6: Framed Perspective - Part 6

The wind blows through the garden, carrying brown, broken leaves as  the autumn sun rose in the distant sky.

As Bri explored the beauty of the mansion’s east-side garden, a burly man wearing a black suit with a black tie appeared before her.

“Madam Bri, I have some news for you.”

Bri broke her eyes off of the flowers and slowly met the man’s eyes. The morning sun had tinted her hazel eyes into a brilliant green.

“Does it have to do with the operation?”

“Yes, madam. The operation is ready. We just need your approval in order to commence.”

Bri directed her gaze to the morning sky. As she watched the clouds drift by, her black hair began to flow in the wind.

‘For the sake of our future, we need to defeat them. God, I hope I’m doing the right thing.’

Without removing her eyes from the sky, Bri started to give her response.

“I, Bri of the Kita, order all personnel to commence the operation.”

As she continued to watch the sky, Bri’s face formed a firm expression.

‘It’s time to come home to us, Tamashi.’

——

Savior: Original Story by OneSevenEight

Episode: Framed Perspective - Part 6

——

“How’d you sleep, Tamayo?”

“Fine.”

As Tamashi consumed his cereal, Yasa continued to interrogate him.

“So, whatcha up to today?”

“Don’t know yet.”

“You going to do any school work?”

“I don’t have access to my account, yet.”

“So whatcha dressed up to go out for?”

“None of your damn business.”

Yasa looked surprised as Tamashi realized that he was getting a bit snappy.

“Uh, sorry. I just want to eat and get out of here.”

Yasa eyes flashed signs of concern as Tamashi attempted to finish his meal.

“Wow, I didn’t know that the events of one day could change someone so much.”

“Oh, uh, I seem different to you?”

“Yeah. You seem… more… pronounced. Like, you’re starting to creep out of your shell.”

Tamashi looked at Yasa before lowering his head towards his cereal.

“I think… I’m just starting to see the world a bit differently.”

Yasa rose out of his seat, abandoning his own breakfast in the process. He rested his hand on Tamashi’s shoulder, which startled Tamashi.

“Wha-“

“Promise me something. Promise me that you’ll never lose your way.”

Sunlight poured into the dining room through the window. The light gleamed off of the worn-down furniture and the porcelain dishes.

Tamashi noticed that his brother’s eyes gleamed in the sunlight. He also had dark blue eyes, but unlike Tamashi, he had dirty blonde hair.

Tamashi smiled.

“Yeah, I promise. I’m Tamashi, and I always will be. I’m going to find a way to get out of this mess.”

Yasa smiled in reply.

“Alright, lil bro, I’ll remember that promise. Have a great day!”

——

The autumn breeze carried leaves through the streets as Charlie, Anna, and Tsuru approached the coffee shop.

Charlie stopped at the door, then proceeded to turn around. He proudly threw his arms up above his head.

“Welcome, ladies, to the best coffee shop in town! Take one sip of the warm, luscious coffee here, and you’ll both instantly fall in love with me!”

During Charlie’s declaration, the shop’s door opened, and out stepped a woman who appeared to be middle-aged.

“Wow, what a perv. I can’t stand how horny you young boys are.”

Arms still up in the air, Charlie felt like his insides were getting sucked up into a black hole.

To make matters worse for his situation, both of the girls were struggling to maintain their composure instead of falling into deep laughing fits.

“Uh, I guess… We should go inside now.”

——

“I still haven’t been able to reach Tamashi. The cops won’t tell me anything. Man, this is so frustrating.”

As Charlie gave his report, Anna stared out the window, processing the information.

Then, like a light bulb going off, Anna thought of a potential solution to their problems.

“Why don’t we just go to his house?”

Charlie’s face expressed a look of idiocracy.

“Huh? Why should we go to his house if he’s still sitting in jail? Actually, it would make more sense if we went to-“

“I already called and asked about visitation at the jail. They said that visitation was unavailable to people under 18.”

“Well, that’s stupid. No one under 18 allowed to visit, but he himself is 16. So we can’t visit him at the jail. But why would you suggest going to his house?”

“He might’ve been bailed out.”

“On an attempted murder charge? The bail’s probably set at a million.”

“You never know. Plus, he’s mentioned before that he lives with his brother. His brother might be able to help us out.”

Charlie stared down at the table, using Anna’s information to formulate a plan.

“True. Alright, you and me, we’ll go check out his house. Sorry Tsuru, but it’s probably a good idea if you don’t go.”

Tsuru, who was seated next to Charlie in the booth, turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be fine. I’m just here to help in any way I can.”

Charlie responded with a quick smile before turning back to Anna.

“Alright, so that’s settled. Now, I wanna try to figure out who the hell framed Tamashi.”

“Actually I have a theory. The night before the incident, you dragged him into a double date, right?”

“Yeah, I did. What does that have to do-“

“Wasn’t his date for that night that transfer named Star?”

“Yes, but what does-“

“Have you seen Star lately?”

Charlie’s eyes began to show a glimmer of realization.

“No, I haven’t. Not since that night. It’s like she just completely disappeared.”

Anna clinched her teeth and gripped her fists.

“I think she framed him.”

After momentarily sitting in a state of shock, Charlie regained himself and began to theorize.

“What if… there’s something bigger going on than we realized? Something that’s… really bad? Is Tamashi… in danger?”

Anna and Tsuru’s faces both formed into pure horror.

The table sat in a state of unsettling silence until a high school-aged boy, who also appeared to be the waiter, approached.

“Hey guys, welcome to the shop. I apologize, but we haven’t properly cleaned this table. Let me show you outside to our picnic tables.”

As the group got up and prepared to move outside, Anna discretely tugged on Charlie’s shirt. When Charlie turned his head, he saw that Anna’s eyes were showing danger.

She leaned in to speak into his ear.

“I didn’t see any tables outside, did you?”

Charlie paused for a second before turning back. The group followed the waiter through the cafe.

The waiter’s eyes were colored blood red. As he faced away from the group, he allowed his lips to form a lustful grin.