Disclaimer: This is chapter 27 and I can honestly say I didn't think I'd get this far. But I'm glad I made it~!


I blink a couple times. Then heave a giant breath and the scent of machinery oil fills my nostrils. I know the smell automatically and tense up.

Yusei looks down and our eyes meet. I can feel the heat rush to my face in an instant.

"What are you doing!" I try pushing him away but he's got me in a death grip. "Let me go!"

"Stop squirming or I'm going to drop you," he warns.

He isn't just holding me but carrying me?!

I would dare to tell him to, but his voice tells me not to push it. He almost sounds like Martha, reprimanding you with options to see if you're brave (or stupid) enough to choose the wrong answer, and that thought stills me until he sets me down on a bench just a few feet away.

"Aww, you're blushing," Crow chuckles.

I muster a glare so sharp I imagine it piercing through his spikey, flame orange hair. But it doesn't hold long enough. I notice everyone else has crowded around by now, and most likely witnessed the gorgeous spectacle beforehand, too.

My face grows hotter, and I turn so it's covered by a wall of hair. The memories of what happened in my mind flash through my eyes. The small hut. Faceless people speaking a strange language. A newborn child.

I face the group again, this time with a hand to my forehead, and ask, "Is my mark still glowing?" They shake their heads no. "That was so weird," I breathe out.

I hug my arms and squeeze them so I can feel my skin and the bones holding myself together. Then I look to everyone else, directly at their faces. For the most part everyone's concerned, if not quizzical. Yusei looks serious as usual, and Jack seems indifferent.

The twins are the closest to me and I lay my hands on both their shoulders. My eyes go from one hand to another. "Good… They're not going through."

"Going…through?"

I release them and slouch back with a sigh. "Have you ever had someone step through you? Because it feels awful and like you might puke."

"That's insightful, but you might want to backtrack a bit," advises Crow.

"Right, right." I cross my arms and think it through. "I'm not really sure what it was. It was like a vision, but not exactly. It was like I was actually there watching things play out."

"Like an out of body experience?" Rua offers eagerly.

"Mm-hmm, exactly."

"Do you remember what happened?" Akiza asks.

I cringe immediately. Out of all the things I could have seen in a vision why did it have to be this? Or better yet, why did everyone have to be here to wait for my honest answer?

"Yeah… Uh, this…this woman was giving birth."

No one knows how to react, so I slide over it by adding: "Um, it was in this strange place, though. The people spoke a foreign language and their clothes were…" I try to think of a good word for it and snap my fingers when it comes to me. "Tribal."

The group eyes one another, then come back to me.

"You don't think that…" Akiza trails off, and realizing she has our undivided attention, continues the statement. "You don't think that you had a vision of the past, do you?"

The past… That makes sense. That event had to have taken place centuries, possibly thousands of years ago. In some place like South America or even the Middle East. That would explain the language, the area, and the clothes.

"Retrocognitive," I mutter under my breath.

Rua asks, "What's a…uh, whatever you said?"

I grin lightly at him. "It's a type of clairvoyance. You know how people can see the future? That's precognitive. Retrocognitive is the opposite of that—seeing the past."

"Is this the first time this has happened to you?" Ruka questions, her eyes sparkling curiously.

The blackouts were different. They were dream-like. In fact, they only happened when I went to sleep. And I can only remember some things from the first blackout, while absolutely nothing comes to mind when I think of the second one. I remember everything that happened in this vision.

There was also that one time I touched the clawed back wall, and got a flash of images. Still, it wasn't the same as now. I hadn't walked through those images; they rushed into my head and went away within seconds.

"Yeah, I think so."

At that moment, Annie hops in to my lap from wherever it was she was hiding this whole time. I'm startled by her touch, but it dwindles once I realize it's just her.

"We still don't know if she's anything, but I think you're right about her being able to sense the supernatural," Ruka remarks, glancing at Annie. "She appeared out of nowhere right after your mark started glowing."

I pet Annie's head and chuckle, "Yeah, she's good at that."

"Wait a second!" Rua grabs everyone's attention, and gives a cheeky smile. "You said you've been seeing spirits, right?" I have no idea what this has to do with my vision or where it's leading to, but I nod. "Ruka, is Kuribon still here?"

Kuribon? That's a duel monster, isn't it?

Ruka catches on at once. She closes her eyes briefly and reopens them. Then she turns to me with an expectant look on her face. I return it with a puzzled tilt of my head. "Can you see Kuribon?"

It clicks. This was a kind of test. If what I've been seeing are in fact duel spirits, then I should be able to see Kuribon. Should is the key word. I should be able to see Ruka's Kuribon, but I don't. Not to my right, straight in front of me, or to my left.

Immediately, I feel disheartened. And with everyone here watching me fail, I feel suffocated. So embarrassed that I made a huge deal out of spirits following me and attacking me that I want to spontaneously combust.

Instead, I sigh and shake my head no.

The twins come to my aid in an instant. If they're able to notice there's no doubt everyone else can. Seems I'm getting really bad at hiding my emotions. Or perhaps I just used to stray so far from everyone else that they never had a chance to confront me on them.

"Maybe your spirit senses are off because of the vision you just had," Rua offers up.

Ruka agrees with a nod. "Yeah, maybe your brain is just tired. We can always try again another day."

I smile at their efforts. Then I stare down at my lap, not wanting to meet the eyes of the rest of the gang, and notice that a certain feline has up and moved away. She meows somewhere to my right, near a bunch of shrubs and grass lining the pavement. Annie sits placidly, waving her paw in the air, almost like she's waving.

"What's she looking at?" says Jack.

It feels as if the air around me stills, but it just may be the hair on the back of my neck standing up. I know just before Ruka utters, "Kuribon."

I don't need to look at everyone to see the shock adorning their faces. I stand and walk over to Annie, not sure exactly why, just an inclined feeling to. Annie stops pawing the air and turns to me to slink against my ankle. I glance over at Ruka.

"Kuribon's gone," she replies instantly. I nod and pick Annie off the ground.

"No way…" Rua murmurs, practically speaking for everyone else. "This is awesome! Annie can see duel spirits!"

"Yeah," I mumble, coming back to our congregation, "but why can't I?"


I bolt upright in my bed, flinging the covers off of me without a second thought. I had had this dream before. Running through a leafy maze. A voice from nowhere telling me that I must keep going. Thunderous laughing from above. A golden figure much like the tall white spirit I saw once before. White hands dragging me down.

Down.

Down where?

I had this dream a long time ago, after I passed out in the park. It stopped at the same point then, too. I get stuck by a tree, caught by hands. The end. Then I wake up.

I turn on the bedside lamp and take my moleskine from under my pillow. Find a pen in the nightstand's drawer.

If I've had this dream before, and can visibly remember it from almost a month ago, it must mean something. The laugh, especially; it sounded exactly like what I heard in the forest. That can't be coincidence. The colors too—white hands, a gold figure. They have to mean something.

Flipping to a fresh page, I make a chart. Label one side Dream and the other Reality. Once I start it all comes out in the ink:

White hands are the white spirits.

Gold figure is somehow related to my mark and the light coming from my hands.

The maze is the forest.

But I get stuck on the voice and the laugh. They aren't the same sound. The voice in this dream was the same one I'd heard during my first blackout, and possibly the same voice from the factory. When I escaped from the wild animal that attacked those two men and went back by the lake…

A gold orb was talking to me. I thought it was a fear-induced hallucination but it must have really happened. It was the voice. Here. Actually here, not in a dream.

What did it say at that time? Something about meeting me again. About things that are going to happen. Was it talking about my blackout? That would make sense. The blackout happened way after the factory.

So I scribble down:

Voice is good.

Laugh is bad.

This dream about the maze was a muddled riddle of a warning about what was going to happen in the forest. Just like the voice had been warning me, I had subconsciously warned myself. But in one way it doesn't make sense.

I crawl out of bed and onto my floor, over by the bookshelf. By the dim light of the lamp I find a beaten dictionary. Flip past page after page until I find it.

Clairvoyant.

Adjective. Having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.

"This was anticlimactic," I mumble, snapping the book shut.

I already know I'm clairvoyant. The problem is that the vision I had earlier today proved that I'm retrocognitive. There's no way that those people could be from the future, no matter how near or far.

How could I be precognitive and retrocognitive at the same time? Can that happen? It doesn't sound like it. I'm pretty sure it has to be one or the other.

Then again, no one knows what I am. Maybe it's possible I'm some all-seeing prophet-fortuneteller-thing. And I have a trusty, spirit-seeing cat sidekick.

I turn to Annie, who just so happens to be looking at me.

I shake my head as I go to pick her up. "You know, everyone says that black cats are creepy but I think you take the cake. You are without a doubt the world's creepiest cat." I hold her so that I can see her eyes. "But with that said, you have to stay with me. No more vanishing. You have something to do with my mark and it completely sucks that you can't tell or show me how! So just stay with me."

She could see duel monster spirits. That alone held some sort of information about what Annie is. She saw Kuribon like she saw a white spirit but there was one significant difference: Annie hadn't attacked Kuribon. She didn't run at it full throttle with claws blazing like she did the white spirit.

And from what Ruka told me before the gang and I parted ways, Kuribon wasn't afraid of Annie. Kuribon disappeared because Ruka asked it to, not because Annie scared it off. So not only can Annie see spirits, she can tell the difference between good and bad ones.

I get the feeling I'll be needing that intuition. What if what happened in the forest was just the beginning of what we should be prepared for? That was the first time the spirits made physical contact with me. I doubt whatever I did to stop them wasn't enough to wipe them out completely.

I run my fingers over the previously bandaged skin. The Lichtenberg figure was gone like it had never been there to begin with.

They did that to me. What's stopping them from doing it again?

"Woah. You look like hell," Asura says when I come into the kitchen. I frown immediately, and he nervously tries to cover his mistake. "Not that hell doesn't look good on you!"

"Right."

I roll my eyes, not at all in the mood to deal with his tomfoolery. In fact, I don't even feel like being at work this early in the morning. I stayed up the entire night thinking through what happened yesterday. Thinking about Annie, my visions or dreams or out-of-body experiences. Just general pondering about all this weird crap that's been happening lately.

I couldn't fall back asleep once I started and now I'm really regretting not calling in sick. Asura leaves me be, hopefully going off to do something work-related, as I stand aimlessly about.

My brain isn't even working properly. I really should just go home.

The kitchen door swings open. "Oh! Hey, Maria! What's up?"

My head turns sluggishly in Mako's direction. I give him a halfhearted wave. I wanted to deal with him even less than I did Asura. And since they're both here, there's bound to be some kind of trouble.

I trudge to the row of hooks along the wall and yank my apron from one of them. Mako does the same.

"Did you have a night of partying, too?" He stares down at me, frowning slightly. "You look kind of…uh…"

Like I rose from the pits of hell? I wait for him to repeat his brother's words but he stands uncomfortably, seemingly regretting what he said. "Um…no? Why do you ask?"

Mako chuckles and scratches the top of his head. "Ah, sorry! I didn't mean for it to come out that way! I was just thinking about Chiyo, and I guess I jumped to conclusions."

My forehead creases at that. "Chiyo? What happened to Chiyo?"

"Oh, just the usual. Claims she can handle her liquor, drinks the place dry, and wakes up the next morning with a gnarly hangover." He sweatdrops just thinking about it. "She won't be coming until the afternoon, if at all."

"Oh. Well I hope she feels better," I say weakly, not fully knowing how to react to this situation. Then I say, more to myself than Mako, "I thought underage drinking was illegal even here in the city."

But by the sound of Mako's laugh it seems he heard. "It is. But even if it weren't, we're not underage." He pokes his head closer to mine, much like the other day at the roller rink. "Wait. How old did you think we were?"

I step back; finally my brain is working enough to do something other than just freeze up. Maybe it's due to the atmosphere's difference. The other day was beyond weird. It was tense and uncomfortable and driven on other emotions I couldn't pick up on.

This person before me was the usual joking and approachable Mako I'd seen during our work hours. This Mako wasn't the same Mako I saw at the roller rink.

"It's not like I gave it much thought. I just assumed you and everyone else were the same age as me."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen. How old are you?"

"No way! With your height and how you act, I would've thought you were older!" He finishes buttoning up his chef's jacket and grabs his hat from an adjacent hook. "And I'm only twenty-one, but Chiyo and bro are both twenty-four."

"You guys aren't that much older." He said it like he was aging backwards and was secretly in his seventies.

"That's true." Mako leans against a nearby beam, a quizzical expression donning his face. "Hey, is that why you don't come out with us? Because you think all we do is get drunk? No one's gonna force you to drink if that's it."

Well, I figured there would be that kind of stuff involved. Who goes to clubs and doesn't drink? And in the city too?

What I want to know is why Mako has such a sudden burst of curiosity. And it's not like they've asked me often. Chiyo has a couple times, to which I answered no. She stopped after that and neither of the brothers have ever bothered me about it.

So why now?

"No. I'm just not a party person."

"Ah. I get it," he smiles. "Well, maybe we can change that. You should come next time! I'm sure you'll like it better than babysitting at a roller rink."

The last part strikes me more than I anticipate. "I wasn't babysitting. The twins are my friends."

"My bad then." Mako's genial expression shifts to one I can't read as easily, though I know he's pondering something. "What about that redhead and Superstar?"

There it is again—that same rough tone of voice. The same disposition that he shows whenever Yusei and the others are around. This was what happened just before he made such an apparent bruise around my wrist. If not for said bruise already being gone, I would confront him right here and now. My morning grouchiness has definitely given me the courage to.

But the bruise had disappeared not long after the Lichtenberg figure. I have no evidence to act on, so what else can I do other than hypothesize and observe?

It's like the thought of Yusei pulls a lever within him and changes his exterior. Although it doesn't sound like he knows Akiza and Yusei personally, but it does seem as if they'd done something to offend him. I'm curious to know what.

"Akiza and Yusei?" I correct him without trying to sound like it. "We're friends, too."

"Just friends?"

"Why?" Why do you seem angry? Why does it matter to you? What else could they possibly be to me?

"Just wondering," he shrugs it off. Thinking our friendly chat is over, I start to walk away, passing him as I near a kitchen counter. "They're dating, right?"

I turn back around. Mako's still leaning on the beam, looking in my direction over his shoulder. "Huh?"

"Akiza and Yusei? They're dating, aren't they?"

"Um…I wouldn't know."

He sails past me without a glance. "Isn't that the type of thing a friend would know?"

"Will that be all?" I say to the teeny man. He nods and I take his menu from him.

I go behind the counter to hand the order to Asura, who's staying on task surprisingly well for not having Chiyo stalk his every move. "Order for table ten."

"Gotcha." He takes the slip from my fingers.

The bell on the entrance door jingles, alerting everyone that we have another customer to serve.

"Maria! I'm so glad I found you!" Carly thunders up to the counter. "Why didn't you tell me you can see—"

I raise a hand around her mouth. "I'm taking a break!"

"But I have the order for table three," whines Asura.

"You serve it. I'll only be five minutes, I swear!" I keep my hand cupped around Carly's mouth until we're out the door and off the veranda. I let her go and whisper harshly, "Are you crazy? You can't just shout that in public!"

"I know, and I'm sorry! Really sorry! But I'm just excited!" She grabs me by the shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me you can see spirits?"

"Because…I don't know. I didn't tell anyone until recently." I pause to take in her current state. I thought she'd be upset that I didn't tell her first, but she's quite the opposite. "I was going to tell you, but it seems you already know. I'm going to guess you spoke to Jack?"

She nods. "He mentioned it to me and I just had to come speak to you about it. Why didn't you tell me? This is great!"

I wouldn't go that far. "How much did he tell you?"

"Well, he said that the duel spirits you're seeing could be ancient and that you think they're responsible for what happened in the forest." She spares a wary glance to my shoulder, then gives a rueful grin. "I kind of left before he could say anymore. But I figured, why not come to the main source herself?"

"That would be a great idea if the main source didn't have faulty evidence to back up her claims."

"What do you mean? Did something else happen?"

I sigh and fold my arms. "It's really difficult to put into words what happened, but to sum things up, I don't know if I can see spirits anymore. I had this vision-thing and the twins think it probably affected my 'spirit senses' so that they've turned off instead of on but if you ask me everything has been off ever since these stupid spirits popped out of nowhere and adding these blackouts and visions and dreams to the mix is just not helping and now it turns out my cat—"

I stop mid-sentence as Carly holds her hand against my face. Her pale blue eyes stare directly into mine. "Breathe."

I'm stunned at first, but nod and do as I'm told as it wares off. In and out. Big breaths. In and out.

"I'm better," I tell her after I've recovered. But she doesn't move her hand. "Carly."

"Okay, okay!" Her hand lands down at her side. "But I just wanted to make sure. You were kind of having a meltdown and it scared me! I was just trying to be sure."

I give her the best smile I can. "No. Thank you for that, really. You couldn't have handled it better." I sit on the ground and Carly follows suit. "It's not even noon and I've had a meltdown. Great. Just dandy. What else would you expect from someone who slept a total of two hours last night?"

"Maria!" Carly shoves me lightly. "What did I tell you about sleeping normal hours?"

"This coming from the person who sleeps in their car!"

"I'll have you know my arm rest makes the comfiest pillow your head will ever lay on!" We look at each other, and both chuckle. Carly says before I can, "Seriously, though. Not sleeping isn't going to make all this more bearable. Trust me, I've tried running on an empty tank before and it doesn't end well. Get all the rest you can."

My wave my hands in the air. "Don't you get it, Carly! Sleep isn't going to solve things. If it's not spirits and visions and blackouts, then it's nightmares and paranoia and fear. If I could lay down and sleep all day I would, but my mind only has one thing on it right now."

I point a finger at my forehead, at the invisible gold mark smack-dab in the middle of it. "It's my mark. Until I know what I am, what we should be prepared for, what the spirits want, what this voice is…until I know all of this my mind will not quit. If I have to suffer a meltdown here and there, then it's just going to have to be that way! I've gone through worse."

"And neither am I!" Carly says, standing on her feet. "If you're not quitting, then neither am I. You and I are a team, so it's both of us or none!" With less gusto she adds, "But please do take care of yourself, Maria. I mean it!"

"I will. And later, when we have more time, I'll explain things properly. As you've already witnessed, now is a terrible time." I pick myself up and we begin walking toward her car parked by the curb. "Please don't mention any of the stuff I said to anyone, not even Jack."

He's the last person I want to know how I'm really feeling.

"Yeah. I understand," she nods reluctantly. I pull her in for a hug, feeling awful for just putting her through the dramatic ramblings of a sleep-deprived clairvoyant. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Not now. I'm still trying to figure some things out," I tell her as we pull apart. "But I'll call you if I find anything."

"Well, call for anything. Any reason at all, not just supernatural stuff. I'm here if you need me."

I can definitely see why Jack is so opposed to Carly helping me. Out of all the possible candidates I could have had for my mini-meltdown, I'm glad it was her. I'm glad we're a team. Something tells me I won't be able to get through this without her on my side.

I wave to her as she drives off and head back toward the café. I just have to survive the rest of my shift then I can go home and take a nap.

I pull open the door. "Maria! It's been eight minutes and twenty-three seconds!"


So how'd you like it? We're finally cracking down on things—both romantically and plot-wise. Not to mention Maria's cracking under pressure. It shouldn't be too much longer until I reveal what she is. I'm not sure at all how I've managed to write twenty-seven chapters without it.

I know right now it's getting a bit odd (specifically that vision with the woman giving birth) but bear with me. Many things are not yet explained and once they will, you'll understand it much better.

Also, I want to thank everyone who's stuck with me this far. I do a bad job updating this story so I just want to thank all of you, whether new or long-time reader, all your support means a lot to me.

TTFN