In This World, : What Becomes of Us

by the Lovely Trishelle

  In silence sits a person one for noise.

  “I’m an awesome guy, right?” asks Ren.

  Without hesitation, Gigi meows than glares at him.

  “Damn it, Gigi, no one asked you, go away!” says Ren.

  Gigi hisses and growls at him then runs out of the room.

  “Great, now the cat’s pissed at me,” says Ren, sighing.

  Ren needed alone time for himself and tried to enjoy the quiet of his lonesome room. Even the loudest mouth in the house needs time for quiet sometimes.

  8:02 PM, Sunday, September 11th, 2016

  One year ago, the story left off as Ishigo and Mia talked in the lobby of Terrigona Hills. Kiki and Ren returned to the apartment to discuss the details, making sure they missed nothing. Ishigo told Mia not to get her hopes up before they exited the lobby and parted ways. Before she returned to the parking lot, Mia took a walk in the Japanese garden. Tortured by her inability to afford the place.

  Mia soon found herself lost and unsure of how to get back. As she examined her surroundings a familiar voice shouted, “Hey, wait up!” Thrilled to see someone, but not sure how comfortable she had been to see Ren.

  “Hey,” said Mia.

  “I apologize if I startled you, but I felt compelled to ask you something,” said Ren.

  “Look, Ren, I’m not interested-,” said Mia.

  “That’s not what I was going to ask.”

  Out of nowhere, another familiar voice yelled, “Hey!” startling both, Mia, and Ren. They turned around to see Ishigo power walking towards them. Within seconds, he was next to Mia and in front of Ren.

  “Is he bothering you?” asked Ishigo.

  Ishigo’s words sparked Ren into a defensive tone.

  “No, I’m not!”

  Ren paused.

  “What I was trying to ask, was, would you two want to be my roommates?”

  The impression they had of Ren was wrong, shocked they took a moment to form words for a reply.

  “What?” asked Mia.

  “And why?” asked Ishigo.

  “I don’t know, and I couldn’t explain, even if I tried,” said Ren.

  Mia realized she would not say no unless she wanted to return to the hell hole. With her living position, it would have been stupid for her to pass up the opportunity. Mia looked at Ren with widened eyes as she nodded her head before she squealed, “Yes!” They both turned to Ishigo and stared in anticipation.

  “Yes, but only because I can’t afford it by myself,” said Ishigo.

  “Congratulations, boys! We have a new everything, and you guys get to live with me!” said Mia.

  The men rolled their eyes at her childish expressions of emotion, but inside they were just as excited.

  8:20 PM, Sunday, September 11th, 2016

  Meanwhile, at an old abandoned castle just north, there had been cackling laughter that echoed throughout the castle’s walls. There were stories of a witch that lived there long ago, and her spirit remained. Rumors of teenagers that have gone missing while they tried to explore the castle’s remains. From the outside, there were nights you would hear a woman chanting.

  That evening out of any night, Mia swore she heard a voice say, “Victory shall be mine, I’ll have your heart, Magical One!” Followed by cackles. It creeped Mia out, but she tried to ignore it as she did the rest of the weird occurrences.

  7:11 PM, Saturday, September 9th, 2017

  Asleep in his bed, Ren’s quiet time turned into sleep time, which was surprising for a Saturday night. Gigi creeps back into Ren’s room, and pounces on his head, waking him.

  “Gigi, stop that! You scared the crap out of me,” says Ren, his heart pounds.

  Gigi runs in place for a moment as she hisses and growls at Ren.

  “That cat will drive me insane.”

  As he dozes off again, Ren hears the door creak open and jumps out of his bed, sending Gigi to the ceiling.

  “Alright, all right… you can stay in here.”

  Ren thought he sounded comparable to Ishigo at the rate he was talking to Gigi. She was going to drive him up a wall.

  10:59 AM, Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

  Two days after their birthdays, in the kitchen of Mia’s mom’s house, Savanah and Jin argued.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to let her move out!” said Jin.

  “Why are you this upset about her moving out? She’s an adult, there’s nothing we can do to stop her,” said Savanah.

  Jin bared a giant smirk on his face as the thought passed through his mind, if my kitten thinks she can just leave me, she is in for a rude awakening.

  “I don’t get-,” said Savanah, as he fondled her, “What are you doing?”

  Jin grabbed Savanah by the waist, “Apologizing, my dear.”

  Soon after, they made their way up the stairs while losing articles of clothing.

  1:09 PM, Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

  A few hours later, Mia returned to her mother’s house to retrieve the last of her things, unaware of the events that took place. She turned the corner to unveil several police cars parked outside her mother’s house. Mia threw the car into park and jumped out, and a police officer stood ready to greet her. Unsure of the circumstances she demanded answers from the officer.

  “What happened? Why are you here? Where’s my mother?” asked Mia.

  Mia’s commotion caught a detective’s eye, curious he approached Mia and introduced himself.

  “Hello ma’am, I’m Detective Hernandez. Did you know the victim?”

  “Victim?” asked Mia, she fainted.

  After a moment, Mia opened her eyes to the detective’s embrace. He helped her up and questioned if she was okay. With a nod, she confirmed that she was.

  “Let’s try again, do you know who lives here?” asked the detective.

  “This is my mother’s house. I moved out today and was coming back to pick up the rest of my stuff,” said Mia.

  Detective Hernandez explained to Mia that they discovered the body of a one deceased older female. He included that she needed to go to the medical examiner’s office to claim and identify her mother’s body. Before the detective finished what, he said, Mia collapsed on the ground. In a second of clarity, she stopped crying and asked the detective where Jin was.

  “He’s been arrested and hauled to the station for processing. Why aren’t you surprised?” asked the detective.

  “Because no matter what, I know he did it!” said Mia.

  The detective did not press her with questions, but that was because they found Jin covered in Savanah’s blood, holding the murder weapon. As she cried once more, Mia noticed a man in tears who sat on the front steps of the house. She wondered to herself who he was and wanted answers.

  “Excuse me, did you know my mother?” asked Mia.

  “Yes,” said John, with a slight pause, he continued, “I loved her.”

  John was not only Savanah’s sideman, but he worked on her father and grandmother’s murders. That was how John and Savanah became so close. Before Mia could say a word, he spoke. With the look, he gave her, compelled she sat beside him. Mia felt the emotion in his voice; John continued, “She loved you, so much. She always talked about you, expressing how proud she was of the woman you’d become.” Both in tears, they could not fathom the scene.

  “Please tell me I’m having a horrid nightmare,” said Mia.

  “I know if only I arrived sooner,” said John.

  From her confused expression, John knew Mia misunderstood.

  “She called me before-,” cutting himself off, “she begged for me to come and get her, but I wasn’t fast enough,” said John.

  “You can’t blame yourself,” said Mia.

  “If there’s one thing I can promise you, it’s that I’ll make sure the monster gets what he deserves,” said John.

  They continued to grieve as they reminisced the memory of Savanah. As time passed, and they calmed, both felt comforted that the other was there.

>   1:33 PM, Monday, September 19th, 2016

  Six days later, and several hours after Savanah’s funeral, Mia and the guys returned home. Ishigo and Ren had not known what else they could have done to help her. Putting Savanah into the ground made it official for Mia, it confirmed that her mother was dead. There was no disappearing act, and no coming back. She had been a wreck from the second she opened her eyes that morning. No one could blame her though; death is something everyone struggles with, no matter what they say.

  They walked through the front door, and Mia dropped herself into the closest chair. As she sat in one chair, she stared at the other. Mia imagined herself seated with her mother, expressing the joy the place brought her. An hour passed, and Ren went to check on Mia, Gigi trailed behind him. Upon entering the room, Gigi ran up to Mia, curling around her feet. Ren lit the fire and asked if she needed anything. Her eyes close to swollen shut, cheeks, and nose rubbed raw. More than everything, Ren wanted to stop her pain.

  “Mia, you need to eat something.”

  “Just a glass of water, Ren.”

  As he walked into the kitchen, Ren could still hear her cries, and it broke his heart. Ishigo stood on the back balcony, chain-smoking, unable to make eye contact with Ren. It hurt Ishigo even more than Ren, knowing he could not console her as Ren could.

  “How is she?” asked Ishigo.

  “Not good, she feels responsible for that animal’s actions, and she’s not eaten today,” said Ren.

  “I figured as much; the sandwich is for her. As for Jin, he’ll get what’s coming, I swear to that,” said Ishigo.

  The pawns went into play as Ishigo and others put their plans into motion.

  6:45 PM, Monday, September 19th, 2016

  Later that evening, sitting in jail, Jin awaited his transfer to the county. He paced back and forth conversating with himself.

  “Look what you made me do, and now because of you, we’ll both suffer. When will you realize I did this for you, kitten?”

  “I can’t sit here when he’s on the other side of this wall!” said John.

  Knowing Jin had even been in the same building drove him crazy. John marched towards the holding cells, the slam of his door echoed throughout the station. Jin’s laughter soon replaced the echo, enraging John more. The officer on guard tried to calm him, but John ignored him and grabbed Jin through the bars, slamming his face into them. As blood poured his face, Jin continued to laugh, further infuriating John.

  “I will kill you!” said John.

  He slammed Jin’s face into the bars as the other officer tried to release John’s grip. Before long, a flood of officers rushed in to save their beloved captain, ripping John away from Jin. Detective Hernandez, along with several other officers tried talking sense to him, but he ignored everything they said. The words echoed in his head, he’s not worth it, but the only words that came out were “Die you bastard!” Once John realized his actions, he was thankful that the other officers stopped him before he killed Jin.

  John Barrowitz wanted nothing more than Jin’s death, whether the blood was on his hands was a different story. Before the officers stopped him, he had made his mind up, justified his decision, and prepared to face the consequences. With the love of his life gone and her murderer laid before him, there was nothing to live for nor consequences left to fear. The only thing that brought his humanity back had been the promise he made to Savanah.

  How could he refuse or ignore such a request? While his clock was still ticking, he could only hope that his sins would not prevent him from rejoining her one day. It may not have been the second John had wanted it to happen, but Jin would get what was coming to him. As mentioned earlier, Ishigo and John were not the only ones who had a plan.

  5:02 AM, Tuesday, September 20th, 2016

  The following morning, Ace and Ren started their day at Ace’s place, they requested Ace’s father’s presence the previous night. The sun had not risen, but Leon, Ace’s father, woke them at four in the morning. From there, an hour passed as they explained their plan and his involvement. Unknown to the reasons behind their project, Leon lectured them. Leon Lewis was one of the top defense attorneys in New York but one of the strictest of fathers too.

  “Do you realize what you’re asking me to do? If caught, they’ll not only take my license to practice but incarcerate me,” said Leon.

  “We understand, but you need to understand that this man deserves this,” said Ace.

  “What happened that was evil enough to deserve this, Ahish?” asked Leon.

  As Leon asked question after question, frustrated Ren blurted out, “He murdered Mia’s mother!”

  Leon’s head snapped towards Ace.

  “Why didn’t you tell me? When’d this happen?” asked Leon.

  As angry as they were, sorrow and shame overwhelmed them as Ace explained what happened to Savanah. Ace was ashamed when he told his father, considering Ace and Mia’s families knew each other for a while. Ren’s sorrow for Mia cut deep, but he could say it cut deeper for the Lewis’s.

  “The poor girl, first her grandmother, then her father, and now her mother. Who’s she staying with?” asked Leon.

  Before Ren explained, Ace turned towards him, “You should ask Ren.”

  Leon looked at Ren confused to why Ace would say such a thing. To explain himself, Ren told Leon the entire story. Soon, the conversation turned from an explanation to a scolding. Leon could not believe how Ren had been such a fool to betray Ace. Satisfied with the scolding Ren received, Ace cut his father off and explained that Mia and Ren did not know their mutual connection to him.

  “Ahish, you’re okay with this?” asked Leon.

  “No, but she’s a grown woman, and she makes her own decisions.”

  Ace’s words caused Leon to scold Ren once more. He did not blame Leon because he knew he was only defending his son. Ace intervened and convinced his father to go for a walk. After a few minutes passed, they returned.

  “Alright, what d’you need from me?” asked Leon.

  Shocked by his father’s words, Ace asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” said Leon.

  They went over the plan and made sure it was foolproof while Leon made calls and pulled strings. It worked out perfect because Jin had no representation.

  8:34 AM, Tuesday, September 20th, 2016

  After a short ride, Leon arrived at the station and requested to see his newfound client. Leon’s part; meet with Jin and pass a letter from “Mia.” Soaked in an untraceable “magic” poison sat the message encased in an envelope, the final death note. Once dried, the boys wrote the letter with gloves on to make sure they did not poison themselves. The unknown poison would kill Jin from the inside out; it begins as an out-of-control fever. Slow and painful, it would deteriorate his insides.

  “Can I help you, Sir?” asked Detective Hernandez.

  “I’m here to see my client, Jin Toumi,” said Leon.

  “He didn’t ask for one,” said Detective Hernandez.

  “Not that it’s any of your concern, but his family hired me,” said Leon.

  “They must’ve not heard what he did,” said Detective Hernandez.

  “Allegedly, and how about you get me, my client?” said Leon.

  Everything fell into place; Jin walked out with a black eye, a broken nose, and busted lip, fueling Leon’s position even further.

  “I’ll be right here,” said Detective Hernandez.

  “Good, because now you can tell me what happened to my client’s face?” asked Leon.

  “Fine, I’ll be right outside the door,” said the detective.

  With a smirk on his face, Leon said, “Thank you for your cooperation, detective.”

  The door closed, leaving Jin and Leon alone.

  “My name is Leon Lewis, and I took your case pro bono for a family friend.”

  “Who?” asked Jin.

  “Mia Inatoka,” said Leon.

  “I knew she couldn’t live without me!” said Jin.<
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  As Leon thought to himself, he was in disbelief of how delusional Jin was. Happy to be the one who hands him his death sentence. Out of his jacket pocket, Leon pulled out the letter. Written in Mia’s handwriting, Jin’s name.

  Without hesitation, Jin took the note and hid it. If the officers saw it, they would have taken it away, per instructions of their beloved captain. After an hour passed, Leon left. Escorted back to a holding cell, Jin could not wait to read Mia’s letter. He waited an extra half hour, to make sure no one was paying attention.

  The letter read;

  Dear Jin,

  If you thought she would write to you, you are more stupid than we thought. As a present for your stupidity poison will seal your fate. Your heart will stop after five days, but not before you fever and boil from the inside out. Enjoy hell, bastard!