TWO – WITH LOVE
She tore open the contents of the box and found several envelopes that were slightly battered and tattered through some sort of handling. She checked them for attempts of delivery: no stamps, no postmark, no return address. A blank envelope with certain contents within its fold.
She opened some of the letters but didn't understand what they were. There words of course, but it was only one word. She glanced at the pile of envelopes within the box and there were piles and piles of envelopes. Fearing mildly, she took another envelope and unfolded its piece of paper. A second word.
What in the world was Yoh trying to tell Manta—she thought slowly—unless...
"Anna, you in there?"
"Shut up." She glared at the door as if it was the one who spoke.
"Okay." Manta's footsteps faded down the hallway. Was Manta expecting a package?
She took out several more from the envelopes and found it had to be a sentence that Yoh may have wanted to communicate. Perhaps he had realized someone desperate enough would try to intercept his package and read it. The only person he probably knew desperate enough to do that was her. Anna would be the only one who wanted to know of his whereabouts.
It was hopeless to return this Manta even if he probably knew how to figure this terrible puzzle. It was wrong enough for her to trespass in his territory or even steal from him.
Her heart felt as if it stopped when she uncovered one piece of paper that had two words on it.
Tao Ren.
It was the only piece of paper out of the eight she revealed at the moment to have two words.
She gathered the papers together and stuffed all of them into one envelope and threw the empty ones back into the cardboard box. Anything I might throw away—she thought—may be something I'll regret. Everything seemed to be a puzzle.
In an instant, she conjured a plan to find out what this puzzle meant. She headed outside and shut the door to her room. She headed to the telephone and speed-dialed the Asakura household.
"I'm taking several weeks off of school." She paused. "No reason." She lied and hung up. She headed back to her room and gathered items she may need. In the end, it took her merely twenty minutes to gather her belongings together. Anna reached for her cell phone and dialed for the most convenient flight. "I'd like a ticket to China." She paused. "In three hours? Good."
She left the house without a word. Tamao and Manta did not bother to ask what the matter was. She was insensitive: in and out whenever she felt like. The moment Anna had left the house the phone rang coincidentally. Tamao picked it up and sighed.
"Hello?"
There was a faint familiarity behind his voice: "May I speak to her?"
"She left a while ago." Tamao's voice trailed off as the speaker on the other line hung up before she could finish her sentence.
