Chapter 7:

Oleander

High School Raindrops


   When Hao Hao and Mae came to Alice to tell her the good news, she screamed for joy and hugged them both. Happiness consumed her. Mae hugged them all back too, joining with Alice in the girly screaming. Hao Hao kept quiet, unused to the gesture and uncomfortable with the noise level, but appreciated its warmth.

Together, the three girls went over how to begin, and they quickly settled on the point that they’d need to gather some things before they could even start. They might be able to ask the pixies for gardening tools, but flower seeds, it seemed, would require Jim’s assistance.

Hao Hao was quieter than the other two but didn’t mind their company. She was glad to see them excited as they talked. Giggling as they made their way through the halls. She turned her head as she thought she heard music; a guitar, but to not lose sight of the others, she turned back to them. When they found Jim, he was asleep on a desk chair. Startled awake by their noise.

“Ah, I’m sorry Jim.” Alice said, “We didn’t mean to wake you.”

Jim yawned. Hao Hao was nervous he’d be mad, but he held up his hand. Waving away all concern as he said, “Don’t worry about it. Did you three need anything?”

“We were hoping we could buy flower seeds from town,” Alice said.

“Flower seeds, huh?” Jim looked over one of his papers. Bringing a hand to his chin thoughtfully, he said, “Yeah, sure. I know someone that could help with that.”

“Could we go today?” Mae asked.

At that, he shook his head. “Too late. Getting caught out at night over there is a no-go, but we can go in the morning.”

The two shouted with joy. Jim’s face was hidden, but somehow you could just tell that he was smiling. The three of them were about to skip away, but he said, “Hao Hao? Could I talk to you, just for a moment?”

The other two looked at her. She said, “Oh, okay.”

She came back into the room. His office, she supposed. Alice and Emily skipped a bit ahead. Talking loud enough that they were still audible. Jim didn’t seem to mind.

He asked her, “So, you’re already making friends. Good first day?”

“…Yeah.”

“Good. I just want to ask you one other thing. I heard you haven’t really spoken to any of the pixies yet. They usually welcome people.” Was she supposed to talk to the pixies? She shuffled in her seat nervously. Jim said, “Don’t worry. It’s not a problem. I’m just curious how you got around, is all.”

Shui wasn’t around to give her advice right now. Blinking into the soul realm revealed a dark space; it seemed that Jim didn’t have any spirit to speak of. He had no reaction to her using her powers; they must not give off any sort of indicator.

Even so, she saw no reason to keep it a secret. She said, “Well, I’ve been talking to Shui.”

“Shui?”

“My spirit.”

Oh,” His voice held understanding as he said, “You’re a Whisperer.”

“What’s a Whisperer?”

“It just means that you can talk to spirits here in Shigo, and you probably have a heightened sense for things back home too.” That explained a lot. Hao Hao always was known for being overly sensitive to things; foods, smells, spotting things that no one seemed to even notice.

“Is it a problem?” Hao Hao asked.

“Not at all.”

Jim’s casualness put her possible worries about it at ease. She got up to leave, but then it occurred to her, “Can I ask one more thing?”

“Of course.”

“Do you happen to have a map? I might need to check how to get home…”

Jim shook his head, “We have dorms.”

“Oh, but… my parents might worry.”

“All taken care of. I promise.”

Really? She sighed with relief. Honestly, she hadn’t really wanted to go home for the night. The long walk was daunting, and she loved the atmosphere of this place. She fit in here more than either her old home or her new one.

“Get some rest. We’ll leave in the morning.” Jim said.

In the morning, Alice, Emily, and Hao Hao all boarded Jim’s canoe. The fog was thick as they rowed to a place called Shadow Town. Hao Hao searched the water for the maybe mermaid she saw before, but she couldn’t see anything past the murky water.

“There are some really colorful people in Shadow Town.” Jim said. “Mae already knows, but I need to tell you two. Try not to insult anyone. Be polite.”

Hao Hao and Alice nodded. Mae was getting her face done while they spoke, paying the conversation little mind. Soon, they were at the town’s edge. Jim helped the three of them out of the canoe and they started off.

“I have to get some things first, but we’ll head to the florist after.” Jim said. The girls nodded.

The shoreside town was covered in a light morning fog. Small and rural. Their group followed Jim’s lead down the paved road. The scent of the sea was strong. Hao Hao trailed her sight to the buildings they passed. An antique shop, a clothing store, a coffee shop. Old folks were sweeping their store floors, cleaning their windows, or otherwise setting up for the day. It looked normal enough to Hao Hao. An old couple, a bald man and woman, waved to them as they passed. Jim waved back.

The building they entered was nondescript. A small place with a desk at the front and a waiting area in the rest. Jim rang a reception bell. It tinged as he called, “Red? You here?”

“You’re early!”

The man, Red, came through the door. Thin blonde hair that reached his knees and white skin were minor details in comparison to the axe sticking out the top of his head. Hao Hao and Alice had to hold back a scream each.

“I have the information.” Red said, holding out a piece of paper, which Jim took. Red’s eyes fell on the two girls, “Who’s with you?”

“Right. This is Alice, and this is Hao Hao. Girls, this is Red.”

They shook his hand. Firm and young, completely normal. They tried not to stare at his head, but he noticed anyway. He explained, “It doesn’t hurt.”

“It doesn’t?” Alice asked. He shook his head, and she asked, “Can you take it out?”

“Any progress on that, Jim?” Red asked.

“Not really.”

“Oh well. Listen, I need to talk to you. In the back, probably.” He said with a nod to the girls.

He nodded. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go far.” Jim said to them and then walked with Red to the back, closing the door behind them. The walls looked thin and not entirely sturdy. Even so, they couldn’t hear the conversation at all.

They all took a seat. Mae busied herself with straightening her hair in the mirror, and Alice chose a magazine from the table. Hao Hao was content just watching the window. The fog was dissipating; soon the day would be completely clear.

Her eyes spotted at the edge of the sea a young girl. Green hair in a ponytail with sea shells as the clip. A very pretty woman. Her lower half was just out of sight, but if her eyes were correct, the girl was a mermaid.

“Guys.” She said.

They looked up. Alice was amazed, but Mae explained, “That’s Sally. She’s kind of quiet.”

“You know everyone here?” Alice asked.

“Yeah. I used to come here a lot, when Jim was still setting up the school.”

Hao Hao hadn’t realized it was new. Strange that Mae would be attending while it was still being built, but Hao Hao didn’t question it much. She was too busy looking at the mermaid. She’d seen one before too; she was sure of it. Trailing the canoe that brought her to the school. Sally might not be the same one, but Hao Hao was curious anyway. How could mermaids exist? She remembered that Shui had told her before. She had passed through the border of Shigo, where spirits and magic reside.

Curious, Hao Hao went into the soul realm. Sally did have a spirit; white with tears all over its fuzzy surface. She turned away from the glass.

The two men came out. They all said goodbye to red and departed. Mae asked, “Are we going to see the florist now?”

Jim nodded. He said to the other two, “Her name is Oleander. Try not to be surprised; she’s really young. Younger than you.”

“Really?” Alice asked.

“Yep. Physically, she’s about six.”

“Wow.”

Hao Hao found it amazing too. She herself had been gardening at a young age too, but that was with her mother’s help. The way Jim said it, it almost sounded like she was all alone.

They came to the edge of town. A small house leaned against hillside, built into the rising soil. Jim gave them a bag of coins and said, “You look around and get what you want. I’ll be right over there.” He pointed to a weapons shop, back towards town, but within eyesight. He said, “If you finish first, come find me.”

They nodded. With that, he departed. The girls came up the front porch and knocked on the door. Waiting until it was opened. A young girl that looked barely tall enough to reach the knob answered them. Her hair twisted into two buns, auburn in color. She wore a flower dress and a long sleeveless jacket. A flower hung in her hair. Light pink.

“Hello there. Who are you?”

“I’m Mae. Remember me?”

“Ah, yes.”

Mae introduced the other two, and then she said, “We were hoping to buy some flower seeds for a garden. What do you have?”

The girl, Oleander, led them inside. Her home was small and cramped with things all over. Plants of all sorts all over, and several shelves full of wooden and vine creations. There was a kitchen in the back that looked just as chaotic. Pans all over the countertops. A single teapot stands unharmed on the burner. She offered them tea and they accepted. It tasted delicious. Berry flavored.

“Do you live alone?” Hao Hao asked.

“I do.”

“Did you make all these?” Alice asked, pointing to the figures.

“Yes.”

“That’s really impressive.”

She nodded. Despite her living arrangements, she didn’t seem much like a kid. Talking quietly and rarely smiling. Perhaps something had happened to her parents. Hao Hao figured it might be rude to ask. The soul realm revealed her spirit to be white and covered in flowers of the same type as on her dress.

Oleander took them to the back side of the house. At the other end of a small cave passage they came to a beautiful garden. Roses, dahlias, petunias, sunflowers and so many more that Hao Hao couldn’t believe she was seeing all in one place. Especially with as little sunlight as this place gets. She had thought they’d have to settle for things that can grow with little to no sunlight, but it seemed she was wrong.

“Pick out anything you want. All of it grows well here as long as you give it enough love and attention. I have some extra seeds for everything here.”

“They don’t need sunlight?” Hao Hao asked.

“Love is sunlight here. I like to sing to mine but just being nearby and happy helps.” Oleander explained.

She nodded. Looking over the cosmos longer than the rest, Oleander asked her, “Like those?”

“My mom and I grow them. Well, used to grow them.”

“I get it. Me too.” Oleander said.

“Really?”

She nodded. “Before I came here, I loved my mothers garden, but I wasn’t exactly allowed into it. She said it was dangerous.”

“What did she grow?”

“Oleanders. And many others, but that’s all I remember for sure, now.”

Hao Hao nodded. It made sense that her mother wanted her to stay away. As pretty as they are, oleanders can be really toxic if eaten. Hao Hao wondered why her mother would name her after the plant, but decided it might be rude to ask.

When they finished picking out the flowers, they paid with the coin bag and left. Waving to the girl happily, though she only gave a gentle wave back as she closed the door.

They went over to the building Jim was in. He was talking to a woman; dark skin and long, greying, braided hair with hearts all over. She said as they entered, “Are we really safe here? The creatures are becoming more frequent.”

“Don’t worry. They are just scouts heading to the border. They shouldn’t mind you as long as you don’t mind them.”

She seemed unconvinced by his casual attitude. Even so, she turned away from him as the girls entered. “Well, hello there Mae. Who are your friends?”

“This is Alice, and this is Hao Hao.” Mae said, and she said to them, “This is Mrs. Travis. She’s like my great great aunt.”

“Wait, really?” Alice asked.

“Yeah. Cool, isn’t it?”

“Very! Nice to meet you Mrs. Travis.”

They shook her hand. Hao Hao was surprised at how firm it was. How old must she be to be Mae’s great great aunt? One-hundred at least, Hao Hao thought, but she didn’t look past sixty.

“Would you girls want cookies?” They said yes, and she had them sat down at the other side of the room while her and Jim finished up their conversation. Alice and Mae talked about what they needed to to start the garden back home, but Hao Hao found herself attracted to the whispering adults. It was hard, but she could hear them if she filtered out the other noise.

“You’re bringing more students?” Mrs. Travis asked.

“Yes.”

“How many more?”

“Just one.”

“You can’t really think you can hide this? Surely someone will notice.”

“I’ve got it handled.” He said.

She sighed and shook her head in disagreement. Everything from her face to her posture implied she thought it, whatever they were talking about, was a bad idea, but she saw Hao Hao looking at them and didn’t say another word.

As they left Shadow Town on the canoe, Hao Hao asked Jim, “What were you and Mrs. Travis talking about?”

“Just work. Don’t worry about it.”

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