Chapter 7

"You want to go to town?" Doku asked as she smiled at Jay.

"Yes. I thought it would do May some good to get some fresh air out in town." Jay told her as he returned the smile, grabbing onto the sleeve of his uniform. Doku let out a small chuckle and partly covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers.

“That’s going to be quite a lot for today, don’t you think? The poor girl is probably sore and no doubt you are.” Doku spoke, her smile never fading as she began to walk down the hallway. Jay followed by her side.

“Yes, but I know the worse of it is going to come tomorrow and I want to reward her.” Jay explained and watched as she nodded. 

"I can get you a bus ticket along with some spending money while you're out in no time," Doku told him as she held her hands together. "Spending money? Does the school really have that much funding?" Jay asked and she let out a small laugh.

"Of course not. Our wonderful Council President and Principal are so generous enough to supply money for our students so that they may enjoy themselves in town.” Doku explained before turning her head a bit to make eye contact while they walked. 

"So, how long has Emily been here?" He asked with slight hesitation. "Three years counting this one. Unfortunately, she will be leaving at the end of this year. It will be a shame when she leaves. No offense to Illaden, but he can be a stick in the mud sometimes. I’ll miss her smile." She said in a friendly tone, making Jay smile a bit.

"So when do they normally go through the voting process?" He asked her as they got to a room. Doku opened the door to reveal a small office. She went to the desk at the other end of the room and took a seat before opening a small pink laptop with flower stickers decorating it.

"We don't have a voting process. The principal thought it would take up too much of the students time. We didn't come here for normal school life, we came here to learn how to succeed in whatever life we choose to have." Doku explained as she began to type away on her laptop.

"Then, how do you determine a president?" Jay asked, a bit surprised. "Whoever is the vice at the time becomes the president next year. Then they choose a vice and the chain goes on." She said with a large smile as she looked up at him.

"But, what if someone doesn't like how the President is operating?" He asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. "That's easy. You challenge the current President to a battle. If you can somehow manage to kill them or make them surrender then you become the President on the spot." She told him before her soft smile turned into a grin. “Why do you ask? You seem to be rather interested in the positions…” She asked while leaning her chin on her hand.

"I-I was just wanting to know... I mean, we are going to be here for a while so I might as well understand the system, right?” Jay asked while giving her a smile of his own. Doku nodded and turned her attention back to her laptop.

“Well, I’m glad they have it set up like this. From my understanding, if it wasn’t like that then Emily wouldn’t be in the council at all.” She explained, her grin returning to her gentle smile.

"From what other students have told me, the school was so boring when the other president was in office. When she killed him, it was the greatest day of this school. She put in the clubs and the festivals and gave me this wonderful job! Not to mention she removed the old council members and put us in with her. I truly owe a lot to her." Doku said with a pleased sigh before looking back at her computer. A few minutes later she closed her laptop and gave him a big smile.

"Alright, I'll have everything you need in just a minute. As for now, you can just wait in here." She said before she got up, leaving the room. Jay sat there, mindlessly looking around the small office.

The walls had large flower stickers decorating them. He looked at her desk and saw a small picture frame that seemed to be out of place. Jay leaned forward and picked it up, messing around with the back until there was a small click, letting him know it was fixed. He turned the frame around to see what looked like a family picture. A mother and a father with three children, the youngest being the only one that had the mother's blonde hair. Soon, the sound of the door opening made Jay freeze.

"Alright, I got your..." Doku's voice came to a slow end as she got to her desk. He quickly put it back on the desk, holding his hands in his lap. "You fixed it?" She asked as she picked it up after setting an envelope on the desk.

"Y-Yeah..." He mumbled timidly before looking up a bit, surprised to see Doku smiling at the picture. "Thank you. I was worried I broke it. I always got complimented when I was a kid for having my mother's hair color. I was the only one out of my two other siblings to get it." She spoke in a soft and soothing tone. "We used to be so happy..."

Jay raised his head completely, looking at her. "What happened?" He asked with curiosity in his voice. "My siblings kicked the bucket a bit too early. But, anyway. When you get this, you will go to your room and wait until I come and get you. After that I will escort you to the bus stop, where you will meet the council member who will be accompanying you." She said as she set the picture down and picked the envelope up again.

She got a red pen and wrote something on it before handing it to Jay. "Thanks, Doku." Jay said with a large smile. "You're quite welcome. Is there anything else you need?" She asked and he nodded eagerly.

"Where do you get your flowers?" He asked as he stood up. "I get most of my plants from the flower shop in town." She explained to him before Jay nodded and left. He held the envelope close as he made his way back to his room. Once he got there, he quickly closed the door and locked it, a bright smile on his face.

He set the envelope on his bed and looked over at May on her bed, who had a confused expression on her face. "Put your daggers away somewhere safe. We are going out.” He told her with a large smile across his face. She nodded and slowly stood up before putting the daggers under her bed. 

Jay took a seat on his bed and opened the envelope and pulled out two bus tickets and a large amount of money. He quickly put everything back and looked up to see May checking on the bandages around her stomach. Jay got up and sat next to her, giving her a gentle smile. “If you get tired or start to hurt, let me know, and ill carry you.” He told her as she nodded, putting her uniform shirt down.

"We are going out to town. I thought you should be rewarded for what you did at the festival." Jay told his sister as she looked at him, a small smile on her face. There was soon a knock on their door, making Jay get up and unlock it before answering. Standing in the door was a smiling Doku.

"Are you ready?" She asked and he nodded, going to his bed and grabbing the envelope before taking May's hand and leaving the room. They followed Doku out of the school and as they walked down the steps in front of the school, May began to look around. Doku walked them to the bus stop where a male student wearing a black uniform was standing, an angry expression plastered on his face. As they got closer they noticed his sandy blonde hair and tan skin. The bus happened to pull up as Doku stopped in front of him.

"Hello, Cameron. These are the last students you are going to be escorting today. Please try to take things slow with them, they were both in the festival today and the girl got banged up pretty well." Doku told him in her regular friendly tone. May looked at him for a moment before giving him a large smile and beginning to wave.

"Hello..." Jay said hesitantly with a somewhat crooked smile. Cameron glanced at him, his hazel eyes piercing into Jay's. "Hello. Just get on the bus and let’s get this over with." He said in an annoyed tone as he stepped onto the bus, showing a pass before going in.

"Your bus passes are all-day passes so you don't have to worry about that." Doku said as Jay pulled them out, handing one to May. "If you happen to lose one, Cam has enough money on him to pay for you to get on." She explained to them before giving them a small wave. "Have fun!" She exclaimed as they stepped onto the bus.

They both showed the driver their passes and got into the bus, taking a seat. May looked around the empty bus before looking out the window as the bus began to dive. She watched the trees pass in a peaceful quiet until the soft grumbling of Cameron overthrew the silence.

"You know, It's not like I wanted to see the first festival or anything...You know, the biggest and most important festival of the whole f*****g year!" Cameron exclaimed in a less than pleased tone, Jay looking back at him. "What? What are you looking at?" He hissed out before Jay turned his head around, looking down at his lap.

After a few minutes, the bus came to a stop, the doors opening. Cameron got up and got off the bus, May, and Jay following after him. When they got off they were met with heavy forest surrounding them.

"Hopefully this trip doesn't take long..." Cameron muttered to himself. He's turned to face the two siblings. "Alright, let's get this over with..." He sighed as he began to walk down a trail. Jay took his sister's hand before following him with a small smile. "So, what’s the town like?" He asked Cameron as they walked.

"Um..it's a town, large, nice diners... It has stores and s**t. The girls are interesting, too." Cameron said with an annoyed sigh. Jay's smile soon turned into a small frown and he began to look around at the trees. They walked in what felt like an uncomfortable silence before Jay saw a tall building, Cameron stopping and looked back at the two.

"Alright, we are here. Follow me." He said as he began to walk up to the building. They walked in between the alleyway made by the other buildings before they entered the town. May looked around and smiled wide as she saw people walking and talking amongst themselves. Jay also took a look around, seeing the small shops and restaurants.

"Thank god for normal people." Jay said quietly with a soft laugh as he looked down at his sister. "What do you mean normal people?!" Cameron practically yelled at Jay, making him flinch. "I-I didn't mean it like-" Jay was cut off as he watched Cameron turn around.

"I don't want to hear it. Just do what you came here for so I can get back. Emily has a meeting later tonight and I don't want her to chew my a*s out for not showing up." Cameron explained. Jay rubbed the back of his neck before taking another look around, beginning to walk. May and Cameron followed him as he began to look into some of the shops the passed.

After a few minutes of walking around, Cameron sped up a bit and began to walk next to him. "Do you have any idea where you're going?" He asked and Jay just nodded. His eyes quickly lit up and he smiled as he began to make a B-line to a small building with newfound energy. May and Cameron quickly followed behind him until he stopped in front of the building.

"Here it is." Jay said with a small sense of accomplishment in his voice as Cameron looked up, his eye twitching a bit. "...A flower shop?" He asked in a low, agitated voice as he felt his eye twitch.

"Yep. You can wait outside if you want..." Jay said softly, feeling bad for dragging him around without any context. "Damn right I’m going to wait outside..." He muttered as he leaned against a wall.

 

Jay looked at May and shrugged a bit before reaching for the door. As he did, the door opened, a tall man standing there. He had long curly hair, dark skin, a yellow eye and a grey cloudy eye with a scar going down it. The man smiled and held the door open. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." He said in a friendly tone as he looked down at Jay and his sister.

Jay looked up at him for a moment before blinking a few times in realization. "You look like someone I know." Jay told him and watched as his face turned into soft confusion.

"I do?" He asked as Jay nodded. "Yeah, at my school." Jay explained before the man smiled once again. "Oh, I have a son. You probably have met him." The man explained before stepping out of the way.

Jay put a hand on the door and the man gave them a small wave before walking away. May and Jay walked into the small shop and looked around. The walls were covered from head to toe in flowers and in the room were two other people, a young-looking girl behind the counter and a tall male placing bunches of flowers in their holders.

Jay glanced around the room before spotting some potted plants, going over to them. As he did, May went over to the male organizing flowers and stopped in front of him. He saw her out of the corner of his eye before turning to face him.

He had short blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes with glasses framing them. He also had earbuds in, his music somewhat audible. May looked up at him for a second before giving him a smile, waving at him.

He looked down at her for a minute before putting the front of his knuckles to the front of his chin. (1) May paused for a minute before nodding, doing the same hand gesture to him. He shook his head and pointed to his ear. (2) May paused again before nodding happily, holding her hands together. The male then cleared his throat before holding his free hand out.

"My name is Evan." The male said in a low and somewhat monotone voice. May nodded and shook his hand before pointing to the flowers. "I take it you're new around here." Evan said to her and she nodded again.

"These are forget-me-nots. The locals here love them." He told her before taking one out from the bunch and handing it to her. Jay glanced back at his sister before looking at the plants. He saw a pink spotted flower and gently picked the pot up before going to the counter, setting the plant on it before looking at the girl sitting behind the counter with her nose buried in her handheld game.

She had a grey hoodie on with the hood over her head, the grey wolf ears standing straight on her hood. She had strands of black hair falling in front of her silver eyes that were glued to her handheld.

"Um, hello?" He asked in a soft voice as he stared at her. "We are closed." The girl said in a small but condescending voice. "But the sign said you were open." Jay told her with confusion laced in his voice.

"I know what the sign says. I'm saying we are closed so go away." She told him as she glanced up at him. "How old are you?" Jay asked out of impulse but quickly covered his hand with his mouth.

"As far as your kind is concerned, I'm ten." She told him before looking back at her game. "My kind?" He asked but quickly shut his mouth when she glared at him. "I'm trying to beat this level, so if you don't mind, get lost." She told him harshly before looking back at her game. Soon, Evan walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Go take inventory, Sara. I'll handle the cash register." 

Evan told the girl before she groaned, putting her handheld away before getting up. She walked out from the counter and went to one of the walls of flowers, the keychains on her waist hitting into each other each step she took. May glanced at the keychains, all of them ranging from different video game icons to anime icons.

"Are you getting that?" Evan asked Jay, who flinched a bit out of surprise of his voice. "Y-Yeah. Here..." Jay mumbled before taking some money out of the envelope, handing it to Evan. "Thank you. Would you like a bag for it?" He asked Jay but he shook his head.

"I think we can carry it. But thank you." Jay told him before turning around and heading outside, May following close behind him. Once they were outside Jay turned around and handed the potted flower to May, smiling at her.

"Let’s get some ice cream." Jay said before beginning to walk again. "It's about time you two got out of there..." Cameron mumbled as he followed behind Jay and May. They walked around for a bit before they walked into another building, going to the friendly face behind the counter.

Next to the counter were huge tubs of ice cream, all different flavors behind a case. May quickly went up to the case, staring down the different flavors. "Hey there, Honey. What can I get you?" The woman behind the counter asked with a smile. Jay walked up to the case as well, looking at the flavors. May pointed to one of the flavors in the case but the woman looked at her in slight confusion.

"Can you tell me which one?" The woman asked, making Jay look up at her. "Oh, she's uh, mute. But I know what she wants." He told her with a friendly smile.

"Oh, I’m sorry dear." The woman apologized, earning a small laugh from Jay. "It’s fine. She wants the strawberry ice cream and I’ll have the mint chocolate chip. Both in cones, please." Jay told her and she nodded, getting the cones.

Jay looked back at Cameron and gave him a smile. "Do you want anything?" He asked Cameron, who gave him a surprised look in return. "Um, sure." He said quietly as he walked over to the counter. He watched as the lady handed May and Jay their ice creams.

"You got any orange popsicles?" He asked the lady, who nodded in response. Jay got the money out and paid her after she handed the popsicle to Cameron. The three-headed outside and began walking down the sidewalk.

Jay turned around and saw May balancing the plant in one hand while managing to lick her ice cream. "Anything else you want to do?" Jay asked her with a smile. She thought for a minute before giving him a nod.

"Alright. Let's go then." He told her before looking at Cameron, who took a bite out of his popsicle. "Do you need a minute?" Jay asked with a small laugh. "No, I don't need a minute." He responded with the bit of popsicle still in his mouth. Jay began to walk with May, following the sign that directed him to the park. He began to eat his ice cream as they got there, May finishing hers.

May handed her brother the plant before beginning to walk around the park, enjoying the fresh air. Jay found a bench and took a seat in the sun, finishing his ice cream cone. He watched his sister walk around the trails, waving to the other people who were walking as well. Jay soon got up and went to the small pond that was in the middle of the park, taking a seat on the grass next to it.

May soon joined him, taking a seat next to him while putting her hand in the water. Cameron came up to them, looking down at them for a few minutes. "You two are the most boring-a*s students I have ever had to watch over." He told them in an aggravated tone. They both looked up at him, May giving him a small grin before cupping her hand and throwing water onto him.

"What the hell?!" Cameron yelled as his aggravated expression turned into one of anger. She quickly got up and began to run, a large excited grin on her face. He began to chase after her, Jay quickly getting up. “Wait! Her wounds!” 

"Oh boy..." Jay mumbled as he began to jog after them. Cameron quickly caught up with May, tackling her to the ground. She looked up at him with a childish smile on her face, even when she saw the fire in his eyes. He raised his fist but realized they were in public. He then looked at her, slowly putting it down before leaned down a bit.

"Don't f*****g do that again." He told her before getting off her, brushing himself off. Jay ran over to May and helped her up. "Are you alright?" He asked and she gave a nod in return, lifting her uniform up a little to see the bandages still clear of blood. He let out a small sigh looked up, noticing that the sun was starting to set.

He went back to the bench he was sitting on and got the plant before going back to his sister, taking her hand and beginning to walk. Cameron walked next to them with his hands in his pockets.

"Are we finally going back?" He asked in his usual tone. "Yeah. I think her and I are all towned out." He told Cameron, the tall male glared at them and he began to walk ahead of them. They left the town the same way they entered, through the ally way then down the trail. The bus was still there, now started and ready to go. The three got back onto the bus and took their seats, the bus driving away from the town.

Jay handed the plant back to his sister, who looked down at it with a smile. They soon got back to the school and they each got off the bus only to be greeted by Doku waiting for them. By the time they had gotten back, the moon was already high in the sky, hanging over them.

"Hello, Cam. How were they?" She asked Cameron as he got off the bus. "Annoying and exhausting. Has the meeting started?" He asked her and she shook her head. "Nope. That’s why I'm out here. I'll take care of them from here, also care to tell me why you're soaking wet?" She asked him and he groaned "Don't even get me f*****g started. " He said as he began to head to the building. Doku then looked at Jay and May with a bright smile.

"And what about you two? How did you enjoy the town?" She asked happily. "It was great." Jay told her, returning the smile. "I'm glad to hear it! Please return the envelope and I’ll escort you back to the main building." She told them as she held her hand out.

Jay returned the envelope and what was left in it to her before she turned around and began walking, May and Jay following her. They soon got back inside, where Doku turned around to face them again.

"Alright, it's almost curfew so please make your way back to your rooms and I'll see you two around tomorrow. And remember, don't forget to stop and smell the flowers!" She said as she began to walk away from them, giving them a small wave. Jay and his sister made their way to their room, closing and locking the door once they got there.

May set the plant on her dresser, smiling at it. She then went over to her bed and fell into it, rolling into her back before closing her eyes. Jay watched her and laughed a bit before turning off the light, going over to his bed and laying down, eventually falling asleep.