“What?! Metcalf! I TOLD you this was going to happen!” Haruna Huai always had a way with words. She never sugar coated anything, especially to people she cared about. She would seem rude to an outsider but the truth people needed to hear was rarely kind. She had known and cared for Metcalf for so long, they may as well have been sisters.
The two of them were in the dining hall eating fruit and ice cream. They were not out in the open like during breakfast. This time, they were in a room set aside for parties. There were few parties this time of year so they had the whole room pretty much to themselves.
“Let me see it,” she said reaching for Metcalf’s handheld. Seeing Metcalf’s student rank, her eyes widened in shock. Then she said calmly, “Yeah, you’ll definitely have to take the final.”
That was all it took for Metcalf to see her situation. She was in trouble. She had been at Spear Mint Academy for as long as she remembered. The people here were her family. Hardly anyone passes the final. And if she failed, she may never see her friends again. “So what can I do,” Metcalf asked herself out loud.
Haruna picked up on the defeated sound in her voice. She jerked a hand into Metcalf’s face and snapped to get her attention. “One thing we can’t do is give up,” she said taking command of the situation, “You have six months, and lots of friends. We’re gonna fight this.”
Haruna then took her own handheld and called up the gang one by one. They each expressed the predictability of Metcalf’s situation but agreed to help as best they could. They had a long six months.
—–
“Bye Manna,” Pinar called.
“See you tomorrow,” he called back as he left. Tired but victorious he walked out into the sunlit chilly street headed home. Another day business was finished. The bakery was reasonably busy today. There were acceptable leftovers. He even kept some treats for himself to eat at home.
Chef Thetis usually would let him do that when they had enough for the discount morning special. The day-old pastries would be sold at a discount the next day while the new ones were still being prepared. It was good business practices. In storage, the pastries would stay reasonably good overnight. Also, the scent of the new pastries baking would overwhelm the senses and cause the hungry to buy more than they needed.
“Well, another eighty notes,” Manna said to himself as he walked down the street. It wasn’t enough to make a large dent in his debt, but he was making some headway. It was enough to pay down some interest for this month. He would be free eventually.
Walking down the chilly street, he saw a face he remembered from earlier in the bakery, then another. They were leaning against walls, sitting in cars, hanging out on corners, trying and failing to look ordinary. There were about six of them. They were all people that didn’t recognize him during his grand entrance to the bakery. Or maybe they did.
Manna didn’t speed up. He knew they’d follow him no matter where he went. He turned down an alley a parking area in the back of a warehouse. He made his way to a wall and waited to see how long it would take them to catch up. Using his magnetism skills again, he readjusted his robe to give himself more freedom of motion.
Just as he expected, the six of them came around the corner a little while following him. Thankfully they didn’t have guns, but their bats, canes, and crowbars seemed to have a specific purpose.
Despite this, Manna only smiles and bows, his orange face serene, his motions practiced. Still smiling he says “Greetings friends. How may I help you?”