Aberration

Chapter 32: Berries of the Night

As soon as she arrived home, she dropped her school bag before the coffee table, turned on the television and began to play with her new pet. Her priority was to study, of course, but the animal she'd just picked up was far more pressing. She stroked its belly and tapped its nose with a wondrous smile on her face. Before she knew it, an hour had passed and she was still pinching the animal's paws. The clicks of high heels shuffled through the front door with an exasperated sigh. "Suzume!" Snapped a voice that made her jump. Stephanie Higuchi, a doctor with the body of an Astrian model, stood in front of the television. "Oh. Mother, I didn't know you were going to be home toda-"
"Why haven't you started dinner?"
"I-I just got home and lost track of time, ma'am."
"You've been home for an hour."
"I know, but I didn't expect you to be home, so..."
"You need to eat at the same time everyday then. We might be home early, and I don't feel like cooking after an eighteen hour shift."
"Okay. Okay. Sorry."
"I'm not upset. I'm just tired and I expected dinner to be ready by the time I'm home." Stephanie pinched the bridge of her nose and sat on the couch, taking off her blazer while she tilted her head back with a long sigh. "I can start dinner now." Her mother didn't say anything; she only swatted her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you want some ice for your head while I'm up?"
"Yes, please. Thank you, dear."
"Mhm." She opened a plastic bag and filled it with ice from the refrigerator. Wrapping it in a moist towel, she pressed it against her mother's head. "How was school today?" She asked in a serene voice. "Same as usual."
"Nothing exciting?"
"No. Not really. But Shirai is back from her vacation."
"I remember you mentioned that! She was in the Haibara Domain, right? That's so far away! Did she have fun on the beaches there? Your dad and I actually went there for our honeymoon." Seemingly gaining a second wind, she began to reminisce with a smile on her face. Suzume was boiling water while chopping up various vegetables on a cutting board, occasionally glancing back at the fox sitting obediently on the table. Oddly enough, her mother still hadn't acknowledged it even as an avid hater of animals. "Yeah." Suzume eventually said, wiping her hands on her apron.

"That smells good, honey. Oh. And Dad won't be home tonight... he's going out drinking with his friends." She said, placing the ice pack on the coffee table. Absently, she dropped it on top of the fox and Suzume recoiled, "M-Mom! Watch where you're..." The ice pack slipped straight through the animal like a hologram, but its head and appendages still stuck out. "What? What did I do?" Suzume's eyes flickered between the fox and her mother, her mouth agape. "The... table... you shouldn't... put water on it or it'll leave marks." She managed to squeeze out of her lungs with a single stale breath. "Oh! I wasn't thinking. You're right. Thank you, sweetie!" She ditzily laughed, "I must be losing my mind, huh? Do you have any plans for tonight? I was thinking about turning in early. I've got another double shift tomorrow."
"No. I was just going to study in here for a while."
"Oh. Good plan. How have your grades been? I know your teachers have been saying amazing things recently! Your mommy's very proud! I brag about you all the time at work- just the other day-"
{You asked me to cook you dinner, then you ask me a question only to ramble on about something else...} Suzume's attention slipped past her mother's words and landed on the fox who'd been staring at her almost intelligently. It had been following her eyes and though it was an animal, Suzume felt as though it was grinning. "So then! I told her that you planned on being a doctor and she asked what school you were going to,"
"Hey, Mom, I'm gonna finish dinner. You must be tired, so you should go on to bed and rest for a while. I'll call you down once it's ready, okay?" She said, her voice as calm yet arrogant as ever.
"Oh. Okay, sweetie. You're my favorite daughter, you know!"
"To my knowledge, I'm your only one." She smiled toothily. Stephanie was gone in less than a minute, hiking up the steps with groans about her aching feet. "So, you." She began, losing her fake smile. She pointed to the fox, cocking her own head inquisitively. "You're a ghost, right? I dated an Exorcist once. He mentioned things like you existing in passing, but I never really asked him much about that job." From her pocket, she produced a small necklace with a glimmering white stone, "It's simple salt, but apparently it was blessed to ward off evil spirits from me as long as I focus to activate it." She spoke in a hushed tone.