The next day proves to be rather uneventful. While I do hang out a bit with Baylee, there really isn’t a lot for me to do on a Sunday. As such, I mostly spend time with Celeste in my room and catch up on some of the mountain of homework I’d missed out on by missing class so often. However, I do have time for a little fun, with Celeste tutoring me in mental communication.

As it turns out, mental communication isn’t quite as easy as the other magic I’d picked up upon becoming a sentinel. I have to focus hard on the idea of Celeste and imagine throwing a thought to her. It isn’t wildly difficult, but it does take a bit of mental gymnastics to get it to work. Still, I have the day off and don’t have anything else pressing going on, so I deem it wise to learn to talk to Celeste silently; besides, worrying about looking like I’m talking to myself is getting old rather fast.

On Monday morning, I once more have to go to school and my first real archery practice with my team. On top of that, though, Baylee and I had met up and decided that operation talk-to-Akari is a go. Well, as soon as we can find her.

As it turns out, Baylee and I do share a number of the more general classes at Silver Ridge. Really, it’s a surprise that I hadn’t recognized her as soon as she’d come up to me in orientation. In my defense though, she hadn’t recognized me either. Anyway, this means that we end up switching our seats in class to sit closer to each other, assigned seating not being a thing at Silver Ridge.

All this time together gives us time to plot our approach. As promised, we both agree that neither of us will attempt approaching Akari alone, and we will both try to keep an eye out when walking between classes. That’s easier said than done, though. Since, according to Baylee, we are both a year older than Akari, and our classes often aren’t in the same areas of the school.

Still, we have a plan, the first step of which is to locate Akari. I’d thought this would be the hardest part, but as it turns out, it’s actually quite simple. Since Celeste and Baylee’s familiar, Viera, can both turn invisible to scout out the school while classes are ongoing, locating Akari hadn’t actually been that hard. Thus, by the end of the first period, our target had been located attending a particularly boring history lecture from my dad.

After that, it was easy to have Celeste stick near enough to Akari to observe her while also staying far enough away and hidden enough not to be picked up by Akari’s own familiar. With Celeste tailing Akari, all Baylee and I have to do is wait until everyone is released for lunch hour to make our approach.

Later, Baylee and I walk side by side through the crowded hallway. Something that is more difficult than it seems due to the fact that I am tiny, and while Baylee is bigger, she still isn’t as big as the guys and doesn’t do well as a human shield. Still, as brave sentinels, we manage to defeat the dreaded lunch rush of the school.

“Alright,” I say, looking around the lunchroom as the serving line rapidly grows. My nerves make my stomach roil and my normally small appetite nonexistent. Truthfully, after everything Baylee had said, talking to Akari seems like a daunting task. Even though I still really want to try.

“Are you ready for phase two?” I ask Baylee, looking over at my friend.

Baylee nods, face set in grim determination. “Just have Celeste tell us where to go. We’ll act like we’re just talking and happened to bump into her. Ask her if she would like to sit with us. If she still refuses to interact, well, there’s not much we can do. We can’t force someone to be friends with us.”

I nod my agreement; if Akari completely blows us off again, even while we’re trying our best to be nice, then she’ll have to be on her own. As much as my intuition tells me that she needs a friend, if she doesn’t want one, forcing her won’t get us anywhere. After that, all we can do is remain friendly and hope she’ll be up to talk to us.

So, braving the awkward smell of hormonal teenagers and the sound of annoying memes being shouted, Baylee and I continue onward. Hoping what we find won’t be our doom.

“Celeste, where is the target?” I think to my trusty spy as, truthfully, I have no idea where I’m going. I’m proud of how well I’m able to communicate with Celeste now; even though she isn’t near me at the moment, I can still speak with her telepathically.

[Akari just finished Kendo,] Celeste reports. [I have refrained from looking as she is currently changing, but I expect her to be on her way to you soon.]

“Come on, call her the target. It’s more fun that way,” I goad my familiar with a smile as I take Baylee’s arm to steer her in the right direction.

Celeste sends me a dramatic sigh, which I know is bull crap because she is loving this. [Target is in position. She will be headed your way soon.]

I grin, “See, wasn’t that more fun?” I ask Celeste before turning towards Baylee.

“She’s in the locker room,” I report to Baylee in a hushed whisper. I’m maybe going a bit too far with the whole, secret agent, thing. But sometimes, you just have to live a little.

“If we move slowly in that direction, we can act like we are taking the eastern exit to get food off campus when we run into her,” Baylee whispers back.

I nod my agreement. Going off campus for lunch is fairly common, especially for the wealthy students who can afford the outrageous prices that shops around the high school charge for food. Besides, we are both rich now, I guess, so we can even afford it.

Baylee and I make our way slowly in that direction for about thirty seconds before I get another message from Celeste. This time, though, she sounds urgent.

[Serena, you two should hurry,] comes Celeste’s insistent voice. [I hear yelling and the sounds of a fight. I think I hear Akari involved. I’m going inside.]

My eyes go wide, this is so not part of the plan! I turn to Baylee, “We need to get the locker room now! Celeste says that there is a fight going on!” I exclaim.

Baylee’s eyes go wide as saucers, “Do you think Akari attacked someone?”

“Or is getting attacked by someone. Come on, let’s go!” I say, making my way against the flow of people as best I can towards the locker room.

Fear twists my stomach as I run, just knowing that something bad could be happening to my prospective friend. I can feel my mists wanting to explode out of me, roiling like a storm cloud just under my skin. I want to shift, use all my power, and make my way to Akari as fast as possible. That would out me as a sentinel, though, and it isn’t something I’m willing to do just yet.

Baylee and I run through the crowded halls as best we can, our school bags bouncing awkwardly against our backs. Pushing against the crowd of people isn’t easy, and I desperately wish for the surge of power shifting would grant me but continue to hold back.

[Akari is being attacked by other girls in her class!] Celeste shouts into my mind as we run, [Get here fast! She’s not even fighting back!]

“Coming as fast as we can,” I mentally tell Celeste, picking up my pace and dodging around a few students who give me weird looks.

Only thirty seconds later, Baylee and I arrive at the girl’s locker room and burst inside. As soon as I step into the locker room, I’m practically assaulted by the smell of body odor. That’s nothing to do with the situation, really; it’s just that high school locker rooms smell absolutely abysmal. Although, I do smell a hint of blood in the air.

Near the back of the locker room, I hear laughing and a weak whimpering sound. A sound that almost makes me shift right there and then. Akari is being attacked, my teammate! I’ll be damned if I let anyone hurt her. Even if I have to blow my cover as a sentinel, if I need my assault state for this, I will shift.

My fear is replaced by fury as I rush towards the sounds of the brutal assault. Because that’s what this is, an assault. Later, the perpetrators will lie to themselves about it being just a bit of roughhousing or messing with Akari, but I don’t see it that way. These kinds of actions are never acceptable.

I freeze when I finally make my way around the final locker bay and take in the scene. Akari lies on the floor, only partially clothed. She is curled into a ball to protect herself from the three bullies that stand around her, raining kicks down on the smaller girl. Each one is far larger than Akari, who is even smaller than I am. Akari’s bare upper body is littered with dark bruises, which makes me see red. What’s worse, though, is what is under those bruises. Scars, dozens of them, run all along Akari’s small frame. It looks like someone had been cutting her. And worse, there is one massive, black, spiderwebbing scar-like mark at the center of her back. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen; the color is blacker than ink, and it seems to absorb the light.

For a moment, I can’t move, my anger and confusion too much for me to process. Baylee, however, doesn’t have any such problems. “Get the fuck off of her, or I will send this video to the police!” Baylee shouts, holding up an expensive smartphone wrapped in a pink case.

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Baylee steps forward, still aiming her phone at the perpetrators, who seem more than a little concerned about the fact that they’d been recorded as they turn on us. They glare hatred in our direction, looking more like volcora in human skin than actual teenagers in that moment.

My heart misses a beat as I look up at the larger girls. Even a year younger, all of them are bigger than me. To my surprise, Baylee takes a step forward, gently pushing me behind her back. Still strangely protective, I think, even as I prepare to help Baylee if needs be. The moment I’d chosen to be a sentinel is the moment I’d chosen to fight back in moments like this. While Baylee’s protectiveness is appreciated, it’s not necessary.

Besides, if push came to shove, Baylee and I aren’t opponents that can be beaten. Not if we draw on our abilities for self-defense. A fact that makes me wonder why Akari hadn’t done so. Although… looking more closely, all three of the attackers look eerily similar to Akari — dark hair, pale skin, and deep brown eyes. Could they be related? Is that why Akari was taking this abuse? Was she just unwilling to fight back against someone related to her?

That line of thinking has me gritting my teeth with impotent anger. What is going on with this family?!

“If we leave, you delete the video?” one of the teenagers asks, looking strangely calm. She’s most likely the ringleader.

“If you leave, I won’t press send right now,” Baylee retorts, her face a mask of fury.

I’m not sure what it was the teenagers saw that made them decide to cut their losses. They could have tried to take Baylee’s phone, tried to make sure that she never had a chance to send the video to anyone. Maybe it was the look in Baylee’s eyes, the complete lack of fear. Maybe it was that they didn’t feel comfortable trying to take on more even odds. Whatever the reason, the teenagers nod and make their way out of the locker room, Baylee and I watching them the entire time.

On their way out, the leader of the girls throws a nasty smile over her shoulder. “See you for dinner tonight, Akari,” she says with a giggle, before striding out of the room.

For a moment, I just stand in place, seething with fury. I stab my fingernails into my palm, using the sharp pain to help me focus. There is still work to be done, after all.

Certainly, the confrontation is the part of being a sentinel that Baylee is the best at. Now, it’s time to get to where I feel as if I will shine, the aftermath. I run to Akari’s side, immediately striping off my school jacket and draping it over the smaller girl to offer her some privacy. Still, I can’t help but get an up-close view of her scared body.

As gently as I can, I lay my hand on Akari’s shoulder. Desperately wishing I had a healing ability. “Akari, it’s Serena from your sentinel team,” I say softly, keeping a gentle hand on her shoulder, “Baylee is here too, and we’re going to make sure you’re safe. Okay?”

“I-I… I’m fine. T-This is a family matter. Just… just leave, please,” Akari says, her voice weak and fragile.

I shake my head, “You aren’t fine, Akari. You’re hurt. If you would consent to it, I would like to help you dress and take you to the nurse’s office,” I say, keeping my voice as gentle and calming as I can.

Akari shakes her head, and I can see she’s crying. “No… I can’t see the nurse,” she manages through her tears.

I nod, not sure why she wouldn’t want to see the nurse but sure that pressing the issue wouldn’t get me anywhere. “Okay, that’s fine. Let’s still get you dressed and somewhere safe, though, okay? I’ll be with you the whole time, and I promise I won’t let anyone ask any questions you don’t want to answer. Does that sound alright?”

Akari doesn’t answer for a few long moments, seemingly trying to steady herself. Her entire body trembles: with pain, weakness, or fear, I don’t know. Finally, Akari nods and, with much effort, pulls herself to her feet. Seeing Akari’s top and jacket lying on the floor a few meters away, I retrieve them and gently help Akari back into her clothes. Receiving my jacket back in return.

Slipping it on, I once more attempt to soothe Akari. “I have a teacher who is a friend. He doesn’t have a class after lunch, so he will let us stay in his room while you recover. He won’t ask any questions, I promise.”

Akari seems to consider for a long moment before accepting my proposal with another nod.

Taking out my phone, I consider whether I should just call my father, but he has a class immediately after lunch, which is already making its way towards over. Akari will need longer than just a few minutes to pull herself together. Luckily, my words hadn’t been a lie. I do know a quite friendly archery teacher.

With a few short taps, I call Mr. Yamamoto. It rings for a few moments before my teacher picks up. “Hello?” he asks, likely not recognizing my number as I rarely have need to contact him.

Stepping away from Akari for a moment, I speak softly into the phone. Loud enough only for Mr. Yamamoto to hear. “Sensei, it’s Serena. One of my friends was just attacked in the girl’s locker room. She is refusing to see the nurse, and I’m not sure what to do. Can I bring her to your room?”

Mr. Yamamoto is silent for a long moment before speaking quickly. “I understand, Serena. You’ve done well to call on me, child. Are you and your friend currently safe where you are?”

I nod stupidly, then realizing he can’t see me, respond. “Yes, sensei. We are safe here for now. My other friend and I drove away the attackers.”

“Good girl,” Mr. Yamamoto replies sharply. “Stay put; I am on my way and will escort you girls to my classroom. You are to stay on the phone with me until I arrive. Are you hurt yourself, Serena?”

“No, I’m okay,” I tell him, receiving a relieved breath in return.

I’m almost startled by how much my old teacher seems to care for me. I suppose it makes sense, though. I’ve been taking archery from him since I was a girl. Ever since Dad landed his job and had enough money to pay for lessons, I’ve been learning from Mr. Yamamoto. Still, his honest concern feels nice.

“Good,” Mr. Yamamoto responds. “Stay where you are and watch the door. Do not leave until I arrive, understand?” he repeats.

“I understand, sensei,” I say, doing my best to keep myself calm. The way Mr. Yamamoto is acting has me feeling all kinds of nervous. I hadn’t been wrong to categorize this as an assault.

We all wait for a tense few minutes while Mr. Yamamoto makes his way to us. We sit silently in the locker room, Akari with her eyes downcast, looking as if she’s second-guessing her choice to let me help her. Our silence is only occasionally broken by Mr. Yamamoto checking on us over the call.

Finally, our wait ends as Mr. Yamamoto speaks up once more. “I’m outside the locker room door. Please, come out so I may assess the damage.”

Agreeing, the three of us silently make our way for the door. Akari limps quite heavily, and I quickly go back to support her. She stays silent as we move, tears still leaking from her eyes.

I want to question, to ask if she’s okay and if there is anything more I can do to help her. Yet, I have a feeling that such questions wouldn’t be welcome. Maybe once she recovers somewhat, she might be willing to talk. I also know that I can only do so much. Having seen her scars, Akari will more than likely need a mental health professional. That is, if she is even out of danger to begin with. I can’t even begin to imagine what her life must be like.

Pushing open the door to the locker room, I find myself looking up at Mr. Yamamoto, who had been waiting as promised. As soon as he sees us, his aged face crumples with concern.

Crouching down before a panting Akari, Mr. Yamamoto asks, “What is your name, child?”

Akari looks for a moment as if she won’t answer. However, after looking between Baylee and me, she speaks. “Akari, sir. I’m sorry, I-I do not mean to cause u-undo disturbance. I can return to my classes.”

My old teacher isn’t having any of that, though. He shakes his head before seemingly assessing Akari for wounds. “Miss Akari, I’m afraid I must recommend you allow yourself to be admitted to the hospital. You have suffered grievous injury.”

Akari shakes her head franticly at his words, “No, please. No hospital. I’ll be fine; I just need time.”

Mr. Yamamoto looks quite disgruntled at that. “Miss Akari, I will not force you to the hospital, but with injuries like yours, there are risks if they aren’t treated properly, risks including permanent disability or even death. Once again, I implore you to consent to at least meeting with a medical professional.”

Akari once again shakes her head, the impassive mask of her face slowly reasserting itself. “No hospitals. I’m okay,” she confirms, her voice firm.

Mr. Yamamoto still seems disgruntled but appears to realize that his current tact isn’t having any effect. Instead, he turns his eyes towards me, a questioning look in them that I know well. He wants me to explain everything I know since he knows I won’t deny him. I mouth the word “later,” and he seems to accept.

“Very well,” Mr. Yamamoto says, looking between us three. “I will take you girls to my classroom to recover.”

Scene Break [https://i.imgur.com/ROt3fAw.png]

Ten minutes later, I find myself with Mr. Yamamoto standing outside his classroom. Baylee and Akari are inside with the period having started, leaving the two of us in relative isolation in the hallway.

“Tell me what happened,” Mr. Yamamoto orders, having never been one to beat around the bush.

“Baylee, Akari, and I met during an activity over the weekend. Baylee and I discovered that we all went to the same school after Akari had left, so we wanted to track her down and talk to her about it. We heard that she had Kendo as her final period before lunch, so we went to the locker room to see if she was there. That’s when we heard the yelling,” I explain, trying my best to be vague about how I’d met my new friends. Mr. Yamamoto knows me well enough to know that I hadn’t known Baylee until recently. Besides, nothing I’d said is technically a lie, except how we’d known where to find Akari, that is.

Mr. Yamamoto gives me a long look before nodding. “I see. Do you know why your friend is refusing medical aid?”

I frown; I can’t know for certain, but I definitely have a guess. I’d bet that she doesn’t want any kind of medical examination so that she doesn’t have to answer questions about her scars. Perhaps something her family had taught her to do.

“I have an idea, but I don’t think she’d like me telling. Me telling you won’t cause her to change her mind if I’m right. I’ll tell you if you push, but… please don’t. I feel I will lose her trust forever if I do,” I explain.

Mr. Yamamoto frowns as well, “I deeply dislike this situation, Serena. Still, I must say that you have acted with much honor and bravery. For that, I commend you. I do wish I could do more for your friend than offer her a place to rest, but if she will not consent to medical care, then there is little we can do for her. Perhaps you and Miss Baylee will be able to convince her in time, as that is all I can see us being able to do moving forward.”

“Thank you, sensei. I’m sorry I-” I start before being cut off by a shout.

“Serena!” yells my dad’s voice, his feet pounding the tile floor of the hallway as he approaches us.

He’s to me in an instant, looking like he wants to pull me into a hug but is reluctant to do so. He looks me up and down quickly, his eyes growing wide with fear. “Where are you hurt? What happened?”

I blink in confusion before looking down to where Dad’s eyes had gone. There’s blood on my school coat. I touch it, confused, before I realize what had happened. It must have gotten there when I’d covered Akari with my coat.

Realizing this, I look up to my dad, who watches me with extreme concern. “It’s okay, Dad, it’s not my blood. I lent the victim my coat to cover herself, and I didn’t realize there was blood on it is all. I’m not hurt.” It feels wrong to call Akari a victim, but it is accurate, and I won’t lie to my dad.

“Oh, thank god!” Dad exclaims, bending down and sweeping me up into his arms, where he holds me tightly against his chest, my feet dangling helplessly off the ground.

“D-Dad…” I squeak in protest. “Can’t b-breathe…”

Dad gives me one last squeeze before gently placing me back on my feet. “Sorry, darling. I heard you were involved in an incident, and someone was badly hurt. You scared the life out of me with that blood on your clothes.”

I step in and wrap my arms around my father in a gentler version of his massive bear hug. “I’m okay, Dad, I promise.”