Mahingga

Chapter 5: A Message

Ako entered the Leytrain after school. It had been two days since he'd spoken with Kita. She didn't seem to notice him at all, or maybe she was ignoring him, but it was probably for the best. Unless Taiyo needed some more translations anyway. Perhaps Kita would say they were even and wouldn't help anymore, which wouldn't be good. Despite his research, Ako had only memorized a few dozen Pawidan words.

With hundreds of students entering the Leytrain, he didn't see Kaib, though the giant kid usually stuck out easily, so Ako sat by himself. Kita sat down towards the end of the train however, right where she normally sat. He didn't have to look to know that she'd just be staring out the transparent walls of the Leytrain. Ako let out a sigh as the Leytrain started to glide back towards the eastern part of the island.

His skin tingled as his Palam received a notification. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he pulled back his sleeve and checked the Palam. There was a message from Taiyo. Ako looked around and turned his arm in so nobody else could see before opening it by tapping his finger on the screen.

"Hey brother," the message read. "I might be going crazy because this next idea of mine is even riskier. You know how you've wanted to see the aircraft up close? Well...I have a way, but we're going to have to sneak you in. The trickier part is that I want that Pawid girl to come with us. I don't know how we'll convince her, but we'll want to be able to translate things while we're inside. If she can do it, then she'll need to meet us at the mango tree in front of our house by 22:00 tonight. With her coloration, she might glow in the night, but tell her to dress darkly. We're going to figure this thing out, brother. I'll see you tonight."

"What?" Ako mouthed the word. Taiyo must have lost it. The aircraft was under government restricted access. Ako wanted to see it, but that had been more of a wistful hope. He hadn't expected Taiyo to actually make it happen. He closed the message and rubbed a hand across his face. His heart clenched with a flush of both excitement and nervousness.

Worst of all, he'd have to talk to Kita again. He let out a sigh. She was still staring out the Leytrain watching the plant-life whiz by.

The Leytrain slowed to a stop. He followed her off the train again, making sure to keep enough distance so that he wouldn't be suspicious. They'd barely turned down the path when Kita looked over her shoulder. Ako almost stopped in his tracks, but she kept walking as if she hadn't seen him.

Had she seen me? He thought as he kept following. For a second, he was convinced that she hadn't, but she suddenly ducked under a massive leafed bush to the side of the path and walked further into the jungle. She moved fast.

"Guts!" Ako muttered and jogged after her. He'd seen her disappear behind a few trees so he hurried around them and nearly ran into her.

She stood there, arms folded, and squinted at him with suspicious eyes. "Alright, what is it this time, Tsugari? Another translation? I don't think I like the idea of this being a regular thing. You should look into those archives I mentioned."

Ako rolled his eyes. "No, it's different this time, and, uh." He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "Risky."

"What are you talking about?" She said with a frown.

"Well, this is gonna sound a little crazy, Kita," Ako began. She just stared at him expectantly. It's best to just say it, he thought. He let out a sigh. "Either you're in or you're out, but you shouldn't tell anybody what I'm about to say. I'm going to sneak in to see the aircraft, and I want you to come with me."

Kita raised an eyebrow. "That's not too crazy I guess. Plenty of kids joke about trying that."

"What?" Ako asked. His mouth hung open in a moment of stunned silence. That didn't seem like something to joke about. "This is serious stuff, though. That's government property."

Kita shrugged. "You definitely grew up in a different environment than I did. How do you expect to get in, anyway? You know that place is protected, right?"

Ako looked away sheepishly. "I've got a connection." He turned back to her sharply. "But I need to know if you're in or not before I give you any more details."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "This isn't some scheme, is it?"

"I don't joke about this stuff, Kita."

Kita sighed. "For some reason, I actually believe you. Alright, I'm in. Let's hear it."

Ako felt a release of tension. "Okay, well, someone's going to get us inside. I'm not going to say his name—you'll just have to see it yourself, but it's going to happen tonight at 22:00. It might be a good idea if you wear some dark clothing. Your primary involvement will be to assist with translations that come up."

"Okay, where do we meet?"

"There's a huge mango tree in front of my place. We'll meet there. I can send the address to your Palam," Ako said.

She shook her head. "I don't have one, but I know where you live." She started to leave.

"What?" Ako asked, cocking his head.

"I'll see you tonight, Ako," she said with a smirk. He hadn't seen her smile before, and it was...surprisingly beautiful.