Chapter 2 - Canopus Circle


Luka rested her arms on the windowsill and absently watched the tepid landscape outside. A steady stream of cars filled the street beyond the school gates; many drivers were still on the way to work or other obligations. It was a familiar sight, just something to focus her eyes on. Up above, the sky was pearly grey and completely covered by clouds. Privately, she always considered those chalky, empty skies more depressing that rain or snow. But she was the only one in a melancholy mood that day. Behind her, her classmates were chatting in small groups, waiting for the start of the day without a care in the world.

Luka glanced at her phone in her left hand. No messages. She wasn't really expecting any, really. Her mother was probably going to sleep until late in the afternoon. And Miki was comfortably resting in the guest bedroom with a bottle full of painkillers and a nice ice packet on her ankle.

I'm so stupid. Surrounded by daylight and her noisy classmates, the terrors of the previous day had as much bite as a tiger made out of paper maché. The sound had been a junkie messing with them, for sure. And the cab driver had either exaggerated or outright lied about the eyes watching them. It couldn't be true.

It's my fault she's hurt. Luka had panicked, and that made Miki panic as well. Instead of hiding, letting whoever it was to pass them by and then return to the fire escape, Luka ran like a little child, letting Miki get injured in the process. And to cap the experience, Luka's fear had utterly dominated her to the point she probably imagined the strange appearance of the man by the fountain. Her cheeks burned with shame at the thought; she inclined her head, letting her pink hair hide her face.

Luka was supposed to be the serious and responsible one. Even if some people at school didn't like her aloof attitude, everyone knew she was reliable. Why had she relented to Miki's pleas in the first place? Was she so afraid to lose her admiration? How weak. And once inside the clinic, she had made every possible bad decision aside from running towards the odd noise.

The sound of the classroom door brought her back to the present, and she turned around. A second later, her jaw dropped.

Her teacher and a lilac-haired boy walked towards the teacher's desk at the front of the class. Luka's classmates rushed to their seats, but Luka remained where she was, unmoving. After a moment, her teacher eyed her with a raised eyebrow.

"Luka, unless you plan to take charge of today's lesson, I suggest you sit down. Right now."

A couple of girls tittered. Luka muttered an apology and went to her seat. The boy with lilac hair grinned at her, which only deepened her shock. It was such a familiar smile.

The teacher presumably began to introduce the new student, but Luka's mind barely registered the fact that the older woman was speaking. All her senses were focused on her new classmate, to a painful degree.

The man by the fountain had been in his late twenties, maybe early thirties. In contrast, the boy staring at her was unmistakably around her age, at most a year older. Although taller than her, he was too small to fit into the neat grey suit of the stranger. His messy hair was dangerously close to defying school regulations, but its length was nowhere near enough to match the long ponytail cascading down the man's shoulders. But his face had the same delicately sculpted features. Even his eyes were like a faded echo of the fiery eyes she had seen the day before, since they were of a peculiar tangerine hue.

The boy seemed as intrigued by her as she was by him. Luka's classmates were granted another opportunity to laugh when the teacher had to wave her hand in front of the boy's face to get his attention, so intently were the two gazing at one another. Finally, the boy introduced himself as Gakupo Kamui, a recent arrival from the south; he greeted his new classmates cordially, then sat at a desk to the right of Luka, with two other students between them. After unpacking his pen and notebook, he gave the rose-haired girl a last smile, then shifted his gaze to the front of the classroom.

Luka wasn't quite able to do the same. Whenever the teacher was facing the blackboard, Luka's eyes turned towards the new student. Her classmates soon noticed her unusual behavior, which lead to more amusement. As for Gakupo, he glanced a few times her way, but his smile grew a bit forced. To her surprise, Luka realized he was uncomfortable with all the attention.

All the better. Whatever was going on, it was good to know that Gakupo could feel an emotion as human and prosaic as embarrassment. He probably wasn't some kind of pod person. Probably.

Several centuries passed until finally a chime sounded signaling break time. Like a toy on a spring, Luka jumped from her seat and headed directly towards the new student, barely noticing it when she pushed a gossiping classmate or two out of the way. Gakupo looked up at her with alarm, the rest of the class with excitement.

"Can I help you?" Gakupo asked with some hesitation.

"Come with me," Luka grabbed his arm and pulled, forcing him to stand. Gakupo sputtered incoherently but yielded without struggle. Luka marched out of the class still dragging him by the arm, accompanied by laughter and exaggerated kissing sounds.

"Hey-"

"It will only take a moment," Luka replied automatically, without slowing her pace. In truth, she wasn't so sure it would be that easy. Or that what she was doing was a good idea.

Other students standing by their classroom doors or walking down the corridor eyed them with curiosity as they passed by. It began to dawn on Luka that everyone in the school was going to find out that she pounced on the new student like a complete lunatic. It made her blush but she kept going until they reached the representatives room.

There was a male student inside going through one of the cabinets. He eyed the pair with some surprise, taking in Luka's hand on Gakupo's arm and her flushed face. Then, he smiled with complicity. "I think I'm done here." He grabbed a folder from the cabinet and walked outside, giving Luka a not so subtle wink. She successfully fought the impulse to answer with an eyeroll. Once the boy was out of sight, Luka finally released Gakupo's arm to close and lock the door.

Here we go.

Gakupo leaned on the table, watching her with a mix of fascination and concern. Luka waited a few seconds, almost daring him to turn into some kind of freakish abomination. Nothing happened.

"This isn't quite the reaction I was expecting," Gakupo said. "Honestly, I wasn't sure you'd remember me."

"What?"

"I mean, it's been years! And you didn't even say goodbye when you moved away." He gave her another gentle smile, but it faded once he noticed Luka's confusion.

"I have no idea who you are," Luka said bluntly. She looked downwards, searching for words. How to properly convey the man by the fountain and how it feel to meet his gaze? Was it even something she wanted to lend solidity by using words to describe it? Finally, she said, "You do seem familiar." That much was true.

"I would hope so." He chuckled and looked around the room, thinking. "Do you mind if I make myself some tea?"

Luka waved her hand towards the corner and Gakupo went to examine the water boiler. "Use any mug, they should be clean." She sat down at the table and rested her chin on her hands, watching him.

After a couple minutes, Gakupo sat across her and presented with her with her own steaming mug. "You look like you need it."

"I do," Luka conceded. Once she took a nice sip of the sweet beverage, she felt closer to her usual calm persona. "Alright, let's start over."

"Sure."

"Why do I know your face?"

"We used to be neighbors, Luka." He tilted his head, searching her face for a spark of recognition. "Pyrgi Street? Your family owned a white two-story house, if I remember correctly. It was demolished after your Dad sold the place, though."

Luka placed the mug on the table, moving as slowly as a diver under the ocean. It was all so fuzzy. Her memories from before her parents' divorce were very scattered, almost as if she had made a concerted effort to bury it all, both good and bad. But fragments resurfaced as she examined Gakupo's face. "Your house has an outer corridor?"

"It does!"

She sat on the wooden floor of that corridor, once. No, many times. She remembered it creaking under her favourite pink sandals, now too small for her feet. The wooden columns holding the corridor's roof were immense and dark in her memories, surely magnified by the years and distance. Beyond the columns, a garden so blurred that it was nothing but a sensation of freshness. Behind her, dull chanting... That day she wore black, not pink. Uncomfortable closed shoes that didn't fit quite right. That day…

"A funeral," Luka blurted out. "I remember a funeral service." The forced smile returned to Gakupo's face, and Luka bit her lip. Another memory floated to the surface of her mind: a boy with lilac hair, dressed in dark clothes. Curled up in a corner of the fresh garden, sobbing. And she had stood there watching, for what felt like ages.

"It's fine!" Gakupo waved his hands, looking almost comically concerned by her expression. "It happened so long ago." He rested his forearms on the table patently trying to look relaxed. "Gumi and I had to go live with my uncle for a while after that. But I'm old enough to take care of the house now." He traced the rim of his mug with a finger. "We should live on our own terms, anyway."

"Is it just you and your sister?" Luka asked, trying to recall anything about Gumi. All she could think of was a green-haired baby with her face and hands covered in whipped cream and chestnut purée, clapping happily. Gumi probably was past her montblanc-destroyer phase by now.

"Just the two of us." Gakupo smiled, this time more naturally.

"So no older brothers...no older cousins?"

Gakupo tugged a lock of his hair. "No brothers. And all my cousins are younger than me."

"I see." Luka dropped her gaze. And it would've been such a simple, convenient answer. Gakupo's rebellious older brother goes out to explore the abandoned clinic across town and runs into a silly schoolgirl. He hides to give her a scare, but she runs off before he can jump out. Simple.

Gakupo sighed. Once more, he rested his arms on the table, this time with a more determined look. "Ok, I gotta ask. Luka, is there something bothering you? Why are we hiding in here?"

Luka rubbed her face. "Please promise you won't tell anyone."

"I promise." Gakupo leaned forward slightly, expectant.

"Yesterday I sneaked into an abandoned building. It was stupid, I know. There's this rumor going around, and my friend wanted to check it out." Luka paused, expecting the young man across her to display his disapproval or shock at her recklessness, but Gakupo merely stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "There was something inside, I don't know what. We ended up running like idiots in the darkness, and my friend fell down a hole in the floor."

Gakupo startled. "Is he okay?!"

"She." Luka pointed to a group photograph pinned to a cork board on the wall. "See the redhead? That's her, Miki. She's fine, although I think she's going to need a cast."

Gakupo made a sound of acknowledgement, then sipped from his mug. "What happened then?"

"I told her to hide and went ahead to look for help. But then I stepped outside…"

"Yes?"

"There was a man outside by the old fountain." Luka's voice failed her. The memory of the man's strange aura was as vivid as anything in the room. Looking into Gakupo's questioning eyes, she suddenly realized there was a quality there, some hard to define characteristic that was completely missing from the stranger's gaze. The man by the fountain was missing that ineffable part of his being, and that void inside of him was the true source of his distressing, horrifying presence. She swallowed, fighting back a sudden impulse to cry. "He looked like you. At least I thought so."

Gakupo lifted his eyebrows. "Are you sure it wasn't a trick of the light or something? I was still unpacking yesterday."

"I don't know, maybe." Luka curled her hands around the mug, feeling the warmth seep into her fingers. "Actually, I know it wasn't you. He was too old, and- Well, it wasn't you. But I don't know what I saw."

Gakupo scratched his cheek. "It's just an odd coincidence, I suppose." He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but then Luka's phone buzzed. Yuu had returned to the world of the living, it seemed.

"Give me a second," Luka said before taking the call. Gakupo nodded.

"Luka Megurine." Her mother's voice sounded uncharacteristically grouchy. "What were you thinking!?"

"Eh?"

"I just woke up and I found some girl sleeping in the guest room, and no sign of you."

"It's a school day."

"And yet you left this girl here and didn't think of saying anything."

"I left you at note in the studio. And Miki can fill you in…" Luka couldn't help but be a bit surprised. Sure it was an unusual situation, but did it merit such anger? Miki was supposed to say that her injuries were a result of her trying to climb inside the old treehouse the previous owners had installed in the backyard. As far as Yuu knew, it was just a silly accident.

As if reading her thoughts, Yuu gave out a sigh. "You do realize that my first thought was to eat something, right? I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw that bag with bloody clothes in the kitchen. And then, I find a stranger sleeping inside my house."

"Oh," Luka exclaimed with remorse. The night before, she placed Miki's ruined clothes and the wet rags she used to clean her cuts inside a plastic bag next to the kitchen's trash bin. Luka had meant to take care of it later, but completely forgot to do so once morning came.

"I guess that translates to 'Sorry mom, this won't happen again' in Luka speak," Yuu commented, some of her usual cheer creeping back into her voice. "I'm going to take Miki to the doctor now, but this is far from over. Expect some punishment, young lady."

"Yes, mom." Luka replied submissively.

"Now that tone I like," her mother had the gall to say. "And come straight home after school, you hear me?"

"Yes, mom." It's not like she was in the habit of wandering around town in the first place.

"Don't get into more trouble," Yuu said victoriously and hung up. Luka stared at her cell with a slight pout. She wasn't a troublemaker. But now she had inadvertently given Yuu all the ammunition she needed for years to come. Her mother would surely milk her slip up for everything it was worth.

"Is everything ok?" Gakupo asked.

"I think my mom is cherishing the opportunity to ground me."

Gakupo huffed. "You gotta admit, she has good reason to."

And she doesn't even know the truth. "Yeah." Luka rubbed the crystal surface of the phone, tracing the pattern of pink waves of the wallpaper in her home screen. "But she's always the irresponsible one, ever since they separated. I always have to take care of things. Now I make one mistake and she treats me like a little girl?"

Gakupo just smiled and took another sip of his tea. Belatedly, Luka realized he probably would welcome the opportunity to be scolded by his parents. Once more, she recalled the chanting, the oppressive smell of the funeral arrangements, the boy sobbing behind the large leaves of the alocasia. Without realizing what she was doing, her hand timidly reached forward.

The chime signaling the end of the recess rung out, before she could touch the long fingers resting on the table. Gakupo pulled back his chair and stood up. "We need to go back to class."

"Right." Luka dropped her arm to her side and stood up as well. "Let's go." She slipped the infracting hand inside her pocket. "Just leave the mug there."

"You sure?"

"I'll come back and wash them later. We don't want to be late for the next class, believe me. "

"Ok" Gakupo tilted his head slightly again, waiting for further explanation, but Luka walked past him and unlocked the door.

"Come on, you'll see." She waved impatiently, about to grab him by the arm again. But she recalled her classmates making kissing sounds and looked away, suddenly embarrassed. "Just hurry."

"I'm still learning my way around the school. Lead the way."


The rest of the classes for the day went by in a blissfully normal way. Finally the chime sounded once more, and a good portion of Luka's classmates rushed for the door as swiftly as miniature tornadoes. In contrast, the rose-haired girl calmly put away her texts and pencils, then fussed unnecessarily with her hair ribbon and cuffs.

As she was hoping, Gakupo came closer once the rowdier members of their classroom were outside, thundering down the corridor. "Do you mind if I walk you home?"

Girlish giggles erupted from a corner behind them. A gaggle of girls was still there, looking at them with big, bright eyes. Luka ignored them. "I was going to suggest the same thing. My mom will want to say hi, in any case."

Once they were walking side by side down the corridor, Gakupo whispered, "You didn't tell me what happened to the guy."

"The guy? Oh, right. I don't know, once I came down the stairs and into the garden, he was gone."

"Gone," Gakupo repeated, again tugging at his hair. "And he didn't say anything to you?"

"He didn't make any sounds at all. He just smiled at me, and when I looked in his direction again after a second or two he wasn't there."

Gakupo gave out a little grunt of acknowledgement, but he looked away, seemingly examining the staircase at the end of the corridor.

"You can go ahead and say it." Luka said, somewhat annoyed, when they began to descend the metal steps.

"Eh?"

"You think I'm crazy."

"No, no! It's the opposite," Gakupo looked at the side, sheepishly. "You are going to think I have a loose screw."

"Why?"

"I was just thinking… You said that site used to be a clinic, right?"

"That's what everyone says, anyway."

"Then there's a good chance that people died in there."

"So?" A single cold syllable.

Gakupo noticed her unwelcoming tone, but chose to continue. "One explanation I've heard often for weirdness is that suffering people leave behind energies that-"

"Stop right there," Luka said drily. "I don't wanna hear paranormal rubbish."

Gakupo had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. "It was just an idea."

"A stupid idea."

"What do you think happened back there, then?"

"I told you, I don't know. But it wasn't a ghost wearing your face, I can tell you that much. That doesn't make any sense."

Gakupo shrugged. "Sense or not, I'm glad you're okay. I'd hate to come back to town only to discover my ghost doppelgänger bit your head off."

"What did you say about a loose screw?" Luka tapped her right temple. "There's a good explanation for everything I experienced back there, I'm sure of it." Even the open gates. Or Miki's unexpected relocation to the front lawn.

Gakupo gave out a soft laugh, but looked repentant. "I suppose I've read too many horror stories lately."

When the pair reached the main hall, Luka saw a group of younger girls wearing tights and tutus, all ready to start their afterschool dancing lessons. Luka turned to her companion and asked, "Is Gumi here at the school?"

"She had a sudden stomach-ache this morning. Or wanted the satisfaction to see me walk to school while she stayed behind at home in her pajamas. Pick one."

"Not very disciplined, is she?"

Another shrug. "She can be responsible, under the right circumstances. But today's her first day all alone in the house. I'd be more surprised if she didn't want to stay home and investigate everything."

Luka hesitated for a moment. "Does she remember them?"

"Not really," Gakupo replied with a hint of sadness in his voice. "She was too young when it happened."

"I'm really sorry." She truly meant it. Despite all their bickering lately, she couldn't imagine life without Yuu by her side.

"Don't worry about it." Gakupo made a motion with his hand, as if to push the past out of their way as they walked. As they neared the exit, he pointed to the display cases nearby in a transparent effort to change the subject. "Not bad. Do you play any sports?"

"I like swimming, but I'm not good enough to win any trophies. You?"

"I've taken some fencing lessons." Gakupo traced a complicated figure in the air with an imaginary sword. His eyes shone with genuine enthusiasm as he added, "You should come with me to an exhibition sometime!" He went on to explain some technical things about the different swords used that Luka was sure she would forget in half an hour or so. She didn't particularly mind the unrequested dump of information. If anything, it made her a bit jealous. Lately, it was hard for her to muster that level of passion for anything.

They reached the school gates and Luka pointed to her right. "You don't mind walking, do you? I live on Canopus Circle, it's not that far."

"No problem."

The afternoon had brought with it a slight rise of temperature. The cloud cover now parted here and there, letting some sunlight touch the ground below. It actually felt nice to walk down the street, stepping on sunlight, then into blueish shadows, engaged in easy conversation. Luka felt buoyant, as if the simple fact of having someone to talk to had suddenly released all the tension accumulated inside her from the day before, or even before that. Even the colors of the world around her seemed more vivid as she walked: the metallic sheen of the cars racing down the street, the signs, the products behind the glass displays of the shops, the light purple of Gakupo's hair. The world could be very appealing at times.

"So, let me guess, you don't like books with supernatural themes," Gakupo asked as they waited for a traffic light to change.

"Who says I don't? But it's just fiction, it doesn't belong in real life," Luka countered.

"I don't think it's that simple."

"Oh, so you do believe in spooky ghosts?" Luka smiled teasingly.

"All I'm saying is that we shouldn't discount it beforehand." Gakupo closed his eyes and recited, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Luka, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

"Please tell me you didn't learn that quote expressly to make credulity sound reasonable."

"You make it sound like I'm the one that brought up the subject in the first place," Gakupo waged his index finger. "You are the one that jumped on me with a weird story."

"I guess so," Luka conceded. The traffic light changed and they continued walking.

"I do wonder about something, though." Gakupo let out a small chuckle. "Actually, I have a ton of questions. But I was going to ask is this: Would you be ok with never finding out what truly happened yesterday?"

Luka stopped and stared at him for a couple seconds, forcing him to stop as well. "I don't know." She looked down at her shoes, and the concrete around them. Could she ignore it and keep pretending the world was as orderly as she wanted it to be? "I feel so stupid."

"You are not." Gakupo's voice radiated warmth. "There's wrong with wanting answers." He lightly placed a hand on top of her head. Luka's eyes darted up in surprise at the gesture. Almost immediately, Gakupo withdrew his hand, mumbling an apology.

"I, it's okay," Luka said looking away. "Hm, that's my house." In the distance, the ivy-covered home beckoned at her. She set out walking once more.

"Is it just you and your mother?" Gakupo asked after catching up to her.

"Yes. Well, there's Miriam, she comes by to clean and cook twice a week. Mom doesn't like to have too many people in the way."

"Does that include visitors?" Gakupo muttered, almost sounding like he was talking to himself.

"No, I don't mean my friends. I can bring over whoever I want," Luka clarified. Of course, she seldom brought anyone home in the first place, so her mother had little chance to complain.

Once they came closer, Luka had the distinct impression her mother wasn't home. All the windows in the front were closed, with curtains drawn. Perhaps Yuu decided to go shopping after dropping Miki off?

Gakupo watched her unlock the front door from the bottom of the short set of stairs, dubitative. "Maybe I should come back another day to greet her?"

"You are already here, aren't you? Come in. She should be back soon enough."

Gakupo obeyed without comment. After hanging their bags and coats in the foyer, Luka marched straight into the kitchen and got some cookies from one of the cupboards and filled a bowl with them. A few steps away in the corridor, her new classmate was looking around discreetly. "This is a very nice house."

"Mom's career really took these last couple years. We live well." Luka poured some juice into a couple of glasses. "Here."

"Ah, thanks." Gakupo grabbed one of the glasses.

Luka wasn't quite sure what would be Yuu's reaction upon finding her alone with a boy in her bedroom, but she wasn't in any hurry to find out. So, she took the bowl and the other glass and made her way to the living room, Gakupo in tow. She sat primly on one side of the couch and set down the bowl of cookies on the coffee table.

"Do you mind if I give Gumi a quick call to let her know I'll be home late?"

"Go ahead." Luka waved a cookie in the direction of the old-fashioned telephone in the corner. It wasn't as old as it appeared, of course, but Yuu liked the vintage look.

Gakupo had barely greeted his sister when a sound came from upstairs. Gakupo and Luka froze, handset and half-eaten cookie in midair. "I'll call you later," Gakupo uttered into the receiver and quietly hung up. He and Luka stared at one another. The girl slowly rose from the couch and tiptoed closer to Gakupo.

"Are you sure your mom isn't here?" Gakupo whispered into her ear.

"We would've seen her purse and keys when we got in," Luka replied in the same tone.

Another sound, this time a loud pounding. Whoever it was, they had no intention of being subtle.

"There's no wind outside, so that was not just a window slamming shut." Indeed, the living room windows displayed the perfectly still scenery outside. "I'd say we go look…" Gakupo started to say. Luka was about to object, but he quickly added with a nervous smile. "But it's smarter to go outside and call the cops with your cell."

Luka nodded, somewhat relieved. Gakupo took her hand and they both walked quietly towards the exit. However, before they could reach the door, the pair heard a car come to a stop outside. Car doors opened and a pair of voices, a woman and a man, reached their ears. A moment later, the front door opened and Yuu appeared with shopping bags in both hands, followed by the cab driver carrying even more loot.

Yuu's eyes went from Luka to Gakupo, then to their interlocked hands. Her eyebrows rose. "I see you brought some trouble home this time."

Luka let go of Gakupo's hands and ran forward. "Mom, there's someone upstairs!" She whispered urgently.

"What?"

"We just got here, and then we heard a noise, and-" More rumbling upstairs.

Yuu's brow furrowed. She absently dropped her bags in a corner of the foyer, a gesture the cab driver imitated. She turned towards the man and asked with a crooked smile, "You wouldn't happen to have a crowbar in the trunk, would you?"

"Ma'am, that's not a good idea," the driver said, taking a step back.

"I guess I'll have to take care of this myself, then," Yuu mused and went into the living room.

"Mom, what are you doing?!" Luka exclaimed, appalled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the cab driver slip out of the house.

A moment later, Yuu emerged brandishing a fireplace poker and headed upstairs. Luka and Gakupo looked at one another briefly with matching expressions of dismay. Then Luka followed her, pulling Gakupo along. "Mom, wait!" She muttered furiously, to no avail, until Yuu reached the top of the stairs. There, she paused for a second, examining the scene before her.

Nothing seemed out of place, from what Luka could see from her position behind her mother. All four doors in the hallway were closed, as usual. To the left were the master bedroom and a guest room, to the right Luka's room and a bathroom. After some consideration, Yuu crept closer to the door leading to her room. She leaned on the door listening. From her expression, Luka surmised nothing out of the ordinary was happening inside. Her mother slowly turned the doorknob and peeked inside. Given the owner's minimalist taste in decor, it was easy to tell it was empty. She returned to the hall and tried the bathroom. Empty as well.

"Mrs. Megurine, this isn't safe."

"It's Ms. Asakawa now. Luka, keep your boyfriend quiet," Yuu said without turning around.

"He's not-! Mom, this isn't a prank!"

"Let's just say I find the timing of this a little suspicious." Yuu smirked. "If I find one of your friends trying to be funny, I'm gonna spank them." She moved forward and opened the door to the guest room. She went inside to check the wardrobe and under the bed. Her daughter and Gakupo trailed behind, keeping the door to the hallway open.

"Why would I lie?!" Luka demanded, briefly forgetting to lower her voice.

"I didn't peg you as the type to engage in fratboy stunts, and yet somehow your friend broke a couple bones while playing with you. Maybe your rebellious phase is finally kicking in?" Yuu opened the wardrobe, only to see a couple of empty wire hangers.

"That's ridi-" Luka's angry reply was cut short by another pounding sound, this time clearly from the room across the hallway. Her bedroom.

"Whoever it is, it doesn't sound like they are being gentle," Gakupo noted.

"And why would I let someone trash my room for a joke, huh?" Luka whirled around to ask Yuu, nervousness fueling her anger. "Can't you see I'm scared?!"

Her mother frowned again, staring at her daughter for a couple seconds. Then, she walked towards the final door of the hallway, poker at the ready. Her body language was enough to suggest that she was taking the situation a bit more seriously. She signalled the other two to remain at a distance, then quickly turned the doorknob and pushed the door all the way open. And stood in the doorframe, staring.

"What is it?" Luka asked in a tiny voice.

There was no reply at first. Yuu advanced slowly, turning around to look at all corners of the room. With her mother away from the doorframe, Luka finally got a good look inside. Most of the room looked untouched aside from the window by her bed, which was completely open. The wooden panels were swinging slightly with a creaking sound. Yuu stopped the right one with her free hand and examined the latch in silence. It looked strangely warped and blotchy. Yuu let go of the window pane and then crossed the room to examine Luka's closet.

"Do you see anything out of place?" She asked her daughter.

Luka took a step into the room, still pulling Gakupo around unconsciously. As soon as she looked to her left, her stomach dropped.

A folded pink scarf rested innocently on her desk. The same pink scarf she had left tied to a tree across town, the day before.