My bite my lower lip. Oh yes…Jin’s ‘cram school’. I almost forgot about that. “Well, I’ve seen the one from Red Dragon Academy. I haven’t seen the rest. How many did he apply to?”

  “About three. But it’s good that he got into Red Dragon Academy. That’s the one I was worried the most about. They’re really selective.”

  That’s the one you should be worried about. “But it’s not the best one. I mean…” I reach back to curl my finger around my ponytail, wishing that grabbing excuses was easier. “Red Dragon Academy is selective, but that doesn’t mean that they’re the best. Look at EastWest, Megumi went there and she got into Tokaido University.”

  “But they don’t have any faculty that went to Keidai. Jin wants to go there for college too,” Tammy says. “Besides, didn’t you go to Red Dragon Academy?”

  “It was okay. But other cram schools have better stuff.”

  “Better stuff like…?”

  “Like…” What do I say? “The quality of education. They left a lot of gaps in their lessons.”

  “Huh.”

  I sit still. Huh sounds promising. It sounds like she’s considering.

  “If you say so, I’ll consider the others if they accept.”

  “I’m sure they will,” I chirp in. “Jin’s pretty smart.”

  “We’ll see how smart when we get his report card,” Tammy says, but there’s an amused tone to her voice. “Did Megumi come back?”

  Ah here we go again. Back to square Megumi. “Actually, about that…”

  “Don’t tell me she has a boyfriend too.”

  “No, no, nothing like that. It’s actually…” I curse myself for stumbling over the words. It wasn’t this hard to tell Regi! “She’s dead. She got killed.”

  “Killed? Megumi Takahara? Are we talking about the same Megumi?”

  “Yeah, so she’s not coming home.”