Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

B2: Chapter 30 - Four Days Later - VII

  The groups of people had rotated around as time went on, everyone still waiting, not sure what to do next. Cinza's group stuck together, while Meg and the FBI guy ended up in another corner. The Silverdales were still sitting up front, and Josh had ended up with them, just listening. Natalie couldn't have handled that. She was impressed he could stay strong around them.

  Instead, Natalie found herself sitting alone in the very last row of benches, staring out into the field past the tall window, wishing she could be out there. Percy seemed to feel the same, ruffling his feathers a bit and nudging her forward.

  <We gotta stay here, Percy. Hailey isn't here yet.>

  "So that's still a thing, huh?"

  Natalie looked up to see Rika standing at the end of the row. Rika didn't have the blue streak in her hair anymore, but she seemed just as annoyed as she always did. The tattoo of entwined flowers on her hand stood out a lot more than it used to, or maybe that was just Natalie's new eyes. Either way, she found it fascinating now.

  "What's that flower?" she asked, pointing at Rika's right hand.

  Rika looked surprised. She took a seat in the row ahead, right in front of her, and dangled her hands over the back. After a second's hesitation, she took off her jacket, showing the full length of the tattoo all the way up her forearm.

  "This is a sakura blossom," she explained, pointing out the light pink flower on the back of her wrist. "Means life and renewal. And then this is a black rose," she added, indicating the thorny flower, "which... you get the idea."

  Natalie nodded. "Don't you hate it though?"

  "Hate what?"

  "Everybody seeing those. The first thing they notice, before they really know you."

  Rika shrugged. "Just means they're shitty people, if that's all they think about."

  Natalie realized something—Rika hadn't even glanced at her scar. Maybe she'd missed it, but the older girl definitely hadn't lingered on it like everyone else.

  "Besides," Rika went on, "I picked these out. All of these are reminders to myself of what's important."

  Natalie's eyes traveled up her arm to the rough Japanese letters on her shoulder, and the bluebird against the sky backdrop on her other arm. "Did they hurt?"

  "Not as much as that probably did."

  Natalie winced. So she had noticed.

  "Did you get the fuckers who did it?"

  She nodded slowly, not daring to voice it aloud.

  Rika didn't smile, didn't really show any emotion at all. She just nodded back. She didn't try to take Natalie's hand, or hug her, or do anything like that. Just a nod. Understanding. "Good."

  Maybe you misjudged her.

  "This is Percy," she added, not sure what else to say.

  Rika glanced at the hawk. "Thanks for saving my life back in Rallsburg, Percy."

  "He did?" she asked, surprised. She hadn't known about that. She looked at Percy. <You saved her life?>

  Percy shifted his talons slightly, trying to come up with an answer. The question was a bit too abstract for him, and he couldn't exactly explain it. Thankfully, Rika didn't leave her hanging.