Guardians

"I feel like I'm going to pop!"

"I want to lay on the couch and take a nap!"

The two rabbits stretch in unison in the parking lot of the diner.

"That really was a lot…"

My belt has begun to constrict the swollen stomach that consumed far too much food in a single sitting. That plate of fried catfish was absolutely delicious and at some point was completely gone from my plate. All that remained were crumbs and the pains stemming from my poor life choices. It blows my mind how two girls much smaller than me were each able to finish such large plates on their own.

Mark, who isn't much larger than me, joins me on the sidewalk with similarly heavy breathing. He has a wooden toothpick lodged between his lips.

"I shouldn't have finished that plate…"

"Thanks for dinner, Mark. You really helped us out."

"Don't worry about it! It was nice having a guy to talk to."

The two of us watch the two girls chase each other around the dimly lit patch of grass next to the building. They're one colour swap away from looking exactly like siblings.

"I'm glad Ange was able to make a friend."

"It does look natural seeing the two of them together."

I guess it takes a rabbit to get along with another rabbit. Even if I take care of Mira's physical needs, she couldn't possibly survive in our world without interacting with other people. We still seem a little far from her interacting with humans to the same degree, but this is progress.

"Ange will be starting school on Tuesday. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to interact with the other students very well, but it looks like she'll be fine."

"She's an energetic girl, so she shouldn't have…a problem…"

Something about Mark's words left a strange itch in the back of my mind. The sentence is pretty normal to hear from a guy with a kid around Ange's age, not that I'm actually aware of her age. Her walking into a classroom wearing a backpack and sitting in the front row, I can imagine it without any issue. You could say the same about Mira, except having 'Mira' and 'school' in the same sentence is a red flag on its own.

My brain finally finishes buffering and I jump in surprise.

"Wait! Did you say school!?"

"Yeah, she'll be starting as a third year at Cedar Lake Middle School. It's a bit of a strange starting point, but I guess it shouldn't be a huge deal."

"Is that even possible!?"

How could it be possible? Ange is a rabbit that for all intents and purposes doesn't exist. There is no record of birth or any other documentation that could be used to identify her as a fellow human of this country. Either the school has forgone all of its procedures or the government is aware of these girls and is pulling strings. The latter is particularly scary considering that I have a human rabbit of my own now. The men in black suits are coming for me.

"Believe me, I was surprised too!"

Mark directs his view towards the nearby trees between the parking lot and main road. Standing atop the branches are a group of everyday pigeons that can be found basically everywhere.

"A guy appeared at our door yesterday and offered to get everything sorted out. School is important to children's growth, so I had really no reason to refuse."

"That leaves me with so many questions…"

"Hahaha! He definitely didn't explain how it was going to happen! I'm just to await some documents in the mail."

He begins fiddling with the lighter in his hands as he turns back to the rabbits.

"He'll probably visit you two in time as well. I could rest easy if Mira and Ange could start school together."

"It really would be nice…"

The little rabbit is always noisy and talkative at home and amongst specific people, but her timidness really shows in large crowds.

Walking into a classroom full of complete strangers that seem to know everybody except for you, it's stressful. My first couple of months after moving to a new middle school were some of the worst days I had ever experienced. I knew nobody and I'm not the type that can jump into conversation easily with other people. My peers weren't even bad to me. I could be alone more easily if they were, but instead there was this awkward wall between us. They didn't know how to handle me and I didn't know how to handle them.

The third year of middle school, it's the same entry point that these two rabbits are forced to take. The transition from middle school to high school creates a flexible space for people to have almost a new start. To students starting high school, appearing from thin air is no different from having come from a different middle school. However, they have to start in the place just before that transition. They have to develop that awkward silence first and wear that silence when moving up. Half the students will know you and have already left you in the corner, so it won't take long for the rest of the people to learn to do the same.

"Mark…"

I can feel my nails digging into my palms as I watch the girls before us smiling as they run around. The last thing I want is for them to be alone like I was.

"I'll let you know if Mira gets signed up as well. I don't know if they can start on the same day, but I'll try to get it as close as possible."

My voice must have carried too much force. Mark's hands immediately stopped moving and I can feel a pair of widened eyes hanging over me. I can't see the look on his face, but his voice betrays his smile.

"Don't worry about it!"

He lightly pats me on the back. Unlike a particular oaf that I'm used to, this one feels like it comes from an adult.

"Worst case scenario, I keep Ange back a couple of days so that their start time lines up. Starting a few days later won't make much of a difference."

Unlike me, Mark carries confidence behind that grin. I can feel some of it transferred into me with his thumbs up, an amount more than enough for my body to relax. I wonder if one day I'll be capable of that kind of power.

"Thank you."

"We're both acting as guardians to these girls, so it makes sense for us to work together!"

"Guardians, huh…"

One who protects, or more simply one who takes responsibility for another's well-being. I don't know if I've satisfied the conditions for that distinction quite yet. Generally speaking, I shouldn't be taking this responsibility. Someone like Mark is a capable adult that can provide Ange's every need, while I'm still a dependent with a foggy future ahead of me. Taking care of Mira isn't something I can handle, but I still want to try, even if the proper reason still eludes me.

"I just do what I can."

"Hahaha! Sometimes that's enough."

I notice Mark checking his watch and returning the lighter to his pocket.

"I guess we should start heading back, huh?"

"Yeah, we both have an early start tomorrow. Mira! Let's go home!"

The rabbit pops up from her spot crouched on the ground and starts trotting back with Ange at her tail.

"The ants are marching back to their fortress! You should go look!"

"I'll look another time…"

She finds the weirdest things to be interesting, not that the other rabbit is all that different. To be fair, I also had fun dumping water down an ant hill when I was younger.

Mark ruffles Ange's thick hair and waves towards us.

"You two get home safe!"

The dim lighting from the lampposts cast a shadow over their backs as they head in the opposite direction from our destination. Their figures grow smaller, but my eyes seem unable to leave the small girl walking with a spring in her step.

"Wait, Ange!"

The orange hair waves a wide arc before revealing her surprised expression. The two of them stop and wait for me to jog up, where I crouch down in front of the rabbit so that our eyes are level.

"Sorry, I'm probably going to sound like an old man, but…"

Pale brown eyes dig into me as I attempt to organise my words. What I want is very clear, but the words to get that across are hard to find. Regardless, I have to tell her how I feel.

"I hope you can continue to get along with Mira. I couldn't be more glad that she has a friend like you."

"U-Uhm…"

The small girl breaks eye contact and shuffles around on the spot. She tries to back away, but Mark blocks her escape, leaving her eyes to alternate between me and the ground. After a few moments, she bunches her thick hair around her face to cover the parts that have turned red.

"I'll consider keeping Droopy Ears around…"

"Thank you, Ange."

My hand moves on its own to the top of her head, her soft hair tickling my palm. She flinches at first and continues to stare at the ground, but she doesn't run away. I had to consciously stop myself from continuing to rub her head forever.