Chapter 3

Hours later, as the rain stopped, Aya appeared at the nurse's office and sat by an unconscious Tomo and said, "Poor Miss Takino. I feel bad for you."

She petted her head and whispered, "I wish you'd wake up. This is bad. When you saw me, it's my fault that you're dead."

Yomi appeared and cried, "Get your hands off of her!"

She ran Tomo and shoved Aya away from her.

"Miss… Miss Mizuhara. I'm sorry. It's just…" She pleaded.

"No, it's okay. I wanted to see her, but…"

"I heard about Tomo… The nurse said that she'll be transferred to the hospital with Sakaki. I cannot believe that a wildcat attacked her."

"You heard it from Chiyo-Chan, huh? She told me."

"Actually, it was from Kagura."

She stroked her scarf and said, "I feel like I have been cursed. Do you think it's happening because of my exchange visit?"

Yomi asked, "You won't believe me… I had a dream, and you were in it."

Aya smirked, "What was it about? Your fat body?"

She said in a nice tone, "Sorry. Tomo would've said that to you. I really didn't mean to."

Yomi said, "I know, and I forgive you. Besides, if I told you, it may come true."

"Nightmares for you don't come true. Me, however, I have been threatened to be haunted, when I sleep."

"Wait… The dream I had was a nightmare. I want to know… How did you-?"

Aya turned away and said nothing. She whispered, "Tomo will be fine. Just be patient. You'll see her again, very soon."

Yomi cried, "Hoshino… Hoshino, no… You can't take her!"

Aya shook her head and said, "Silly. Chiyo-Chan and I are simply nice people. I'd never act that way to you. After all…"

She glared at her, "You are not trying to jump to any conclusions."

She left, as Yomi approached Tomo, who was still out.

"Just say it…" she sobbed, "Say that I am fat. Say that I gained weight… I deserve it; your jokes. Just… Just wake up! I gave up sweets for you…"

She cried on her chest, as Aya left the office.

XXXXX

Minutes later, Kagura was at the pool, as the sky went to dusk. She began swimming laps.

"Good thing I had Coach make me swim late, as long as they come back to clean the pool," she thought, as she swam, "Maybe that Aya girl can swim a lap, too. It's a good thing the rain stopped, finally."

She approached the end of the pool and said, "It's much more quiet now. Even if it were true about Aya, she'd take out that stupid Kimura. Besides, Aya is simply nice… and that scarf isn't waterproof… Whatever that is…"

She then swam to the deep end, swimming all the way into the end. As she touched the end, she turned around, and…

SPLASH!

She was pulled downward, into the bottom of the water, by a mysterious figure. She tried swimming up, but couldn't. She couldn't breathe, as the figure held her left leg, pulling her down.

"WHAT?" She cried, without talking, "What is going on?"

She then saw a view of Sakaki's face, in the water. She was completely baffled.

"No… Sakaki?"

She let go, as Kagura swam back up. She gasped for air, as she saw the sky grew deep red. She then said, "Man… Whoever that was… I cannot go back there. Someone is playing a trick on me."

She got out the pool, sopping wet, and draped a towel over her. But as she was leaving, she found a lone inner tube in the middle of the path. She grabbed it and put it back with the rest of the equipment. She then returned to the entrance, only to find that it was locked.

"NO!" She shook the door and cried, "Hello? HELLO? Coach! Yomi! Chiyo-Chan! ANYBODY… other than Kimura!"

"How did it get locked?" She sobbed, "What am I supposed to do? I cannot leave?"

She then thought, as she sat by the pool, "This is pathetic… I'm trapped, until tomorrow."

She then found a figure, far away. It was Chiyo-Chan and Osaka.

"Oh, good! I found them!" She said, "Chiyo-Chan!"

She ran to the fence, but slipped on the puddle of water, falling headfirst into the concrete. She banged her head on the metal bar, by the pool, and was bleeding. She got up and was hurt. She tried getting up, but couldn't see.

"Ungh… Where am I?" She groaned, "Chiyo… Osa… Yom…"

She staggered up and stood straight. But after the first step, she was shoved into the pool. She knew how to swim, but cannot, since there was blood on her head, pouring a bit into the pool. She started to swim up, but couldn't react. She gurgled and shrieked, trying to swim, but the taste of blood and pool water combined was too much for the athletic swim club girl; plus, the wet blood was in her eyes. She kept flailing and screaming, until she couldn't take it. She then saw the figure, the girl who shoved her.

"No… Her?" She glugged.

She sunk into the water and drowned. She was out like a light, gurgling.

Minutes later, Minamo Kurosawa appeared, wearing her blue jacket, and opened the pool door with the keys. She then called to Kagura, "Kagura! It's time to go. Leave the pool, now!"

She then sighed, "Honestly, you're worse than Yukari. Plus, I know you know well."

She looked in the pool and said, "Huh… She is not here. Maybe she left already. Also, how did that door get locked? Maybe she locked it, on the way. Only I had the keys… and the pool will close, in two weeks."

She then glared at the black shadow, in the water, "Yukari! Get out of there! I know it's you!"

But she was wrong. Kagura floated up, faced down, and was limp. Minamo saw the unconscious girl and said, "Aw, come now, Kagura… It's not funny. Kagura?"

She approached her body, and saw some blood leaking. She let out a shriek, in horror.

XXXXX

Aya and Osaka watched on, as Kagura was being stretchered into the ambulance. Nyamo went in.

"It's okay. She's my best student," she sobbed.

It drove off, as Osaka cringed, "What a disaster…"

Aya then held her tight and said, "Poor Kagura. I didn't know she'd swim that late."

Osaka cried, "NO. She was hurt, and she drowned. Miss Kurosawa told me. I'm surprised that she took up that much water."

Aya hugged her and whispered, "Ayu… Don't worry… Nothing will take Kagura away."

"Oh, she won't die. She gave her CPR. She was coughing up water, but couldn't move. You know, I think there might be a pattern. The first… was Tomo… and then, it was Sakaki, and then Kagura…"

She let out an evil glare at Aya and asked, "Could it be… that I did all this?"

Aya was annoyed and said, "You're not like that, Ayu."

She let out a grin, as Aya stuttered, "Okay… You're scaring me, now…"

XXXXX

Yomi got the call from Chiyo, at her house. Kagura drowned in the school's pool. Needless to say that it'll be closed down, until the matter was settled.

"It's not even summer," she thought, "It already passed, last week."

Yomi then lied on her bed, feeling uneasy. The clouds began to boom a bit.

"Sakaki… Kagura… Tomo…" she whispered, "They're gone…"

She panicked and yelled, "Could I be next?"

She went to the window and shouted, "YOU! GOD! Why for you torture me? I SWEAR! I AM NEVER EATING FOR A WHOLE WEEK! MAYBE UNTIL YOU TELL ME! I KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING, AYA HOSHINO! IF IT IS YOU, START PRAYING!"

She gasped for air, as she lied back down, feeling scared stiff.

"No one…" she hugged her pillow and sobbed, "No one… is gonna get me… Nobody…"

Aya's voice was heard, "Poor piggy Yomi…"

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!

She leapt out of bed and balled in a corner.

"Who is it?" She sobbed, "Oh… kay… I know I must be dreaming, but…"

She stayed like that, all night, worried about what may happen.

Her mother called from the door, "Koyomi, are you all right?"

"Oh, no, Mom…" she winced, "I… I had a bad dream…"

"Honey, I know about your friend, Tomo. Don't let it get to you, too. Just go to sleep and it'll go away."

"Yes, Mom."

"Good night."

She lied down and whispered, while taking off her glasses, "I'll be fine… I'll be fine…"

She fell asleep, still in fear.

XXXXX

At Chiyo's house, Aya was in the bathroom, as Chiyo was still sleeping. She removed her scarf and held her neck. She covered its right side and said, "It's healing soon. I don't know why, but I think it's because of Chiyo's friends' grave misfortunes."

She dressed up in purple pajamas and went back to the bedroom. She then looked at Chiyo and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Mihama… But it won't be long, before they are gone… from your life."

She went to her bed, as she thought, "First, Tomo was broken, by a flight of stairs, then, Sakaki was mauled by a wildcat and a panther, and now, Kagura drowned, while she was in practice."

She closed her eyes and fell asleep, with her scarf beside her side.

What kind of scarf was it?

To be continued…