Distant Calls - 2. Chapter 2- Leo's Mom

Mrs. Matthews hadn't even noticed our absence. Leo let go of my hand and walked over to his friend before shooting me a glance over his shoulder. My heart twinged, a touch of anxiety rising from the distance, and I felt the queasiness return, along with the beginnings of another headache. Though I wasn't sure which side-effect was worse, I still gave him a nod to affirm that I felt relatively okay, and he responded with a hesitant nod of his own.

As soon as she saw me, Zoey moved to sit beside me. I expected her to tease me for having spent so much time alone with Leo. But to my relief, she began to fawn over someone else entirely. My stomach began to twist again, but I focused on the words coming out of her mouth instead.

"Momo, you totally missed it!" She hissed with glee. "I had to kiss Rick!"

Rick? Leo's friend? Now, that was surprising. I forced myself to summon up a smile for her. She sounded happy, and she deserved to be content. I wasn't about to allow my predicament to rain on her parade; nausea be damned.

"L-lucky guy," I responded with some difficulty. "How was it?"

The expression on her face dampened as she studied my face more closely. "You look paler than usual," she said as she pressed the back of my hand to my forehead. "Are you getting sick again?"

I gently tugged her hand away and shook my head. "I'm fine," I countered. I felt no qualms in lying for her sake. "Tell me more about Rick. Do you like him?"

She had a suspicious expression on her face, but she conceded. "Yeah. I've always thought he was cute," she continued, handing me a chocolate chip cookie. I had passed out from a loss of blood sugar a couple of times in the past, so she was always quick to bring me something sweet whenever I looked too pale. "And he's even sweeter once you start getting to know him. He asked me out, and I'm thinking of saying yes."

That time, a genuine smile formed on my face. "That's great to hear," I admitted. "I hope things work out well between you two. From what I heard from Leo, Rick seems to be a decent guy."

"Hmm, on the subject of our basso cantante," my bestie singled out just as I held the cookie to my mouth. "Tell me. Did he confess to liking that kiss? Did he ask you out? I want details."

"What? He didn't ask me out!" I rebuked as I felt blood rushing to my face. "We've just barely become friends."

"But, that blush tells me you wouldn't have minded if he did," she taunted.

With a groan of aggravation, I took a vicious bite from the cookie. But the sugar and chocolate did nothing to ease nausea. My stomach only felt even worse. I felt some movement behind me, and then several warm fingers were trailing along my scalp.

"Your hair's quite soft," Leo's deep voice pointed out.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him. Had he been feeling sick to his stomach, too? That had to be the reason for the stray touch, right?

"Now, that's hardly fair," Zoey stated. I could see her motioning towards Leo out of the corner of my eye. "Are you giving Momo hair-touching privileges in return?"

As I turned towards her to dissuade her, Leo reached behind his neck to tug off his hair tie. Before I could say anything, he took my wrist and pressed my hand to the side of his face. I was ultimately out of sorts. The queasiness and headache were once again gone. But, the warmth that registered through my sweaty hand from Leo's skin caused my stomach to turn in an entirely different way.

"Go ahead," Leo prompted with a smile that caused a few of the nearby chorus girls to choke. "You can touch mine in return."

Mrs. Matthews returned just then, asking us to help clean up the classroom. Leo let go of my hand, and the side-effects began to build once again. Without saying a word, we chose to remain next to each other as we collected the trash. When we were finally dismissed, the amber-eyed teen didn't hesitate to take hold of my hand. With a huff of envy, Zoey took it upon herself to take hold of Rick's hand, as well. The four of us headed out to the bus ramp, where she bid the blue-haired boy goodbye with a kiss on the cheek. Rick was the only one who didn't board the same bus.

Leo didn't have to ask Zoey to relinquish her usual spot because she immediately took the seat behind us on the bus. I didn't even know where to begin. But, she didn't waste any time.

"Hmm, I didn't realize that being 'just barely friends' included the perks of holding hands and caressing one another's hair follicles," she mused aloud.

"Okay, okay...just give me a second to explain. Zoey, remember how I had another dream about Triple-D?" I explained, trying to ignore the warmth radiating from Leo's held hand. "And remember how Triple-D's most important person was named Nevis?"

"Yes," Zoey responded with a slight frown on her face.

"Nevis is someone I've always had dreams about since I was little," Leo added. "His most important person, using your own words, was a desert prince named Raemka."

Zoey looked confused for a moment before her blue eyes widened, and she let out a squeal so loud that all of the other students on the bus sent her glares and complaints.

"Oh, get over it; your ears will recover!" Zoey clapped back. Her voice fell to a whisper when she turned back to us. "Holy shit, guys. This can't be a coincidence. Are they your past lives? I've had my doubts…."

"I believe so," Leo responded at the same time as I replied, "I still find it hard to believe."

After Leo deciphered what I said, he looked upset, but his tone of voice remained steady. "What is it, exactly, that you find so hard to believe?" He asked as he let go of my hand, and my stomach dropped. "You feel that, too, don't you? The pounding headache that comes with us not touching? The urge to hurl right outside the window of the bus?"

I didn't enjoy the sensation one bit. Having him point out my body's inner aches and pains, something I had cautiously kept to myself for most of my life, stung the little pride I had left even harder. What right did he have to reveal such things about me? My eyes narrowed as I glared at him. But, he held my gaze without an ounce of regret for what he had done.

My best friend looked from Leo to me and back again. "Whoa, is that why you've been behaving more-than-friendly with each other? The distance makes you sick?" She deduced. "Why do I feel so disappointed about that?"

"We don't-" I began, refusing to look away from the taller teen, but Leo interrupted me.

"Yes," He insisted. "Distance makes us literally sick to our stomachs. This is why I'm asking Momo to hang out with me for a bit after school."

My eyes widened. "Wait, hang out? My dad won't-"

"He usually gets home around 6, doesn't he?" Zoey interjected. "He wouldn't know if you went with Leo for a bit."

I then gaped at Zoey as if she had grown a second head. "He wouldn't like it, either way."

"But, what he doesn't know won't hurt him," she insisted.

"You," I commented with narrowed eyes. "You've always been a bad influence, haven't you?"

"Sounds like you want to puke your guts out the bus window," she countered.

Leo leaned back on the seat and covered his face with his hands with a sigh. "Listen," He pleaded in his level tone of voice. Though he was the same age as us, he always sounded more reasonable by controlling his voice alone. I wished I could do the same. "I just don't want my mom's dinner to go to waste. Can we please test this...separation situation...out a bit? Just for today?"

I took a deep breath, and the movement not only hurt but also jostled my already unsteady stomach. Leo was right. If we didn't test the boundaries of whatever was happening to us, the two of us could end up being sent to the hospital or even experimented on. Facing my father's fury would have to wait.

"Just for today," I conceded, ignoring Zoey's apparent glee.

Leo's bus stop was before mine. The bus driver didn't say anything about my leaving a stop ahead. Yet, I didn't feel any less guilty as I took hold of the other teen's hand and hopped off the last step. The amber-eyed teen's mother, Paulina, looked nothing like her son. She had curly, soft brown hair and green eyes that were similar to mine. We were both ushered into the house without any hesitation.

"M-my name's Momoiro Takiwa," I said, letting go of Leo's hand for the greeting.

"Paulina Kenari. Leo's mom. This is quite the surprise," She admitted as she gently shook my hand. "Usually, it's Rick that I've gotten accustomed to seeing."

Something about her mannerisms made me feel strangely safe. But, I couldn't bask in the feeling. The sharp twisting in my stomach made me feel like I was knotted as tightly as the ties of my favorite sweatpants after a tumble in the drier.

"Mom, you're not going to believe the insanity," Leo urged as he immediately took hold of my hand again. Had he felt the same way? How was it that he always touched me whenever I needed it the most? "You're going to want to sit down for this."

Unlike my rising embarrassment, a raise of an elegant brown eyebrow was the only reaction Leo's mom gave as she took note of our threaded hands. After motioning towards the living room, she sat in the recliner across from us. The nervousness I felt wasn't nearly as bad as the queasiness from not being close to Leo, but it was still an unpleasant feeling.

On the other hand, Leo looked entirely too comfortable as he explained in detail what happened at school. I was a total wreck from start to finish. I couldn't even help blushing when he mentioned the kiss. Did Ms. Kenari really need to know such details? Paulina's gaze, however, was one of concern when he finally got to the part about our separation situation.

"If I hadn't seen a similar occurrence before, I wouldn't know what to think," she declared.

My mouth dropped in shock at the revelation. "You've actually seen this happen to other people?" I asked, my prior embarrassment forgotten in light of the new information.

"Yes, when I was young, we had an aunt who ended up eloping because no one believed her when she said that she had severe 'withdrawal symptoms' from being too far from a man she claimed to be her soulmate," recalled. "My cousin, Gretel, and I were the closest to her. We felt her forehead and knew she was feverish. But, whenever our new uncle joined her, her complexion improved almost instantly."

"We've been feeling similar things, mom," Leo confessed. His voice cracked, for once, betraying his calm exterior. The fact that he also seemed scared comforted me far more than when he appeared mature. "Whether it's because we're soulmates, it's yet to be confirmed. But, there's definitely some connection that has us joined at the hip."

Paulina looked pensive as her gaze settled on mine. "Momoiro, tell me about your parents. Do they know you're here?" She asked softly.

I felt a sense of dread just having to answer. "N-No. I live with my dad. He works until six. A-and he doesn't know about my dreams or any of this."

"And your mom?"

I squeezed Leo's hand a little tighter. His mother had made it clear that the two of us didn't need to hide the point of contact from her. I briefly wondered if my mother would have been just as accepting of our situation if she was still alive.

"She passed away when I was little," I whispered, suppressing a shiver of fear. "It's just been my dad and me. And he hates it if I'm not home right after school. He never even allowed me to visit my best friend, Zoey."

"Let's get you both something to eat first," She changed the subject as she held a finger to her chin. Though she tried to make it look nonchalant, her eyes appeared calculating. I wondered what she thought of my minuscule family. "Try sitting with your backs against each other so you can free your hands."

Leo looked surprised. I almost laughed aloud at the expression on his face. "You alright?" I asked.

"It's just that I never thought to do that," he responded. Was he embarrassed, perhaps? The thought made me smile.

We did as she suggested, and it did work just as well as the hand-holding. Our skin separated by three layers of clothing didn't seem to matter for the connection to work. Holding our bowls of food was no longer a problem. Though the warmth of Leo's back made me feel self-conscious, I was grateful to be able to savor a delicious home-cooked meal. Ms. Kenari's cooking was heavenly.

After we ate and drank some juice, Leo's mom once again sat in front of us.

"Momoiro," she said as she raked through my hair with her fingers and fixed my shirt collar. A blush formed on my face, but the gentle touch was a welcome one. "Remember not to suffer in silence. Leo's going to walk you home. But, if you feel ill when you get there, don't hesitate to call me, and we will figure something out with your father."

I absolutely hated having to lie to her. "Okay, I will," I replied. If only my dad were half as understanding as she seemed to be...but I knew better. Any conversation Leo's caring mom would have with my father would only lead to her being hurt in more than one way. I refused to allow any harm to come to her.

::

"Your mom is amazing," I admitted with hints of bitterness derived from jealousy. Leo didn't respond at first as he continued to walk me to my house. It was only a minute or two away by bus, but it was a 5-10 minute walk.

"Hey," Leo finally replied. "Are you sure you don't want me to stick around and maybe talk to your dad?"

I shook my head so hard and fast that my neck cracked. What the hell was wrong with him? He clearly didn't know what a nightmare that would be. The last time I tried to visit Zoey's house, my dad had been there, waiting for me in front of the car. He had even threatened my bestie to never step foot in his house. We had only been eight years old at the time.

"No, I'll be alright." I insisted with another lie. "See you tomorrow?" I prompted, eager to urge Leo as far away as possible, for his own sake.

Leo grimaced when we let go of our hands. The headache returned, but the queasiness wasn't as bad as before. We both looked at the ground for a moment. I had to admit that I was scared to walk away. The separation situation was an unpleasant feeling. But, if my dad came home earlier than usual and saw us, it would be all the worse.

"Let me know if you need me over," Leo suggested as he ruffled the top of my head in a parting touch.

"I will." Yet another lie. Someday, all of the lies I kept spouting would surely bury me alive. I looked on as Leo finally jogged away until he turned the corner of the block and was no longer in my sight. Then, I dragged my feet back home, where the door was once again unlocked.

::::

"Fucking Devore and his subordinates!"

I nearly dropped the wooden spoon I was using to stir the soup into the pot. Dad was home. And, he didn't sound happy.

"How idiotic could they be to get lost before the drop-off?"

He hated anything heated up in the microwave, so I always had to use the stove. I always timed his arrival within five minutes. Sometimes having dinner ready was enough. But, from the sound of his ranting, I mentally prepared for the worst.

The meal I'd had at the Kenari household was far better than the canned soup I had been heating up. As I set the bowl down in front of him at his favorite spot, I knew that I shouldn't have wasted my time. The expression on the elder Takiwa's face was a mixture of belligerence and defiance.

He shoved the bowl of soup right off the edge of the table. I moved to immediately clean up the mess, using old towels to absorb as much as possible. When I was on my knees wiping the floor clean with soap and a damp rag, he grabbed my arm tighter than a child clinging to their favorite toy. He then forcefully tugged my head back by my hair. My eyes watered up in pain, but I didn't let out a sound. I had learned long ago that it would only make things worse.

"Edlene Gustav's son," he drawled, yanking my head back even further. I couldn't help the whimper that fell from my lips at the pain of such an angle. He only mentioned my mother's name when something about me reminded him of her. "What have you been doing all afternoon?"

My stomach trembled in fear. Did he know about Leo and my visit to the Kenari household? Had he seen me with him?

"Go to the store and buy me something better than goddamn soup," my father hissed as he slammed a twenty-dollar bill on the table. "I've had a shit day and soup," he added as he gave me a sharp kick on the side before I could block it. "Isn't going to cut it!"

I curled in on myself in pain, trembling with the effort to not yelp. He tutted as he glanced down at me and walked out of the kitchen. "Fucking useless brat…."

My own ragged breaths were loud in my ears, but I could still hear his heavy steps receding towards his room. I didn't dare try to move until I heard the sound of the springs of his mattress adjusting to his weight. Slow movements, I reminded myself. The side of my torso throbbed and began to burn as I rolled onto my knees to stand back up.

The crumbled bill on the table was folded up and slipped into my pants pocket. A big part of me was relieved that my father didn't have any idea where I had genuinely been after school. I limped over to the nearest mart. The woman at the rotisserie counter didn't hesitate to toss some fried chicken pieces and french fries into a container for me. The pity and indecisiveness in her eyes was a familiar sight as I took hold of the container with the arm of my uninjured side.

When I got back home, I set the food on the table. He'd surely wake up around 9pm to eat half of it cold. I took a careful shower and changed into my favorite pajamas. They had a few unmended holes and several other holes where I had done my best to patch up amateurishly with a needle and thread. I didn't shed a tear the entire time.

However, as I combed my clean, damp hair back, I recalled the gentle touch of Ms. Kenari's fingers along my scalp. Tears began to well in my eyes. My physical pain was just sharp enough to distract from the woozy side-effects of the separation situation. But, it did nothing for the emotional void of a mother's tenderness or the deep-seated confusion of whether I truly wanted someone like Leo in my life.

His amber eyes seemed to look right through me.

I didn't like how flippant he seemed about exposing private things about me, even if it was to my best friend, a person I'd have told eventually.

And yet, he had a pleasant voice that gave me goosebumps. His touch was not only a panacea to our symptoms, but it was also enjoyable. Leo's lovely voice could crack. He was a teenager that felt fear, just like I did. I liked knowing that he wasn't as collected as he appeared to be.

Did that make me a bad person?

The last thing my mind summoned up as I drifted to sleep was the sound of Leo's singing voice.

::::

Brighter than the leaves from an olive branch; sharper than the blade held within my hand…

Though the melody was unfamiliar, the voice was not. The sadness that tinged it drew me towards the sound. Did he think no one was around?

How is it that no one else understands...what it means to be damned with a single glance?

As I approached, the slide of my sandals startled him. He turned towards me, his amber eyes darting about as if to ensure that no one else had heard him. Then, he genuflected before me.

"My intention was not to disturb your sleep, my prince."

"No need to be so nervous, Nevis," I gently scolded. "I consider it a privilege to hear your singing."

The taller man had been assigned to a position that was a fusion of bodyguard and tutor. Essentially, he was mine. He provided me with the services I needed. If I wanted to, I could cast him out of the palace…

...but, for some reason, I only wanted to draw him closer to me.

"Nevis…" I called out softly.

"NEVIS!

The scenery changed to a violent one. Men fighting. The sound of steel shrieking against steel.

A blood-stained dagger…

Pained amber eyes…

Empty darkness...