To now and never

Chapter 4

Riku arose 15 minutes ahead of his alarm clock on the day of the livestream. He was thirsty because he refrains from drinking at night time not wanting to wet his bed. Today is finally the day he will release his final trailer. He could not contain his excitement since he had reruns of this event on his mind.

He drank his favorite mixed berry tea and watered his bonsai plants before he practiced his speech for the nth time not wanting to make any mistakes. After he set up his equipment for the live stream, he asked all his housekeepers and assistants to not stay in the house. Knowing that Riku would surely become emotional, they let him be.

He felt like it was just yesterday that he started sketching for his manga. He remembered how mediocre he was back then in how plain he drew his characters and the setting. Years of hard work and sacrifices really paid off, he could finally retire and move on with life.

He promised himself that his 50th year in this world would be memorable and rewarding. Actually, he felt more energized now than ever since he began to be excited about the possibilities of what the future had in store for him.

But this new life will never happen or be known by anyone. He suddenly wished he believed in a religion so that there was hope of life after death. While doing the livestream, he cannot dismiss that in his peripheral view, there is a gun pointed at him. He can feel warm liquid flowing between his thighs.

His last thought before dying was the image of the same flower that trapped its prey.

-

Michael Novosel ran as fast as he could. He is shivering uncontrollably. From the outside, he has been sweating nonstop for 15 minutes now. He felt like he was in a dream but would never wake up. He felt like trash and ice-cold on the inside. How can he escape this whole situation? His mind is blank, oblivious to what is happening around him, failing to see a car that almost hit him. He also missed the timing to cross two pedestrian lanes. His troubled mind is elsewhere- at another time.

Michael accepted an invitation two years ago from none other than the genius Riku Takayama. At first, he could not believe it, but after thirty minutes of verifying it, he confirmed that the email address was indeed that of the manga creator. He initially thought that it had something to do with his sister Elle being an avid fan of the artist, so he responded right away. It was actually for a reason he could never have imagined.

He remembered the feeling of not going that morning. It rained hard outside and he hates going out in the rain. To add to his dismay, his favorite white lace matching his gray rubber shoes was missing for some reason. Moreover, his stomach had been uneasy since last night. It appeared to him now that all the signs around him pointed to him not going that day, but he still did. He was so stupid that he and his sister were now in danger.

Michael was 16 years old when he started his independent life with his sister. To survive their rent and daily expenses, he juggled three to four jobs in a week. Because he provided for himself and his sister, he stopped going to college since he could not afford to pay for two student loans.

He had been a delivery guy for a cheap burger chain, a chauffeur to an old business manager, a waiter, and bartender during the night, a computer shopkeeper during weekends, and other side hustles he could get.

They happen to be the foster children of a Mexican couple, who, for some reason, could only find themselves either being drunk or gambling day and night. Their parents never showed affection towards them, maybe because of the language barrier. They speak to them in Spanish but never really teach them, but more to scold them or to rant about their lives.

It was a difficult childhood for the twins since they never grew up in a loving family. All they remember is the feeling of being wanted to belong and to be liked. They never knew or cared who their real parents were, they were each other's only family.

All the foster parents generously gave them were an old television, and some DVDs of pirated anime and torn manga. To the twins, these were their prized possessions. While the other kids were busy with their PlayStation or traveling around the world, the two would surely spend all afternoon and night reading and watching anime.

He is particularly amazed by the animators and technology in every anime episode since he had never played with any physical toys before. During his desk warming time in the computer shop, he would surely watch two or three episodes of anime.

Also, he witnessed how the manga of Riku gave his sister a new shot at living her life. He had seen how Elle used to do self-pity and self-harm just to get by hating her life. It did not help that all their hopes died down with the irresponsible foster family they were assigned to. They were helpless but could not do it because the adults decided for them.

He cannot blame her rebellious acts because it is just unacceptable that they are not so lucky and that life has been hard for them. Not having known their parents scarred them for life and made them question their existence and identity. He would surely have been miserable if not for his sister's existence, which forced him to live with purpose and maturity.

She discovered that there is more than the miserable life she has and the manga served its purpose of being the escape of Elle to reality. The manga reveals every shade of emotion in her that has been missing in her life. Her life revolves around the manga and Vanda is at its center. She is almost purposefully living her life.

There was a time when Vanda acquired her arm tattoo from the Shio Tribe in the fifth series of the manga, and it was the same tattoo Ellen got the week after for a cheap price. He was against the tattoos but he let her have them rather than argue with her. Afterwards, she showed all the symptoms of swelling, redness, rash, and scaly skin because of her allergic reaction to the silicate in blue dye.

She was not resentful at all and just self-medicated using over-the-counter antihistamines. She continued imitating Vanda's style, fashion, and demeanor.

He supports his sister with his anime addiction since he is also a fan of Riku, so seeing him up close was truly a surreal experience. He remembered his first steps in front of the lawn of Riku and how casually the man greeted him. He treated him as if he had been a long-lost acquaintance.

He observed how composed and gentle Riku was by just looking into how well he grew his bonsai plants. He did seem like he was just in his late 30s. The man was wearing his typical white kariyushi. Michael wondered if successful people really just wear the same clothes.