Nightblade by Ryan Kirk Page A

teacher and as a friend. I will make sure that the rules are followed so everyone stays safe, but if there is something bad happening, or if you need help for whatever reason, rest assured that I will be here to help you out. You can always come talk to me.”
    Moriko nodded again. She was confused. Everything about the monastery was wrong, and she felt like unknown horrors were heading towards her, but she couldn’t figure out what they could be. Everyone here seemed kind if a little weird. She didn’t like Goro at all, but he seemed to be the exception. Everyone else had been very nice to her. They had been nicer than her family.
    Moriko’s head swam. She didn’t know what was right and wrong. The abbot saw her distress and decided to conclude the interview.
    “I apologize for taking up so much of your time at such an inopportune moment. Of course, you must be exhausted after all the traveling you have done. You should get some rest. Some of the students will show you where to sleep, and after you have gotten some rest, we can help you write a letter home to your parents so you can tell them you are safe.”
    Moriko shook her head. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that she didn’t want to write to her family. They wanted her gone and so she would disappear.
     
    The kind monk who had brought her to the Abbot escorted her out of the building. He didn’t say anything, but he seemed happy to have Moriko there. The monk led her to one of the less elegant buildings Moriko had noticed upon her arrival. Inside she found a communal living space with a small kitchen, a dining area, and a number of beds. The monk motioned over one of the other students who was cleaning their area. “Tomotsu, get over here.”
    Tomotsu stopped cleaning his space and came over, giving both the monk and Moriko a quick bow. “Yes, sir?”
    Moriko’s heart fluttered for a moment. Even with a shaved head and the plain robes of the Monastery, the boy was cute. He was very cute.
    “Moriko, this is Tomotsu. Tomotsu, Moriko. Moriko is going to be our newest student. I would like you to take her around the monastery, tell her about life here, share with her the rules, and get her settled in.”
    Moriko looked at Tomotsu curiously, her childish heart leaping to fantasies her head knew were silly. She wanted to ride out of the monastery with him. She guessed he was a couple of cycles older than her, maybe three or four. But he was tall and his shoulders were already broad. Even with the small age difference it looked like he could pick her up easily and throw her around. He could be the boy who rescued her. They could live together and raise a big family in a nice house. . .
    “Moriko?”
    Moriko startled. She had gotten lost in her dreams and didn’t realize the boy had been trying to get her attention. She looked at him and nodded.
    “So, they got you too?”
    Moriko nodded. She was finding it challenging to know which words to use around the boy. It was much harder than talking with her brothers.
    “It’s tough. I know. We’ve all been through the same here. We were all taken from our families at one point or another, although usually younger than you. But don’t worry, life here isn’t bad. The rules are simple. Listen to the monks and don’t try to leave.”
    Moriko gave the boy a hostile stare. She felt like her newly woven dream was fraying at the edges.
    “It’s not something they tell us to say to newcomers. It’s something I’ve experienced, something a lot of us have experienced. Almost everyone tries. It’s scary at first. A couple of cycles ago, when I first got here, a couple of us tried to run away. We made it quite a ways, but they always get you in the end. The Abbot, he’s really strong in the sense, and he can always find you no matter how far away you get. When I got back, he gave me these.” Tomotsu turned around and raised his robes a little to display his back, which had narrow raised scars