November 6, 2013

That day, weather forecasters hadn’t predicted any rain. Young Hitomi was so absorbed in her own meditations that she wasn’t paying attention at all; the world outside the car was erased. The downpour was to blame—its drops were pounding over a royal blue sedan of the Sawashima family like a machine gun. Windshield wipers were barely able to do their job, and bursts of thunderstorms only intensified the distress within the girl.

“Seems like we’ll be late.”

Mother. Hitomi moved her eyes from the watery window to a woman with sharp face features and a bun of black hair.

“Write the Omnious a message.”

Father. A robust unshaved man was focusing on the road, fighting his way through the merciless precipitation. The metallic badge of PRISM Medical Corps on his jacket was reflected in the windshield.

“I still hope we’ll make it. It’s so shameful to be late for the twentieth birthday party of Hitomi’s fiancé!”

“This half an hour is nothing compared to the next four years of waiting till she comes of age.”

The thoughts in Hitomi’s head were more turbulent than ever. It seemed she was being driven to yet another social gathering of a famous magical family, nothing new here...

But why did it feel so wrong?

“I don’t want to...” she whispered.

“What are you rambling about?”

Her father was always moody—that she remembered as clear as day.

“Speak up, darling.”

And her mother was always trying to soften her spouse’s expressions.

“I don’t want to get married.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, my little girl. It’s already settled. You mustn’t violate our agreement.”

“Why?”

Silence.

“Why can’t I?”

“Since when do you question our traditions? Stop being a child,” her father threatened.

“I am NOT a child! And this is why I want to decide by myself!”

“Omae!”

“Easy, easy, honey!” The voice of the mage woman was high and bright, like a morning birdsong. “Do not get mad at her. It’s the age when they all start to rebel…”

“The heiress of the Sawashima dynasty should not say such things!” The head of the MedCorps was implacable. “You must care about the honor of the family above everything else. You are the last of our onmyoji kin, and you should do everything for our heritage to survive. Be grateful that this third-rate Omnious chap has agreed to change his last name.”

“I can choose anyone else then—”

“Nonsense! The Sawashimas and the Omnious have been arranging marriages for several centuries. It is out of the question that Brian Felix Omnious is the best partner for you. Do you even know how many efforts it took me to persuade his parents?!”

“Honey, please stop shouting at her.”

“SHOUTING?! Her granddad would have smacked her in my place! Oh Goddess, what did I do wrong to have such an ungrateful daughter? It would be much easier if we had a son!”

“Shut up!”

Hitomi sobbed. For all her fourteen years she had obeyed her parents without asking a single question. It was the first time she had dared to object to her father and tell the truth: she hated the idea of being engaged to a man she barely knew, from a legendary family or not.

“See what you’ve done to her? She’s crying now. Calm down, my sweet child, it will—”

“I don’t want to get married! Never! Not to Omnious, not to whoever! I’ll run away and join… that cult… the Gray Sisters!”

Her infuriated father turned toward the back seat. “Say that again and I swear I—”

“Toshiki!” Missis Sawashima screeched—and that was the last thing Hitomi heard from her mother.

He tried to dodge the truck speeding toward them, but the car skidded on the slippery road. After a second, Hitomi’s vision darkened, and she could hear nothing but her own scream echoing within her head. But there was no blow. The mage opened her eyes and found herself in the back seat of an old battered electric car with the front bumper completely blown out. Shaking with horror, Hitomi slowly turned to the other side of the go-kart ring, and—to her relief—there were two familiar mages bending over her.

“Takeshi!”

Having jumped out of the car so fast that her skirt tore along the seams, Hitomi threw herself on her colleague. He hugged her tightly and whispered that everything was fine.