Chapter 2

: : 7:46 AM Tuesday : :

Sora's scream died into a repulsed groan. She felt another drop of blood land on the side of her face and slide close to her mouth. Making a disgusted face, she tried to wipe the blood off of her face and hands. How did this happen?

Sora backed against the shed door, dropping the box of waffles. She slid down the door and tried to pull her eyes away, yet couldn't. Several more drops of blood fell, landing near her feet. Sora could see now the small pool of blood on the ground that hadn't caught her attention when she walked in.

Her shoes were red from stepping in it. Her hands were red, as well as her clothes and most likely her face. She finally managed to drag her eyes from the brutal sight. The rain crashing on the roof almost seemed louder now.

"I feel sick," Sora groaned awfully.

Inside the beach house, curled up in the den nearby the fire, Davis stirred. He was still tired from the night before and frankly didn't care to get up but knew that he'd been bothered by someone else if he didn't.

He sat up and stretched, working out all the kinks. Rubbing his eyes, he peered around the den. Matt had left, as well as Tai and Joe. TK was still asleep on the floor beside the couch. Ken was snuggled up close by with his eyes practically connected to his book. Davis frowned.

"Ken?" he asked thoughtfully hoping for some movement. Ken remained as he was. Davis sighed and said a little louder, "Ken?" Again nothing. Aggravated, Davis shouted, "KEN!"

The other boy jumped and was finally pulled from his book. He stared at Davis displeased and drummed his fingers on the book in his hands. Ken replied with a strict tone in his voice, "What do you want Davis?"

"Good morning to you, too," Davis muttered. He slid off the couch and stretched again. Ken waited impatiently for him to continue. Finally feeling completely awake, Davis turned back to Ken and smiled. "What should we do today?"

" I'm going to read," Ken replied and turned his attention back to the book.

"Ah, come on Ken. Ken? Ken?" Davis sighed. Ken was lost in the book already. Sighing, he put his shorts from the day before over his boxers. He yawned and walked through the den door, leaving Ken alone in the room where it was quiet. All except for the occasional snore from TK.

On his way through the dining room, he could hear a faint scream over the rain and buzz of the lights. He paused to listen, but didn't hear anymore and left the dining room. Joe, Tai, and Matt were sitting at the table in the kitchen and Kari was standing at the sink.

"Good morning Davis! Sleep well?" Joe asked, being the one who normally greeted people. Davis shrugged and sat down beside Tai. He noticed that there was any food.

"Um, anything to eat?" Davis asked.

"Yeah. It's in the outside freezer. Sora's getting it," Matt replied, looking up from a magazine he still had in front of him.

Davis frowned. "How long ago did she go?"

"About five minutes." Matt took a sip of his coffee and, like Ken, went back to reading. Davis rolled his eyes. Was he the only one who didn't care much for books and other literature?

Hunger soon overcame him and his stomach growled loudly. Annoyed, he got up from the table and walked to the kitchen door. He slid on some boots and searched for an umbrella. There were none.

'Oh well. My shorts are dirty anyway. I can change and take a shower later." Davis thought and opened the kitchen door. Apparently the others knew what he was doing because no one questioned him, although he did look quite silly with just shorts and giant rubber boots on.

Stepping out the back door, he quickly regretted not having a shirt on. The rain was like little daggers that stung his skin. He shivered and dashed towards the shed. He was shocked when he jerked the shed door open because Sora fell out at his feet.

"Sora! Are you okay?" Davis yelled through the pounding rain. He offered his hand to help her up. She gratefully took it and Davis hauled her back to her feet. Once he did, he noticed her puffy red eyes and some red streaks on her face, as well as red splotches on her clothes and hands. "What's the matter? What happened?"

"Oh Davis!" Sora threw her arms around Davis and hugged him tightly, startling him a little. Davis noticed the deep streaks of dark red in her hair.

He was even more surprised when she went limp in his arms. He then realized that she was crying against his shoulder and completely relying on him for support. 'What happened?' He thought and picked her up in his arms.

She continued to cling to him closely as he carried her back to the kitchen. Walking up the steps was a difficult task, but somehow he managed it. Now he had to face the problem of opening the door without dropping Sora.

Luckily for him, the shutter over the kitchen window was open. So maybe they would see him. His luck ended. Joe and Tai were the only ones sitting at the table now, but they both had their backs to him. Both Kari and Matt had left and Davis could see Ken leaning in the refrigerator, pouring a glass of orange juice.

"Oh Davis…"

Davis looked down at Sora to see that she was staring up at him. She was still crying and her arms clutched him even tighter. His mind swirled as his mind questioned what happened.

The rain hammered onto his bare back and he shivered. 'Please see us Ken! Turn around, dang it!' Making an effort to kick the door caused Davis to nearly loose his balance. With nothing to do other than stand there, Davis prayed that Ken would turn around, or that Joe or Tai would see him out there with Sora.

"Yuck. Pulp. I hate pulp," Ken muttered and closed the fridge door. Her poured the rest of his drink out in the sink and refilled his cup with water. After taking a few sips, he poured the rest out and set the cup in the sink.

'I wonder what's taking Davis so long. When he's hungry, it doesn't take him long to get food.' Ken contemplated. He sighed and turned towards the table where Joe and Tai were.

"The shed isn't that far, is it?" he asked. The two boys were talking about something and didn't hear him. 'Now I know how Davis feels.' Shrugging, Ken began to walk out of the kitchen.

Something by the door caught his eye. He paused to see what it was. Davis stared back at him through the door, mouthing, or possibly screaming, "Let me in!" Gasping, Ken ran to the door and jerked it open.

"It's about time!" Davis shouted once he made it through the door. Joe and Tai shot from their chairs, seeing the evident problem. They helped Davis set Sora down in a chair at the table.

"What happened, Davis?" Tai demanded.

"I don't know! I opened the shed door and-"

"Joe! Go get Matt! Ken, get a wash cloth!" Tai ordered, cutting Davis off in mid-explanation. Joe ran quickly from the room and Ken rushed to the sink. Tai started trying to get Sora to talk to him, not succeeding at all.

Davis tried to move away to get a blanket or something warm but quickly found that Sora had snatched his hand and wasn't letting go. He pulled a chair up beside her and sat down.

Tai was talking in the background. She could hear him talking to her, but his words were so jumbled together. Then a blonde was beside her, trying to get between her and her rescuer. Sora wasn't about to let go of Davis; after all, he'd been there to save her from that awful sight.

Matt was talking to her now. Trying to get her speak, or so she could tell from his words. She suddenly comprehended that the hand she was holding was quivering. Lifting her eyes to look at Davis she noticed for the first time that he didn't have a shirt on. He was freezing. She was freezing.

"I'm so cold," Sora murmured, much to the relief of Tai and Matt. They sent TK, who'd awoken when all the commotion started, to get a blanket.

"Get me one too!" Davis said through chattering teeth. He got the unnerving feeling he was being studied and his eyes danced around the room. Sora was staring at him with a blank look of emptiness.

"Thank you Davis," she whispered. Matt and Ken looked at Davis, both raising an eyebrow. Ken frowned and eyed Sora and Davis's hands. He knew something was wrong with Sora, but did Davis have to get that close?

"Sora," Matt said. "What happened? What's the matter?"

No reply.

"Are you hurt? Did something scare you?" Tai asked.

No reply.

"Sora please!" Joe, Matt and Tai chorused.

Again no reply.

Davis leaned forward and whispered quietly, "Is that blood on your clothes?"

Sora's eyes turned to horror at the mention of blood. She threw her arms around Davis's neck and began crying again. The other four people in the room watched in wonder, especially Matt and Ken. But they could all hear what Sora was gasping through her tears.

"Yes! Yes! It's Yolei's! Yolei is dead!"

: : 9:04 AM Tuesday : :

Kari hummed to herself as she stepped out of the shower, turning off the water and drying off. The mirror over the sink was fogged from the steam. She rubbed her towel on it to clear an area for her to look in.

She could hear faint shouts coming from what she figured was the kitchen. 'The others must have gotten up.' She thought to herself, not at all taking time to listen to what was being said, not that she could hear it anyway.

After she dried her hair and got dressed Kari left the bathroom. Her dirty clothes were still in the laundry basket in the bathroom, but she didn't feel like taking them to he washing room at the moment. There was time for clothes washing later.

The yells had died down a little, every now and then a frustrated shout cutting through the air. This caught Kari's attention and she wondered what they were talking, or arguing, about. 'I bet it's over who gets the last waffle or something stupid like that.'

But when she pushed through the door and saw the pale faces of the others, Kari suddenly hurried over to the table. Sora was practically in Davis's lap and had her arms draped around his neck. Kari at first couldn't tell if Davis was white because he couldn't breath or something had scared him.

"What's going on?" Kari demanded. No one had the guts to answer to answer her. She turned to Tai. "Tell me! What's happened?"

"Uh, Kari… Sora says that…" Tai stuttered. He looked like he was about to break down into tears.

"Yolei," Ken choked out. The way Ken said that name made Kari shudder.

"What happened to Yolei?" Kari whispered, her voice full of ultimate fear.

"She's dead! Yolei is dead!"

They all looked at Sora as she yelled out. Kari gasped and her legs gave way from under her. Tai caught her and carried her to a chair. Her eyes had glazed over and she turned her head almost dreamily towards Tai.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"We don't, not for sure anyway. But Sora…" Matt said, speaking for them all. His eyes drifted to Sora. Davis was trying to comfort her and both of them were shivering. Matt finally grabbed the blankets from TK and covered his girlfriend and friend. He glanced worryingly at Tai.

Tai gave him the same worried stare. They knew what was on the other's mind: Where did Sora see Yolei? In the shed? Outside on the ground? And how did she get so much blood on her?

"Shh… shh… it's okay," Davis murmured softly, yet he didn't believe his own words. If what Sora had said was true, then nothing was okay. But Yolei couldn't be dead. She just… couldn't be.

"Sora? Can you tell us where you saw Yolei?" Matt touched Sora lightly on the shoulder. She didn't even look up at him. Matt sighed. "Davis, you talk to her."

"Me? Why me?" Davis croaked.

"Because she's only responding to you!" Matt growled angrily. He glared at Davis with a spiteful dislike. "Of all people, too. Now ask her where she saw Yolei so we can make sure that she's telling the truth!"

"What? You don't trust your girlfriend?" Davis spat under his breath, glancing up at Matt to make sure the blonde hadn't heard him. Although, Kari gave him a look that indicated she had. Davis sighed.

"Sora?" Davis whispered softly and pressed her back a little so he could look into her eyes. They were filled with tears and so much ache that it made Davis wince. But the look that Matt was giving him made him continue. "Sora, where did you see Yolei?"

"She was in the shed," Sora whispered. It was so quiet that Davis had to lean in to hear her. Sora's hand on Davis's shoulder gripped tighter and her fingernails dug into his skin. "She was in the rafters…"

"Ahhh, is t-that soooo?" Davis said and reached up to grab her hand. He wrenched it off his shoulder and held it in his own to keep her from hurting him anymore.

Tai and Matt were already out of the room. Ken walked to the door and watched them run around the corner to the shed. Within a few seconds, both boys came running back and Ken jumped out of the way as the dashed back inside.

Matt looked at the group blankly. "There's nothing in the shed but blood. Yolei isn't there."

: : 2:37 PM Tuesday : :

"I'm not crazy. I know I saw her. She's dead."

Sora looked intently at Davis sitting beside her at the dining room table. He glanced up at her for a quick moment and then went back to busying himself with shifting the carpet back and forth.

"Davis, please. You have to believe me!" Sora whispered. Her voice quivered which meant she was on the verge of tears again. "Poor Yolei…"

"Sora stop! Just stop!" Matt shouted. He was leaning in the corner of the dining room and had been looking out the window but Sora consistence was starting to get to him.

"How do you explain the blood?" Sora yelled back.

"Twinkie hurt his paw and retreated to the shed for the night! We've already pointed that out!" Matt growled. Twinkie was his dog. Joe and Tai had run into the room when all the shouting started and now were beside Matt, trying to calm him down.

"Listen Sora, this is what I think happened. You and Kari were talking about what happened to Yolei. You went outside. You saw the blood. Your mind manifested something that wasn't there," Joe stated.

"You think that I saw an illusion?" Sora whispered angrily. She turned back to the innocent Davis, who was trying not to take a part in all of this, and hissed, "We have to get off this island!"

"Sora-" Matt started, but Joe and Tai stopped him. They led Matt out of the room to keep him and Sora from clawing each other's eyes out.

"You believe me, don't you Davis?" Sora murmured. Davis didn't reply and kept his attention on his feet. Sora sighed. Why didn't anyone believe her? She wasn't crazy! And why was Matt, the one who had been so nice to her through everything before, being so mean now?

"Yes."

At the sound of a feeble whisper, Sora looked up. Davis was staring at her now and had stopped his squirming. His eyes danced in the light and Sora felt a flicker of hope. Her face brightened a little.

"Yes," Davis repeated. "I do."

"But why? I know I shouldn't question your trust, but no one else…" Sora wanted to cry again. If Davis believed her then he was the only one.

"I saw," Davis choked. "I s-saw a hand when I opened the door, r-right before you fell at my f-feet. And last night… I-I looked out the window… I thought it was a-a dream… someone was c-carrying something l-large and there… was s-so much red on their s-shirt…"

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I know this is getting long, but hey, I'm trying.