Wednesday, August 25, Late Morning

Xavier Uzual

“Attention passengers. Please stand clear of the doors. The train will be arriving soon. Now approaching: Market Street Station.”

I can’t say I’m particularly good with crowds. Actually, that’s kind of an understatement. I don’t like them very much at all.

But crowds don’t bother my sister. That’s all that matters. She sat next to the car door, leaning against one of the glass panes and tapping away at her phone.

I placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. “Hey, Xylia. We’re almost here.”

“I know, I know."

Slowly, the train car started to pull into the station. “Don’t text while you walk,” I said.

“Now arrived at: Market Street Station. Next stop: Canalave Street Station. Please stand clear of the doors.”

The doors of the train opened and I stood up to grab our luggage, and reached down again and tousled her hair a bit more “C’mon, let’s go.”

“Okay, okay.” She stood and finally pocketed her phone. After watching her struggle with one of her bags for a second, I took it and slung it over my shoulder.

“Don’t forget your racquet.”

“Yeah, I know.” Xylia slipped the strap of her case over her backpack.

“The Southbound Red-Line Train is now boarding. Please watch your step.”

“Come on, let’s go.” I took her hand and pushed my way through the faceless mass of bustling people.

When moving into a new city with a relative that’s basically a stranger, I suppose that most kids would be nervous. Most kids would be nervous, but then again, most kids haven’t lived in more cities than they have fingers. I looked over at Xylia. She just looked a little bored. As we emerged from the swarm of bodies, Xylia let go of my hand and pulled out her phone.

Instinctively, I looked away from the screen. But from my split-second glimpse, I saw the words, “No messages.” A second later, a jingle played, and Xylia’s eyes lit up.

I smiled a bit. “Who’s it from?” I asked.

Her eyes dulled. “30% discount to a magazine. And, delete.”

I’d assumed it would be one of her friends from the previous school. What were their names again? I couldn’t remember.

What happened to them? Probably the same as always. Just kind of… fell out of touch. That’s how it always is. They probably didn’t want to hang out with the sister of an epileptic spaz, or something.

I did this.

Walked around the station, I scanned the area for a clock. Advertising billboards filled the walls, shilling some movie I’ll never see. My eyes wandered elsewhere, onto the train schedules. My hand reached for my phone, which, in retrospect, I should’ve done from the start. People with epilepsy don’t get along well with flashing lights. 

The info kiosks were masses emblazoned with bright flashing letters. They blinked in, and out, and danced across the light signs. In, out, and in, and out. My eyes were throbbing, as if being actively gouged out. It was too bright. I tried to look away.

The phone slipped from my hand and clattered against the ground. My sister looked at me, eyes wide. “Xavy? Xavier? Hey--”

The world around me bled into white. It’s happening, again. But I couldn’t stop it. It’s like being in an ascending elevator that’s slowed to a halt, and all of a sudden, the cables snap. The ground below me felt like it was caving, and giving way.

It’s this familiar falling sensation.

When my vision settled, I was still in the train station, but it was empty now. Behind me, the train doors closed, and the sound of releasing brakes echoed through the vacant tunnels. The train cars picked up speed and chugged off into the distance, filled with nobody and driven by no one.

After that, it was quiet. I’m a huge fan of quiet.

The signs and advertisements continued to flash. It’s fine to look at them now. It’s not as if I could have a seizure while having a seizure. But, the signs won’t tell me anything important, anyways. This is all in my head.

I can’t explain why this happens, only that it does. If you asked a doctor for the symptoms of epilepsy, “seeing the world but only you exist” isn’t one of them. But then again, I wouldn’t know; I’m no neuroscientist.

That said, I can’t say I don’t appreciate this world. It belongs to me, only me.

“But… I guess it means I’m causing trouble for Xylia, huh…” My heart sunk. I’d have to make it up to her later.

“Trouble for who?” Another voice.

Another voice?

Slowly, I turned my head. In the silence of the station, I could hear my sound of my heart.

Someone was standing across the train platform. They had wavy, shoulder-length hair and androgynous features. Clad in flowing, white-gold robes, they chuckled and stared directly at me with golden eyes.

I blinked. What… Hold on. During my seizures… I’m always alone. There shouldn’t be anyone else.

It was a little difficult to breathe. “Who… who are you?” My voice cracked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

This can’t be real. It’s all in my head, right? For the first time, then, I must be hallucinating someone in this world. But how? Why? Have… I seen this person before?

“Don’t you have somewhere to be? A sister you must be bothering?” With another chuckle, they raised a hand and snapped.

It echoed through the tunnels.

My vision blurred. The world around me seemed to crumble and shake and fade. The ground below my feet opened up and let me into freefall.

It was that same falling sensation.

When I came to, I was leaning against a wall. The crowds of people and the sounds of the ‘real world’ had returned and filled the space.

Without turning my head, I looked to the side and caught sight of Xylia, looking around at the station. She caught my gaze; her eyes brightened a bit.

“Hey…”

“Hey, Xavy.” She smiled warily. “You… doing okay now?”

“I’ve--” I coughed, “been better.”

“Heh. Yeah, I know. Can you move?”

I tugged at my arms and flexed my fingers experimentally. Slowly, I managed to lift my feet as well. “A little, yeah.” It took a couple tries, but I was able to push myself up to a standing position. My motor functions were online, it seemed. “Looks like… it wasn’t so bad this time.”

The tension in her body seemed to diffuse. “That’s good. If you’re feeling okay, let’s get going. We gotta go find Uncle Tasben.”

“Is it... time already?” I was sure I’d passed out in the morning. “How long was I out?”

Xylia reached behind me, grabbed her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. “Not too long.”

Wednesday, August 25, After School

Kotone Koizumi

I could use a good cup of coffee right about now. Geez, I could hardly keep my eyes open.

Closing the door to the computer lab behind me, found a spot. As I waited for the machine to power up, I decided to double-check my instructions on my phone.

Hey Kotone,

Meeting recap:

We received the last of the student council candidate applications. We need someone to assemble the names and blurbs into the announcement fliers. Your vice-committee chair, Judy, volunteered you.

We figured that you had experience designing flyers, so you’d be the best fit for the job.

We decided to go digital with the fliers this year. Please design a web page with the info. Run it past me before you post.

Carla

Compile the information, design a web page, make a flier. Okay, got it. Come on, Kotone. Don’t mess this up.

Geez… I should probably get more sleep. I’ve been misreading my student council assignments a lot, lately.

I sighed. I mean, sure, as the new head of the Social Committee, it’s natural that they assume that I’m half-decent at flyer design… But that’s the kind of thing that I would delegate!

Maybe I shouldn’t have ditched the meeting. But then again, I’m pretty sure that, even if I had been there, I would still be here. After all, I’m the only junior on the Executive Council. Everyone else was a senior.

This is how it’s supposed to be.

I kind of wish I could delegate this. But, alas, there wasn’t anyone in this year’s Social Committee yet. Class representatives hadn’t been elected yet.

I guess the natural question to ask would be: If no one’s been elected, and thus, no one’s in any of the committees, what am I doing here? Putting aside the fact that I ask myself this question every night when I cry myself to sleep (joking) it’s because the chairs and vice-chairs of the various committees are appointed by their predecessors.

So, here I am.

Jeez, I had accidentally shifted the names down a row. How long ago? Shoot, how much of it did I mess up? I’m so tired… Just looking at the names on the screen made my head spin.

My phone rang. Slowly, I reached for it and answered without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Hey, Kotone. Where are you right now?”

“Jacob, is that you?”

“Uh… yeah,” he said. “You okay? You don’t sound so good.”

“I’m fine.”

Jacob paused for a moment. “Hey, um… you’re on shift today, you know?”

“What… what day of the week is it?”

“It’s Wednesday,” Jacob said.

I sat up. “Oh, shoot. I’m so sorry. I’ll be right there. What time is it right now?”

“Er… it’s almost 4.”

“Oh, no.”

“Hey, take it easy,” Jacob said. “Don’t rush. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m awake enough to make coffee and sell croissants. Isn’t that all that matters?”

There was a long pause. I put my phone on speaker and began packing my things. “Just… be careful on your way here, okay?”

“Gotcha, gotcha.” I snapped my phone shut, threw it in my bag, slung said bag over my shoulder, and almost tripped over a chair on my way out.

I opened the door to the student council office and ran into someone. When my eyes opened, I was on the floor, and papers were everywhere. I never realized it before, but the floor was really comfortable… Just five more minutes…

“Kotone, are you unharmed?”

“Just five more minutes…”

“Guh… That’s no good! Awaken, maiden, from your slumber!”

I recognize that voice. I opened one eye. “Oh, Leo. Morning.”

Leo was dressed in his deep blue track jacket, the one with gaudy silver highlights, wore his bright, red headphones around his ears, and of course, had his ‘hero scarf,’ hanging from his neck. He looked like an anime character. 

“Kotone, it’s like, past 3:30 in the afternoon.”

With that, I jolted awake. “You’re right.” I placed one hand on my head. “My files, where did they go?”

“Over here.” He extended his hand and helped me up, the handed me my paperwork. “With regards to your status-” Leo cleared his throat, “Oh, whatever. You look really pale. You… okay?”

“Think of it as a new look.”

Leo narrowed his eyes. “Is… is this because of student council work?”

“It’s nothing. Thanks, though.” I dusted myself off. “What are you doing in the student council office?”

“I’m here to talk to Carla. She’s coming down hard on us clubs. In particular…” He laughed, uneasily. “The Hero Club is below the minimum member count, and we didn’t submit a portfolio last semester.”

I’d heard that Carla was being strict with the club handbook’s rules. “What did she say?”

“She’s not here right now. I’ll send her an email.”

“Do you guys want me to rejoin?”

Leo shook his head. “You clearly have too much on your plate right now. I-”

“I’ll be fine. Hey, if it’ll help the club, then--”

“Ha ha ha! Such a challenge is nothing for I, Caladbolg Montoya, Magus of Blue!” He struck a pose. “Seriously, though. We’ve got it under control. See you later.”

With a wave, Leo walked off. I hope his club’s okay. He’s kinda weird, but he’s not a bad guy. Maybe I’ll talk to Carla for him. I pushed the door to the Student Council office open.

“Hey, it’s me.”

The centerpiece of the office was a long table with folding chairs lining both sides. There was a monitor in the corner, with a game system hooked up to it. There were a long shelf pushed against the wall, with assorted files and other folders with documents on it.

There was only one person in the student council office. A girl with large glasses and hair pulled into a long braid. It was Judy, my vice committee chair.

“Kotone. Hello.” Judy said, half-closing her laptop. “Sorry I can’t be more useful.”

“That’s okay.” I shook my head. For a moment afterwards, my head still felt like it was spinning. “I’ll be fine.”

“Perhaps you could recruit some of last year’s committee members.” Judy adjusted her glasses. “Or, maybe your friend Olivia. Wasn’t she good with computers?”

Olivia… while she was one of my two best friends, it wouldn’t feel right asking for help. I’ll be fine. I can do it. I shook my head. “Don’t worry about me. Hey, what are you working on?”

Judy opened up her laptop screen. “This? Just some college applications. It’s that time of the year.”

Yeah… it really is. “Don’t you think you should be taking care of that before you go worrying about me?”

She fiddled with her braid and smiled. “That’s just like you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I laughed and crammed my files away in their proper place on the shelf. “I gotta go. I’ll finish it later--”

The door opened behind me. Carla, the Activities Committee Chair (and de-facto head until the Student Council officers were elected) entered the room.

Carla was a hawk of an officer. She had glare that could commit involuntary manslaughter. She looked around the room; Judy and I tensed.

“Have either of you seen Steve?” Carla asked.

“He was just here,” Judy said.

Carla cursed under her breath. Her glare landed on the game console in the corner. “Okay, call me if he comes back.”

“I’ll be heading home for the day,” Kotone said. “I’ve got…” Oh shoot. I forgot that I had to go to work. “I gotta go.”

“Sure. What’s the progress look like on the announcement fliers?”

“On track. I’ll have the web-page up by tomorrow.”

Carla narrowed her eyes. “Web page?”

“Didn’t you guys ask me to put it on a web page?”

Carla crossed her arms and sighed. “Kotone, I know you weren’t at the meeting. But you gotta read your emails more carefully. Please double check before this ends up like the last two times.”

Suddenly, there was a twisting feeling in my gut. “W-what?”

“We decided at the meeting to have it be fliers, like last year. The possibility of a website was brought up, but we figured that no one’s gonna fish through the student council website for some dumb old announcement,” Carla said.

“No… No, that… what? I checked. I double checked.” Hold on. Am I losing my mind? No way. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. “See?

We decided to go hard copies with the fliers this year. Design a print flier with the info. Run it past me before you post.

I froze. “B-but, I didn’t… it--”

Carla uncrossed her arms. “You can’t continue like this.”

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

I could almost imagine her with Vader breath noises. “That is all. Please continue to do your best.”

“Yes, m-ma’am.”

With that, she turned and walked out. The door slammed behind her.

“Hey, Kotone.”

Judy had been calling out to me. For how long? I wasn’t sure. “Y-yes?”

“You… going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

She looked at her computer. “But there’s so much work to get done…”

“I’ll stay up late getting through it,” I said.

“I’d probably do the same.”

I learn from the best. “So don’t worry about me!” I slung my bag over my shoulder.