Chapter 7

Mizu was already 15 years old, a first-year high school student. It was spring season once again, a new beginning, a new hope, a new year to be filled with happy memories.

“Ma, Pa, I need to go now,” Mizu said as her parents are still hugging her at the entrance of their school gate. The passerby is already looking at them weirdly, and time is tickling she was about to be late.

“O-our Mizu grow so fast," she sobbed as her eyes were fixated to Mizu, "she’s already a grown lady…”

“Our beautiful baby will surely have a bunch of admirers," her Father Taiga uttered, and he weakly smiled, "Papa doesn’t like that.” He was on his police uniform about to go to work.

Her foster parents are very emotional on her being a high school student, this only means after 3 years she will be a college student and will be independent, leaving their house to have her own life, preparing herself to be an adult. They want her to be their baby forever.

Mizu laughs softly at how her parents act childlike too. Giggling, she kissed each of their cheeks to stop their weal and hug them tightly, then faced them merrily with a wide smile. “Ma, Pa, you should go now. You still have work,” she then let go, “Don’t worry, I’m going home early. Not joining any club anyway.” She then runs to the gate before it gets close.

“Good luck Mizu! Fighting!” they both shouted with both hands in firm fist. Mizu chuckled and thought, “Ma, Pa, I’m going to study not to fight, anyway, that’s their way of cheering me.”

Inhaling and feeling the new environment, the fragrance of flowers of Sakura, the cold, gentle wind, Mizu smiled again, “Hey Mom, Kuro, the Kids… and Shiro, I’m a high school student already. Hope you all are here with me.”

In the middle of their third-period class…

Mizu phone is vibrating, when she check who was calling her, she saw the number of her mom Yuri, “She doesn’t usually call me at school hour.” And so, Mizu raises her hand, “Excuse me Sensei, can I answer this call? Emergency.”

As soon as her teacher agreed, Mizu went out and answered the call. “Hello Ma, why did you call?” When the caller answered her, cold sweat drops on face, she instantly runs fast out of the school leaving her bag behind.

“Is this Yuri Sodomaki’s daughter?” a stranger answered her.

“Yeah.”

“Your Mother was in the hospital.”

Running as fast as she could, she immediately went to the information and ask where is the room of her Mother. Running up the staircase towards room 116, Mizu doesn’t feel the tiredness at all. Reaching the room, she immediately opened it. Standing in a heavy breath, she uttered, “Mama!”

What she saw inside was her dad still in his work uniform, peeling the apple and in a happy chat with his wife, while her mom was sitting on the bed, leg wrapped in a thick white bandage. They soon stop their conversation seeing her.

“What happened?” Mizu asked, walking towards them.

“Did you run all the way here?” Taiga asked worriedly looking at her daughter in quite messed. The nurse was the one to call her in a reason that Taiga doesn’t know how to make a call even living in this technology world. Only to tell her about Yuri’s situation and to go here after their school hours. However, Mizu cut the call after hearing her mother was in the hospital.

“What happened to your feet Ma?”

Yuri was on her way towards their own Flower shop when she was accidentally bumped by a rushing bicycle on the sidewalk. She fell in the wrong way, dislocating her ankle and gaining some brushes. Unfortunately, it will take 6-12 weeks to fully heal her ankle and go back to her daily activities.

From those days on, after the school Mizu straightaway visited her Mom in the hospital. After the surgery and going into rehabilitation, Mizu take care of her Mom and running their flower shop during the weekend. She has no time to visits her friends in the slums. Wondering everyday how are they. Missing them each day.

After 3 months her Mother was fully healed.

Eating their lunch together, her Father Taiga suddenly offered her a backpack full of things, and her mother Yuri holds warmly her hand with that sweet smiled engraved on her face, she said softly, “I know you want to meet your friends already. I watched how your eyes lost its spark every time you stared at the sky looking at the distance and sighing afterward. You miss them right? Especially they’re your precious family. Forgive mom for having an injury.”

“You can visit them now. Maybe they are worried about you too, for not showing up for months. Papa knows you promised them to visit every weekend.” Brushing her hair softly. Mizu's tears drop, she was overwhelmed with gratefulness for being their daughter, and hug them tightly. “Thanks, Ma, Pa! But you two are my irreplaceable family, my parents.” And feels their warmth. “I promised I would go back before dinner. Mom’s dish is the best!” she exclaimed with such energy.

Their laughter filled the room.

Mizu was so excited, humming while sitting on her seat, looking at the scenery outside, and feet were swaying playfully. Her heart was beating so rapidly and loudly, excited to see her peers happy faces. It was been so long since she meets them, she misses them so much. Mizu brought a bouquet of flowers for her Mom Hana. Her bag was a pack of things her peers want. Her father Taiga really loves those youngsters too.

Every now and then Mizu giggled imagining how surprised they might be.

“Dear, can I sit next to yours?” The old woman suddenly asked. "Yes," Mizu politely said and offer her the seat near the window.

When the old woman noticed what Mizu holds, she expressed, “ What a pretty flower you have there.”

Mizu sweetly replied, “Thanks, it's for Mom.”

“Such a sweet child. Where are you going, dear?”

“District 33!” she exclaimed.

The old woman was a bit surprised, “I heard some good news happened in that District.”

Mizu ears sharpened and tend to listen attentively, “Really? What is it?”

The old woman smiled to her, “That they clean those dirty things in that district. Yeah, that’s waste they are causing great problems in people in the town. I heard they burnt everything there, the slums, the junkyards, even the dirty HUMANS!”

Mizu face turned dark, the old woman still continues, “One time I went there and seeing the place, some kids in their dirty clothes, and how smelly they are, I want to puke. Thank goodness the government wipes them out. Those people might even carry some diseases with them. Great right?”

When Mizu stand up abruptly and firmly without letting a word, the old woman was terribly shocked. Just at the same, the train station announcer stated that they are already arriving in District 33. That passenger should get ready to exit, and not leaving their own things, and be careful on their way.

“What a rude kid.”

Mizu immediately went off the train, she runs with tears dripping down her eyes. Afraid what that old woman said was true. “It was absurd, absurd.” Telling herself it’s not true, not believing anything. Her vision becomes fuzzier as lacrimal fluid filled her eyes. Sometimes she was tripping hardly on her way, but still stand up, scratches on her knees were visibly bleeding. She wants to cover her ears on what she heard on her surroundings. All strangers are talking about how the government burnt everything there 2 days ago. How they cleaned the unlawful place. How they annihilate them.

Reaching the entrance of the slums, Mizu knees suddenly felt soft, a bouquet of flowers fell on the ground at the same her legs give in, and kneeled down, stupefied. Tears fall down involuntarily like an open faucet, the liquid was full of her painfulness. What welcomed her was the vast deserted place, with nothingness. No slums, no junkyard, no living things… what they said was true!

Even the Sakura tree where the grave of her Mother didn’t escape the tragedy. Everything was burnt down. They’d all vanished in existence and being exchanged by browned flattened dirt.

Mizu scraped the soil deeply, and grip her hands firmly, round tears dropping like rain. She was sad, she was angry, she was worried. Her heart was breaking, tearing apart into pieces. “Y-Yuuto,… Yuira,… A-Akito,… Kaito,… Taishi,… I-Itsuki,… Riko,… Kk-KURO!” Her heart tightened, memories flow through her, their faces, their giggle, their voice, their laughter, their warmness, how mirthfully they are calling for her, how Kuro hugs her.

“W-where are you all?”

“Y-you are alive right?”

She said between her sobs.

“The government annihilates them all.”

Remembering what those people saying, pained her more. Mizu felt she was surrounded by darkness, like thick black fog covering her. She was suffocating like there’s no oxygen at all. She starts to hit the ground unconscious, too much grief, madness, guilt consumed her. Breathing was in an abnormal state. She cried loudly without words, leaving her mouth.

“Did you wait for me? I’m sorry… I came late…”