by Thea Chin
“Hey, Ki,” he returns. “You look nice.”
She smooths out the ends of her simple black dress, making something in his chest jolt. What was that?
“Thanks, but I don’t know anyone here or what to do,” Tsukiko admits.
“Relax! Let me introduce you to my brothers and some friends. Some have girlfriends in a sorority. Maybe they’ll place a bid on you then bing bang boom, the transfer student is suddenly loaded with buddies.”
“A bid?” she questions while he drags you by the wrist.
“Yeah, like an invite to join. Do you do anything but study?” he laughs.
Tsukiko shakes her head. At least not for the past few weeks since her discharge, she doesn’t.
“Ah, there’s someone who’s eager to meet you,” Jaiden announces. “Chan!”
He isn’t exaggerating about the other male’s eagerness. He stops talking to the DJ, another Mu Alpha brother from the tattoo on his wrist, and beelines to Tsukiko.
“Hello, you must be Miss Tsukiko Tsujii,” he greets, shaking her hand. She feels like she is being appraised under his gaze. “I’m Chan. Mu Alpha’s president.”
“Pleasure,” she replies. For some reason, when he lets go of her hand with a sharp nod, Tsukiko feels as if she’s gained his approval. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll be by Lee if you need anything.”
The DJ salutes two fingers upon hearing his name.
“That’s Cain Lee,” Jaiden informs. “He’s pretty into his art, so we can talk to him later.”
“Oi Han! What are you doing, bringing my students to our parties?” a voice from across the room shouts over the music.
“And that’s— well, you know who that is,” he chuckles.
“What’s up, Tsujii?” He tilts his head back once.
“Hello.”
“You’re hanging out with Han? You sure that’s a good idea?” he chuckles.
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”
Mark shrugs innocently. “Just be careful of who you trust, Tsujii.”
Jaiden puts his hands on his hips and makes a noise of complaint. Tsukiko just laughs at their banter.
“I will, sir.”
“Why so formal? We’re at a party. Say, wanna dance with me?” he invites.
“Hey, no flirting with your pupils,” scolds Jaiden.
“Not my fault she’s walking around like she’s got eleven grated protons.”
“What?”
“Sodium fine,” the man slurs while walking away.
Tsukiko withers her hands into her body in cringe. Jaiden sighs apologetically.
“He’s always the first to get wasted,” he says with a shake of his head. “Speaking of which, have you had anything to drink yet?”
She shakes her head. “The doctor said I shouldn’t touch alcohol for a while.”
“Doctor? Oh right, your concussion. It must be tough, not remembering anything,” he frowns.
The girl shrugs. “It’s not too bad. I just go with the flow and relearn things if I have to.”
“How are your parents taking all this?”
“My records said they died when I was twelve.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Tsukiko waves him off. “Another pro to this concussion, I guess; I don’t remember the pain. Although, it does make me feel guilty for not remembering my own parents.”
“I’m sure they understand,” he sympathizes.
“Thanks, Jaiden,” she says with a small smile.
Jaiden stretches his arms towards the sky. “Well, it’s better to not risk a hangover tomorrow anyway. Your internship starts then right?”
She shudders. “Yeah. Ugh! I’m so nervous!”
“You’ll be fine,” he chuckles. “Let me introduce you to a few others to take your mind off things.”
Throughout the night, Tsukiko meets two other members: Finley Fisher and Xie Ming Zeng, the newest recruits. All the members have a ring of patterns on their wrists. Most black, and some golden. The golden ones seem to have more luck with their love lives, Tsukiko notices silently.
“Are the tattoos a Mu Alpha thing?” she asks Jaiden, pointing to her wrist.
“Kind of?”
Tsukiko looks down. “You don’t have one.”
“Yeah…” Jaiden pulls his jacket over his hand. The weak fairy lights strung across the backyard only make him look more pitiful in the evening air.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
“No, it’s nothing. I’m just not following their trend, I guess,” he laughs uncomfortably.
Tsukiko sucks in her lip and drops the matter. “Let’s get you a drink,” she suggests. “You’ve been babysitting me all night, and I feel like I’ve sucked out the joy of the party for you.”
“Don’t be silly; I like spending time with you!” he assures. “But it does look like Darren’s looking for an opponent for beer pong.”
Tsukiko’s heart misses a beat at the mention of the other male. “C-cool. I’ll try to talk to someone while you’re doing that.”
“Come on, you haven’t even said ‘hi’ to him all night have you?” Jaiden wraps an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t be shy. You can even make friends with his girlfriend!”
“But he—”
“Hey, Darren!” Jaiden calls. “Got the balls?”
Darren shoots his friend a thumbs up without looking up from arranging the cups, and Jaiden gives Tsukiko a wink. He drags her by the wrist to where his brother and his girlfriend are. The latter is practically wearing a ribbon for a top.
Darren doesn’t even acknowledge Tsukiko’s existence, but Terena does.
“You’re Tsukiko, right? Jaiden’s told me about you,” she says with her arms crossed loosely.
The girl confirms her assumption with a nod. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”
“Terena Taylor. That hot stuff’s girlfriend,” she answers with an eyelash-bat at Darren.
Tsukiko offers a fake laugh and unconsciously shuffles uncomfortably towards Jaiden who is already downing his third cup of liquid. He doesn’t have very good aim.
“What do you say we play a round ourselves?” Terena suggests, motioning to a table outside.
“I’m sorry. I can’t drink right now. Doctor’s orders,” tries Tsukiko.
“Not drinking at a frat party?” she scoffs. “Why are you even here?”
“I-I thought I could make a friend or two.”
“Well, you did it. I’m your friend! Now let’s play, friend.”
“I really—”
“Fiiiine.” Terena tosses her blonde hair over to one side. “We’ll fill your cups with juice, okay?”
Tsukiko agrees and follows her to the backyard to which Jaiden gives her an encouraging smile. As promised, half the cups are filled with punch and the others with beer.
“You know how to play, I suppose?” Terena hums, dribbling a ball.
Tsukiko nods. “I think I got the gist of it from watching Jaiden and Darren.”
“Those two are riots,” Terena chuckles, sinking her first throw.
Tsukiko drinks quickly, noting how the concoction tastes even more artificial than the stuff they serve in the dining halls.
“How did you meet Darren?” Terena asks as the other girl misses her shot.
“We have chemistry lab and lecture together. You?”
Sink. Drink. “I was one of the waitresses at one of his dad’s business parties a year ago.”
Bounce, bounce, plop! “Wow, and now you’re… together…How magical.”
Sink. Drink. “I guess you can say that,” Terena hums.
The cups seem to move when Tsukiko tries to toss the ball. Miss. “You’re a really good shot.”
Sink. Drink. “I guess I am. No matter right? Since it’s just juice.”
From inside the house, they hear Jaiden yelling in anguish at his defeat. “Argh! No fair! I demand another round!”
“Sure,” laughs Darren. “The results will be the sam
e anyway. Loser has to get the beer though.”
“Yeah, yeah,” says Jaiden with a wave of his hand, walking towards the dwindling pile of cans the frat has set up in the backyard.
The cups are definitely dancing before her eyes now. Miss. “This juice tastes very… unique. What’s in it?”
Sink. Drink. “Oh, one never knows what’s in these things. Orange, grape.” Alcohol.
Tsukiko can’t even tell if she tossed her ping pong ball.
“You have a very interesting tattoo on your wrist there, Tsukiko.”
“Yeah?” she slurs.
“Totally. You know, Darren has one just like it that goes all around his wrist. All around”—she leans forward, narrowing her eyes—“except a spot right on the inside where you have yours. So tell me, dear, how did you meet my boyfriend?”
“Chemis-s-stry…”
“Oh right, you met him a week ago and somehow have a fully healed tattoo that fits perfectly into the bracelet he’s had since forever. My mistake. Sorry!” Terena smiles at the other girl and misses her next shot. The ball bounces off the table and onto the concrete. “Oops! That was our last ball. Could you get that for me please?”
Tsukiko puts on the best smile she can, missing the sarcasm in the woman’s last statement, and goes to retrieve the white object. The floor is really spinning now, and she can’t really tell where her feet are going. Suddenly, the floor turns blue, and she takes a step onto it.
Splash! The noise captures the attention of anyone still sober enough to care.
Tsukiko feels the water engulfing her. It’s a familiar feeling, she thinks, the feeling of the liquid accepting her as one of their own. She doesn’t try to fight it; a part of her knows it’s futile even if she tries.
“Leiah! Leiah!”
“Ki!” a voice from above cries out.
Jaiden hurries to the edge. He places his hands together in front of him, ready to dive. His right foot shifts forward for leverage, but it stops short.
“P-please…” he stammers, his pupils dilating at the sight of the water.
Suddenly, someone else jumps in after her. Amidst the darkness of the moonless night, Tsukiko can clearly make out the golden glow on his wrist that beckons for her. She reaches her own hand out and realizes that it’s glowing too. Since when did it do that? The person grabs her hand before she can question it and pulls her towards him before breaking the surface together.
The noise after she’s left the calm of the water makes her feel nauseous.
“She’s going to hurl!” someone yells.
She doubles over and does just that.
“Ki! Are you okay?”
Tuskiko feels her hair being pulled away from her face as another wave of acid demands exit from her body.
“I thought you said you weren’t drinking!” She can recognize the owner of the voice now as Jaiden who wraps his jacket around her and ushers her inside.
“I didn’t,” she mumbles. “It was just juice…”
“The only juice we have is jungle juice!”
Behind them, Terena approaches her boyfriend who is seated by the pool, breathing more heavily than normal.
“Hey, Sweetcakes,” he smiles sleepily, sweeping his drenched bangs away from his face.
“That was nice of you to save the drowning girl,” she begins.
Darren frowns at her tone. “Is something wrong?”
“Just a feeling that you aren’t telling me everything about her,” she shrugs.
“What? No. I just can’t let someone drown at my party! That’s all! I promise!” Darren unconsciously tucks his tattooed hand behind his back. The tug he felt from it when his soulmate fell into the pool was a force he’s never experienced before, and the strength he felt in his arms with every stroke was like he controlled water itself. It was liberating and addictive, but now with his girlfriend fuming in front of him, he wishes he never experienced it at all. “You’re the only one for me. You know that, Sweetcakes. You know that!”
“Good,” she says curtly. “She seems like one of those people who like you just because of your dad’s wallet. You know I’m the one who keeps people like that away for you.”
“Of course, Sweetcakes.”
Terena finally lets a smile slip onto her face to which Darren silently breathes a sigh of relief.
“You’re still going to have to make it up to me, Babe.”
“Of course!” he agrees, already pulling out his phone.
She hands him a bottle of who-knows-what as she smirks under the new moon. “No, those things aren’t enough to make up for scaring me like that. I want something bigger this time. Something to prove that you’re mine and only mine.”
T-42 Moons
Darren does not even have time to consider what happened the night before. All he knows is that his father expects him at the office in half an hour to give a presentation to the new group of interns, and his hair hasn’t even dried from the cold three-minute shower he just subjected himself to.
“You look awful!” Jaiden laughs as he walks into the kitchen where Darren is staring expectantly at the coffee maker.
“Thanks,” his friend says flatly. “How do you look so normal?”
Jaiden shrugs. “I sobered up before I slept. Unlike you, I have the decency to walk a drunk girl back to her dorm. Speaking of which, I promised to drive her to her new internship today.”
Darren’s ears perk up at that. “Which way are you going?”
“Eighth Street. Why?”
Many company buildings are on that street, Darren’s included. “Can I come along?” That way I can at least try to look less disheveled in the car, he adds to himself.
“Sure, but you do know I’m picking up your soulmate that you’ve been avoiding, right?”
“It’s fine. Let’s just hurry or my father’s going to have my head.”
“Alright, alright,” Jaiden groans playfully. Behind his friend’s back, he puts on a scheming smirk.
* * *
“Not even two weeks at this school, and she’s already landed a job. Can you believe it? She must have had connections,” Jaiden hints.
Darren, distracted by his tie that he can never figure out on the first try, mumbles an incoherent response.
Jaiden rolls his eyes at his brother while pulling up to Tsukiko’s dormitory.
“Morning, Ki!” he shouts through the window at the waiting girl. Darren jumps at the sudden increase in volume.
“Good morning Jaiden, Darren,” she greets, climbing into the back. “Thanks for the ride.”
“How are you feeling?” asks Jaiden.
“Could be better,” she admits with a laugh.
“Here, have this.” The driver hands her a can of premium coffee before pulling off onto the road.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Tsukiko breathes, cracking open the beverage. “This pain is so bad, even my tattoo hurts.”
“Your tattoo?” Darren gives his friend’s thigh a quick jab. Jaiden rolls his eyes and adds, “Do you need an aspirin?”
“I had some this morning. Thanks.”
Jaiden nods. Before long, he pulls up to the grand building of Destiny Enterprise’s main building.
“Here we are!” he announces.
“Thank you so much, Jaiden!” Tsukiko chirps.
“Any time!” The man can no longer suppress his smile, knowing his brother is gawking at him with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. “What?” Jaiden asks him innocently.
“Tsukiko’s internship… is at DESTINY?” Darren exclaims.
Jaiden hums, “I tried to warn you.”
“You have something to do with this, don’t you?” Darren accuses.
“Oh look at the time! Five minutes until nine o’clock” Jaiden diverts.
Darren lets out a curse and slams the door as he leaves.
“You work here too?” Tsukiko asks as the man hurries by her.
“Something like that,” he grumbles.
“Wait!” she c
alls after him. Her flats click against the marble tiles as she rushes past the automatic doors towards him. In her hurry, she doesn’t see the staff standing and bowing as they enter.
Darren turns around irritatedly, but he does not realize how close she has already gotten and nearly falls backwards from the proximity.
“Your tie is crooked,” she tells him, adjusting it swiftly.
“I have a girlfriend,” he says dumbly.
“I know,” Tsukiko nods, “but you also have an impression to make. You got this internship too, didn’t you?”
“Actually,” he decides to tell her, “my father is president of this place.”
* * *
“The spreadsheets have been checked. There are but a handful of issues that I have highlighted. If you can double check and finalize the edits, that’ll be great.”
Darren’s breath hitches from having overheard Tsukiko’s conversation with her supervisor. From chemistry to now office work, is there anything she isn’t good at? Mentally, he slaps himself for admiring the girl once again.
“Amazing, isn’t she?”
Darren jumps at the sudden voice. “How did you get in here?”
“Your front desk secretary basically calls me her grandson at this point,” Jaiden answers, slurping the office coffee loudly. “And because Ki is buying me lunch with her first paycheck for driving her to work sometimes.”
“You two have sure gotten close,” Darren scoffs.
“Which should have been your job,” he reminds him.
“I’m not—”
“Yeah, yeah, save it. She’s just a good person to hang out with, you know? Your soulmate is bound to get along with your friends too,” Jaiden reminds him. “What, does it bother you that she’s spending time with other guys?”
“No, but it does bother me that every time she’s with you, she also ends up in my vicinity.”
“Hey, that’s not me, dude. That’s just the universe calling,” Jaiden snickers.
“Whatever.” Darren flicks a stirring stick at his brother. “Now if you’d excuse me, I have work to do.”
“Want to join for lunch?”
“You already know the answer to that!” Darren replies without looking back.
Jaiden chuckles and makes his way over to Tsukiko’s cubicle.
