A Matter Of Understanding

Feelings Can Cut Through Glass

The hallway was longer and darker than she thought after her first visit to the College building. At that time, she was surrounded by her new family. She had her big brother, Ruth, and her husband Elias with her, even if Silky couldn't come. She could grab their hands and listen to their voices telling her how exciting all of this was, and how amazing her time in this institution was going to be. She almost believed them. Yes, she almost did. But their voices were so far away from this hallway. So far away from these empty and lonely corridors.

She knew she could not run for a long period of time due to her health, but the breeze on her face was one of the only things that were preventing her from crying. Unaware of her surroundings, she turned left at the end of the empty hallway and almost tripped on a bench. That made her stop just long enough for the fatigue to catch up to her body, so she decided to sit down for a minute.

On that lonely bench, her mind was free to wander to every dark thought tormenting her the last two weeks in the College. She thought she was free of these kinds of things. Her years of high school in Japan were so far away. There were so many things that had happened during this time. She nearly died more times that she was capable to tell. She should be above this.

But it was evident that she wasn't. Those childish things still were bothering her, and her memories of her time in those cold homes, where no one wanted to listen to her and she could do nothing but cry and be scared were coming at her head, spoiling the newfound spirit she worked so hard to lift.

Words are sharper than knives.

Tears started falling down her cheeks.

"Oh, here you are."

A familiar voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"What are you doing in here?" she replied as she started wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You let me come along, don't you remember?"

Oh yeah, he was right. She let him come here as a peace offering after what he did to the College. It was supposed to be the first step to finally be on good terms. He would share his knowledge in alchemy in exchange for a new arm, a solution for the anti-regeneration spell that Renfred cast on him, and a promise that neither would get in each other's way ever again.

"I mean, it's not like I want to see you or anything, but you are supposed to check on me to see if I am not... how did you call it..., doing anything "morally wrong", and I have not seen you all day, so..."

He shrugged. His arm wasn't completely healed, but it was getting there. He wasn't looking directly at her, luckily for her.

"That's right," she said, still shaking but trying to pull herself together "I'm sorry, I was busy. Class stuff. Have you been doing well since yesterday?"

"Well, I guess."

"That's good," she replied in a broken voice, "Then you should go back to work. I'll check on you tonight as well."

She thought that would be enough for him to go away, but he didn't do anything. He stayed rooted in that same spot for a solid minute without looking at her, with just silence between the both of them. After a while, she started saying, "What are you...?"

"Are you going to tell me why you are crying or what," he interrupted. His abrupt reply shocked her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I am not an idiot, Chise. Stop trying to fool me"

He still wasn't looking at her.

"I am not..."