Chapter 8

I stepped into the room located behind the bar door to find a space that was half break-room and half prep-kitchen. In the middle lingered a large wooden table, covered by an embroidered tablecloth and a matching floral arrangement. On either side of the table, against the wall were the prep stations, everything orderly and neat. To the right hand side, a staircase spiraled upwards, perhaps leading to a loft or apartment.

Mr. Alessi, who was already sitting, beckoned me over to the table. I ran a finger over an embroidered Lily, and he smiled. “My wife was a master of crafts, and always insisted our home appear lovely. Though she is gone, I continue to uphold her wishes.”

I was curious to know what had happened to his amazing sounding wife, but my parents had taught me never to pry—unless it was for gossip purposes, or to be used as glorified blackmail, but Mr. Alessi was such a kind person, I didn’t even consider those options.

Before I could complement Mr. Alessi’s late sweetheart, a cup of coffee was set in front of me, stream rising from the leaf-shaped (or was it heart shaped?) design in the milk-foam.

“Ivy.” I looked up to see Satsuya smile. “I’m glad this drink didn’t have to go to waste.” He paused, considering before he amended, “I mean, I’m glad you decided to stay.”

“I would have drank it, big brother.” Yuuki, who sat perched on the end of a wooden chair across from me, stabbed me with a glare before she took a sip of what appeared to be hot chocolate.

Satsuya frowned. “You really shouldn’t be drinking much coffee at your age.”

“I’ll be eight next month!” Yuuki protested, putting her cup down harder than was necessary and almost staining the tablecloth. She winced. “Sorry, Mr. Alessi.”

“Please take care, Miss Yuuki.” Mr. Alessi was calm yet firm as he sipped his own coffee, which was darker than the night sky.

I glanced between Satsuya and his sister as she pouted, and he took the seat to my right, holding his own cup. Again, I didn’t want to pry, but I couldn’t just ignore the age disparity between them. I couldn’t be sure how old Satsuya was, but he looked to be around my age, maybe a bit older, putting him somewhere between twenty-three and twenty-eight, probably. That meant there was at least a fifteen year difference between the siblings.

Not that siblings couldn’t have such an age gap, but—wow, that was impressive. And yet they seemed to get along well.

Still, I had to wonder...why was Yuuki with her brother, and not her parents? Wasn’t it dangerous to have her trailing after such a wanted Uni? Or was she simply visiting, and—

“Shut up, Ivy!” Yuuki growled from across the table, her fingers white-knuckled around her mug. “If you want to know, then spit it out already. Not that we’ll tell you, but at least the air won’t be so clogged with your whining thoughts.”

“Yuuki!” Satsuya hissed as Mr. Alessi sighed, and my thoughts ground to an immediate halt.

Wait...

They said she wasn’t a Uni!

Yuuki scoffed, bearing a chocolatey foam mustache thanks to her hot chocolate. “Oh, please. Those idiots from the Conscious don’t know anything. My powers are easy enough to hide if I want.”

“B-But—how have you not been r-registered?” My words were as tangled a mess as my brain.

All Uni begun displaying their abilities by age five, with most Uni children developing powers by their third birthday. Once a child was dubbed a ‘Uni’ instead of a ‘Typpe’—words that used to stand for ‘Unique’ or “Typical’, but had transformed to mean ‘superhuman’ and ‘normal’—they were put through a rigorous examination to define what their ability was. This information could be updated over time if their power grew or began to branch, manifesting into something else, but once the Uni’s ‘base abnormality’ was discovered, they were registered into a system that categorized and kept track of the Uni and their whereabouts.

Yuuki was correct in the fact that her power was less obvious than most, but eluding registration was impossible. The World Law simply didn’t make mistakes like that.

“Yuuki isn’t registered because—officially, at least—she doesn’t exist.” Satsuya’s own fingers curled around his cup as he regarded me, his lips pressed into a thin line.

I met his blue gaze through his tinted glasses, and suddenly my tongue felt like lead. “She doesn’t...exist?”

How was that possible? Every citizen of every Sector was known and accounted for. Births simply didn’t happen without the World Law’s knowledge. To dodge their watchful eye would be to turn the world upside down, to sow a seed for chaos.

But obviously that was just what Satsuya had done; he didn’t look like he was lying.

Who was this Uni who could supposedly defeat The One and pull off the impossible?

I really was in over my head.

Satsuya regarded me for a long moment, that blue gaze boring deep, before he looked down into his coffee and sighed. “I guess I should tell you the truth about us. It’s my fault you’re in danger, after all.”

“Technically, it’s her fault. We shouldn’t have to tell her anything.” Yuuki piped up, offering me another glare, but her brother didn’t feed into her malice.

“Are you sure about this, Satsu?” Mr. Alessi questioned before giving me a sheepish grin. “Not that I don’t like you, Miss McLaughlan, but—surely you understand, no?”

Surely I did understand.

Yes, these people held my life in their hands, but I was just as dangerous for them. Even before Yuuki had blurted her secret, I had seen Satsuya, a seemingly ordinary man, display powers and a terrifying aura—not to mention, I had witnessed the confrontation between him and a Uni from a secret organization that wanted to destroy the world as we knew it. I even knew where Satsuya lived. Had I wanted to, I could have easily called the authorities and informed them of his whereabouts. Depending on what I said, the news might have even reached The One.

Really, the smartest thing for them to do would be to kill me, but I was glad that Satsuya had decided not to snap my neck or anything. Last night, I had been afraid he would, but now...I wasn’t afraid anymore.

“Brother really should silence you. And I did not blurt out about my powers—I informed you.” Yuuki sniffed, drinking the last of her hot chocolate, her brown mustache gone. She must have caught onto my thoughts again.

“Yuuki.” When he spoke, Satsuya’s voice was quiet, but his anger was clear. He continued to stare into his coffee mug, but I felt he was one beat away from gaining that icy white glow to his eyes. “I don’t want to ever hear you talk about silencing people again.”

“But it would be better! You know it would!” Yuuki’s chair clattered to the floor as she scrambled to her feet, hands balling to fists in front of her. “She’s a liability—you can’t say she isn’t! How do we know she won’t go running to the Conscious, or—or to them? She was already thinking about it.” I flinched as she ratted me out, though I had only been thinking it was a possibility, not an option; not at this point, anyway.

Yuuki’s shoulders slumped as tears formed in her eyes. “I won’t let them hurt you again.” She threw her arms around her brother, burying her face in his sleeve.

My heart ached to think that I was causing her distress (even if she had only been a brat towards me), but Satsuya’s voice was calm as he patted her head and replied, “Thank you, Yuuki. I’m grateful. But,” he glanced at me, “I’m certain Ivy is a good person. I think we should give her a chance.”

Warmth swelled in me at his words, and yet I couldn’t shake the thought that even good people made mistakes.

Yuuki pulled back to cast me a scowl. “You ruin everything.” She protested, before she conjured a small smile for Satsuya. “Alright, big brother. I trust you. But I don’t trust her—not yet.” And she didn’t mind practically saying it to my face.

“That’s fine.” Satsuya released his sister. “Now, why don’t you go get your homework done? You can’t have finished it since—” His expression grew cloudy. “What were you doing when the Conscious found you, anyway?”

There was a suspicious pause, and Yuuki didn’t answer.

Satsuya crossed his arms. “Why were you outside when the Conscious found you?” He asked again. “I told you to stay inside until my day shift ended. You know it’s too dangerous to go out by yourself. They know what you look like.”

Yuuki hid her hands behind her back as she scuffed the floor with her shoe, looking up at him through her long lashes. I could see where anyone would think she was cute—if they didn’t know her. “I told you I wanted to help with money. So...I borrowed some of Mr. Alessi’s clothes and one of Mrs. Alessi’s wigs. I was going to set up on the road as a fortune teller. I didn’t want either of you to see my disguise, so I snuck out without it on. But before I could change and set up my table, the Conscious saw me.”

It was such a childish idea from someone who seemed beyond her years, my heart warmed towards Yuuki a bit.

Satsuya put a hand to his forehead. “Really, Yuuki? Fortune telling is way too close to your ability. Did you not think about the idea that you might be caught, even if they didn’t know it was you?”

It took me a moment to realize what Satsuya was getting at, but when I did, my heart sank.

If anyone had so much as suspected that Yuuki (Yuuki-in-disguise, that is) wasn’t just a fortuneteller, but a Uni, then they could arrest her for breaking the World Law. Fortune telling wasn’t the job of either hero or villain, and that was all the Uni were allowed.

In our world, suspicion was often taken as evidence—at least initially. The World Law couldn’t afford to ignore allegations of Uni doing other jobs, or Typpe like me attacking a Uni, no matter where the allegation came from. Order would be too difficult to maintain otherwise. But the Law made sure their investigations were extensive and fair.

Yuuki’s lip quivered as she tried to explain her reasons for sneaking out. “I just wanted to help. It isn’t fair that you have to shoulder all the expenses.” She hung her head, and despite her earlier behavior, I felt sorry for her now.

I had grown up with a golden spoon in my mouth (silver wasn’t good enough for the McLaughlans). I couldn’t imagine what it must feel like for a child to worry about expenses—heck, I was having a difficult enough time wrapping my mind around my own meager fortune. If it hadn’t been for my grandmother, who lived life thriftily out of want and habit, having lived through the Greatest War, I would have no concept at all of “not being able to afford”.

Mr. Alessi stood and placed a comforting hand on Yuuki’s shoulder, just as he done for me earlier. “Yuuki, you are a brilliant girl. One day, you will make the world shine. But for now, you are still young. It is your brother’s job to care for you in this moment. When you are grown, you will return the favor, no?” He winked at her, earning him a smile.

“I will. Definitely.” Yuuki promised before shooting her brother a put-out expression, her shoulders slumped. “You didn’t mean what you said, right? Do I really have to do homework right now? I finished year ten last week.”

Year ten? But she’s seven!

My brain buzzed as I stared at the young girl in pigtails. Considering her situation, she must have been homeschooled, which could have leant to her being ahead of the game academically. She was clearly intelligent, which was echoed in her speech. But year ten seemed a little high for a seven-year-old, considering schooling didn’t begin until children were four.

Satsuya eyed Yuuki for a moment before he calmly replied, “Do your homework, and I’ll consider letting you start university courses next semester.”

Yuuki gasped, full set of teeth on display. “Really?” Her brown eyes shone with a light that made her look like a completely different girl; it was certainly better than her scowl.

“Depending on the course, yes. Online, naturally. We’ll have forge your information, but it should be possible.” Satsuya reached for his coffee cup as his sister jumped for joy and bounded up the stairs.

“Alright, big brother. Tell Ivy whatever you need to!” Yuuki’s voice traveled, the sound of her footsteps echoing until I heard a door slam.

Satsuya looked like he wanted to say something about the slamming door, but he didn’t. Maybe he thought it instead.

Speaking of thoughts, I heard the distinct ring of Yuuki’s voice in my mind:

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten that I don’t trust you yet. If you betray us, I won’t forgive you.”

A shiver traveled down my spine as those words echoed in my thoughts. Mr. Alessi disappeared upstairs as well, telling Satsuya he’d be back down to help with preparations for opening after he had a shower.

As I watched Mr. Alessi leave, Yuuki’s words still fresh, I thought of what Satsuya had said earlier—that I was a good person. It was a bold statement from someone who didn’t know me, or how I had grown up. Someone who didn’t know what I had been through, or what had lead me here.

Was I still the same desperate Ivy I had been when I’d arrived in this sector the day before? Not much time had passed, but quite a bit had changed, and I had to admit that I felt different. Not changed, exactly, but different, as if something were shifting even now.

What that was, I didn’t know. But here, with this new start at life, I wanted to believe I could be the person Satsuya was certain I was...not the Ivy I had always been.