Authors note: Okay, first off, I am sooooo sorry this took so long to be posted. It was near the end of the school year by the time the last chapter was posted, and I found myself very busy. And, when I sat down to write this, I found myslef with quite the writers block. I was going to make this chapter longer, but I didn't want to keep you lovely people waiting! I hope you understand. This is probably the weakest chapter. The next one should be a bit longer.
Thanks for your understanding! ^_^

Once again: Ignore any stupid mistakes.

Chapter 3

"Secrets are things we give others to keep for us."

-Elbert Hubbard

Treating people as if they are invisible seems so easy to others. Why is it so hard for me?

A week passed since Ophelia first started school and met the SOS Brigade. And now it was Sunday…The day Cosette would be arriving. Ophelia was just about ready to pack her things and move out. Nothing could make her stay behind and greet her every so cheerful cousin. Not even chocolate covered potato chips.

So she left the apartment wearing a purple sweater dress and a pair of jeans. The girl had no intention of where to go, but it's not like she cared.

Surprisingly, the day was quiet considering the early hour. Ophelia took this to her advantage as she walked. Solitude was something she was used too. Even when she was with her friends back in England, she was always the quiet one.

In other words, the one who usually got ignored.

Friends? I doubt those people were ever close to that.

But what about now? What did the SOS Brigade consider her as?

An alien, of course. Her own thought made her laugh out loud. Now, what's a nice place to visit in the afternoon?

The park was always a nice choice. But considering she had no idea where one was, that seemed out of the question. So she just continued to walk, paying close attention to the signs around her. And then finally she came to a crossroad.

Great. She thought as cars zoomed past her. Folding her arms, she sighed. Wonderful.

A few people walked past her as she looked down each road, wondering where they each went. Not in the mood to get lost, she settled for sitting on a bench not to far away.

Ophelia sat for a little while, watching as the world around her came into place. More cars drove past, more people walked around. It wasn't that much different than England. Still the same busy Sunday morning. She sat longer, enjoying the everyday sounds of birds and airplanes and residents. Closing her eyes, it almost reminded her of her homeland.

Maybe one day…I'll go back.

"Oh, well if it isn't Miss Logan."

Ophelia glanced to her left and smiled. "Good morning, Mr. Koizumi."

Returning the grin, he sat down next to her. "What are you doing out on a day like this?"

"I was taking a walk." She explained to him. "And what about you? You seem to be popping up everywhere I go." Now that she thought about it, it seemed kind of creepy. Why do all the good looking ones have to be stalkers?

"Actually Miss Logan, I was hoping I could talk to you."

Ophelia blinked, slightly confused. "You followed me out here so you could talk to me?" Here? Now? "What did you want to talk about?"

Itsuki folded his arms and smirked. "Well, it's kind of complicated. I was hoping you would agree to take a walk with me?" He stood up slowly and held a hand out to her. It was hard to say no to that smile, those eyes. So mysterious and welcoming, like something you would only find in a novel. And without really much thought about it, Ophelia took his hand.

There was no need for him to hold her hand, but it's not like she protested. Who would have? It certainly made the walk more enjoyable. Back in England, Ophelia was lucky if a boy even looked her way. It was very unlikely of course. Although, there was that one boy who she thought had taken a liking to her. But in the end he had only liked one of her friends. Surprisingly, she never blamed any of them for her heartbreaks and suffering.

Now she almost reassured herself this moment in time was temporary, though she really wished it wouldn't have to be.

It doesn't have to be…

The place they soon stopped at drew her back to reality.

"A-A graveyard?" She looked out at all the tombstones, lined up one after another. Some looked brand new, the granite twinkling against the afternoon sun. Others looked like they had been there for centuries, some had crumbled away completely. It was a rather nice sight during the day.

Nevertheless, Ophelia felt uneasy. Long lost spirits lingered in graveyards, unable to find their way to the other side. Even now there was a horrible rotten feeling in the pit of her stomach, like something was eating her alive. She swallowed and clamped her free hand over her abdomen. This was the exact reason why she never set foot near a place like this.

Stay focused.

"Why did we come here?" Ophelia looked up at Itsuki, hoping the puzzlement showed more then anguish. It probably wasn't that hard to tell that something was wrong. Her voice was very shaken and uneven.

"Well Miss Logan, I think I've finally figured it out."

Ophelia didn't dare look away from his gaze. She was too terrified of what might happen if she looked out over the resting zone for hundreds of corpses again. "Fi-Figured what out?"

"Do you remember the day we first met?" He inquired. "It wasn't so long ago. I noticed you long before you bumped into me. You seemed…Different. Almost as if you were lost in some other world." He paused, waiting for a response.

"You're on the right track." She managed to say. She took a deep breath and tried to continue. Well, now would be the perfect time to explain, considering she looked like a constipated idiot.

"I…Can see things that normal people wouldn't. There are moments when I am totally disconnected from the world…And I can only see shadows. I hear them too…" She stopped to take another breath, shutting her eyes tightly. "They scream at me, but I can't understand. Something obviously is very, very wrong with me. But you must have figured that out already."

Otherwise they wouldn't be standing inches away from a graveyard entrance. It was a test, she came to suspect that much. He wanted to see her reaction just so he could be sure his hypothesis had been right.

And as quickly as he had brought her there, he pulled her away. After walking a block or two, the sick feeling in Ophelia's stomach began to fade away, and she felt as if she could breathe again.

"Thank you for not….you know, dragging me into that place." She mumbled. "Or else, I might have passed out. Of course, it would have made for an interesting story if you brought be home unconscious."

Itsuki laughed, filling the empty void that was left after Ophelia's stomach was nearly eaten.

"Well, I apologize. I never really expected that kind of reaction from you. I hope you aren't hurt."

"Oh no, I'm fine now." Ophelia grinned. "And what about you? Do you have any deep dark secrets to hide?"

"You'll find that out soon enough."

~*~*~

Thank you for reading! It would mean a lot to me if you reviewed my story so far. ^-^