Distant Calls - 3. Chapter 3- Cowering

::

"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...

::

The sensation of falling into my own body startled me awake. My eyes darted about, adjusting to the dark, while my thudding heart tried to settle back down. The only light I noticed was the distant street light from outside. When I grasped my phone to check the time, I let out a groan. Three o'clock? If I could only get my heart rate back down again, I might be able to get another two hours of sleep.

The rumbling of a motorcycle was so loud that it sounded as if the rider zoomed right past my very window.

My green eyes shot back open wider than before. Fuck it. Who needed sleep, anyway, especially crazy nightmares that played out like some kind of historical drama made for television?

I desperately tried to stomp out the lingering traces of the Egyptian prince from my mind as I quietly rolled out of bed, wincing in agony at the soreness of the previous day's injuries. Fuck. That was going to ache all day. I gently eased my drawers open to dig for clothes with the aid of my cellphone as a soft lighting source. Using the flashlight app was a risk I wasn't willing to take. With a deep breath, I repeated the mantra I always told myself as a kid whenever my dreams took a darker turn. It's just a dream. He's not me. Raemka…

A frown formed on my face when I realized that he, the Triple D (Desert Dream Dude),had a name now. Prince Raemka.

No, I didn't care what Leo said about their being our past lives. I was myself; Momoiro Takiwa. A kid with mixed family roots tracing back to Germany and Japan, born in a totally different country. Thoughts of Japan brought the gentle face of my grandfather to mind. Grandpa Genbu was a kind man. My father turning out to be so different from him proved that the universe had a dark sense of humor.

The sound of bedsprings releasing scattered my thoughts, and I immediately shoved my phone down onto my clothes as if to smother out the light of the screen. I remained in my hunched-over position as my heart began to race again. Had he awakened? Was he heading for the bathroom?

I only let out my breath when I heard the sound of his snoring.

That day was definitely a long-sleeved hoodie kind of day. I hated having to answer questions about the bruises that quickly formed on my arm whenever my father dragged me about. It was a lot easier to just cover them all up. After quietly getting ready for school, I ultimately doom scrolled on my phone until it was time to head out to the bus stop.

::

As Zoey took her usual spot next to me on the bus, the first words out of her mouth weren't exactly flattering.

"Damn, Momo, you look like shit," the potty-mouthed ravenette commented as she tugged on the side of my hood to get a better look. I winced in pain when my muscles tensed around the area where my dad had kicked me. She sounded even more concerned after that. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Not really."

"Bad dreams or naughty ones?" She asked, trying to distract me from the pain.

After being friends for so long, Zoey knew I never wanted to talk about my injuries. So, she'd always change the subject instead. However, the dreams were another land mine.

"What?"

"I'm just saying...I imagine Raemka and Nevis weren't shy. I'd trade my dreams for a peek at their love life any day."

"Believe me when I say you don't want any sort of peeking into my dreams," I griped as I tugged the strings of my hood as if to further curl in on myself. While I didn't know the dream's details, the sense of despair was always there. Who wanted dreams like that?

"...so, are you going to copy what you saw in your dreams with Leo?"

I sent Zoey what she usually referred to as my "thug face," in which my chin and nose lifted as I glared at her sideways. "On the contrary," I countered. "I'm actually relieved he didn't ride the bus this morning. As a matter of fact, I plan to avoid him all day."

"Right," Zoey drawled as she folded her arms across her chest. "Because that worked out so well for you yesterday, what with those separation migraines."

"Don't remind me," I groaned. "I'm feeling queasy enough as it is."

"Well, that sounds like plenty enough of a reason to not avoid your new boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Your new...friend with touching benefits…."

"Ugh," I grimaced. "That sounds even worse."

"Friend, then. You shouldn't avoid any of your friends, for that matter."

"By any, you mean you, right? I don't have any other friends."

"Exactly," she affirmed. "All the more reason not to alienate yourself from any new ones...like tall, dark, and handsome ones with a voice deeper than the ocean."

"That sounds like a lot of admiration for the best friend of the guy you're seeing."

"I just happen to appreciate beauty, that's all."

"If you say so."

"Please, like you didn't do your fair share of staring at him before all this even happened."

"Don't remind me."

::

Leo was waiting right there at the bus ramp when we arrived at school. My decision to keep him at a distance had yet to waver from the moment I had woken up. I drew my shoulders back and corrected my posture to gain confidence, ignoring the twinge of pain from my injuries and nausea that curled in my stomach from our separation situation. This was something I had to do.

With every step that Leo took towards me, the queasiness inside me faded. By the time he stood beside me, only the dull aches of my muscles had remained. He lifted his hand as an offering, a half-smirk playing on his lips. The disappointment I felt with myself at the fact that I was staring hard enough at him to even notice that detail...well, it paled in comparison to the shame of my hand voluntarily curling around his. Relaxation rolled down my body as if it were collectively sighing in relief at the skin-to-skin contact.

It was official. Leo was unintentionally like a drug to me. What the hell was up with my life?

"Thanks," Leo said as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "I really needed that. Last night wasn't my favorite of nights in terms of restful sleep."

"Nightmares?" I asked. A part of me was curious, despite myself.

"...or awful past life memories," he added. "Did you at least get any sleep?"

"I'm fine." The words were out of my mouth faster than I intended. The guilt of being dishonest with the other teen squeezed at my heart, but I paid it no mind. We needed to figure out a way to move past our separation situation. How else were we going to live our separate lives beyond high school?

::

Throughout the school day, our physical symptoms rose and fell depending on where we were on campus. Leo had the misfortune of having Physical Education while I was in the room furthest from the track field. After a few laps, the poor guy barfed and still looked a little green when Zoey, Rick, and I found him at the cafeteria during lunch.

Thanks to Leo's mom, we'd learned that we didn't need direct skin-to-skin contact. So, I had fully intended to sit beside him at lunch in a way that only our outer thighs touched instead of any kind of showy sign of affection. But, I couldn't stand his misery and curled my hand around the back of his neck to try to help.

"Thank you," he whispered. Leo's grateful smile and expression of relief made my heart skip a beat. He was too damn honest.

"Today, I'm taking the driving part of my driver's license test," Rick boasted. "So, this time tomorrow, we should all just head off campus for lunch."

"I like that confidence," Zoey commented. "I'm not going to rain on it, so you go do your best on your test."

"Thanks, Zo," Rick replied with a goofy grin.

I raised an eyebrow at her words. Usually, she'd be the first to poke fun at the insecurity of anyone she considered close. Just how much had she come to like Rick that she was downright supporting him?

The ravenette in question caught my expression and turned her gaze away with a blush. "So, how are you hanging in there, Leo?" She asked, changing the subject.

The taller teen took a deep breath and smiled. "Much, much better." He responded. "It wasn't nearly as scary as yesterday. Not when it's something we can now expect."

"It's still insane. Not that I didn't believe you from the beginning," Rick stated in a low voice so that only we at the table could hear. "First, you're not one to lie. Second, the reactions are no joke. I mean, you're not looking green like you did when we first came in."

"Green? Nice to know," Leo huffed.

"It's not much, but there is at least something I can do to help," Rick offered with another grin. "You'll see for yourselves tomorrow if everything turns out well today."

I hadn't the slightest idea what he meant by helping. But, I could tell that the blue-dyed teen meant well. Leo apparently had also been serious when he mentioned letting Rick in on our situation.

When Leo's stomach was finally settled enough to eat, the four of us walked over to the lunch line to get our food. We each chose something light and without aromas out of consideration of Leo's condition, which drew laughter from us all when we figured it out back at the table. I had never seen Zoey so happy. In the past, it was just the two of us eating and talking during lunch. I was too wary of making any more friends, and Zoey had countless classmates that asked her to sit with them, but she always chose to keep me company.

But, the two of us were very comfortable engaging with Rick and Leo. It felt nice to have more friends, to laugh and joke without feeling too self-conscious. Even if it was just within the safer walls of the school grounds, I didn't mind hanging around with them.

Then, I remembered my decision from earlier that morning. My expression soured. I was supposed to be putting more distance between us, not drawing Leo or anyone else closer. Something deep inside me urged me to keep anyone I cared about at arm's length to not suffer losing them in some horrendous way.

"Hey," I recognized the warm hand on my shoulder long before he spoke. "You feeling okay?"

I turned slightly to give Leo my best fake smile. Across from us, Zoey's blue eyes narrowed. If she wanted an explanation, I'd tell her later. "I'm fine," I responded instead.

::

The rest of the school day went on without any incidents. Though he hadn't ridden the bus in the morning, Leo joined Zoey and me in the afternoon. Once again, the two of them convinced me to hang out at Leo's mom's house. The amber-eyed teen even extended his invitation to Zoey, who didn't hesitate to join us.

Ms. Kenari looked even more surprised when she caught sight of Zoey at her doorstep. "And Rick is still nowhere in sight?" She questioned Leo as we stepped inside.

"He's taking his driver's license test today," Zoey responded before Leo had the chance. "If he passes, he's totally going to drive me to and from school. I'm his girlfriend, you know."

"Are you?" Ms. Kenari gasped in delight as she held out her hand. "My, but that boy has great taste. I'm Paulina Kenari."

Zoey shook it with gusto. "Zoey Shy."

"Zoey, Momoiro's best friend?" Leo's mom recalled while Zoey nodded. She had quite the sharp memory to have remembered me mentioning that the other day. "Lovely name. Rick's a lucky one, not that I'm not happy to see Momoiro again." She added while she reached out to ruffle the top of my head.

I hadn't expected the tender gesture, so I flinched for a second. The movement caused me to hiss as the tensing aggravated the sore muscles around my injuries. Ms. Kenari's hand hovered an inch over my head before slowly settling atop my shoulder.

"Is everything okay?" She asked softly.

"I-I'm fine," I whispered, still feeling too shaken to feign in the same way I had earlier that day with my friends. Instead, I gave her a quick nod and ducked into the living room with the others.

Leo had pulled out a trivia-based board game and was already done setting it up with Zoey's help. My bestie was competitive. Our favorite elementary teacher always stocked the back of the room with games for students who finished their classwork early. The two of us would always rush through that work just to play.

"Which piece do you want to play as?" Leo asked as he motioned towards the game pieces.

"We waited for you to pick first," Zoey added. "Just don't pick the bluebird. I'm eyeing that one."

Leo laughed, shaking his head. "Then what was the point of having him choose first?"

"It's fine," I said as I chose the yellow badger piece. "I wasn't going to choose that one, anyway."

The taller teen let out a sigh as he chose the red lion. How fitting for someone with the name Leo to select that one. The thought made me smile. As the game proceeded, Zoey kept making up answers to the questions she didn't know in a way that had Leo and me laughing our butts off. But, there was still no clear winner, even when we were halfway through.

"Alright," I declared as I rolled up my sleeves in determination and began to shake the dice. "I better land on that green triangle this time." When I reached out to roll the dice on the board, a loud gasp from behind me made me jump.

My head tilted in the direction of the gasp and found Mrs. Kenari standing near me with a tray full of snacks. Her gaze was set firmly on my revealed arm. When I noticed what she was staring at, I felt the blood draining from my face. The bruises, which had already begun to darken earlier last night, were such a dark blue-violet that the imprint of my father's larger hand curled around my arm was clearly shown.

Tugging my sleeves back down, I felt the shame rising within me in waves. Without looking anyone in the eye, I grabbed my backpack and ran out of the Kenari household. My heart thundered in my chest when I heard their distant calls while running all the way back home.

::

When I got home and checked the refrigerator's contents, I realized that my father had done as I had imagined. He ate half of his dinner late at night and put the rest away. As I heated it up, I thought of the snacks I hadn't even gotten the chance to eat at the Kenari household. I set the food on the table with a deep sigh just as my father entered the kitchen. He didn't even glance my way as he sat down to eat.

Thank goodness.

Tonight, it seemed that I'd have a reprieve, or so I hoped. My steps were quiet and hesitant as I made my way to my room. Genbu Takiwa had never been a predictable man. I hoped he'd eat and leave me in peace.

However, my heart stammered when I felt my father's hand on my shoulder. Hadn't he just been in the kitchen? How had he been able to make less noise than I had?

"I'll leave you another 20 for pizza tomorrow," he whispered into my ear. "I expect it to already be here by the time I get back."

Tremors ransacked my body as I curled in on myself. However, the older man simply gave the back of my head a sharp swat before walking back over to the kitchen. I couldn't bring myself to turn around and so much as look in his direction. With a trembling hand, I opened the door to my room and locked it behind me.

As I slid down and wrapped my arms around my knees, I couldn't help but prefer feeling the separation situation symptoms instead of the icy fear that overtook me.

::::

Greener than leaves of a lotus, alight with a fire so bright...know that I'm more than devoted; despite always feeling contrite…

I splashed my contrite guard's feet with water since he refused to join me. But, I enjoyed the sound of his singing voice too much to create a bigger interruption. If he wished to sing his woes to me, I'd allow it. Instead, I waded to the edge of the immense tub and peered up at him.

Darling, I'm not blind...what we share can't be right…

Nevis knelt down to caress the side of my face. I leaned into the touch and held my own hand against his to keep it in place. It was the warmth that I craved.

So why is it I wish to love you with all my might?

A soft, tender kiss was pressed to my forehead as my heart skipped a beat. I wasn't as open and eloquent with my words, but I felt the same. What would we have to do to remain this way?

::::

The following morning, my dreams left me with a strange sense of longing. Did I genuinely want to see Leo, or was the Raemka of my dreams missing Nevis? Where did the prince end and I begin? I wanted nothing to do with the dreams...his memories. They weren't mine, and I wasn't him.

As I stretched, I found that my sore muscles were a duller ache than yesterday. But, the damage had already been done. It wasn't just Zoey who saw my bruises that time. The Kenaris had, as well. I was a nervous wreck by the time I boarded the morning bus. I didn't know how to face any of them.

To my surprise, neither Zoey nor Leo boarded the bus that morning. As I stepped off at the bus ramp, I noticed why. Rick, Leo, and Zoey were walking towards the building from the student parking lot instead.

For a moment, I tried to hide behind a tall classmate to try to get past them unnoticed, but all three of them headed towards me as soon as they caught sight of my blond hair. For the first time in my life, I actually envied Prince Raemka's dark locks. He would undoubtedly blend into the crowd a lot easier if he wanted to.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked as he rushed over to gently take both of my hands into his. I hadn't even realized how bad our symptoms hung over our heads until that steady touch lightened the load. How strange, even the soreness felt like less of a burden.

"He's not going to answer you honestly just so you know," Zoey griped. "He's always been like that."

I saw Rick tossing me a pitying glance out of the corner of my eye and shook my head.

"I'm fine," I insisted.

"See? Like I said," my bestie hissed while a firm frown formed on Leo's face.

"H-hey...so, as you can see, Momo, mah man," Rick responded loudly as he showed me his driver's license. "I can drive now. So, are you going with us off-campus for lunch?" He was clearly trying to change the subject for my sake, which I greatly appreciated. I hadn't known him for long, and already I wanted him to be a longtime friend.

"Yeah," I replied.

"He drives surprisingly well," Zoey whispered into my ear as we headed into the hallways. Just before the four of us split ways to get to our classes, she took hold of my face and squished my cheeks together as she inspected me. "We have to talk later this afternoon, you hear?"

I couldn't bring myself to give her an answer, which placed a sour expression on her face before she walked away.

::

The anxiety of the possibility of Zoey completely unfriending me for not wanting to willingly leave my father alone ate at me from class to class. I could barely concentrate enough to take notes, and I kept giving wrong answers to all the questions asked. One of my favorite history teachers actually took me aside after class ended by asking how I felt.

"I'm fine," I said, feeling like a parrot echoing my own words over and over again.

"Don't be afraid to talk to me or any of the faculty about anything," Mr. Hanlon reminded me. "We won't judge."

"I'm fine," I affirmed before my feet began walking me to the cafeteria for lunch. Leo was there at the entrance for me. He extended a hand, and I didn't hesitate to take hold of it.

The guilty feeling clutching my chest for having turned down Mr. Hanlon's help loosened its grip. I was beginning to wonder if it was Leo's touch alone or if my mind had already subconsciously labeled the taller teen as my panacea, like some sort of placebo effect. Either way, I allowed him to lead me over to the student parking lot, where Zoey and Rick waited.

"We're going to your favorite place," Zoey stated. She was clearly still frustrated with me. But, her words still made me grin in the back seat of the car.

"We're going to Garnet Thursday?" I asked. "I love their quesadillas!"

"I know," she responded dryly.

"Hey, cut him some slack-" Rick began only to be cut off by his girl.

"Nope. Stay out of this, Momo's newest friend. Momo's longest friend has had enough of feeling helpless and scared over her best friend's well-being and general life."

"Zoey…" Leo interjected.

"Don't you Zoey me, Momo's friend with touching benefits," the ravenette huffed. "I admit that your mom is a badass, but I'm going to be on edge until my best friend's safe. You got that?"

The tension in the car persisted until we were seated at the restaurant and stared mulishly at our menus. I couldn't help but feel it was all my fault for not being careful enough to conceal my bruises the day before. The four of us had been joking around and laughing during the last lunch we shared, after all.

My breath hitched when Leo wrapped an arm around my shoulders and whispered into my ear. "Hey, don't worry, we'll sort everything out together. Remember?"

A small smile formed on my face, and I gave him a slight nod.

When a server walked up to us to take our orders, we were all ready and listed them off one after the other. As the tension between us simmered down, I grew excited again at the prospect of my favorite meal. I reached over to gently squeeze one of Zoey's hands.

"Thank you," I told her sincerely.

Though her blue eyes began to brim with tears, she smiled back, and my anxiety over our friendship died down. Unfortunately, our calmness allowed us to hear the commotion occurring at the booth across from us. All four of our heads turned when the yelling began.

"How could you be so fucking STUPID?"

The man was older than us, possibly in his thirties. He was very handsome, but my attention was drawn to his tiny girlfriend, who was curled in on herself and trembling. I knew that feeling of despair quite well.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Sorry isn't going to change their opinion of me, is it, you dumb bitch?"

The man had reached over to grab the woman across from him by the hair and shook her head roughly from side to side as she let out a whimper. I froze up and clutched onto Leo's hand in a subconscious effort to calm my thudding heart, which had gone out to that woman. It didn't matter that she was a stranger. She was someone in despair. Leo stood up a moment before Zoey did while another loud voice cut through the restaurant.

"Hey!" A young man that had to be our age or younger walked over to the table across from us. His short, curly hair was jet black, and his deep blue eyes were amplified by the thick-rimmed glasses he wore. "Leave her the fuck alone!" He had to be my height or shorter, and yet there he stood with his hands in his purple, plaid pant pockets with a no-nonsense attitude radiating around him.

The guy at the table stood up to his full height, muscles tensed. I felt a cold chill at his visible anger. As my fear rose, my throat closed up. He growled at the petite guy, and I found myself flinching.

"The hell makes you think you have any right to butt into my affairs?"

"My boyfriend," the blue-eyed man responded as a superior smirk formed on his face. "Who, as you can see, has recorded your verbal and physical abuse on his cellphone."

The angry man at the table turned his gaze towards a tall wheat-blond who indeed had his phone pointed towards him to see what he'd do next. "Fuck this!" he huffed as he stood from the table and stormed out of the restaurant. The small woman left behind tensed at his departure but didn't make a move to leave.

All of the tables that saw the spectacle burst out into cheers when the boisterous man left, while the petite fellow beside the affronted woman crouched down to make sure she was alright. Leo and Zoey sat back down after that. They had been about to intervene before the blue-eyed man took the initiative.

All that I had done was cower, and that bothered me on a deep level. Why couldn't I have done more? Why was I so useless in such dire situations?

"Are the four of you alright?" The wheat-blond boyfriend of the petite guy asked.

His voice was almost as deep as Leo's, which surprised me. He didn't look to be much older than us. The others answered aloud, but I only nodded. Our responses seemed to be enough for him, and he went back to his shorter boyfriend and the woman.

"Good riddance," Rick grumbled. "I can't stand violent asses."

"I totally agree," Zoey added.

The queasy feeling in my stomach had nothing to do with Leo. He was right beside me, after all. Instead, it was an acute dose of shame. I, too, had a 'violent ass' in my life, but I did nothing about it.

"You okay?" Leo asked softly beside me. I glanced up at his amber eyes. The genuine concern I found in them filled me with warmth.

"I am now," I told him honestly.

"Sorry about all that, my name's Kane," the voice came from the guy with the plaid pants as he walked over to us. "My boyfriend Gyro and I were just urging her to press charges since we got it all on video and all. You'd be surprised how difficult it can be to take that next step."

Zoey looked a bit dazed as she glanced at Kane. But, she quickly shook her head and introduced herself. "Nice to meet you, Kane," she replied. "My name's Zoey. That's Leo and Momo over there, and this is my boyfriend, Rick."

"High schoolers?" Kane asked.

"Yeah, our campus isn't far from here," Rick responded.

"Do you two go to another campus?" Leo questioned.

The dark-haired man smirked. "We're college students."

"You're shitting me," Leo refuted. "You look like a high school sophomore."

"I'll have you know I'm a solid 18," Kane countered, his blue eyes narrowing.

"Only a year older than us," Zoey mused aloud.

"She wants to go to the station," Gyro announced. "We should walk her over."

"That's my cue, then," Kane stated. "It was nice meeting you. Standing up for others is risky business. But, those that react to injustice as quickly as I do are great people to me."

"It was nice meeting you, too," Zoey concluded with a lilt in her voice. "Those two were dreamy. If they didn't already see one another…."

"Really?" Rick huffed.

"Don't worry, I'd have thought about it twice," Zoey placated as she planted a kiss on Rick's cheek. She then sent me a glance I couldn't quite decipher. Before I could ask her about it, our food arrived.