Hello everyone! This is a group collaboration, with two authors switching off between chapters. This first chapter is mine, Luna, and I hope you enjoy it! The other author will introduce herself in chapter two.

If you like the story, go ahead and comment!

"Ew, gross…" Masha stepped gingerly into the group shower of the hostel where there was a clump of hair stuck in the drain. She sighed loudly, tiptoeing around it delicately as the chilly water hit her body. A shiver worked it's way up her body, the pores of her skin puckering. "Fuck this…"

Tokyo wasn't exactly what she thought it would be. She had moved from her small town in Hokkaido all the way down to the capitol only to be heartbroken. The hostel she could afford was filled to the brim with people who obviously didn't know how to clean the shower correctly. She longed for home, for familiar food, but also for the outdoor springs instead of that dingy shower.

Everyone had warned her she wouldn't like it, her father the loudest voice of all. She scrunched up her face and stuck out her tongue as if to cast aside his doubt, her hands working up a lather of shampoo into her hair. She couldn't go back now, she had been so confident before.

As she rinsed out the shampoo she noticed the water wasn't draining, her feet were now submerged in very questionable water. "Oh god…" She abandoned the conditioner and pulled a razor across her legs haphazardly, wincing as she cut her ankle. A small rivulet of blood ran down to the quickly growing puddle.

Masha hopped out , dripping with cold water and disappointment. She toweled herself dry, a slew of curses escaping her lips as she saw the cut on her ankle. Shirking on her pajamas, she returned to her bed.

The city made her tired, and so as soon as she lay back onto her pillow her eyes fluttered closed. The room was filled with snores of other travelers using the hostel as a stopover between destinations, but she had been there nearly two weeks now without finding a proper home. Everything was more expensive than her quickly dwindling budget, it was easy to become discouraged.

She missed home terribly, she shifted in her cot to lay on her side as she let her mind wander back home. Her father would just be coming home now, another late night at work. She would already have dinner prepared, and he would pretend like he liked it even though they both knew she was the worst cook in town. Maybe he missed her cooking…

There hadn't even been enough time for her to write, either, the entire reason she had traveled so far. Her dream was to become a novelist, something she pictured could only happen in a city like Tokyo. That's where the best authors wrote, and so she would follow them and write the next Japanese masterpiece.

It wasn't working out so far…

She had gotten far more writing done at home. She had discovered the constant sound of cars and trains were nothing but a nuisance to her head, there wasn't any space to think. And if she did happen to find a moment of silence she was left so bereft of inspiration that all she could produce were a few measly sentences.

She fell asleep, then, clutching the covers. Exhaustion had never been such a close friend as he was now.

She was so close to her new friend of exhaustion that even when she awoke next morning she felt as if she had never slept at all. She dragged herself out of bed and back to the dismal bathroom, where she got dressed for the day. A plain ensemble compared to the rest of Tokyo, black leggings and a grey button-down sweater. She took her time braiding her hair into two plaits, her fingers no longer had the will to do it nimbly.

The sun had risen and so had the noise, Tokyo rose earlier than she did. "What am I doing here…" She felt so defeated, and as she slipped on her sneakers to go for a morning walk she questioned why she left the hostel at all.

She pulled a satchel over her shoulder, it was packed with her pen and notebook as well as a premade onigiri for her eventual breakfast. She had lost her appetite since coming and breakfast no longer thrilled her.

Deciding on a different route through a residential area, she set off. This time rather than weaving her way through businessmen she wove in between highschoolers. Their energy thrummed through the streets and the air was full of happy chatter. It hadn't been long ago that Masha went to high school, she felt nostalgic as they rushed by her. She cracked a smile, borrowing their energy for the day.

With a renewed spring in her step, she continued on her adventure. As she wandered her way deeper into the maze of homes she put enough distance between herself and the noise that she almost felt like she could write. Noticing a shrine in the distance, she quickened her pace in hopes for the perfect scenery for her novel.

The shrine was large, with a long stairway leading up to it. It felt reminiscent of the shrines back home, stained red and quiet. She felt her blood pump giddily in her body and she began to practically hop up the steps. Familiarity felt safe, and she was ready for a moment of safety.

The shrine was quiet, a small house hidden among the buildings. She figured the family who kept the shrine lived there and she contemplated if she should ask for permission to sit and stay for a while.

She shook her head, "Pft, come on Masha. It's a public place, you're fine." And so she placed herself at the foot of a large, imposing tree. She sat down and leaned her back against its bark, grateful for the support. "Perfect!"

She fished out her pen and notebook, poising herself to write. And yet, the words still did not come.

She felt like deflating. But, before she had a second to fall limply to the ground, she noticed a girl run from the home to a smaller shrine building. She was waving as if to say goodbye, and her backpack bulged.

"Hm…?" The girl disappeared inside the small building, and Masha waited for her to come back out. But, she never did. Masha waited for fifteen whole minutes before her curiosity chided her to go check it out. "I suppose a new story is around every corner, right?"

And so, she stepped delicately towards the building. Suddenly she felt as if she were imposing, and worried that someone would hop out of the house and (rightfully) accuse her of trespassing.

But, she made it to the building without any interruption. And as she slid inside, she found she was alone. There was no girl hiding within, there was nowhere to hide.

"This is weird…" All that the room held was a well, an empty well at that. She walked up to it, bewildered. "What happened to her?" She peered down into the well only to be met with darkness. "Maybe she fell?"

Looking around for help, Masha realized the only person here to help was herself. Sighing deeply, she nodded with determination. "If you're down there, I'm coming down to help!" Her voice echoed back to her ominously. She pulled her legs over the edge and sat for a moment.

"What am I doing?" Her voice was high pitched and stressed, but still, she poised her arms behind her and hopped off. She fell to the ground with a thud, the well was far deeper than she had determined. And she was alone, still.

"Well… damn." She looked up, determining how much climbing she would have to do to get out. But, something strange glinted in her eyes.

The sun. What was the sun doing here? She was inside, or at least she was when she fell