French Cup: A Neighborhood Story

Chapter 90: -Kazuya- The Wind in Our Sails

"I see. So, they were from the hotel." Nikki was way too calm. Eerie.

Miyuki shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It was silent in here except for the springs squeaking in response to her. Almost echoing in Charlotte's theater, the absence of a movie on. Charlotte had been kind, letting us use this space. It was Wednesday morning and she was back now. She'd opened up for us, knowing how important this was. You helped me open back up, so I will help you however I can. She'd said that. So kind. But I was numb to kindness now. Numb to everything. 

Hanako let all his air out, this delayed response. He laid back on his couch next to mine, completely laid out like he was on a therapist's couch like you see on TV. 

"You were right, Nikki," Miyuki said. "I admit, I thought this might have come from the hotel, too, but I didn't really know. Now, we do."

I'd just finished telling them all that I knew. Gyeong-Wan hadn't told me to keep it a secret. I'd said that I'd met these boys before. This possible chain of events. As I'd really thought about it last night, I'd come up with a possible scenario. Trying to get it to make sense, but there was no way I could. 

I'd met these boys and their mother, they'd come into French Cup after hours. They'd left, gotten some kind of idea in their heads. They'd come back. Threw the device. Gyeong-Wan had ran out, caught them. Then, he'd told me. 

I had a raging headache. Trying to make sense of it all. It didn't make any sense. I wanted it to all come together, but I couldn't make it-

"Are you okay, honey? You need to take a break?"

I blinked several times, turning to Hanako's couch. His head was up like a meerkat, observing me. Did I look disturbed? Evaluating myself. Yes. My breathing was too fast. Staring down at my hands. I'd been scratching them. Angry red marks, so visible in the bright lights of this theater like before the movie starts. 

He was sitting up now, taking my hands in his. "Stop scratching. I never knew you did that." He soothed my hands in his, rubbing the raised marks. It felt good.

Gyeong-Wan was in the hotel now. Working again. Was he seeing that family? Were they going about their day? He'd said the boys had been proud of what they'd done. Was the rest of the family proud?

"I'm going to go ask Charlotte for some water. I'll get us all some water," Miyuki said under her breath, getting up. Her seat folded back up with a startling noise. I didn't jump, though. In front of me, Hanako did. His face darted toward the noise, but was back on me in an instant. His own fear. 

I'd seen Gyeong-Wan jump like that yesterday, too. Response to a loud noise. 

What those boys had done. I'd gotten almost no sleep, that probably wasn't helping. 

Nikki was watching Miyuki go up the aisle. Following her the whole way. Was he making sure she was going to be okay? That we were really safe? Were we? Why didn't I ask Charlotte to put chains around the door handles? She could do that, right? 

"Breathe, sweetheart. It's alright. We're all together." 

Hanako. I blinked several times. Breathe. 

"I can't believe it was two boys. Not even adults. I don't know if that makes it better or worse. I mean, if it's not adults then that's less threatening. But, if it's not adults then that's more terrifying. For them to do this that young? But, maybe they weren't as serious. But, kids don't get what's a game and what's not. They might think that was funny. They might do it again." Nikki was thinking out loud, and I didn't want him to. Invading my own thoughts.

He went on, though. I hadn't spoken to stop him.

He sighed, irritated. "I keep thinking I want to get my sister over here. Like she's going to protect me or something. What can she do? I guess she knows kids. Now that I know it was kids. Like, maybe she can help evaluate what they were thinking or something. But, I doubt it. We don't actually know them. You said that Gyeong-Wan knows them a little bit, right? Can he come and tell us more about them? I mean but- what is knowing about them going to solve? We need to do something. March over there and get them arrested. He knows it was them, right? He caught them. You said so. Do we need more than that? Hanako, what do we need? You're always saying you're older than us. More mature. Do you know what we need to do?"