storyteller

    Did she believe it? It’s hard to deny something was up but at the same time, nothing Ayumi had said or done made any sense and practically contradicted everything Seiko believed at the moment. Ghosts and ghouls? But she was alive… people could see her, feel her, and the only thing that had changed was one small line across her neck.

    That couldn’t mean something as drastic as death could it?

    At any rate, she needed to find out what the hell was going on in Ayumi’s mind before coming to any conclusions; if anyone seemed to have some ideas on what apparently happened, it was her. More importantly, she might be able to deduce just what was going on with Naomi….

     “S-So… I got hurt. I don’t remember it but seeing that, I guess I can’t argue that much. But… you….” Brows furrow as Seiko digs through her mind for the words sitting just out of reach.

     “If you know what happened… then you could explain where I got that, right…?”

     Ayumi’s nails bite into her palms. She doesn’t want to think about it; she doesn’t want it to be real. But it is--and it was--and Seiko deserves to know. Because she had been there too, even if she doesn’t remember it. 

     After clearing her throat, Ayumi says, “I, um... I don’t know the whole story. I mean, Naomi told me some of it, and I figured out the rest, but...” She swallows the lump in her throat. “You... h-hung yourself, Seiko. In a bathroom. N-Naomi tried to save you, b-but--” she stops.

     Blood. Guts. Ghosts. They all flash before her eyes, and the walls of Heavenly Host Elementary climb up around her. Ayumi squeezes her eyes shut and presses her hands over her ears. No, she thinks. It’s over! It’s over, it’s over, it’s--!

     She opens her eyes. Tears are streaming down her face. She wipes them away furiously. “S-Sorry,” she says. “I guess the class rep is still a little screwy, huh? Yeah...” Suddenly, something occurs to her: why would she want Seiko to believe her? It would make her feel more validated, of course, but if the school had really revived her and then dropped her off in the real world...

     Would validation really be worth fucking up an innocent soul?

    Her mouth opens, to argue, to protest, maybe even to see if Ayumi was alright but…. it falls flat. She isn’t given time to react, much less to try to get a point in on anything related to Naomi’s assumedly rough position. Seiko doesn’t like it, doesn’t like to consider that something might be terribly wrong and she’s in no position to help. Ayumi’s adamancy is a formidable foe though— the mirror is practically shoved into her hand before she can even say anything about it.

     And what she sees actually manages to stop her cold.

      How long had that mark been there? Seiko can’t recall ever seeing it before, much less how she might have gotten it in the first place, but there it was, clear as day. If this was a prank or joke, it was far more elaborate than any of her classmates were capable of pulling off; the only people that had been near her today were Yuu, Kei, and Aya and none of the three could have possibly managed to do something like that.

     Which meant one thing… that it was a real scar from a real injury.

     Fingers slowly drift to the dip of her throat, idly brushing over pale scar tissue for a brief moment before jolting away. She didn’t like that sensation, not at all; it sends shivers down her spine and a cold rush to her blood like you wouldn’t believe.

      “W-Wha…? But…. when did I…..”

     Ayumi is torn between triumphancy and sympathy. Because on one hand, she has proved to Seiko that something had happened yesterday. But on the other, she has proved to Seiko that something had happened yesterday. Biting her lip, Ayumi reaches out. And then she slowly pries the mirror out of her classmate’s hands. 

     When Seiko touches the scar, she shivers. Ayumi sees this. Raising an eyebrow, she asks, “It looks like it’s healed up just fine, but... its still hurts, huh?” After shoving the compact back into her bag, she digs around in it, looking for some painkillers. She knows they’re in there somewhere--she remembers putting them in this morning. 

     Once she finds the bottle, she wraps her fingers around it. And then she pulls it out. “Here,” she says, “take some of these. They’ll make you feel better, I promise!” She offers Seiko a smile along with the pills. And, once the deed is done, she chucks the empty bottle of painkillers into a nearby trashcan.

     Ghosts? Restless spirits? Ayumi was weird and that was no secret but this was hitting all new levels of strange— what the hell would even lead her to think that Seiko had died in the first place? It’s not like they lived particularly dangerous lives or even that Seiko herself had been in any close calls recently. Contrary; as far as she can remember, yesterday was a day just as average as any.

      Sure, there was a lot Seiko couldn’t recall for some reason but… well, if she had nearly died, someone would have said something. There would have been signs! As it was, almost everything about the morning so far had been completely unremarkable—

      Of course, her own situation is put on hold at the mention of something far more important.

     “H-Hey, hold up!” She freezes in place, resisting just enough to keep Ayumi from tugging her along. By now, the unease in her stomach was reaching her voice; it trembles, chips, just in the slightest. “Y-You’re really freaking me out here, Shinozaki! What’s going on? A-And what’s wrong with Naomi?! I don’t know what the hell’s going on… b-but… but if something happened to her, I want you to tell me now. If this is some kinda prank, it’s really not funny anymore!”

     Ayumi trips over her own feet when Seiko freezes. She face-plants into the ground and conks her head on the sidewalk. But it’s nothing compared to yesterday, and so she pushes the pain aside and forces herself to her feet. With a groan, she says, “That wasn’t fair! Couldn’t you have at least warned me first?”

     Blood drips down her forehead from where the cement had scraped it. A line of red trickles down her nose and then plops down to the pavement. Ayumi’s breath catches when she sees it dribble, and fear sinks its claws into her gut yet again. Blood, she thinks. There had been so much of it!

     Her eyes gloss over with tears as the events from yesterday come rushing back to her all at once. Death taints the air and fills her nose with its rotted stench. But she rubs her eyes. She’s not dead; she’s alive. And she is fine. “S-Seiko... you’re makin’ me sound crazy, y’know!” Sighing, she asks, “You... really don’t know...?”

     Maybe she had had her memories wiped. Relief blossoms in Ayumi’s chest--she’d prefer it that way. No one should have to deal with the hell that was Heavenly Host Elementary, not even in their memory. 

     Squinting, she looks closely at Seiko. It’s then that she sees it--a scar running all the way across her neck. “I knew it...” Rifling around in her bag, Ayumi pulls out a makeup compact. And then she opens it, and hands it to Seiko. “Look!” she says, pointing to the tiny mirror. “Right there--don’t you see it?

     Cue an indignant noise as Seiko flails her arms, cheeks tinging a deep red from Ayumi’s pinching. What in the world had gotten into this girl? Sure, they’d all seen her acting jumpy and skittish before but never so far as to outright grab someone by the face. Whatever it was that she had been up to yesterday must have been a little more than she bargained for… 

       “UWAAAAA…?! The HELL’S gotten into you?!” She sputters, hands prying Ayumi’s off of her cheeks. “I’m not up to anything, forreals! Naomi’s not answering my calls so I figured I’d walk with you… g-geez, no need to attack me… “

      Seiko huffs a bit, weight shifting to her other hip as a hand reaches out to thump the other girl’s forehead. “What’s got you so worked up anyways? This is ten times your normal weird, chicky, and that’s saying somethin’. Restless spirit? I mean, c’mon now. I look way too good to be some groddy, imaginary ghost.“

     “Oh, yeah... Naomi.” Ayumi smiles sadly. “She probably won’t be comin’ to school anytime soon, huh? Not after...” Her hands ball into fists. “...Nevermind. You just worry about you, okay?”

     She looks Seiko up and down. “I’m not attacking you, Seiko. Chill out. I’m just... gathering information. And it’s not for a scary story, either! I, um...” Furrowing her brows, she asks, “How are you here? You died yesterday, you know! Don’t you remember that? Or are you like the ghost of that teacher?

     “...Do you really think you’re still alive?” 

     When Seiko thumps her, Ayumi flinches. “Hey! What’d I just say?” Narrowing her eyes, she answers her own question, “Chill out!” Her arms fold over her chest while she huffs. But then she gets back to business. “You say you’re not a restless spirit, but what else could you be? Naomi and me... we know what we saw!” Suddenly, something occurs to her. What if not only Seiko is alive, but everyone else is, too? Ayumi wouldn’t put it past that creepy-ass elementary school to pull a thing like that.

     Weird reaction… but was it really? Ayumi was all about that creepy stuff so the possibility that class rep spent all night spooking herself senseless over some book or movie or whatever wasn’t too unbelievable. Still, something about the look on the other girl’s face is widely uncomforting; there’s a type of fear in those eyes you don’t usually see in a person.

      “Uwaaa…? What’s with the face?” Seiko chirps, complete with a light tilt to her head. “Geez, you look like you’ve seen a ghost! School nights ain’t the best time to be staying up late looking at spooky crap, y’know. Then again… seems like everyone’s acting pretty weird today…. I feel like I’m missing out on something here.”

     “So, you mean... this isn’t a dream?” Ayumi stares at Seiko. Slowly, the fear ebbs out of her eyes. It is replaced by morbid curiosity. “Ah, geez, Seiko... don’t tell me you’re a restless spirit, too...!”

     Fear creeps back into her blood, tainting her curiosity. Ayumi doesn’t know how she’d handle Seiko being a restless spirit. As far as she knows, Seiko doesn’t have a tongue to return or a murderer to catch. She’d have to ask Naomi for the details, because she had been there. And then--

     Ayumi shakes her head. What is she doing jumping to conclusions? She doesn’t even know if Seiko is a ghost or a zombie or something in-between yet!

                                                                 goribun

      What a strange day… six texts and a call to Naomi, all of which went unanswered for some odd reason. They usually walked to class together but evidently something had come up or hands were tied— Seiko can’t help but be a tad worried about it all but, hell, she’d at least wait until lunch to go by and check on her if she wasn’t already at class.

      Until then? She’s on her own.

       Heels click lightly against the pavement of the sidewalk, a hum resounding in the back of her throat as she treks the familiar path to Kisaragi. It’s not until she spots a familiar face that Seiko’s attentions perk; finally, some entertainment.

       “Yo! Class rep! Fufu… walkin’ all by your lonesome? No way, Seiko is here~!”

     While Ayumi walks, her eyes flick every which way. There won’t be any earthquakes today, will there? Nervousness rings in her gut and sickens her to the core. But her school is only a block away--she should be in the clear. Who knows, though? After yesterday, she wouldn’t be surprised if the ground suddenly disappeared beneath her feet and dragged her back into Hell-Hole Host.

     There’s still blood on her skirt. She had tried and tried and tried to get it off but no amount of scrubbing seemed to be able to wipe it clean. She wrings her hands in it. She should have stayed home today. But she is the class representative! She has a job to do, and no amount of ghost busting could stop her from--