𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐄 - j. grace, ocxoc ¹ ✓

iv. pain, suffering, and seymour !

IV.      KAORI OKAYAMA   !
⋆ ★
pain, suffering, & seymour!

          Kaori wasn't a talker, she made that clear to Jason from the start. All she did was walk in front as he followed her to the so-called "Big House"

She had perfect posture, hands behind her back like she was worried what she'd accidently do with them. The most threatening part was her large black bow which was slung over her shoulder. From the few words he heard Kaori say, her voice was melodious, high-pitched in a way that was natural. Her hair, long and resembled a starless night, was hypnotizing to Jason. She was dressed in the signature camp t-shirt and denim shorts. Kaori had brown converse, green stains which made Jason wonder if chlorophyll got splashed onto them. When Jason first saw her, he didn't know what color her eyes were due to her sunglasses covering them entirely. But now that she had taken off her sunglasses and tucked them in her pocket, he saw her brown eyes that seemed to reflect the grass — or maybe it was green rings around her pupils. Jason couldn't get a good look without looking like a creep.

"You do archery?" Jason tried to make small talk to which she didn't seem to appreciate. She looked more nervous than anything. Kaori merely nodded and refused to look Jason in the eye. Then he brought up the topic to Delilah. "Is uh . . . Delilah doing okay?"

"I don't know," Kaori's voice was threaded with concern and shook. Jason noticed her furrow her eyebrows while glancing toward the several lined cabins before turning her head back around. Her face had completely changed to hide what she was thinking. "This is the Big House."

As soon as Jason saw the house, he knew he was a dead man. It didn't exactly look threatening, just a four-story manor painted baby blue with white trim. The wraparound porch had lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. Wind chimes shaped like nymphs turned into trees as they spun. Jason could imagine old people coming here for summer vacation, sitting on the porch and sipping prune juice while they watched the sunset. Still, the windows seemed to glare down at him like angry eyes. The wide-open doorway looked ready to swallow him. On the highest gable, a bronze eagle weathervane spun in the wind and pointed straight in his direction, as if telling him to turn around.

Every molecule in Jason's body told him he was on enemy ground.

"I am not supposed to be here," he said.

"You'll be fine," Kaori tried to smile. "We have several people like you here."

Kaori smelled like spring—a combination of eucalyptus and fresh grass. Jason wondered if she always smelled like that, or if it was some kind of special perfume she wore. Jason got a look of her eyes and noticed they really did have green rings around her pupil. Her glossed lips were really distracting, but really he just couldn't stop looking at every detail she had. Every time she blinked, he felt compelled to look at her. A few of her dark strands, curls that had been separated, flew over her face.

Jason scratched the back of his neck. "Look, Kaori, I really appreciate—"

"Is this about your girlfriend?" Kaori arched an eyebrow. "She's okay."

"You mean Piper? Um . . ."

Jason wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't think he'd ever seen Piper before today, but he felt strangely guilty about it. He knew he shouldn't be in this place. He shouldn't befriend these people, and certainly he shouldn't date one of them. Still . . . Piper had been holding his hand when he woke up on that bus. She believed she was his girlfriend. She'd been brave on the skywalk, fighting those venti. But that wasn't right to lead her one. He didn't even know his own story. He couldn't play with her emotions like that.