A Demon's Lapse

For the next few days, Nora spent her time clearing much of the brush on the island. She was glad that Kiyohira was away so she didn't have to deal with him. This was the perfect moment to plan an escape. However, on one occasion, Nora sneaked back to the abandoned house to quell her curiosity. Walking closer to it, she saw how it was actually a nice house. It looked like it had once been a cozy and inviting place. She wondered what happened to make that change. In another timeline, she would have liked to live there. It just needed some serious repairs.

The furniture had been covered with sheets. Most of the destruction was caused simply by neglect. She explored the intact parts of the house. Ivy was growing along the walls and mold had taken over along the windows. There was a large hole in the ceiling above the foyer and below was extensive water damage presumably because of rain. She approached a staircase with broken railing and climbed it. Entering one of the bedrooms, she came across a photo album. It was tattered but some pictures were still visible. It was of a family. There was a picture of a man and a woman holding an infant. The man had a stoic expression and looked similar to Kiyohira. The woman was beautiful and had a faint smile. Nora felt a pang of sadness in her expression. She pulled the photo out of the album and looked at the back. It read, "Kimura Family: Takeshi, Haru, and Kiyohira."

This cute little baby is that horrible man? She wondered what happened to this family. Why did Kiyohira become who he was now? She put the photo back, feeling a little guilty for snooping around. She didn't want to throw it out though so she decided to keep it. Maybe she could salvage it. It didn't feel right to get rid of it.

The next day she finally finished chopping all the wood. She stood in the shed, admiring her hard work. It made her feel capable and independent even though it was at the behest of that man.

One of Matsuda's underlings came to fetch Nora instead that night. This was the moment. Matsuda stood at the doorway. Before being ushered into her room she abruptly stopped and turned to ask him something. She whispered to Matsuda, "Mr. Matsuda, this is embarrassing to ask but I'm having my time of the month." His eyes widened and his cheeks blushed. "I need some 'things' if you know what I mean," she continued. Stunned and grumbling, he told her to wait there as he was going to fetch one of the maids to deal with her "issue". Nora made sure he was out of sight before venturing about the house in search for the keys. She was finally alone in the foyer when she booked it up the stairs. She ran by the room where she first met Kiyohira. Where could the keys be placed?

She quickly scanned the hallways in search of an office or supply closet of some kind. Then she found it. The sleek office had a large window overlooking the ocean. The sun was just setting. Her eyes focused on the desk. Opening drawers one after the other and rummaging through them, she found nothing. Where could they be? She looked around the room and noticed cabinets across the room. When she opened them her eyes lit up. Found them! She took all the keys because she wasn't sure which one it was. She just hoped to god it was one of them! After putting them in her pocket she darted back to the foyer, hoping Matsuda hadn't returned.

Thankfully he hadn't. Matsuda returned with one of the maids. "Miss, come with me please," she kindly beckoned. Nora let out a yell and grabbed her stomach. "Ouch, it hurts so much," she said, faking her cramps. She knelt on the floor. She told them that she couldn't move so they had to bring her some medication. The maid tried to help her up but Nora told her that the pain was too great. She begged for them to go find it and so they did. As soon as they left she ran through the front door.

It was dark but Nora could still make out some of the landscape. She ran for her life to the docks and quickly untied the boat she saw from earlier and jumped in. It was a nice vehicle. Now wasn't the time to admire nautical vessels! She climbed up to the cockpit and tried every single key. So far they weren't working. "Come on," she cried. She was down to the last one. Please work, please work! It went in and she turned the ignition. The successful try made her squeal with joy. She turned around to see flashlights approaching the boat. It was Kiyohira's henchmen. With that, she stepped on the accelerator and left the dock.

Kiyohira sat at his desk in his gigantic office, with marble floors and walls, reviewing reports on his desktop. He was interrupted when his phone vibrated and saw it was Matsuda. "Yes," he asked, facing the window. "Boss, I have bad news," Matsuda answered. Kiyohira furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to him, "The girl has escaped!" "What," Kiyohira turned shades of red. He quickly stood up. Matsuda explained how Nora faked having her monthly time and that she managed to snag keys to one of the boats. Kiyohira yelled, "You fool, how could you let this happen!" Matsuda apologized incessantly. Kiyohira angrily hung up. That girl was nothing but trouble. Now he would make her and her sister pay!

He grabbed his leather coat and stormed out of the office.