Without a Plan

“So this is where you wandered off to,” Marshal calls, her voice nearly pulling Kasumi’s soul out of her body. All Kasumi’s muscles tense as she turns to look at Marshal, who is carrying a futon into the room. “Just as I’m about to come check if you’ve passed out in the tub or run off to get lost again, I instead find you right where I’m gonna lead you. I guess that bunk compass is the only reason you got lost on the mountain.” Marshal sets the futon down with a huff before straightening it out beside her bed. Kasumi remains fixed in the closet, the book clutched tightly to her chest like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Marshal finishes diligently placing the futon before turning to Kasumi, seemingly unbothered by the torn-up state of her room. “Oh, and you even tracked down one of only two Bibles left in the whole inn,” she says, stepping close to Kasumi.

“Uh…” Kasumi stammers, running dialogue options through her mind to handle the situation, yet finds herself foiled by Marshal’s unsuspecting optimism.

“So are you a believer too?” Marshal asks, her eyes still as bright and cheery as when they first met.

“…Uh, yes,” Kasumi answers, seeing no other way to steer the conversation.

“Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you, sister,” Marshal says, taking Kasumi’s hands in hers in a fervent handshake. “What church do you attend?”

“Don’t let her identify you,” Kasumi thinks, fearing a reprisal attack should Marshal discover her identity.

“One in the city,” Kasumi says, being intentionally vague.

“Oh, city girl,” Marshal teases, her smile remaining bright. “But I’m actually asking about your tradition.”

“Oh, uh, Catholic,” Kasumi stammers.

“Oh, big church for the big city girl. Must be nice having church family anywhere you go, all I have is my congregation.”

“Is your family not, uh…” Kasumi asks, finally seeing her chance to grab the wheel of the conversation.

“Oh, not saved yet,” Marshal says, her eyes dimming just a bit. “It’s a bit of a divide between me, my sister, her husband, their kids, and the rest of my family.” Encouraged by Kasumi, Marshal continues explaining the story: how her brother-in-law, from a Christian family, insists that his children be baptized; how they invite the whole family to the baptism of their first child; and how they begin attending regularly for a few months until her oldest brother convinced them to stop because Christianity is just a form of Western influence that needs to be resisted.

All the while, Kasumi keeps the Bible in her hand. The longer she holds onto it, the more sure she is that the pearl is located within.

“I have to get it out. But how?” Kasumi thinks. The Bible has a thick black leather case with a buckled strap and a zipper to keep it sealed. There’s no way to open the case without undoing the strap, yet despite all her struggles, Kasumi can’t wedge her nails between the brass without alerting Marshal. “Could I just open it and act like it’s a nervous fiddling habit. She might pick up on the fact that I haven’t been fiddling at all? It doesn’t seem like she’s aware I’m after the pearl, even after catching me red-handed. Could it be an act, or is she just oblivious? No, she blended in too well during dinner; no way she isn’t at least suspicious of me…” The more Kasumi thinks, the further away a solution seems to be. Even as she keeps Marshal yapping about her family drama and church details, Marshal always seems to hold a tender yet firm grasp on the wheel of conversation, never letting Kasumi steer too far off course.

“Best not to go for broke until I’ve had another dose of the potion… Until then, it’d be best if she opens the case on her own… That’s it!” Kasumi barely suppresses a smile as an idea comes into her mind.

“You know my being here is probably God’s plan,” Kasumi begins, adjusting her grip on the Bible. “I think we should put it to good use and study his word a bit before going to bed.” She holds the Bible out with both hands, presenting it to Marshal.

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Marshal says, her cheery smile never changing. She takes the Bible from Kasumi but doesn’t open it. Instead, she places the Bible delicately on her bed and picks up her cell phone. “Which Bible app do you use?”

“Uh… I don’t have one on my phone, so would it be alright if I used that copy?”

“No.” The word is just as sweet but has an unmistakable firmness, like a brick covered in frosting. It strikes Kasumi as odd, even if Marshal is trying to hide the pearl. For just a moment, Kasumi’s face flashes a bizarre mix of worry and confusion. She regains control, returning to her pleasant business smile, but Marshal still seems to notice. “Sorry, but this one is special to me. See, when my family was all going to church, my brother-in-law managed to convince the church to get a bunch of Bibles to put in all the inn rooms, like they do in the U.S. Well, that was a step too far for my brother. He gathered them all up and had them burned during the Yoshida Fire Festival. I managed to save this one, so it’s too precious to read.”

“Too precious to read?” Kasumi thinks. She understands that the book is revered, but having one so precious that it’s too precious to read seems downright silly. “Still, she seems weirdly stern on this. Better to avoid the issue for now and bide my time for another opportunity.”

With that in mind, Kasumi relents, leaning over Marshal’s phone since Kasumi still hasn’t charged hers. The two do a brief Bible study on Peter’s denial of Jesus before turning in for the night.

As she lies in the futon, Kasumi does everything she can to fight off sleep. She constantly wiggles her toes, lies in an uncomfortable position, keeps her neck at an odd angle, even counts the lines on the tatami mat, anything to fend off sleep. Finally, after hours pass and she is sure Marshal’s sound asleep, she strikes. She slowly and gently removes the Bible from Marshal’s nightstand beside her bed. She brings the case to the other side of the room and tries to open it. The buckle is stubborn, refusing to open no matter how hard Kasumi tries.

“Come on, give it up,” she mutters, keeping her voice low to keep from waking Marshal.

*SNAP*

The buckle snaps open with the sound of a firecracker. Kasumi instantly covers the case with her body and glances over to Marshal, sure she’ll wake up. Luckily, aside from a slight adjustment, Marshal remains sound asleep, eyes closed and breathing slowly. Kasumi releases a massive sigh of relief, realizing how screwed she’d be if Marshal had woken up and attacked. Slowly and carefully, she unzips the case, finding a Bible and note-taking material inside. The potion’s effects have long since worn off, leaving Kasumi without the ability to sense anything spiritual, and she doesn’t see anywhere to hide the pearl.

“Could it be it isn’t actually in here?” she wonders, looking to the closet she found the case in. Realizing the pearl might still be in the closet but fearing more rummaging without light, Kasumi relents and digs into her bag. Uncorking the bottle, she takes three sips, giving her enough power to feel the fog and manipulate it. It isn’t the complete control she had earlier, but she’s confident enough to escape if Marshal suddenly wakes up.

Kasumi begins pulling on the fog from the bath outside, drawing it into the room until the humidity noticeably spikes. She feels around in the closet, but there is nothing spiritual to pick up on. “Then where is it?” she wonders, looking to the Bible that almost seems to glow in the dim moonlight peeking through the window. On a whim, she flips open the cover, finding a hole cut out of the pages. There sits a golfball-sized orb that glows a dim violet. Kasumi instantly recognizes it as the pearl and snatches it. The pearl feels both scorching hot and icy cold simultaneously.

A shiver ripples down Kasumi’s spine, but it has nothing to do with the pearl. Instead, a cold steel edge rests against her throat, threatening to cut at the slightest provocation. Kasumi freezes, unable to even look back as a staticky female voice speaks.

“That doesn’t belong to you.”