Day 63: Bus 1

[gald_digger]

As soon as Anise achieved wakefulness, the Head Doctor's words from the previous night immediately came floating back into her mind. People were getting sick. They were going to turn into monsters. That thought alone was chilling enough, but it was nothing compared to the terror that struck her when she sat up and saw her own hand. A red blotch covered the back of it, extending upwards to the wrist. Where did that come from?

The signs are already showing. That was what Landel said.

It couldn't be. Not her. If it was really true, then her life was as good as over. No... it had to be a mistake. Maybe the Head Doctor's words had scared her to the point that she was attributing random things to his threats. She was being paranoid. That was all it was.

And yet, no matter how many times she told herself that, she feared what might happen.

A nurse came to her soon, bearing an outfit for her to wear on the field trip. The striped shirt and gray skirt weren't particularly appealing to Anise, but the purple coat she was given wasn't so bad. It was a little big on her, but it was a nice, feminine color... and the extra long sleeves served to cover most of the strange rash. Anise didn't want to look at it, and she sure as heck didn't want anyone else seeing it.

When it was time to board the buses, Anise quietly took the lunch bag, climbed aboard, and sat down. She didn't look anyone in the eye. Even after sitting down, she merely stared down at the contents of her bag. The muffin didn't look the least bit appetizing - not while her stomach was busy twisting itself into knots, anyway.

[free!]

Comments

[dispersive]

"Yeah, really," Luke agreed wholeheartedly. You got real spoiled when you had your own airship and pilot at your beck and call. Then again, it wasn't like they had very much time to just cruise and enjoy the scenery anyway. "But I guess, well... This isn't so bad..." he mumbled looking out the window beside Guy. "I mean, it's faster than a carriage, but you can actually see stuff and not just the clouds..." He was pretty sure Keterburg was really pretty but who would ever know since it's always clogged clouds!

He was grateful for the change in subject after he had admitted to something rather odd. Not that Guy would hold scenery-gazing against him, but it sounded kind of stupid in words.

"Things have been fine, I guess--" A memory hit him and he began laughing. "Though, ha! I did meet this one girl! She was really weird. She thought she was a horse and then she got in a fight with my roommate--It was really bizarre..."

[nobleman]

It was good to see that Luke had gotten to a point where he could appreciate things rather than just complaining. There was almost always an upside to things, and this bus was no different. Well, Guy had never had a bad thing to say about the vehicle in the first place, but Luke had never shared his interest in fontech. Which was a shame, really, but he'd moved past that. At least he had some friends and acquaintances here who he could talk to about those things.

He had to admit he was shocked when Luke related a story about someone he'd met. To tell the truth, Guy just wasn't used to Luke making friends in general. There were the people they'd traveled with and become close to over the years, but they'd all ended up in that situation by circumstance. Maybe Landel's was the same, but it was still good to know that Luke was branching out and relating to others.

Guy couldn't help but be proud. Luke had come a long way. A few years ago he probably wouldn't have given any of the people here the light of day. "A horse, huh? Well, for all we know she might actually be one. There are some people here who... well, let's just say they don't look the way they're supposed to. But what's your roommate like?" Guy hoped that Luke got along with whoever it was, but he realized that others might not be as lucky with roommates as he was with Okita.