Chapter 4

Ishness!

Lunch.

Everyone's favorite subject, if it were a subject. It's a time to take a break from the grueling pace of school and kick back with friends, eat a frightening lunch from the cafeteria if you were unlucky enough to forget to pack your own. It was a time to let loose and do nothing constructive but refuel your body so it will be ready for the rest of the day.

Lunch periods, however, often found Jetta in the library. Hardly ever did she actually go down to the cafeteria. She hated the loud noise. She hated the long lines. She hated the cussing and foul language. In short, she hated the hustle, bustle and atmosphere of the lunch room. So, lunch times were usually spent upstairs in the solitude of the quiet library, eating lunch and surfing the internet on her laptop she had bought with her own money.

The librarians had been shocked that she spent her lunch up there at first. She was the first student to ever do this, but she probably wouldn't the last. But Jetta never made any trouble, hardly said a word, so the librarians never made a fuss about it.

Today's lunch was work time. Jetta thoughtfully munched on her sandwich as she surfed through news articles. Most of them were about high gas prices, the war that was going on, or some hurricane that had recently come through. Well, not so recently. It had been nearly six months ago. The war had been going on for as long as anyone could remember, and the gas was just a rant. She couldn't find anything on what she was looking for though.

"J.B.!" a happy voice called out from the other side of the library.

Jetta turned to see her best friend, Ish, bounding up to her, her long red hair falling every which way, green eyes as happy and joyful as ever. Jetta couldn't help but chuckle a little bit.

Ish was always happy it seemed, even to the point of insanity it seemed sometimes. The two had known each other for years. They were childhood friends. Ish's family was richer than Jetta's and could afford to pay the fee to send her. Jetta had come by invitation. They were just happy they could both go to the same school.

"What's up Ish?" Jetta asked as Ish sat down beside her.

"Just wondering what you were up to," Ish shrugged as Jetta took another bite of her lunch.

"The same as always," Jetta stated.

"Whatcha lookin' for today?" Ish wondered. "More adult anime?" Jetta nearly choked on her pop that she had started to take a sip of.

"That was one time, one time," Jetta protested when she had regained herself. "I didn't know what it was," she paused. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope," Ish shook her head, a chuckle clear in her voice.

Jetta sighed. "I guess that's what friends do huh?"

"Yep. Best friends anyways," Ish agreed. "So, whatcha lookin' for?" Ish repeated.

"A news article on some killer," Jetta stated, going back to scrolling down the page.

"School work?" Ish raised an eyebrow.

"Personal reasons," Jetta replied.

"Neb come to you again?" Ish wondered.

"Is it that obvious?" Jetta groaned.

"Only to those who know," Ish shrugged again.

"Yes, well they came and had a chat before school," Jetta informed.

"What's Shadu think about it?" Ish looked up expectantly.

"Shadu finds it all very puzzling," Jetta stated, filling in for Shadu.

"Aw…he's not coming out," Ish pouted.

"No, remember the last time he did that in the middle of the library?" Jetta asked.

"Is that why one of the librarians was sent to the hospital that day?" Ish raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, Ish, Shadu nearly shocked her to death," Jetta nodded. "She acts as though she'd never seen an ancient spirit before," Jetta mumbled to herself as she stuffed some more of her sandwich in her mouth. "And remember the time before that?"

"Oh, duct-taping him to the ceiling by his toes?" Ish laughed at the memory.

"And later going on to wrap the rest of him in duct tape," Jetta confirmed sourly. "I'm still not sure how you made it where he couldn't get out."

"Aww, why do you sound so bitter about it?" Ish asked, her laughter still apparent. "You thought it was funny too."

"Yeah, until the next day," Jetta shot back. "He was mad at me for weeks. Weeks! It's not good to have your yami mad at you. He can, and does, make life very miserable."

"How bad could it have really been?" Ish smiled, not understanding.

"Every time I went to sleep, he'd wake me up every thirty minutes," Jetta explained. "Every test, he'd talk all during it and cause me to fail. I never got any time to myself. He was always there and talking to me. How bad could it be? You can't even comprehend," she looked up at her best friend's shocked face and sighed, looking back down at her keyboard. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap, it's just," Jetta took a breath, "I'm supposed to be looking for a killer. The only problem is, Nebamun and Ishizu both had no idea where to start looking. It's a complete mystery. What's worse, this guy, whoever he is, can strike anyone at any time. I'm just a little tense right now."

/More than just a little if you'd snap at Ish/ Shadu's gentle voice stated over the mental link.

/Not like you aren't/

/How very true/

"It's okay J.B. I know it's not personal," Ish smiled. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I'm not sure you could help, even if you wanted to," Jetta smiled back, though only thinly.

"Why?" Ish cocked her head.

"I found one short article on this," Jetta explained. "It said that the killings are very mysterious. Like we didn't know that. Since the authorities hadn't been able to pinpoint any cause, or gather any information, they aren't releasing anything at all."

"I see," Ish noted, a little confused.

"Don't worry ol' pal of mine," Jetta smiled, even a little deviously. "I have my ways of finding out what I need to know. I'll take care of this."