CHAPTER 15
THE PLOT THICKENS...
Some time later, Tokyo and its outskirts had gotten some snow. Tamiko and Hikari weren't currently on speaking terms, but they both were kind of regretting the way things were at the moment. On a Wednesday, Tamiko was waiting outside Jane's house in his SUV, ready to take her to school. He was staring at his phone, with an unsent text on the screen, meant for Hikari. He was debating whether or not to send it.
"It would be better to speak with him in person..." Tamiko thought, then sighed. "But then, what if he doesn't wanna talk?"
Tamiko was then startled by the sounds of knocking on the passenger door window, then unlocked the door for Jane, who gets in and closes the door.
"I didn't mean to startle you." said Jane.
"It's fine." said Tamiko and turned the screen of his phone off, then puts it away. "I've just been... debating on whether or not to text Hikari."
"You guys gotta make up." said Jane. "You're family."
"I'm planning on going to talk to him at the manor after school." said Tamiko. "Would you mind coming with me?"
Jane smiled.
"Absolutely." she said.
"Oh! Almost forgot." said Tamiko. "Hot cocoa?" he asked and grabbed a cup out of the cup holder.
"Yes, thank you!" Jane said excitedly and grabbed the cup, then started drinking from it.
"You're welcome." Tamiko said with a smile and started up the truck, then drove off.
At the Graywolf Manor, Louis was having another meeting with his psychiatrist. He took a moment before he spoke.
"I don't know if things are better or worse." said Louis.
"How so?" asked the psychiatrist.
"I was... sleep deprived..." said Louis. "I didn't wanna sleep for a while. You may recall my fears from last time."
"About your son." said the psychiatrist.
"Yeah." said Louis. "I didn't go to sleep for a while... Then, I kept hallucenating the killer was here... I didn't know what else to do but to just suck it up and sleep through the nightmares... If it weren't for my husband, I'd probably be drinking by now."
"And since you have started sleeping more, have the hallucenations stopped?" asked the psychiatrist. "They're less frequent. Normally, I can blink them away."
Wallace, Idaho.
In the woods near town.
A dog was screaming as she was running.
"HELP!" she screamed. "HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"
She notices a cow walking ahead of her, though not within talking distance.
"HELP! PLEASE!" the dog screams as she runs up to her.
The cow who turned out to be Mary took out her earbuds.
"What's wrong, hun?" asked Mary.
"Someone's trying to kill me..." the dog cried. "He killed my boyfriend and he's after me."
"Oh dear..." said Mary and hugged her. "I'm so sorry... Listen, just... Stick with me and you'll be alright."
They disconnected from the hug.
"Thank you..." said the dog and noticed Melon from a distance, running toward them.
"That's him!" the dog screamed, scared. Mary then restrained the dog tight against her.
"I know." said Mary.
"What? What are you doing?" asked the dog, scared.
"Well, we're going to kill you, of course." said Mary.
"Nooo... NOOOOO! NOOOOOO!" the dog screamed.
Melon ran up to them and took a moment to himself, out of breath.
"I... Really don't... appreciate the running, bitch." said Melon.
"I got her, babe." said Mary.
"Good." Melon said and stood up. He then stabbed the dog in the chest. Melon then laughed, seeing hee reaction and started repeatedly stabbing her.
Mary let go and the dog fell to the ground, dying.
The two then laugh as they look down at her.
At school, between classes, Jane is walking to the library, when she is passing a group of friends, who then notice her.
"Hey, it's Jane!" one of them said enthusiastically. "Hey, Jane!"
Jane stopped and looked at them, confused. Looking at them, she realized it was the German shepherd she punched earlier in the year.
"Would you mind signing my yearbook when we get one?" asked the German shepherd.
Jane walked up to the group.
"Before Tamiko and I became friends, you and your buddies laughed at me and called me a hooker." she said. "Popular or not, I will never forget that and I will never be your friend. Take your yearbook and shove it up your ass without any lube." she said and walked off.
In the library, Jane sat at her usual table, smiling as she's reading, when Tamiko sat down.
"The Haunting of Hill House." said Tamiko, reading the title. "You have good taste."
"Thank you!" said Jane. "I like a lot of ghost tales."
"Do you ever watch the movies?" asked Tamiko.
"Yeah." said Jane. "A lot of times, they don't measure up, but they're good fun."
"Admittedly, I don't really read much." said Tamiko. "I tend to know titles and authors from my knowledge of movies and TV."
"Really?" asked Jane. "Then tell me... what was the first adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House?"
"The Haunting, released in 1963 and starring Julie Harris in the lead role and directed by Robert Wise." said Tamiko.
"That's kinda cool that you know that off the top of your head." said Jane.
Tamiko smiled.
"Passion." he said.
"How have you been treated today?" asked Tamiko.
"School feels less like Hell because of you." said Jane. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, bestie." Tamiko joked.
After school, Tamiko and Jane showed up at Graywolf Manor, and Tamiko knocked on the front door. After a few minutes, Legoshi opened the door and smiled.
"Hello, brother." he said and hugged Tamiko.
"Brother, this is Jane Wolfe." said Tamiko.
Legoshi studied her with his eyes.
"You know, you look EXACTLY like someone I knew in school." he said. "Would you be related to Juno Wolfe in any way?"
"Yeah." said Jane. "She's my mother."
"That makes so much sense." said Legoshi.
"Is, umm... Is Hikari around?" asked Tamiko.
"Yeah." said Legoshi. "He doesn't want to talk unless it's a civil conversation though."
"I promise." said Tamiko.
"Come on in." said Legoshi and let them inside, leading them to the living room.
"You have a really nice place here." said Jane.
"My first choice was to build a house on my mother's property, but... It would've likely been harder to protect our... earnings." said Legoshi and smiled.
"Where's Louis?" asked Tamiko.
"He's taking care of some things at Lougosi." said Legoshi. "He's been very stressed about this situation. The therapist recommended distractions."
Tamiko sighed.
"Are you guys doing okay?" he asked.
"Yeah." said Legoshi. "It's just hard seeing him so frightened."
"Yeah." said Tamiko. "Please excuse me." he said and got up. "I have to use the restroom."
"Alright." said Jane.
Tamiko then went to the restroom. Very very soon after, Sarena came in out of the cold and took her coat and shoes off, then sat on the sofa next to Legoshi and noticed Jane on the sofa in front of them.
"You must be Tamiko's friend he mentioned." said Sarena. "He speaks very fondly of you."
"Really?" asked Jane. "What has he said?"
"You're beautiful." said Sarena. "He also says it hurts when you're unhappy. Tamiko's very special, Jane."
Jane looked down as Sarena took a moment to speak.
"He loves you." said Sarena. "You shouldn't let yourself lose that."
"She's right." Jane thought. "We can't do this dance forever."
Soon enough, Tamiko and Hikari were in the room with Yuki, Sarena and Jane.
"I'm sorry." said Tamiko. "I do have a little growing up to do and I know you had good intentions. I shouldn't have been so... angry at you."
"It was justified." said Hikari. "Yes, I did have good intentions, but... I was... brutal."
"Sooo... Can we be best buds again?" asked Tamiko.
Hikari smiled.
"We're family." he said. "We're always going to be close no matter what."
Tamiko smiled as well.
"In that case, this is my newest friend, Jane Wolfe." he said.
"Nice to meet you, madam." said Hikari. "My name is Hikari Graywolf. This is my girlfriend, Yuki Leona. I believe you've already met Sarena."
"Yes." said Jane. "She's a very kind person."
"It is a very important thing to have good relationships with people." said Sarena. "You never know who's going to be here tomorrow."
"Indeed..." Jane thought to herself.
Leaving the manor, Jane and Hikari are talking.
"You got plans tonight?" asked Jane.
"No." said Tamiko and smiled. "I am free for anything."
"How's about a scary movie?" asked Jane. "I hear there's a really good one in the theaters right now."
Tamiko smiled.
"I'd love that." he said.
Jane smiled.
"Great." she said.
Lougosi Corporation. Louis's office.
Having a silent moment, Louis got up and sat at his piano he hadn't touched for about a month or two. Through the hunt for Melon, he had left a trusted employee in charge until today. He dusted it off and blew dust off a picture of him and Legoshi from their days at Cherryton. He then smiled slightly.
"Those were easier days..." he said.
The room's temperature then changed, feeling warm like summer, but not too hot, nor too cold. A hand gently grabs him by the shoulder and rubs his arm gently up and down. It was a touch he hadn't felt in a long... long time. Right next to him on the bench, a doe sat down, not aging a day since Louis was 3 years old... it was his mother...
"Mother?" asked Louis.
"It's me, son." said Louis' mother.
"Are you... really here?" asked Louis, getting tears in his eyes.
"Yes, honey." said Louis' mother. "And your father and I heard everything you said at our grave. We don't blame you for any anger you had toward us. Life hurt you and you needed a reason to focus your pain on."
Louis started crying as he hugged her tight.
"We love you very much." she said. "We always have and we always will."
"I love you too, mother" said Louis and took a moment before responding. "Mother?"
"Yes, hun?" asked his mother.
"Do I have what it takes to protect my son?" asked Louis.
"You're his father." said Louis' mother. "You have as much power to protect him as you will yourself to."
Louis hugs her slightly tighter.
"I'm so proud of you." said his mother.
The air once again felt like winter as Louis felt the absence of someone in the hug. He then opened his eyes in tears. Now alone again, he sobs.
Wallace, Idaho.
As Melon and Mary were packing up, ready to leave for a new place to hide, there was a knock on the door. Melon handed her a switchblade that was currently closed, as he hid from plain sight with a pistol. Mary opened the door and saw no one.
"What the hell?" she said.
"What is it?" asked Melon.
"No one." said Mary.
"Be careful out there." said Melon.
Mary smirked at him.
"What could go wrong?" she asked and left the doorway.
"Well, you're probably about to find out." Melon muttered.
Investigating, Mary walks on the sidewalk along the other rooms, seeing no one, then stops at an alleyway and sighs. All of a sudden, she felt a wire choking her as she is pulled against a wall, backwards, by someone else.
"We got you this time, bitch." a male polar bear whispered into her ear. He pulled the wire tighter, choking her even more as she tried pulling at the wire.
"You and your boyfriend are going to pay." said the polar bear.
The last thing that ran through her mind was "Bloody Ma-"
Mary then stopped struggling as she succumbed...
The polar bear then pushed her lifeless body onto the ground roughly and got out his phone. He then dialed a number.
"Boss, we've found them." said the polar bear. "The cow has been taken care of. We are-"
At this time, he heard a gunshot.
"I gotta go, now!" said the polar bear and rushed off toward the shot, only to be shot in the head, Melon holding the pistol.
"Mary?" Melon asked.
He then got no answer.
"MARY!" Melon shouted, to which he got the same result.
He then started running, before seeing Mary's corpse near the edge of the alleyway and dropped to his knees in shock.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Melon thought to himself before rage took over him.
"This means war." he said.