Tea Leaves and Diamond Bracelets

Great Sugi of Kayano

Match Twenty-Seven: Great Sugi of Kayano:

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. By the time Alfred realized what had happened, it was too late to turn back. He remembered what happened before and the aftermath, but not the events in the middle.

It started three days ago.

-Start-

Lydia had to go away for the weekend. It started with a call from an old friend of her parents'.

"Hello?" the girl asked.

"Is this Lydia?" a woman asked. A confused look came over Lydia's face.

"Why?" she asked.

"You do not remember me, but my name is Ellie," the woman said on the other line. "I was friends with your parents." Lydia's eyes shifted back and forth.

"Okay..." she said.

"How is your sister?" Ellie asked.

"Fine..." Lydia couldn't figure out who she was talking to. Ellie wasn't ringing any bells in her head.

"I'm sorry, but what is your last name?" she asked.

"Oh, I apologize," Ellie said with a chuckle. "My name is Ellie Roberts." The name sounded familiar.

"Okay..." Lydia said. The call didn't last for a long time. But, she couldn't stop thinking about Ellie. Who was she really? Why did she call? Lydia had to go and find this woman and see who she was. Right now, all she had was a name. After some Google searches, her quest began. It took her about three weeks, tops. She tracked down the name and address. Apparently, Ellie lived all the way down in Texas. That seemed pretty far away. Plus, Florence's health was still spiraling down the drain. Lydia pressed her lips together as she stared at the screen. There would only be one way to solve this.

This wasn't an easy choice. But first, she had to get someone to watch over Florence. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Lydia only knew one person to call.

"Hey, it's me," she said. "I will need a favor from you." It sounded so bitter in her mouth. But, what choice did she have? She had to find out the truth for herself. Lydia gulped and shut her eyes.

"I will need you to watch over Florence for a few days," she said. Lydia opened her eyes. "Thanks. Here's what you need to do."

-Day One-

It was supposed to be simple. Alfred had been alone with Florence before. Nothing really happened except for one kiss. Everything should've been fine from there.

Except, those strange visions were getting worse. Alfred could see himself standing in that school hallway again. He could smell himself wasting away. Then, there was her.

"Alfred?" he heard behind him. The American man turned around. Florence stood behind him with a tired smile on his face. He gave her a confused look at first.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You look so pale." Alfred shook his head.

"Nothing, it's nothing," he lied. "Hey, have you eaten yet?"

"No..." she said.

"Good," Alfred said. "Let's find something to eat." He took her by the arm and led her back into the kitchen. He had to make sure that Florence ate her food. She was starting to eat less and less each day.

"She doesn't have to have a giant portion," Lydia told him over the phone. "Just get her to eat something."

"Alright," he said. Tonight's dinner consisted of wild mushroom soup and a small salad.