Daybreak

Twenty-Two - Ai

Ai began to worry with each passing night that she had scared the boy off. It had been at least a week since Kenta had last visited their lake. Her's and the girls' hope had begun to dwindle.

Today, like the nights past, everyone remained sitting or lying still in the wet moss like cold corpses in a graveyard. No one cared that their bottoms were wet and soiled from the mud. Ai in particular sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the lake so that the icy water would occasionally splash over her knees as she swirled her legs beneath the water in slow, rhythmic motions.

Every night the moon grew brighter. Soon it will be a full moon, Ai observed, as she threw back her head and stared into the depths of the sky.

"It's a shame isn't it?" said Ri from next to her. "We have wings, yet we can't fly."

Ai didn't have a response to that. All she knew was that they'd been put into some enchantment that enabled them to fall for the wizard's promises.

It was then that a dark shadow covered the moon and disappeared over the trees within that brief second. Before Ai could point out the odd occurrence, Ri was tugging at Ai's sleeve and was pointing at something in the distance. A figure had appeared from the darkness of the trees.

Ai's heart began to beat rapidly. Her hands grew numb, and when she stood, she told herself that it was just the young man. Without thinking twice, she strode out to meet their visitor.

However, as Ai grew closer, she noticed that the person approaching them was short and wore a black dress of ruffles and lace. This was not Kenta. In fact, this person was a young girl.

Ai stopped about six feet away from the child. The stranger looked no older than eleven. Yet she looked ethereal in the moonlight like an ancient painting. Her hair was black as night and her eyes were an intense, emerald green. Ai found it hard to not stare. She wondered what the girl thought of her, of the girls by the lake.

The child stopped walking and stood in place before the congregation of girls. Her expression was unreadable, but not in an unsettling way that would draw Ai's heart to beating uncontrollably. There was something familiar about this girl, and although Ai kept staring, she couldn't figure out why. The child looked like a foreigner, definitely not someone she had once met. It was the aurora that was familiar. As if-

Someone touched Ai's elbow from behind her, making her jump. It was Mako who then leaned forwards and whispered, "Now what?"

To that, Ai didn't know. What she now realized however, was that they'd been caught. They'd been caught when Kenta found them. This is the second time, and this time, a girl. As females themselves, the seven of them knew just exactly how girls were with gossip. And this person was a child.

The stranger then proceeded to approach them, and Ai had to constantly remind herself not to step back lest she give away her fear and lead them all into a panic.

"Hello," the girl had a perfect Kurobanese accent and her posture was noble when she bowed politely. Everything about her physical appearance was foreign, but from her demeanor and tone, this girl seemed almost like a Kurobanese.

"Hello," Ai bowed in response. Then, "Are you from the village?" Ai couldn't help asking.

The girl turned her head towards the lake. Then her eyes swept up to the red-brick house next to it. Her right hand shot forwards as she pointed at it with a pale forefinger.

"I'm going there," said the girl. "I've heard that the doctor here is good."

"Oh." Ai found herself clenching her fist in frustration. She saw in the girl, another victim to Rothbart's lies.

"Are you sick?" wondered Ri.

Ai shot her friend a look, but Ri ignored her, curiosity getting the better of them. "Where are your parents?" she added.

"I travel alone," said the girl. "And I'm not sick."

Ai frowned. "I thought you said you were seeing the doctor."

"I am," the girl agreed. "But who said I was sick? I only mentioned the doctor because the sick ones seem to be you!"

"What?" Ai thought she heard incredulous things.

"Aren't you sick? After all, I did see you as birds."

Ai didn't know how to reply to that.

"The doctor can heal you," the girl added. "They know the cure, although they wouldn't admit it." She beamed and nodded her head. "But you don't have to worry because I can tell you!"

"What?" Ai asked again.

"The cure to your sickness," said the girl.

Kaori snickered from behind Ai. "Sorry," she mumbled when everyone turned their heads to glare at her.

"I don't think I understand," Ai said to the girl. Although she felt silly saying all this and knew the girl's words could be an effect of their own sickness.

The girl patiently nodded her head. "Okay." She pointed at the red-brick house again. "The doctor knows the cure to your sickness," she repeated. "And I know how you must cure it. The solution is to find your sister."

When Ai opened her mouth to reply, the girl held up her hand to stop her and shook her head. "Wait." Her head tilted towards the wood's darkness.

"What is it?" Ai whispered loudly.

"There's someone coming."

"What is it!?" Ai whispered louder.

The girl's emerald eyes stared at Ai with offense. "Quiet. Are you not afraid? Even breaking this curse brings a price. Once it's broken, your sister will lose her life."

Ai blinked slowly. "What?"

"But breaking the spell is easy," continued the girl. "Just ask your sister."

Ai shook her head, not quite understanding. "But my sister is dead," she argued.

"No." The girl pursed her lips and looked at Ai squarely. "Not at all."

There was a glint in the young girl's eyes that resembled that of a trickster. It shone like great big gems that coerced one into madness.

Ai's posture stiffened defensively. She thought to speak back, but then the girl approached her and leaned in to speak into Ai's ear.

"I sense a visitor coming," the child spoke. "Now's a good time to decide what it's worth."

Then the girl walked away into the darkness and disappeared around the red-brick house by the lake.