Chapter 18 - Fragments and Mec chen House (cont.)

Jamie threw up her hands briefly before returning them to her chest. “Fine. But only for a few minutes. And I’m not changing in here.”

Katsumi slipped on a grin. “Why not? We’re all girls now.”

“I’m not doing it.”

The tiny brunette, who had asked about our prior heights, offered, “There’s a restroom across the hall where you can change.”

This seemed amicable to Jamie, and Katsumi couldn’t seem to muster up a real protest.

-----

Jamie chose a dark-green kimono, and I picked a bright, reddish one. We locked the restroom door and undressed in front of the mirrors. Our underwear didn’t match well at all. Jamie wrangled her hair and sighed to the mirror, “Is that really me?”

I thought the same thing at my visage.

She leaned her head left and right, fixed one of her bra straps, and picked up the innermost garments.

“This is a skirt”, whimpered Jamie.

It looked more like a silky, white tie-apron used as a skirt. I had one as well. I reassured her that it wouldn’t be visible with the rest on. It was easy to put on though. It came with a similarly-soft top with a V-fold at the neck. Jamie looked aghast at the way her body flowed through the garments. She shut her eyes and slipped on the socks.

With what I wore, I looked more like a young boy with oversized glasses and fiery hair. I guess I was fortunate, compared with Jamie.

I offered to help with the next part. Unfortunately, I really had no idea how to do it properly. Eventually, we had to call for the tiny brunette to help.

“Just call me Kirisu,” she remarked with a faint smile.

She explained how the “eri” were to be folded. And, with her help, we both manage to get the sash tied. Jamie turned around in the outfit and seemed surprisingly pleased. While her figure was muted, mine was all but gone. At least I still looked better in it than Katsumi did.

Jamie seemed eager for the main part of the kimono, despite her misgivings about the floral designs on the back and the length of the sleeves.

Kirisu had to hold our hands through this part and did most of the work.

She mused briefly, “It’s strange neither of you has ever worn a kimono before…”

She didn’t pry further, and we didn’t offer her any encouragement to try.

It didn’t take long before we were fully dressed.

-----

Jamie was none too pleased with the restrictive obi. “I feel like I’m a present with a bow…”

I was impressed that Kirisu managed to do it all so effortlessly. She finished up with a little tie over the obi.

“Not too tight?” She asked both of us. Jamie seemed fine and even pleased by the results. Her urge to slip her hands across her chest seemed all but gone. They lay at her sides, slack and open.

I felt a little weird but not too uncomfortable.

Kirisu led us back to the tea club. Katsumi stood with her arms folded and a pleased expression. The kettle behind her had gentle, puffy curls of white steam.

She put us in specific spots and sat back in the center with her utensils.

Jamie tightened her features. “This is annoying, and I don’t like it one bit. Finish whatever other weird fantasies you have so we can talk to Nina and be done with all this.”

Katsumi was impassive. The other girls sat in the back. Katsumi went through a whole routine. She gave us each a white candy covered in coconut flakes which looked like freshly-fallen snow. It was sweet. She worked on the tea, pouring and mixing it vigorously until it looked rather frothy.

She handed a cup to me and said, “Bow.”

I did so without complaint. She made a cup for Jamie too, whose bow when receiving it was a little shallow.

She then instructed, “Turn it three times clockwise before you sip.”

Jamie sighed. “Are you just making this up to delay us?”

She spoke a stern and earnest, “No.”

We both complied and then started to sip the tea. It was bitter and green.

Jamie still watched Nina cowering in the corner like a small, frightened animal. She called her over. Nina looked to Katsumi, who gave a nod. Nina scooted over to us and asked, “What do you want?”

“We cleaned Ami’s room. What do we do now?” I asked.

“Did you? Really clean?”

“As clean as we could make it.”

“Sounds like a good start.”

I sipped a bit more tea. “And to improve on that start?”

She crouched and looked so small. “I really don’t know. Did you purify it too?”

“Not yet.”

“Do that.”

“With?”

I drained the last of my tea. Jamie did as well, with a noisy slurp at the end. Katsumi actually looked pleased.

Nina held her hands close to herself. “You can use a couple of things. Like salt. Water too, as well as sand, sake, or fire. Place it at the corners or spread it around.”

Jamie set her cup down. Katsumi appeared annoyed at that, but Jamie didn’t seem to notice. She turned to Nina and stated, “You and we are going to step outside for a minute. Got it?”

Nina’s head darted around. Then, she bowed and stood.

“Okay.”

-----

Jamie made sure the door was shut behind us. I suspected the rest of the tea club was straining to listen through it.

Jamie explained, “I’ve had it up to here with awkward situations and what people know, don’t know, and might know. I brought us out here because you’re going to explain a few things without you-know-who making a fuss. So talk. Who are you? What are you up to?”

She held her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry. There’s not much I can say for sure. I know my name is Nina Metora.”

I spoke up, “Shouldn’t it be… Metora Nina?”

Nina looked at me. “Yeah.”

“So, why do you say it with the surname last?”

She fidgeted with the oba on her kimono. “Does it matter?”

I frowned. “It could. You see, everyone else around here puts their family name first. Except for you and us.”

“What’s your point?” She spoke with soft, sympathetic uncertainty.

I took a chance. “I think you remember when this world was Brookville.”

“A little. I’d rather forget.”

“Why?”

“I felt trapped. I still feel trapped, but this is a prettier prison.”

“Prettier?”

She gripped her shoulders. “I’ve always revered women. I always felt it would be an honor to be one, but I could never imagine such a gift for myself.”

Jamie groaned and rubbed her head. “Another one…”

I ignored Jamie. “Are you saying that you used to be a boy too?”

She nodded.

“What happened?”

She shrugged. “My memory is in fragments. I remember before and I also remember things which don’t make sense.”

Jamie tapped a foot. “Such as?”

“I remember a little boy sitting and drawing a picture on the floor of an all-white room. I can feel his confusion.”

“Is he you?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then who is it?”

“I don’t know. I feel… a wish to help him.”

Jamie tugged on her own obi with both hands. “Now what about this whole ‘demoness’ thing?”

“Katsumi thinks I’m a demoness.”

“Are you?”

“I’m not sure.”

Jamie looked like someone was slowly driving screws into her temple.

“Why would Katsumi think you’re a demoness in the first place?”

“She says I told her that.”

“Oh. Okay. That would explain that… Is there anything else?”

Nina nodded. “Yes. I think you both wound up as really lovely girls.”

Jamie leaned closer to her. “You wound up as one too…”

Nina squirmed and blushed. “That’s quite alright… you don’t have to say that…”

“I only said it because it makes me feel better.”

That seemed to leave her even more embarrassed.

Jamie looked back at the door to the tea club. “We better wrap this up… Do you know anything about what’s going on in this place?”

Nina settled and stated softly, “I can’t tell you the big picture. All I can say is something is wrong with this world.”

That much seemed obvious.

I asked, “What can we do about it?”

She sighed. “Be aware of what you feel.”

It wasn’t much but I thanked her for what she was able to tell us.

Jamie snorted and said, “You better not run off or anything. Hang around. I don’t want to have to go searching for you again when something else comes up.”

Nina bowed but said nothing.

-----

Everyone was sitting calmly when we opened the door. Katsumi was still in the center. She sipped lightly from a cup with her eyes closed. She peered over at us.

“Did you get what you wanted?”

I answered, “As much as possible.”

“Good. Now sit down and pick up your cups.” Katsumi set her own cup down with a bit of a splash.

We sat back in our places and picked up the cups.

Katsumi continued, “Now turn them counter-clockwise and give them back to me.”

Jamie groaned but followed through on her instructions.

Katsumi set the cups aside. She bowed to us and we bowed back.

“You can go now. Leave the kimonos in the corner.”

Jamie touched the side of the kimono. “You don’t want us to wear these back?”

She was right. That didn’t sound like Katsumi to separate us from feminine clothing.

Katsumi picked up her cup, sucked the last of her tea with a loud noise, and said, “As much as I’ll probably regret it, those kimonos cost too much to just go walking through the countryside in. You might mess them up. Don’t worry, I’ll have plenty of things for everyone when I get back.” She gave a half-grin. At least she appeared calm.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Kirisu helped with removing the kimonos. We undressed in the same restroom. Kirisu set towels on the floor so the kimonos wouldn’t get dirty. Jamie undressed hesitantly. When she was back in her normal clothes, her arms returned to her chest.

We said our farewells. Katsumi left us with the words, “See ya soon…”

The campus was still active, but we didn’t see anyone familiar on the way out.

The fading light of sunset blinked over the near hills. We walked slow, saying nothing to one another. Jamie straightened her back with a grunt several times.

Finally, as the station was in sight, I asked her if she was alright.

Jamie shook her head with pained turns. “I hate breasts and I hate long hair. It feels like my spine is compressing.”

I told her we were almost there.

We took the steps up to the train station slowly and stopped by a wall to rest because all the benches were full of travelers.

The train we wanted rolled into the station a few minutes later.

We found a nice bench near the back of the train, quiet and roomy.

Jamie shut her eyes, groaned, and leaned with her head against the hard window. She scooted nearer to me. We touched. She didn’t scoot away.

She groaned again.

I patted my shoulder. “You’re still welcome to rest against me.”

Jamie looked at me with bleary eyes. She seemed to think it over.

She drooped against me, her eyes shut tight. Her weight didn’t bother me at all.

Soon, I could hear her snoring. They were such little snores.

I reached my arms carefully to hold her. My hand slipped past her side. Her body felt so smooth, warm, and soft. Automatic alarms sounded in my head and soon died out. My body felt the same from the touch of arm against my side.

I held her hand. She welcomed the touch and clung to it.

Her snoring quieted, and she pressed into my side. It hurt a little, but I still didn’t mind.

I looked out the window as the hills and farms gave way to homes and office buildings.

I felt warm.

-----

I let go of Jamie’s hand when we came to our stop, to spare her any embarrassment, and roused her.

As we walked out of the train car, she rubbed her eyes and flexed her hands a few times. She remarked, “Thanks.”

She didn’t say anything else.

The walk back to Mecchen had never felt longer, but at least we’d gotten some rest on the train. Jamie’s steps were slow but steady.

We walked by the darkened window of Carolyn’s barbershop.

The forest path looked particularly foreboding with the long shadows of evening.

We opted for the alternate route Nana showed us yesterday.

I paused at the child’s footprint on the steps. I thought of Hitomi from my vision. The footprint was about her size.

We walked on and found Nathan bent over a patch of plants along the side of Mecchen House. She was watering them.

She seemed caught up in her work. Jamie coughed lightly to get her attention.

Before we could say anything else, Nathan greeted us with the softest hug I could imagine. Jamie accepted it without too much squirming.

I could tell from the hug that Nathan had experienced the same changes as us. She was dressed in a lovely pair of overalls and a blue shirt. She had dirt on her knees and yellow gloves on her hands.

It didn’t take long for her to utter a quick gasp and, “Oh my…” when looking us over. Jamie brought her arms back into a rigid shield around her chest.

It turned out Nathan was wearing a bra as well. She had more than me but less than Jamie. Jamie glared downward.

She explained, “I just finished with cleaning the fridge when I suddenly felt wobbly. I looked down…”

She placed her hands beneath her chest. “I was scared, at first, but Ms. Ishida was really helpful. She gave me a sports bra.”

Nathan squeezed her hands tightly. “I was worried, but she said that it was okay. It fits really well. And I can run without discomfort.”

She turned in slow circles then froze. “Oh! Ami came back a few minutes ago…”

I heard a loud noise from within Mecchen.

Jamie frowned. “No way Katsumi could be here before us too…”

Jamie and I walked in and saw Ami stomping around, her hair whipping behind her. Ms. Ishida stood to the side with a nervous look. Ami tore open a trash bag.

She turned and spotted us.

“YOU!” She screeched. “WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER!?!”

“Wha…who?” I could barely speak.

“THE DRESS! MY OLDEST DRESS! WHERE IS SHE??”

I looked at Ami’s crazed face. Her eyes bulged with fury. Her breathing was shallow.

“WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER!!!”

“Hold on a minute. You agreed to have your room cleaned. You said ‘do what you need to do’.”

“NO! NOT THIS! CLEANED! YOU PROMISED TO THROW NOTHING AWAY!!! YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED! …YOU LIED!”

I tried to speak to her, but she wasn’t listening. I had to yell back.

“JUST A MINUTE. We cleaned your room. We’ve been trying to help you…”

“HELP ME!?! THIS IS NOT HELPING! I DON’T WANT YOUR HELP! I WANT MY DRESS BACK!”

Jamie stepped forward. “It was thrown away. It was an accident. It looked ruined.”

“RUINED!?! NO! IT WAS FULL OF LIFE! IT WAS IMPORTANT! …WHO??? WHO DID IT? WHO THREW IT AWAY?”

Jamie opened her mouth. I stepped between Jamie and Ami and said, “It was me. I was responsible.”

The sound vanished from Ami’s mouth. She panted and finally spoke, “You… It was you. Where… is the dress?”

I thought back. Perhaps it was still in one of the bags.

Ami ripped and dug through every one of the bags we’d filled, tossing hours of work all across the floor.

She couldn’t find the dress.

She grabbed me.

“WHERE IS SHE!?!”

“I don’t know.”

Ms. Ishida spoke up, “I took a few bags away earlier. But trash collection has already come. They’re gone by now.”

Ami’s hands slumped. Her whole body went slack. Her hair slipped over her eyes.

“She’s gone…” The words seem to gurgle out of her mouth.

She looked up slowly, right at me.

“You killed her…. YOU KILLED HER! I hate you… I HATE YOU! I never EVER want to see you again. GO AWAY!!!”

She ran down the hall and up the stairs. I called after her, but she didn’t stop.

Ms. Ishida bowed deeply to us. “I am so sorry. I never knew something so important to her was in those bags.”

Jamie rubbed her shoulder. “It’s my fault. I threw that dress away because it was the oldest, nastiest-looking thing I’ve ever seen.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s my fault. I saw you put it in there. I should’ve stopped you.”

I looked down the hall. I got a strange, prickly sensation.

“I better go check on her…”

Jamie rubbed her forehead. “Are you sure that’s wise? Maybe you should give her some time.”

“She’s still vulnerable to that thing up there.”

Jamie sighed. “Okay… umm… be careful. I’ll go tell Nathan about our big day and help Ms. Ishida clean up around here.”

Ms. Ishida bowed her head and said, “Thank you. I wouldn’t mind hearing what happened as well. I see you both changed a bit…”

Jamie looked at me and back at Ms. Ishida.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that…”

-----

Walking up stairs had never felt so difficult. I grunted with each step. I hoped Tara wasn’t back yet. I didn’t want her to have to suffer this.

All the lights in the hall were out. Everything looked unnaturally dark. I couldn’t see the far wall. I could feel something slick on the back of my neck. I shivered and kept walking. I felt like I was walking in sludge.

Somehow, I made it to Ami’s door. The pink color had been drained out of it.

I pulled open the door slowly. The inside was brightly lit. Ami stood in the middle with her back turned. The junk was piled on all sides. I stepped in.

The door slammed behind me.

I didn’t turn back. I kept my eyes on Ami.

She whimpered as I approached.

I could hear her.

“I want it to end. I don’t want to be human anymore. I want to go back. I don’t want to be afraid. I don’t want to feel. It hurts… so much.”

She turned to face me.

[https://i.imgur.com/WzmSYzM.png]

Her eyes were gone. Just hollow, black openings remained.

Air escaped from her mouth, “…Tell my brother …I’m sorry.”

I ran to her.

Everything felt slow.

I reached out to grab her.

She unraveled before me like a loose thread.

She spoke one last, feeble word, “Goodbye…” then vanished into silence.

I yelled till I was hoarse.

When nothing else could come from my mouth, I heard the laughter.

I looked around, tears hazing my eyes.

The walls were falling, melting like a soaked painting. All the color flowed away, leaving only black. It looked like the face of oblivion.

The same, dark voice from before spoke, its words came from all around me, “She is mine now. You are next.”

The black seemed to spread endlessly. Hope and life vanished within it.

It looked like a hungry stomach.

Somewhere inside myself, in a place that didn’t feel like flesh, a great warmth was rising.

I thought of Ami’s empty face disintegrating before my eyes.

The warmth swelled through me.

I faced the darkness and said, “No.”