The Door Opens

I awoke in my bed, the first lights of the April sun piercing my curtains and finding their way right to my eyes. My first thought was to look for Hope and Yui. The last time I’d seen them, they were being drained of their blood by a demon crane, and I needed to make sure they were alright.

“Your team is alright.” I heard Khanethael say, though I didn’t see him.

“What happened to them? Where are you?” I asked, scanning the room from one end to the other.

“After you disposed of Shino and his tree, the clean-up team came, dealt with your injuries, and returned you all home safe and sound. Also, I am down here.” I looked down at my knees, and there, perched on them, was a small eagle. His feathers shone in the limited light through the curtains, proudly displaying their brown and gold pattern. His eyes were sharp like Khanethael’s, and his tone was the same, but compared to the intimidating well of divine authority his words held when he presented as a ball of light coming from this little hatchling, it sounded downright cute. He picked up on my thoughts as soon as I had them and flew up to my face.

“Do not think that my change in form has in any way changed my authority.” The little bird squawked. “I am still second to the Arch-Angel Michael and shall be treated with the proper respect by the likes of you.” His tone was more furious than I’d ever heard. If this was coming from his old form or even from my Papa, I’d no doubt be cowering in a puddle of tears, but the contrast between his voice and his appearance was too much. I burst out laughing, much to his disdain, as he continued flying around me and commanding me to stop. I thought it’d end if I tried to ignore it, but the joke just got funnier the more I watched him.

“Well, I guess if you are well enough to laugh so hard, then my worries were misplaced,” he said indignantly, turning away from me. “I shall take my leave of you for now; when next I show myself, take care not to mock me in such a disrespectful manner.” With that, he vanished from my sight, leaving me clutching my side from laughing.

“So, how would you prefer I mock you?” I asked when I finally regained my composure. “I’d hate to upset you any more than I have to.” Though I couldn't see him, I could tell he was scoffing at me.

“What are you laughing at?” Papa asked from my doorway. He held my new door in his arms and was setting it up against the old, busted door.

“Uhh, the dream I just had. Have you ever seen an elephant try to tie a knot only to twist up his trunk?” I asked. My father placed a hand on his chin and stroked his beard for a moment, lost in thought.

“Must’ve been a pretty ‘knotty’ elephant,” he said with a grin, setting the door down and looking to see if it matched up with the old. He gives a satisfied nod and then heads back downstairs, muttering how he’ll put the door on. I’m still smiling about the interaction with Khathael, thinking of what could’ve made him into such a little bird. I’m completly blindsided when I get to the breakfast table. The air is dense, and it’s easier to cut the tension than the butter on the table. Papa sits at the head of the table, a newspaper in one hand and a coffee mug filled with orange juice in the other. Mother stands at the stove, shifting eggs and sausage in the pan, back turned to Papa. I’m hesitant to sit, thinking it might be better to get changed first, but as soon as Mother sees me, she begins plating the contents of the pan and sets it at my spot before taking her seat.

“What did I walk in on?” I wonder, taking my seat. As soon as I do, Papa lowers the newspaper and looks at Mother and me, taking a deep breath as he does so.

“So yesterday, I made a rather shocking discovery when I was taking out the trash,” he says as if this were going to be a casual, pleasant conversation. He leans over and pulls out a small plastic bag; bright, vibrant colors flood out of it and infiltrate my eyes. It’s the veils, the ones Papa said he was going to buy and then Mother threw away. “I found these and was surprised at first, but then I thought about it and decided there was only one reasonable way they’d end up in the trash,” he says, gently setting the bag down on the table, eying Mother the whole time. “Obviously, the only way they’d end up there is because when you saw the package for Yukki, you opened it. Why would Yukki get a package? Yukki never gets packages, and when you say the veils, you throw them away because you thought some company was targeting her for unsavory business reasons, right?” He may have phrased it like a question, but his tone made it clear it was anything but. Mother’s eyes shifted. They looked shocked as if she wasn’t expecting him to give her an out.

“Far be it for me to contradict my dear husband,” she said, with a pleasant smile, though her eyes were anything but lovely and smiling.

“Well, dear, I must commend you for taking swift, decisive action when you thought Yukki was in trouble, but I must ask you not to open pain without your name on it next time; Lord knows what you might find. And Yukki,” he says, shifting to me.

“Y-yes?” I asked, unsure what he was going to say.

“If you ever do get any kind of strange package, I want you to bring it to one of us immediately, got it?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Will do,” I say, not sure if he’s being sarcastic or genuine.

“Good,” he says, picking the paper back up and sipping his juice like nothing had happened. “So anyway, I got those because I thought it’d be nice for Yukki to have a bit of color when she does her solo at the resurrection service in a few weeks; what do you think, dear?”

“I wouldn’t know until I see them on her,” Mother says, her eyes still not smiling.

“Well, that’s an easy problem to fix,” Papa says, looking at me. “Yukki, try one on, please.” I look at the bag, feeling Mother’s eyes as I reach for it. For a moment, I wonder if I should.

“Is it really worth it?” I wonder, thinking of what Mother might do; I hesitate, my hand hovering just over the bag as I close my eyes and think—trying to come up with all the nasty things she could do. Suddenly, something pushes my hand down, placing my palm firmly on the bag. I open my eyes to see Khathael perched on my hand, wings folded, eyes fixed on mine. He doesn’t say anything, and just as quickly as he appears, he’s gone again.

“Thank you,” I whisper, picking up the bag. I take out a bright yellow and pink veil, wrapping it around my hair and face. Once I’m done, Papa smiles from ear to ear.

“See, I think that looks lovely,” he says, pointing to me. “This could be a winner, but then again, what do I know about fashion? Why don’t you wear that to school and see what your friends think?” His suggestion and praise swallow my concerns and drown Mother’s harsh looks. The glee kept my feet light all the way to the school gates, where Hope and Yui waited. When I called out to them, they both ran towards me, nearly tackling me to the ground in a bear hug. Apparently, neither of them could remember all of what happened last night, so the last time they saw me was when I flew off the mountain, and they were glad to see I was alive at all. Both of them looked to be in much better condition than when I’d last seen them. The bruise on Hope’s face had vanished entirely, and Yui enthusiastically pulled up her skirt to show us that her bruised thigh was healed as well, even though we warned her not to. I wasn’t surprised to hear that both of them had woken up in their beds as I had, and as we headed into our classroom, I wondered if I should share the identities of The Abbot and Iron Cross with them or let Senpai and Sensei tell them. I didn’t have to wait long as Homberg sensei came into the room minutes early with a thick stack of papers.

“Morning, class,” she said, setting the stack on the podium. “Don’t worry about taking seats yet. I’m just getting myself settled. My night didn’t go quite as planned, so I don’t have your tests graded yet, but I should have them back to you by the end of the day.” I eagerly looked at her, waiting for a nod, a wink, or something else, but it never came. The bell rang, and Sensei began homeroom as if nothing had happened. As homeroom ended, I slumped in my seat. I’d gotten so excited for something that hadn't materialized, and now I felt downright silly. As the bell rang, the class readied for the class change, and Homberg Sensei tapped her stack of papers to leave. “

“Sensei!” I called, following her out the door.

“Hmm? Oh, GoKegawa-san, what is it?” she said, turning around and peering down at me through her red-tinted glasses.

“Uhh, about last night,” I say, thinking of the words as fast as they come to me.

“What about last night!” she demands, her tone and eyes suddenly flashing serious. “I didn’t stay up all night eating pretzels and watching the famed soap opera ‘El Amor es Como la Nieve’ instead of grading your papers; why would you ask such a ridiculous question?”

“What? No sensei about…” I say, getting close enough to whisper. “Shino, and-”

“Shino!” She yells, pulling her head back and looking from one end of the hall to the other. “Why would I know anything about Antonio Shino? Just because he was revealed to be the secret love child of Raúl Li Fonti and his cousin Ciri Fiorentino, they left on the steps of the orphanage to hide their forbidden love. Why would you ask such a ridiculous question? Anyway, I have to go back to the staff office and not take anti-nausea meds because I’m most definitely not hungover; good day!” and with that, she turned in a huff and raced down the halls with the *clack clack clack* of her heels echoing down the empty halls.

I stand bewildered for a moment, questioning if the night's events really happened or if I’d somehow imagined it all.

“It was not a dream,” Khanethael says sternly. I turn to look where he spoke from, only to see him perched on my shoulder like a parrot.

“I bet you wish it were a cracker,” I say, cracking a smile.

“What was that!” He shouts, flapping his wings and flying in a circle around my head. “I am not a parrot!”

“You could’ve fooled me,” I giggled, returning to the classroom. The rest of the day was uneventful. Everyone was beginning to settle into a routine, and the teachers were beginning their lessons in full, so I didn’t have time to think about last night’s events. At lunch, I tried tracking down Hattori-senpai, but it was impossible to avoid Takahashi-senpai in the third-year hall. Part of me still hoped he would come to visit us. Every time the door slid open, my head whipped around and stared. I had to be glad my face was covered; I can only imagine how it’d make them feel to see my expression go from ecstatic to despair at their sight.

“Is everything alright, Yukki?” Hope asked once the final bell rang. “You’ve seemed on edge all day.”

“I’m fine,” I said, reaching for my bag. “I was just hoping that we’d receive another message from The Abbot today.”

“Why would he contact us today?” Yui asked, coming to our desks.

“Because he saved us last night,” I explained, opening my bag. “Him and Iron Cross.”

“Ahh, I don’t remember that,” Yui said, waving me off.

“Neither do I,” Hope admitted, more resigned. “The last thing I remember is Yui going in for a finishing punch and then nothing.”

“Same,” Yui agreed.

“Right, but after that-” I said, reaching into my desk, only to feel a piece of loosely folded paper. I yanked it out and unfolded it so quickly that I tore the corner, but the message itself was undamaged.

Meet in the Cultural Club building, room #316, after the final bell

-The Abbot

“What do you have- Hey Yukki, where are you going!” Yui calls as I rush out the door, but I don’t stop. I leave them and my school bag behind as I race as fast as I can in my dress.

“Yukki, what's gotten into you?” Yui and Hope call behind me. I flew up the stairs to the third floor and scanned the numbers for 16. Once I saw it, I grabbed the handle and tried pulling it open, but it wouldn’t budge; the door was locked.

“Of course, it’d be locked,” I thought to myself. “You damn near sprinted here; everyone is still in their classrooms.” My shoulders slumped at the realization as I sighed. I resigned myself to waiting by the door till someone else arrived. I’d been so focused on reaching the clubroom that I hadn’t noticed the only other person in the hallway.

“Ask, and it will be given to you,” he said. The voice startled me, and I nearly jumped from my retracted state. “Seek, and you will find,” he says as I turn, noticing an all too familiar outline reading from a book. “Knock,” he says, placing a key in the keyhole. “And the door will be opened to you.” He turns the key and slides open the door; rays of sunlight bleed through as my niqab billows slightly in the wind.

“Glad to see you didn’t go home,” Hattori-kun says with a gentle, inviting smile.