It was decided, then. Yuka's eyelids opened a bit wider than usual at Sal's question, at the thought of being a leader of anything. Nothing really prompted it, what Sal had said. That wasn't supposed to be her job. She was one who went along for the ride, whatever it was. Yuko was more of the leader type. She had a better idea of what she was doing. But, usually, the rides she went on weren't so treacherous. And, what did Sal and Manuel know about Yuko and Yuki anyways? Yuka was the one who knew her sisters best, she knew where best to find them. If she really was gonna lead this group, then she would decide where they'd go, what they'd do.
She had their fates in her hands, basically. But best not to dwell on that.
She pulled out the map and compass from her bag, spun around a bit trying to orient herself, and then while turning around, she got a glimpse of the three others in the window. Tanisha, Jeff, Cammy. The first two were still trying to calm the latter down. It was rude to leave unannounced, without a goodbye. They deserved that, more than the people she left back in the woods. They'd been nice to her, after all.
Leaning into the window, she said, "I gotta go find my sisters and everything, but you guys take care, alright?"
Her usual goodbye came and stopped in her throat, just short of her vocal cords, left her lingering at the window. Those three words felt heavier than usual.
These past few weeks, as graduation approached, it had occurred to her more and more that everything she did in Hunter High could be her last. Every hi she said to a classmate she passed by in the hallways, one of those random faces she never paid much mind to, it could be the last word she said to them. She had wanted to make sure that whatever last words she said to her good friends, to the people in the theater club, to her fellow goths, to all her exes and casual partners, they would be said on her terms, on her time, when she was prepared for it. She would have shown up to goodbye parties before everyone went off to college or work, and she could hug and cry with them with the proper preparation those events needed.
She didn't have the time to prepare anymore. She had to do this right here, right now. More than everything, she hated how this island gave every action such finality. Especially goodbyes.
It came anyways, her usual farewell. "See you later," she said with a wave. She said whether she believed it or not. It was also best not dwelt on, so she walked off briskly, not waiting to see if Sal and Manuel would follow.
((Yuka Hayashibara continues in
all of our heroes fading))