A.R: 4

Rae scanned the streets they ran through, both sides filled with apartment buildings.

There was no other person on the street. He needed one person, just one, for his plan to go smoothly. Without the one crucial key, there was bound to be some problems and setbacks.

As if sensing Rae’s frustration, and possibly his plan, V pointed to her right,

‘There’s someone over there. I think he’s alone.’ V stated. Rae swung his head around to look at where V has pointed. A man, older than them both, was pacing around, dressed in a long trench coat. His body was trembling, and he seemed to be distressed.

The perfect candidate.

Rae made a beeline straight to the man, snatching his arm, and V the other.They dragged the jittery man further into the alleyway and threw him against the wall.

‘C-chottomatte!’ the man cried as he held his hands over his face, ‘Watashi wa nani o shimashita ka?’ Rae glared at the jittery man below him: an ID card hung around his neck and his glasses were wide and circular.

‘Eigo o hanasu.’ Rae replied slow and cautious. The man stared at Rae confusedly before complying and repeating his sentence,

‘What… did I do?’ the man asked, his Japanese accent prominent in his speech but Rae chose to ignore it.

‘We just need a little help.’ Rae explained as he brought out a pistol from his duffel bag to which the man reclined backwards.

Rae did not care whether or not the man had just come from the airport or if he had to go somewhere. He did not care if the man had a loving family waiting for him or if he had a whole future ahead of him.

It was simple.

Despite there being a thorough inspection conducted by the police, there were an abnormal amount of people than Rae had expected – the fact did not thrill him.
Families dragged their stubborn children and brand-new suitcases, hurrying to their assigned planes and couples strayed.

In Rae’s case, however, they were holding a man hostage.

Tashi, which Rae had learned was the name of their captive, trembled as he trudged up to the scanning aisle, hauling Rae’s and V’s luggage behind him. Sweat trickled down his sharp face, making his glasses become unstable on his long-crooked nose.

The older man placed the duffel bags onto the conveyor belt, his pale hands jittering as he did so. Noticing the shaky movement, the policeman, a man dressed in a white button-up shirt and navy-blue overalls, raised a bushy eyebrow as he stared at Tashi.

The heavy duffel bags rolled through the x-ray scanner, the pace of the conveyor belt placing Rae in a state of extreme anticipation.

Immediately when the policeman’s eyebrows raised up, threatening to fly off his wrinkled face, Rae and V dashed, grabbing their luggage as they sprinted. Behind them, they could hear the boisterous orders from the policeman and the whimpering of Tashi.

Rae could overhear the man plead that he did not own the bags and that he was used to sneak people onto a plane. Of course no one would believe Tashi – he was somewhere in his 30’s, unknown to everyone, and was claiming that two kids had taken advantage of him.

A farfetched story.

As they reached the plane entrance, a female flight attendant, moderately tall and quite lean, greeted them with a beaming grin,

‘Hajimemashite. Furaito o tanoshinde itadakereba saiwaidesu.’

Nodding, Rae dragged V into the quiet plane, the smell of fresh food from the kitchen instantly hitting his nose, reminding him that he had not eaten in a while. Ignoring his urge to request food from the flight attendants at the back, he held onto V’s skinny hand as he searched for two empty spaces.

Eventually, he spotted two vacant seats next to a tiny male, who seemed to be gazing through his window. His hair was shoulder-length yet cascaded down his slender shoulders, vibrant blue strands sticking up at odd places.

‘Are we sitting here or…’ V trailed, knocking Rae out of his scrutinizing gaze.

‘We are.’ Rae growled as he ran a pale hand through his midnight-black hair, ‘You sit first.’

V obeyed boldly, easily sliding into the airplane seat next to the unknown person with Rae following cautiously. He did not like the strange aura the man beside them was emitting – it prompted memories he would rather not recall. The atmosphere was almost otherworldly yet welcoming, as if the man were not real but was trying to create acquaintances with everyone he met.

Overall, the aura was aberrant.

‘What was it that flight attendant said before?’ She mumbled, her interest coating her high-pitched words.

‘Nice to meet you. Hope you enjoy your flight.’ Rae repeated, not having enough energy to tell V to shut up or leave him alone.

‘What the hell.’ Rae snarled as he held a clammy hand over his squinty eyes. V shrugged beside him as she descended the tidy airport stairs, passing many people who minded their business, intent on getting to their destination,

‘Welcome to Australia.’ She smirked deviously as she crossed her skinny arms behind her back innocently, completely going against what her expression showcased.

Grimacing, Rae clambered down the staircase, occasionally rubbing his forehead in the attempts to cease the high amount of sweat pouring down his small face.
The duo snuck through the security, using their sizes to their advantage, and out of the airport.

Immediately as they stepped foot outside, they were greeted with the sounds of cars speeding down the highways outside of the airport’s parking lot and families heading to their abandoned cars or waiting to be picked up. The sun shone down on everyone, illuminating the roads and walkways, making it seem as if they were glowing.

‘We should find a place to stay.’ V soothed, placing a firm hand on her partner’s shoulder. Rae scowled, brushing off her hand. She eyed him as he walked away, but stashed the event into the folder of the wrongdoings Rae had done against her.

The pair continued down roads, Rae guessing which turns to take while V complied, knowing better than to argue with the male.

Eventually, the two found themselves in front of a building which stood tall, an almost intimidating presence emitting from it. It was made entirely from glass, a large lawn stretching for miles decorating its exterior. At the very top of the structure, the name of the building sat, its LED blue letters shining; NOVOTEL.

The building looked expensive.

‘Would we even have enough money to pay for food in there?’ The lean redhead questioned her thin eyebrows furrowing at the inquiry.

Rae couldn’t answer V’s question, despite it being rhetorical. He didn’t know how to convert yen to Australian dollars nor had he planned out anything after getting off the plane. How naïve he was, thinking that everything would turn out fine.

The lobby, much larger than Suki’s Hotel n’ Stay. Its marble floors shine and the metallic paint on the plywood wall twinkled. The few people who resided in the lobby were simply talking between themselves, enjoying whatever reason that moved them to stay at the hotel.

Rae felt extremely out of place with his old plain shirt and dirty jeans.

‘Good morning.’ Rae spoke, making his naturally toned-down voice as clear as he could to the receptionist, a plump woman, blonde and pale. She wore a far-too-tight shirt that stretched at ends, threatening to burst at any moment.

Could she even breathe?