Curfew

   The members of the gardening club all gathered around a single flower in the courtyard. The grey sky is brighter than normal; a patch of trees left open sky above them. That’s not how it was before, but over their time there the trees seemed to stretch away from the school, allowing the light to enter its boundaries. If only a little bit. Flower buds had appeared all over their garden, but just one bloomed under the light since yesterday. A rose.

The others were so happy. They had all together successfully grown something, but the area around them was quiet. Not a word was exchanged. They all watch it in blissful silence. Even the pixies that flew by kept quiet. Some stopped to look and then they’d be on their way.

Daichi happened to walk by, and it was Emily that broke the silence. “Daichi! Come here, see this. A flower bloomed!”

“And?”

“It’s the first one. Just look.”

Daichi walked over and crouched beside her. He’d never acted halfway interested in the activities before, so Hao Hao ended up giving him a glance over. She’d never noticed his eyes before. From a distance she had just seen a regular brown color, but from here she could see his eyes were actually dark red.

He rose up and said, “Okay, I looked. Very nice.”

“Can’t you stay a moment longer?”

If you asked Emily, she would say they are not dating, but the two had been different since the dance. She would talk about him more often, and like now, she was more insistent with him. He was himself as always; it didn’t look like he returned the feelings.

“I’m a busy person.”

Emily didn’t say anything, but you could tell from the look on her face that she was disappointed. She looked down as he stepped away. Everyone else was still looking at the flower. Hao Hao seemed to be the only one that noticed.

“Oh, good, you’re all here. I have something to say.” Jim said, and they all broke from their stare on the flower. Daichi stopped as well, and even Joy was there. Stretching at the other side of the courtyard before her jog. All of them paid the man in the hood full attention as he said, “I’m sorry to do this, but… there’s been more activity in the forest lately. Predators and stuff. I’m putting a curfew in place to make sure nothing happens to any of you.”

“A curfew?” Joy asked.

“Yeah.”

“When does it start?” Emily asked.

“Today. I want everyone to try to stay inside once it gets dark.”

“So at seven?” Daichi asked, trying to confirm.

“Seven or eight. Around there.”

“Did everyone hear that? No one is to walk outside the dorms after seven pm.” Daichi said.

‘What?” Joy asked.

“He said seven or eight. It seems like you’re the only one that didn’t hear it right.” Mae said.

“This is a matter of safety. We cannot afford any ifs or maybes.” Daichi insisted, and he turned to Jim, “I will make sure this curfew is instated and abided by. You won’t see anyone out here if I have any say.”

“Thanks, Daichi. Just don’t stay out too late yourself trying to keep everyone else in line.”

“Of course. You have my word.”

“Thanks. That’s all everyone.”

And so, Jim left, as did Daichi and Joy. She was the most upset about this. Running her hands through her hair and stomping off Hao Hao could see why; she liked to jog late into the evening, so she’d have to change her whole schedule around this. The gardening club members should be fine. They disbanded well before dark most of the time anyway. Cleo would have to stop reading to the plants at night, but aside from that, all should be fine.

A few days later, all was not fine. Daichi could be found throughout the day putting alarms on the dorm room doors, with the pixies help. No one could say where he got them, but they were loud. Hao Hao had mistakenly activated them one early morning when she went out to tend the garden as she always did. Ever since she’d taken to holding her hands around her ears whenever she passed the doors on the off-chance that they would mistakenly go off during the day. Some of the students chose to ignore them in rebellion, which added to Hao Hao’s anxiety as she had no idea when they’d activate.

“Kirai! Get back here!” Daichi could be heard yelling at him over the alarm from the third floor of the dormitory. He was always watching from his window with a spyglass now. A night guard that seemed to never take a break as far as anyone could tell.

“Come get me!”

He ran down at Kirai’s challenge. Eventually dragging him back. When the alarms proved to be not enough, he gathered a few of the pixies to act as guard. Even so, people slipped through, and they were always caught by Daichi.

“What are you doing out Sumi?”

“I just wanted to get a snack from the cafeteria.”

“Well, ask the pixies for assistance. Students aren’t allowed out at this hour.”

And so, with Daichi’s flashlight following her like a spotlight, she walked back inside. Things like that happened a lot for the few days it was all in motion, but even as attempts to leave died down, it was still at least once a week. People got tired of it quickly. Hao Hao could see in soul sight that the spirits were all nervous or on edge, and so, without even being asked, she took it upon herself to try to right this.

And so, as Daichi was preparing a lesson, Shui pulled his spirit into the hallway where Hao Hao waited. He looked just the same as he always did when she saw him in class. Similar to his human counterpart with glasses and a stern face, eyebrows curved to look angry.

“Hey there, what’s your name?” She asked.

“Hao Hao. Who are you talking to?” Daichi asked, poking his head out from the other room. His voice was alert, but his face looked downright tired. Like he might yawn.

Hao Hao, caught unaware, stumbled over her words, “Oh! Um, me? I’m just, uh…”

“Daichi!”

Hao Hao was saved from having to answer thanks to Emily shouting his name as she came down the hall. Daichi asked, “Emily, what are you doing here?”

“We need to talk.”

Her face was serious. Even Daichi could tell that ignoring her would be unwise, and he looked too tired to argue it. He said, “Alright. Come in this way. It better be important.”

“Very.”

The two of them walked back into the classroom. She could hear them as they whispered but not make out the words; hopefully they were busy enough that they didn’t hear her. Blinking back into soul sight, she could see that Daichi’s spirit stayed.

“Hi, again…” She whispered quieter than before, just in case. “What is your name?”

“Must I have a name?” The spirit said.

“I mean…”

“It’s rare that I meet anyone that can see or talk to me like you. It doesn’t make sense for me to have a name.”

“Well, um, I suppose not. Sorry.”

“Now excuse me, I have to go.”

He went back into the hall. Hao Hao was left with Shui. They discussed what to try next, but were eventually drowned out by the ensuing argument in the other room.

“You’re going too far.” Emily said.

“I’m doing what needs to be done.”

“You’re making the school a nightmare for everyone else. Have you even thought about how everyone else feels about all this?” Her voice rose with her words. She was getting desperate.

“If it’s really that bad, they’ll stop.”

“But, until then, you’re disturbing all the rest of us. You’re disturbing me. I haven’t gotten a good night of sleep since you put up the alarms.”

“I think you need to have a conversation with the others. Not me.”

“You’re impossible.” She said, and with that she stomped out of the room.

“Where does she think she’s going? It’s almost time for class…” he mumbled to himself as he came out to watch her leave he turned and saw Hao Hao, “How… how much of that did you hear?”

“Ah… not much.”

He looked at her a moment longer, and then his gaze returned to the class. He said, “Where is everyone? They’re usually here by now. Do you know?”

“I… don’t.”

“Hm…” He hummed. He looked around expectantly, but whatever his eyes scanned the room for, it must not be there. He ended up asking, “Would you help me look?”

“Oh, um… sure.”

She ended up agreeing to it because she hoped she could figure out how to talk to him. Clearly, something must be wrong. Daichi was always strict on rules, but so was Emily, and they kept each other in line. The point that he ignored her was a sign of something deeper going on. Hao Hao thinks, at least.

They walked past the library and stopped. Emily was complaining to Alice and Sumi about what just happened. Daichi walked past and Hao Hao followed him. She asked, “What about them?”

“I need to find the others first. With so many people missing, I have to assume something is going on. A quiet rebellion to dissuade me, perhaps.”

With the failure to get anything out of Daichi’s spirit before, she’d have to just try talking to him normally. She said, “You feel really strongly about this curfew thing.”

“It’s a safety hazard to not.”

“Ah, but… Jim isn’t here to enforce it.”

“He never is. That’s why I volunteer.”

Hao Hao nodded. This was going nowhere fast, just the same way it did with his spirit, and something told her this wouldn’t be rectified by just acting confident, like it did with Emily. Daichi was too bold. Too direct and stubborn for her to hope to fool in any way. She supposed that’s why she hadn’t successfully befriended him yet like she did with the others.

The border of Shigo and the school were never really sunny, but today was a bright day again. When Hao Hao had first come it was always dark and foggy. It seems that though this place was different than home in a lot of ways, it still abided by the seasons. Personally, Hao Hao preferred the rain, but if Daichi had a preference, she’d never heard what it was.

Hao Hao built up her courage and asked, “How long ago was it that you came here?”

“When the school year began, pretty much.”

“Do you like it here?”

“My opinion of it is hardly relevant.”

Odd. Was he... hiding how he felt like Taeyang? But his spirit could talk just fine, and he said what he was thinking a lot, actually. Hao Hao asked, “When, um…. When would that be relevant?”

“When I get to give this place a final review. I have a document written up in my room about my personal rating of each day.”

“Each day?”

“Yes.”

He said it like it was completely normal to do. Not that Hao Hao would count anything about this place as normal (not even herself, with her ability to talk to spirits,) but she hadn’t realized Daichi was so odd. He seemed normal enough from the outside, but she supposed her and him had never really spoken before. Not alone.

As they passed the next corner Daichi froze. Hao Hao looked over, following his eyes to the group next to the dorm. Joy, Kirai, Taeyang, Cleo, and Mae were all grouped together with ladders and wire cutters. They were by the door of the dorm rooms, and it didn’t take long for Hao Hao to put together that they were taking down the alarms.

Daichi snapped himself out of his stupor, and walked straight through to the others. Anger written in his face and posture. Hao Hao followed from behind. He asked them, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“We’re taking down these alarms.” Kirai said.

“Stop that.”

Mae put her hands to her hips and said, “It’s a disturbance to the public.”

Daichi was about to speak, but as they all looked at him, he held his tongue. He looked at Hao Hao. Seeming to ask for support, but what was she supposed to say? She didn’t like the alarms as much as everyone else there.

“Even Emily doesn’t agree with you. That’s why she’s not here right now, right?” Joy asked.

His eyes twitched. Ignoring the question, he said to them, “Fine. Take them down. I’ll just leave you all to it then.”

He walked away then. The others continued to cut the alarm without another thought to him. Hao Hao asked, “They’ll be gone? Really?”

“Yes Hao Hao,” Taeyang assured her, “No more loud noises from the doors. You don’t have to cover your ears.”

Him and the others nodded. Everyone working together as a group should have felt like a good thing, but it didn’t. Hao Hao looked to where Daichi had run. He was out of sight. She wasn’t sure where he went, but leaving things like this felt… wrong. She was reminded of her old school. How people would gang up to make fun of her. They weren’t trying to make fun of Daichi, but the effect may have been similar anyway.

“I’m going to go look for him.”

“Why?” Mae asked.

“I just… don’t want him to feel like we hate him.”

“He hurt us first.” Cleo said.

But he was only just trying to help Jim, and by extension them. She said, “He just went too far. I’m going to see if he’s doing alright.”

The others watched her as she left. Did they think she was weird for wanting to check on him? Did they think she was taking his side? Did they hate her? Her thoughts started to spiral but Shui appeared in front of her and breathed with her. With a calm head she proceeded down the courtyard. Away from the dorms and towards the garden.

To her shock, Daichi was there. Sitting at one of the benches, surrounded by flowers, but he kept his eyes down to the ground. A hand to his head. She’d never seen him like this before. He acted frustrated on a daily basis but never defeated.

She blinked into soul sight. This time Shui didn’t need to get him. Daichi’s spirit was already by her. He asked, “Why are you here? To make fun?”

She shook her head.

“Then why?”

“I… I just don’t want him to think he’s alone.”

The spirit looked her over, and then he did the same to Shui beside her. He sighed, “Fine.”

“Fine?” Shui asked.

“Go. I permit it.”

“Alright. Any tips?” Hao Hao asked in a low whisper.

“You’re the expert. Not me.”

It seemed that was the most she was going to get out of him. She looked to Shui. It said, “Just be yourself. You’ve got this!”

She nodded and proceeded forward.

“Daichi?” Hao Hao asked. He didn’t move, but he must have heard her. She asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m doing terribly. Why do you ask? Don’t you agree with everyone else that my attempts at instating the curfew were too much?”

“Well, yes, but… that doesn’t mean I hate you.”

He kept quiet. His head still low with a slouched posture, he kept his eyes to the ground. Minutes passed. When he did finally look up he said, “Hao Hao.”

“Yes?”

“Do you understand what being here means?” What does that mean? He spoke again before she could ask, “Of course not. You’re still relatively new.”

She sighed. These words: they felt similar to what Sally said. You shouldn’t want to belong here. But Hao Hao still didn’t know what that meant either. She sighed, “I don’t know what being here means, but… I do care about the people here. You do too, so…”

“I care too much.”

It was simple, and yet, it felt true. With it, the conversation went quiet. Footsteps approached them. Hao Hao looked up to see the others. Mae and everyone that were trying to take down the alarms came forward now. They looked… the best word for it was solemn.

Taeyang led. He said, “Daichi, we’re sorry.”

“Why would you be sorry? I’m the one that hurt you.” Daichi said.

“We should have tried talking to you first. What we did was rude.”

“You were only trying to help. I’m sorry too.” Joy said.

“We all are.” Emily said.

“Emily?” Daichi lifted his head and stood. She came from the main building and approached them. He said, “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one that didn’t listen.”

“We’re the self-appointed disciplinary committee. I was supposed to help you, but instead I pulled away.”

He looked between them all, and he sighed. He said, “I am sorry as well. I let my fear lead me, but that’s unfair to you. It’s your school too.”

“So, you’d be willing to talk about it?” Mae asked. “Because you were helping. A lot of us keep forgetting that curfew exists. That part is on us.”

He smiled, “Well, first things first, I better double check that all the alarms are gone. I put up quite a few things.”

“Oh, they are definitely down.” Kirai said, smiling.

“Well, we can discuss other ways of keeping the curfew in check while we walk.”

And no one argued with that. Hao Hao was just happy to see it all work out. She kept behind the group. Cleo beside her. She asked, “What… what convinced everyone to apologize?”

“You. We felt bad after what you said.” Cleo said.

Hao Hao smiled to herself. Even when she wasn’t trying to, it seemed that she was an inspiration to others. From the bottom of her heart, she whispered, “I love this place.”