The call initiated with an inviting beep, followed by the sound of quiet mic static. Tomo could hear a faint breath among the room noise, but that’s all he could make out. The frightened boy was sitting on the edge of his office chair, his limbs trembling uncontrollably. He leaned in closer to his desk mounted microphone and took a deep, shaky breath. 

“H-Hello…” He whispered meekly, finally breaking the deafening silence.

There was no response.

“...kei…” He murmured once more, his chest tight from the anxiety.

“...Hello, Tomo”. Tomo jumped back in his chair a bit, startled by her voice.

Her tone was calm, not a hint of resentment to be found. This only made Tomo more nervous.

“Say, Tomo, do you know what time I woke up at?” The boy’s body tensed, the ember of hope he had for getting off the hook instantly smothered.

“...N-no…” His heart was racing.

“That’s ‘No, Ma’am’ to you! Respect your elders.” Kei snapped back. Though they weren’t far apart in age, Tomo being 19 and Kei being 21, she loved to rub in the age gap any chance she got.

Tomo grimaced. “No...ma’am…”. He didn’t want to make her even more upset than she already was, so he played along without resisting.

“Good boy~” She let out a little giggle and paused for a moment.  “...9am… I’ve been up since 9am.” Kei dropped her voice back down, the playful tone she carried moments prior erased and replaced with cold sternness.

“And it’s….1:45pm now.” She continued, clearly doing the time zone conversion in her head. Tomo tried to speak but his throat was tight, he so badly wanted to defend himself but the words just wouldn’t come out.

“What was it you said last night? That you’ll call me in the morning? WELL IT’S LONG PAST MORNING NOW, ISN’T IT?!” Kei erupted with rage, knowing full well that Tomo was practically shitting himself behind his computer screen.

“I-I can explain!! I’ve been sleeping terribly lately and I didn’t hear my alarm go off! I’m sorry Kei but I swear I didn’t mean to sleep in!” The boy finally managed to speak, his face bright red with embarrassment as he desperately tried to save himself.

“... Did you have that dream again? The one you told me about. Is that why you didn’t sleep well?” She questioned, her voice settling down once again.

“...yes…” Tomo admitted softly.

The line was quiet for a moment, he could hear Kei shuffling around in her chair but no one spoke.

“I… see…” Kei sounded out of breath, like she just ran up a flight of stairs or something.

She cleared her throat, quickly regaining composure. “Well you’re not off the hook yet! Just wait ‘till I see you tomorrow~” She teased playfully. Tomo was definitely a bit worried but he was just happy she didn’t sound mad anymore.

“Turn on your camera, I wanna see you.” She commanded, causing Tomo to quickly reach for his mouse and click the camera icon on discord.

His screen was filled with the image of his best friend sitting in her desk chair, her pinstraight blueish-black hair was cut at shoulder length with straight cut bangs covering her forehead to match. Her skin was almost as pale as Tomo’s, but she wasn’t as bony as he was. Kei played volleyball for her college so unlike the boy, she actually had quite a bit of muscle definition. She didn’t wear much makeup besides a bit of eyeliner that accentuated her beautiful grey eyes. The bedroom she sat in was extremely messy, clothes scattered all along the floor and posters from various animes plastered across the dark blue walls. Tomo noticed the look in her half lidded eyes, the same look she would glare at him with every time she bullied him relentlessly in the past. Her soft pink lips curled up in a wicked smirk, a strip of red blush stretching from either side of her upper cheek and over the bridge of her button nose. He averted his eyes away from the screen, her twisted gaze unsettling him.

“W-why are you looking at me like that?” The boy fidgeted with his thumbs, occasionally peeking back at the screen just to shoot his gaze away once noticing she hadn’t stopped staring at him.

“Because you’re so pathetic. It’s like watching a bug squirm around after being stepped on.” She laughed maniacally at the boy, his eyes wide with embarrassment. He buried his beet red face into his hands, too humiliated to look her in the eye.

“S-Shut UP, Kei! C-can we just play some video games or something?...” Tomo retaliated, desperately trying to shift the focus away from his flustered self.

“Fine fine… But hey, you should be thanking me if anything. It’s not like any other girl would ever look at you~”

He hated how right she was, but he decided not to pay her remark any mind. Tomo would convince himself he was taking the moral high ground but deep down he knew he was just too wimpy to say anything back.

…

The day went by in a flash, the two of them playing games all the way until the sun went down. Most days went like this for the pair, and despite the relentless teasing Tomo received from Kei, he wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Hey uh… I’m really excited to finally meet you, Kei…I honestly can’t wait for tomorrow...” Tomo admitted, a weary smile forming on his face as he stared into the camera. His room was now dark, only illuminated by the moonlight coming through his window and the LED monitor.

“You should be~. I’m excited to meet you too, Tomo...” Kei smiled back. The boy examined the live video of his friend, watching as her arm reached across her desk for something. She slowly pulled it back into frame, a figurine of Elizabeth from The Seven Deadly Sins firmly in her grasp. The boy watched intently as her longy milky white thumb glided up and down the action figure’s body, Kei’s eyes still glued to the camera.

“You must be as big as Diane or something.” Tomo remarked playfully.

Kei gasped, her face turning as pale as a ghost. She squeezed the little figurine in her hand, her body as still as can be.

“I-I just mean… your Elizabeth figurine looks so small in your hand…and in comparison, it looks like you would be the size of Diane… you know, like the giant girl in the show?” Tomo stuttered, worried he had offended Kei judging by the look on her face.

Colour flushed back into her cheeks, a little sigh of relief escaping her lungs as her grip loosened on the action figure.

“Y-Yeah… I guess it does look like that…” The tomboy laughed nervously, staring down at the figurine in her palm.

“Alright loser, I’m heading to bed. Text me when you’re on your way to the airport.” Kei brought her eyes back up to the screen, giving Tomo an enduring smirk.

“Oh, okay… Will do. In that case, sleep well, Kei! See you tomorrow!” Tomo beamed.

With a beep to signify Kei hanging up the call, Tomo was left alone in his dark, silent bedroom once again. He pulled the headphones off his head, placing them on the desk in front of him before prying himself from his office chair and stretching his back. He wasted no time stripping off his clothes and climbing into his twin-sized bed. Despite his efforts to fall asleep, he laid there in the dark completely wired for what felt like hours. He was just too excited for tomorrow. The boy thought about all the fun things Kei and him would do together, like getting boba or going to see a movie or staying up late and playing Smash Bros...the possibilities were endless. With his imagination running wild, dreaming up all the wonderful scenarios he was hoping to partake in with his best friend, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

…

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Tomo peeled his sleep-crusted eyes open, rolling over and covering his ears with a pillow.

“Ugh….shut up…” The boy groaned in annoyance, throwing the pillow at the alarm clock stationed on his bedside table. Of course, all that did was knock the clock across the room. The boy shuffled out of bed, rubbing his tired eyes before walking over to the alarm clock and pressing the button on top to finally shut it off. He stared at the clock in his hand, his eyes taking a few seconds to focus enough to read the green numbers displayed on the screen.

“OH SHIT!” The clock read 9:30am and his flight was in two hours! The boy took off in a panic, rushing through his morning routine faster than he ever had before. He called the uber as he brushed his teeth, wasting absolutely no time. After a quick shower, he ran back into his room and threw on a pair of beige chinos, a white t-shirt, a plain blue crew neck, and a pair of black slip-on Vans to complete the outfit. He grabbed his luggage and bolted to the front door. Tomo looked back once more to make sure all the lights were off and everything was in place for the duration of his absence. Satisfied, he exited his apartment and locked the door behind him. Thankfully, he stayed on the third floor of the building so it didn’t take him long to maneuver his way down the stairs, through the lobby and out the front door. 

The crisp morning air of spring blew against his cheeks, instantly making him feel a lot less drowsy than before. He saw a car pull over down the street, his phone buzzing to notify him of his uber’s arrival shortly after. Tomo made his way over to the parked black sudan and knocked on the driver side window. It rolled down ever so slightly. 

“For Tomo?” The voice called from inside.

“Yeah, that’s me. Can you pop the trunk for my suitcase?” He asked with a polite smile.

“Sure thing.”

Tomo looked back to see the trunk pop open. He made his way over to the rear of the car and hoisted the heavy bag off the ground and into the compartment before slamming it shut and heading inside the car.

“Where we headed today, kid?” The driver questioned as he disengaged the emergency brake and put the car in drive. He was an older man, probably in his late 40s from the looks of it. His shiny black hair was covered with a yellow baseball cap and his bushy salt-and-pepper beard covered the majority of his lower face.

“Um… the airport, please.” Tomo spoke meekly, still feeling out the driver’s personality.

“Oh really? Going on a trip, eh? Where to?”

“Orcam. I have a friend who lives there.” Tomo explained as the car began to merge into traffic. 

The driver fell silent for a second.

“Oh… I had a buddy that went to visit there a few years ago and… well, turns out he had a heart attack on the plane ride there…that’s what the police said, at least.” The driver’s voice was somber, he was clearly struggling to get the words out.

“I-I’m… so sorry to hear that, sir…” Tomo expressed his sympathy, not sure how to comfort the poor man. The driver wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffled, shaking his head to regain focus.

“Thank you, I appreciate it. He’s in a better place now so that’s all that matters.” The middle aged man said with a bit of forced pep, trying his best to regain his composure.

“Sorry to spring that on you kiddo, forget I said anything”. The man looked back at Tomo and smiled before returning his attention back to the road.

“Let’s throw some music on.” The driver quickly changed the subject, turning on the radio and shuffling through a few stations. 

“Today is Wednesday April 21st, 2021 and you’re listening to 104.5 Slam FM. Next up, Peaches by Justin Bieber.”

Tomo groaned quietly to himself, clearly not a fan of modern day Pop music. He was a bit of a music snob, no doubt. His own playlist consisted mostly of underground indie artists and various punk outfits. Of course, he wasn’t going to express this to the Uber driver so he just decided to put in his earbuds and play his own music. He pulled out his phone to pick a song and quickly remembered he’d forgotten to text Kei when he left the house. He fired off a quick message to let her know he was on his way to the airport before sliding the device back into his pocket. The young boy discreetly air drummed to the song playing in his ear buds, gazing out the window as the landscape flew by in blur. Before long, he could see the massive airport emerge over the horizon, the boy practically bouncing with excitement as they neared. Tomo felt a tap on his knee and noticed the driver was trying to get his attention. He quickly removed an ear bud, blushing a tad from the embarrassment.

“Which terminal, bud?” The driver asked as politely as possible.

“Oh uh, terminal 3…” Tomo replied, waiting eagerly as the car pulled over next to the sign labeled with a big number three. He undid his seatbelt and swiftly rushed out of the car, circling around back to see the trunk already wide open. He heaved his luggage from the car, making sure he had everything before heading to the sliding doors of the airport entrance.

“Thanks, mister!” Tomo waved to the driver, smiling as he saw him wave back.

Tomo proceeded through the sliding doors, checking his luggage in and making his way through security without too much of a hassle. It was his first time travelling by plane so he was pretty astonished how simple the process was. He just barely reached the gate when a voice came onto the PA speakers above, 

“Last call, Flight 355 from Toronto, Canada to Starn, Orcam boarding now. Last call, Flight 355 from Toronto, Canada to Starn, Orcam boarding now. Thank you.”

Tomo rushed up to the flight attendant guarding the gate, fumbling through his papers before handing his passport and ticket over to her.

“You almost missed it…” The flight attendant murmured before handing Tomo his papers back. She almost sounded... disappointed?

“Uh… yeah, just made it…” Tomo laughed awkwardly, putting his documentation back into his carry on backpack before walking past her onto the plane. The flight attendant followed him inside, closing the plane door behind the two of them.

“Welcome aboard, sir.” The captain was waiting at the front of the cabin, motioning for Tomo to proceed down the aisle. Tomo looked around at the cabin, noticing it was pretty much empty. A few bodies occupied seats here and there but not nearly as many as he expected. The boy bowed his head and walked down the aisle, looking for his seat. As he walked by the few seats that were occupied, he noticed all the passengers were extremely old and hooked up to some kind of intravenous. Weird. He walked further down, into the next section of the plane and noticed a group of men huddled together in the middle of the seating area. Tomo glanced around the cabin and was dumbfounded to find 3 policemen with guns standing at each exit of the section. The boy was pretty weary but continued his walk towards the group of men, quickly gazing over as he walked by. His eyes widened as he noticed the matching jumpsuits they all wore, a string of numbers and letters were stitched across the widest part of their backs. It didn’t take long for Tomo to conclude that these guys were prison inmates… But… why were they on a passenger plane? The boy shuffled his way past the policeman and through the exit that led to the last section of the plane, which was completely barren besides one other boy seated in the far back left corner of the area. He looked to be around Tomo’s age, his hair was short and ginger, his skin pretty fair. They locked eyes for a brief moment but Tomo quickly broke contact and continued to look for his seat. Turns out, the seat he was looking for was only 3 seats away from the only other person in the entire section. Just his luck. Tomo removed his backpack and placed it in the overhead compartment before sitting down in his designated chair. Once the boy got settled, his mind began to contemplate his situation. The group of criminals in the cabin ahead of him was definitely a bit worrisome but it explained why the plane ticket was so inexpensive. 100 bucks for a round trip sounded like a steal at the time but it was starting to make a bit more sense. Plus, he practically got a whole cabin to himself so it’s not like he could complain that much.

“Hey.” The ginger kid spoke, breaking Tomo’s train of thought.

“My name is Peter, it’s nice to meet ya.” Peter smiled, extending his hand for a shake.

“Tomo.” Tomo reached out to accept his offer, gently shaking the stranger's hand.

“Have you been to Orcam before? It’s my first time.” Peter inquired, trying to spark a casual conversation.

“No I haven’t. It’s my first time as well… actually, it’s my first time on a plane at all if I’m being honest.” Tomo replied, figuring he would entertain the ginger boy for a little.

“Oh no way! Are you nervous at all?” Peter asked politely, Tomo pleasantly surprised with his concern.

“Nah not really… Getting here on time was the nerve racking part.” The two of them chuckled a little.

“Well good because I wouldn’t be able to deal with you puking all over my shoes or something.” Peter gave a Tomo friendly slap on the back.

“Duly noted.” Tomo remarked snidely.

“So, what are you planning to do in Orcam?” Tomo asked.

“Oh well, I met this girl online a couple of years ago and we’ve been dating ever since. Can’t wait to finally get some, if you know what I mean.” Peter winked smugly, nudging Tomo in the arm with his elbow.

“No way!!! I’m going to meet a girl I met online too! What are the odds?!” Tomo could hardly believe it, the only other kid on the whole plane going to Orcam for the exact reason he was.

“What a coincidence!” Peter exclaimed. “How long have you guys been dating?” He continued.

Tomo froze up a bit, his face turning bright red like a tomato.

“W-well uh… we’re not actually dating. Just… friends.”  Tomo admitted with guilt. His feelings for Kei were kind of complicated. As badly as he didn’t want to acknowledge it, he did have a bit of a crush on her. She could be mean and cruel at times but Tomo loved that part of her. He viewed it as her way of showing affection. The only thing that really stopped him from asking her out was the long distance. That…. and the fact he was scared of getting rejected and ruining their friendship. 

“Oh, sorry to assume, dude. But hey you never know, when you finally meet her in person you guys might become more than just friends~” Peter winked at Tomo once more, grinning ear to ear. A loud chime rang throughout the cabin, drawing the boys’ attention away from their conversation.

“Please fasten your seatbelts, we’ll be taking off shortly.” 

The feminine voice echoed from the speakers overhead, the two boys quickly following it’s instructions and buckling their lap belts. The plane began to slowly taxi it’s way from the gate to the tarmac, inching along until it set itself up at the bottom of the runway. The turbines began roaring as they spooled up with air, the plane suddenly launching forward at neck breaking speed. The cabin rumbled vigorously before finally settling down once the plane parted from the ground, upwards toward the sky. It was a surreal feeling for Tomo. The boy looked out the tiny triple paned window to his right, watching as the city of Toronto grew further and further away from him. Little did he know, this would be the last time he ever saw his home.