Upside Down – Alternate Destiny

[Tuesday, May 14th]

I can’t sleep. I’m not sure if it’s because I took a nap right after dinner or what, but the fact remains that I’m wide awake, and it’s Tuesday a little after two in the morning. As usual, Chinatsu is sleeping with me, using me as her body pillow.

A lot has happened in the short time since I woke up from my coma. Eleven days, no, twelve now, since it’s after midnight, even though three of those were spent back in the hospital.

It still hurts a lot that Mother and Father are dead, but at least, I’m with people I love and who love me. It makes me happy they decided to adopt me and Chinatsu is my sister now. Much better than being in an orphanage or with some greedy, lecherous so-called relatives.

I don’t like the fact I have to hide who I am, but what else can I do? Like Mom said the other day, some people would hurt or kill me to get at Mother’s and Father’s research.

I find it amazing that all of this began over me turning down some idiotic boy’s confession. How that turned into him and six of his friends chasing me into my house, I have no idea. I mean, I try to be pleasant to everyone, but I wasn’t cute. I don’t believe for a second that it was a serious confession, so I have no clue what he hoped to accomplish. I doubt I will ever know either. That said, I want him to stay the hell away from me. That’s unlikely though, considering he thinks he’s a ‘ladies man.’ I’m sure that the moment he sees the new me, he’ll be all over me just like he is with every other pretty girl.

I still can’t believe I did something as dumb as drinking those nanites. It’s simply incredible the changes they made to me. I used to have shoulder-length black hair and dull, brown eyes, no boobs - I was literally flat as a board -, and was scrawny. It wouldn’t have been strange if people thought I was a boy who was cross-dressing.

Now, I have long red hair, large green eyes, and fair-sized boobs with an excellent figure that most girls my age would dearly love to have. No matter how you look at it, I’m extremely cute. Well, Chinatsu and Mom say I’m gorgeous, and a lot of people would likely say so, too. I don’t know that I would go that far, but I’m prettier than I used to be.

Come to think of it, on Saturday, Dr. Sato told me that I’m fertile. Moving my hand, I place it on my abdomen. I’ve never even had a period. When Mother took me to see a doctor, he shrugged it off, saying that I was a late bloomer and there was nothing to worry about.

Dr. Sato also said that I should be having my first period soon. I know it’s normal, but I can’t say I’m looking forward to it from everything I’ve heard from other girls. Headaches, stomach cramps, lower back pain, and being moody. I suppose I ought to talk to Chinatsu about that. Better safe than sorry, and I’ll know what to do when it happens.

Startled, I sit bolt upright in bed, causing Chinatsu to slip off of me.

OMG!!! No way!

Chinatsu groggily asks, “Is everything alright?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. I’m sorry I woke you up. I woke up and was thinking. I guess I was a little shocked when I thought of something. Nothing’s wrong, promise.”

Sitting up, she looks at me while clearing the sleep from her eyes.

“Really. It’s nothing all that important either, just kind of thinking about everything that’s happened. It’s still hard to believe it’s all happened in less than two weeks. Well, from my point of view anyway.”

“If it’s not all that important, then you can talk to me about it.”

“It’s just stupid. All of this started with me turning down a boy’s confession.”

“Huh? Mind explaining that a little better? I guess I’m still half-asleep.”

“Oh, that’s right. I never really told you what happened, did I? Abe Hiroaki confessed to me during lunch that day, and I turned him down. He was one of the boys who would constantly pick on me. He also tried to strip me to prove I wasn’t a girl, so I couldn’t even begin to understand why he would confess to me. It was confusing since I wasn’t cute and was flat as a board. Even most of the 1st years were more developed than me. Anyway, after school, he and some friends of his chased me home, and I had to hide in my basement. The rest you know.”

Chinatsu looks at me as if she’s a little confused. A moment later, the expression disappears. “Oh… So, that’s what happened. I meant to ask you about that, but with everything that was going on, it kept slipping my mind.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I was also thinking about what Dr. Sato told me on Saturday. I still find it hard to believe that I’m fertile. The chances of that are pretty low after all. The chances for the both of us being fertile are almost infinitesimal, yet here we are. What startled me was that it occurred to me that I’ll be able to have children, but I’ve never had my period or been in love before. So, it just seemed that the cart was being put ahead of the horse, that’s all. I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“Umm. Sora, you know it’s best to never tell anyone that you’re fertile, right?”

“Why’s that?”

“There have been quite a few girls that have been kidnapped after they let it slip that they’re fertile. They told us that in health class. After all, some people are desperate enough to do anything so that they can have heirs.”

“I suppose I missed that class. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Anyway, do you remember the doctor telling me that I should have my first period soon?”

“I do, why?”

“Would you mind showing me how to deal with it? I would rather not be caught unprepared. I’m sure they told us in class, but for some reason, I just can’t remember a single thing they told us, and Mother would never talk to me about it.”

“No problem. Even if you didn’t ask me, Mom would be happy to help you, too.”

“Yeah, but I’d rather ask you than Mom.”

“I’m fine with it. Come on, Sora, let’s try to go back to sleep. I have a feeling that today is going to be rather busy.”

After I lay back down, Chinatsu lays her head on my shoulder as she snuggles up close to me.

　◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

A knock on my door wakes me, and Mom’s voice drifts through the door. “Girls, it’s time to get up. Sora, when you get dressed, would you mind helping me make breakfast?”

I yawn and then rub my eyes as I reply, “Okay, I’ll be down soon.”

I glance at the clock on my desk and see that it’s shortly after 7:00. Looking out the window, it looks like it’s going to be another gorgeous, sunny day, and I think, ‘I don’t want to be stuck inside today. I want to do something with Chinatsu.’

Rolling over, I look at Chinatsu, who is miraculously still asleep.

Shaking her lightly, I say, “Good morning. Time to get up.”

“Nnn~ I don’t wanna get up yet.”

“Humph~ Fine, sleep all day for all I care. I’ll see if Mom will let me go to Playland all alone.”

She opens her eyes and groggily asks, “Huh? What? Playland? We haven’t even talked about that,” then sits up to look at me blearily.

“Of course not. I didn’t even think about it until Mom woke me up and I looked outside. It’s a beautiful day, and I thought I wanted to go to the waterpark as we talked about on Saturday. We did go to the trouble of getting new swimsuits for it after all. Mou~ I want to go play! I’m tired of being cooped up!”

Chinatsu giggles. “Okay. Okay. We’ll ask Mom after breakfast. Sound good?”

“Yes!” I exclaim happily, hugging her tightly to me.

“Oh! I need to get moving. I told Mom I’d help her make breakfast. Thanks, Chinatsu, I love you.”

I kiss her cheek and hop out of bed, but no one but a blind person could miss her smile.

“I love you, too. I’ll see you downstairs.”

I walk over to my closet to pick out something to wear for today. Hmm… Something easy to move in, cool, and cute. After looking through what I have for a few minutes, I pick out a pale pink halter top and a navy blue pleated mini skirt. It’ll be rather warm today, so let’s go with the pink ankle socks we got for me the other day.

After dressing, I put on my watch and the necklace with my parents’ wedding rings on it. Brushing my hair to smooth it, I wonder how I should do my hair for swimming. It should be something that will be out of my face, and stay put while swimming, but not be uncomfortable either. I can’t just leave it loose, since it would end up a total mess. I guess I could put it up, but as long as my hair is, it would come down too easily while swimming.

I glance at the clock in front of me. ‘This is taking too long, I need to go help Mom. I’ll ask her and Chinatsu about it after breakfast,’ I think while heading downstairs to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Mama.”

“Goo… Mama?”

“I can’t call you Mama?”

“No, that isn’t it. Where did this come from? You usually call me Mom.”

“I… Hmm.” I pause to think about it for a moment, then shrug. “I dunno. I just felt like calling you Mama, but if you don’t like it, I won’t.”

“No, that isn’t it, sweetheart. You can call me Mama if you want to. You just surprised me, that’s all,” she tells me with a huge smile and gives me a quick hug.

“Do you mind making the pancakes? I’ll start the bacon and eggs.”

“Sure.”

It still feels rather odd for me not to feel so anxious all the time. It’s almost like I’d been wearing a very heavy backpack for a long time, and it was suddenly taken off. It feels as if something is missing, but I’m sure that will pass with a bit of time for me to adjust. I remember everything from my sessions with Airi yesterday, and I’m still livid over what Akiyama did. If what Dad said was right, Akiyama probably had something to do with their deaths. Personally, I have no doubt in my mind that he did. It makes me glad that we have the death penalty here. I want to see him hang for what he’s done.

Ugh! I promised myself yesterday that I wouldn’t dwell on this for now. The police are going to be looking into it, so it’ll be dealt with before long anyway.

“Hey, Mama?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you teach me how to make your cream stew? Oh, and how to bake bread too?”

“Of course. I plan to make them this weekend, so I’ll teach you then.”

“Sounds good. I’ve always loved your cream stew and fresh bread. That’s one of the reasons I want to learn how to make it.”

“What’s the other reason?”

“It’s nothing special. I just want to make it for everyone sometime, but I know that I still have a lot to learn about cooking. Simple things I can do, but I want to be as good a cook as you are someday.”

She chuckles. “Sora, when I was your age, I couldn’t even make toast without burning it, so you’re doing very well.”

“Well, I guess that comes from Mother and Father working all the time. When I didn’t eat with you, I would’ve been stuck with Cup Ramen or pre-packaged dinners if I hadn’t taught myself to cook. Those get old fast when you have to eat them a lot.”

“Good morning, Mom,” Chinatsu says as she breezes into the kitchen.

“Good morning. Would you set the table, please? Syrup and butter, too. We’re having bacon, eggs, and pancakes today.”

“Sure. Did Dad already leave for work?”

“Yes, he went in early to try to catch up on some of what he put off yesterday.”

“I wish he hadn’t gone with us yesterday. I know he said I’m more important, but I still feel bad that he has to go in early because of me.”

She turns to look at me and replies, “Sora, you should be well aware of how your father is. He’d do the same thing for any of us. That’s just how he is. Okay, everyone, everything is ready, so let’s eat.”

After we eat, while we’re cleaning up, I pause to look at Mama next to me and ask her a question, “Mama, we’d like to go to the waterpark today. It’s a beautiful day, and I’m tired of being cooped up. Can we go, please?”

Mama reaches up to rub her brow and sighs. Then she drops her hand and says, “I can’t blame you for wanting to go out, but I’m afraid Akiyama might try something. I know your father warned him what would happen, but people like him don’t give up easily. If I could go with you, I’d feel better about it, but without an adult with you two, I’m rather hesitant to let you go.”

I was worried she would say no. Hold it! Mayumi’s an adult. What if she can go with us?

“Do you remember the nurse I told you about? Mayumi Tashiro? What if she can go with us? Can we go then?”

“Sora, I don’t…” She stops when she sees my crestfallen expression. “Alright, call her, but I want to meet her before I make a decision.”

“Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. Let me get my phone and give her a call.”

I run out of the room and up the stairs to get my phone.

[Chinatsu’s POV]

“Mom, I get where you’re coming from, but if he wants to do something, he will. Where Sora is won’t matter. You should know that. Didn’t you say you want her to have a normal life?”

She frowns for a moment before replying, “Chinatsu, I know all that, but I couldn’t handle it if something happened to her. Not to mention, what if something Airi did causes problems?”

“She’s fine, Mom. Actually, she’s better than fine. You saw how she was during breakfast. Tying her to you isn’t going to keep her safe. It’s only going to make her miserable, and you heard Dad the other day. He has people watching us around the clock. That means they’ll be watching over us at the waterpark, too. I’ll say this, even though I’m sure you already know it, and it might even make you mad. If you wanted to keep her tied down at home, you should’ve never allowed Airi to fix Sora. At least then, she wouldn’t have cared about it because she would’ve been too afraid to leave the house.”

“Chinatsu, that isn’t fair. All I want is for her to be safe and…” She takes a deep breath and sighs heavily. “You’re right, I can’t watch over her twenty-four hours a day. She’s eventually going to return to school. Regardless, I’d still prefer that an adult go with you two. Even without Akiyama in the picture, you girls are pretty, and I don’t have to tell you how some boys are.”

I laugh and shake my head. “No, you don’t. Look, we have our cell phones, and don’t forget the watches that Dad gave us, too. So, there’s no reason to create worries where none exist. Plus, as I said, we have people guarding us, and I’m sure that if anything happened, they would step in.”

I hear the ‘thump, thump’ of Sora quickly coming down the stairs. When she walks into the dining room, she’s all smiles with her green eyes almost glittering.

“I talked to Mayumi, and she said she’s free today. I told her that you wanted to meet her before making a decision. She said that she would be here within an hour.”

　◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

[Sora’s POV]

While waiting for Mayumi to arrive, Chinatsu is styling my hair. Based on the assumption that Mom will let us go with Mayumi to the waterpark, Chinatsu is doing a very tight French braid, and then she’ll spiral it into a bun.

Suffice it to say, I won’t be trying to do this for a while. French braids aren’t that complicated, but with my long hair, it’s a lot of work. Although, I’m sure it’ll be a cute hairstyle, from what Chinatsu told me.

“All done. What do you think?” she asks me, so I look in the mirror.

I turn from side to side while smiling and reply, “It’s cute. I like it.”

I stand up, pull her to me, and say, “Thank you, Chinatsu. I appreciate you doing things like this for me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything. I’m happy to help you anytime, you know that.”

“If I didn’t, I’d feel like I was taking you for granted, and I never want to do that. You’ve always been there for me, no matter what. All those times you spoke up for me when the boys would pick on me for being flat-chested or ugly.” I shrug and smile. “I have no idea how many times you’ve helped me. After Mother and Father died, you stayed by my side. You’ve always been like a sister to me.”

“Sora… Honestly, you’ve done just as much for me, so don’t even bring it up. I’ve always thought of you as my sister, too.”

“Mhmm.”

“Sora, did you use a different body wash?”

“Hmm? No, I use the same one you do. You saw me use it. Why?”

“You smell like cherry blossoms and a hint of vanilla. It’s nice.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so, but I haven’t done anything different than we normally do.”

I giggle when something occurs to me.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I guess it’s me being silly, but I just thought you’re the only one who would ever notice something like that..”

As I finish what I’m saying, Mama yells from downstairs, “Sora!! Your Father is on the phone and wants to talk to you!”