Well, we're at the start of summer. And I haven't been able to get a new job for next year! Faaaaaantastic! Ah, well, I've got a good thing going on right now. And there's always next year, right? On top of that, there's the prepping for my brother's wedding in August. Man, things are gonna get busy! And in this chapter, things are going to go down!
Chapter 32
The Plot Thickens
Bu-Bu-Bu-Beep! Bu-Bu-Bu-Beep! Bu-Bu-Bu-Beep!
"Alright, alright…" Ren groaned groggily, rolling over in her bed to shut off her alarm clock. With half-open eyes, Ren sat on the edge of her bed and yawned before standing up. She adjusted her green pyjamas that had frog faces instead of polka dots and reached up to scratch her head. When she touched the wool beanie, she became properly awake after remembering why it was there. Her face quickly went sad, and with a sigh, she picked up a glasses case from her bedside table and made her way out her room.
"Did Ren seriously sleep wearing that?" Toshiro asked Katelyn, baffled that Ren was willing to sleep while wearing something that itchy on her head.
"She must have been afraid of her parents finding out…I guess." Katelyn said as Ren walked through them and out her bedroom, and the retreating footsteps getting quieter and quieter let the invisible duo know that Ren had gone downstairs.
"True…But, there's one thing I can't figure out."
"What's that?"
"Earlier, you said that you had no idea Rosalie hacked Ren's hair off, yet you first spoke to Ren…" Toshiro checked the date in the diary. "…today. How could you not realise what happened?"
"Well…" Katelyn started.
SMASH!
"What the…" Toshiro looked over his shoulder towards the door to Ren's room. "That came from downstairs." Toshiro immediately ran through the door, down the stairs and into the kitchen. The first sight he saw was the broken glass on the floor, surrounded by a puddle of water. At least that explained the smash sound he heard. The second sight was Ren's beanie hat lying next to the puddle. Toshiro looked up at Ren, and his eyes went wide. Katelyn arrived at the kitchen and saw what, and who, Toshiro was looking at.
"That's why." Katelyn finished. Ren, meanwhile, had not noticed her dropped glass of water on the floor, even as the puddle spread to her bare feet. She was too busy staring at her reflection in the microwave. Her hair was no longer the boyish length it was yesterday. Now, it was much longer and reached down to her waist; her hair's original length. Ren reached a hand up to her head and ran it down from her scalp to the tips of her hair. It felt real. But it couldn't be real.
"It's impossible…" Ren whispered. Ren grabbed the glasses case she had brought downstairs from the kitchen counter and opened it up, thinking she was seeing things due to not wearing glasses and still being a little half asleep. She placed the glasses over her eyes. But, after a few seconds, she took them off again. Then on. Then off. "That's weird." Ren put the glasses on. "Blurry." She took them off. "Not blurry."
"Ren, are you alright?" Harley asked in a panicked voice, running to the kitchen doorway and stopping himself just before stepping on the glass. He himself had clearly just woken up, too, as his brown hair was messier than usual, and he was still dressed in his pyjamas of a white t-shirt and loose red tartan flannel pants.
"Harley?"
"I heard a noise. Did you break something?"
"Yeah, I…I just…dropped a glass." Ren answered, still a little dazed at what was happening to her.
"Don't move. I'll clean this up." Harley, clearly not noticing Ren's sudden hair growth, stepped over the glass and went to a cupboard under the sink, pulling out a dustpan and brush which he used to sweep up the glass.
"Harley…Is it possible for a person who was short sighted to suddenly have perfect vision?"
"If they had laser eye surgery, then yes. If not, no." Harley answered, cleaning up the puddle with some paper towels.
"Oh…" Ren said, looking at her glasses.
"Why do you ask?"
"Um…"
"Wait a minute…" Harley started, noticing something different about Ren. He stood up and took a closer look. His eyes widened. "Your hair's grown back!"
"I know." Ren said gravely.
"Damn, I knew you recovered from injuries quickly, but this is ridiculous."
"?" Toshiro became confused at this statement. What was Harley talking about?
"And why aren't you wearing your glasses? I know you know your way, but it's still dangerous to walk around without them."
"I can see, Harley." Ren said calmly, though her voice was shaking from shock and fear. "The glasses make everything blurry."
"What?!" Harley grabbed a pen and ripped a sheet of paper off the magnetic shopping list on the fridge, immediately scribbling something onto it. When he was done, he slammed the pen on the kitchen counter, took Ren's glasses out of her hand and placed them on her face. "Right. Read this." Harley showed Ren the sheet of paper.
"Uh…Q…6…Um…! Ren said, squinting.
"Alright…" Harley took Ren's glasses off. "Try it now."
"OG74HR." Ren said immediately. Silence.
"Oh, my god, you can see." Harley said flatly.
"Uuuu, this is bad. Rosalie is sure to notice." Ren said, on the verge of panicking as she clasped her head.
"Ren, look at me." Harley said, grasping Ren's shoulders. Ren looked. "You can't keep it a secret forever. This was bound to come out sooner or later."
"But if Rosalie finds out, then things are only going to get worse. She'll never let me hear the end of it! If she called me a freak before, she'll think I'm a monster!" Ren was clearly not listening to Harley in her panic.
"Ren, you're panicking. Are you okay? Do you need your inhaler?" Harley asked, his grip on her shoulders tightening.
"I…" Ren hesitated. "I don't." She said, confused.
"What?"
"I mean…I should need it, but…I can breathe…" Ren took a couple deep breaths, and they came out clearly with no signs of struggling or wheezing.
"Your asthma's gone, too?!" Harley exclaimed. "Wow." Harley let go of Ren's shoulders and placed a hand on his head, overwhelmed with what was happening. "Wow…" Harley said again. "Wow, this is big. But, like I said, it was bound to come out sooner or later. It's not an easy secret to keep. They had to know soon."
"But not like this!" Ren cried, her panic returning.
"It's alright, Ren." Harley said firmly, placing a hand on Ren's head. "I'll protect you." "Harley gave Ren a soft smile that only an elder brother could give. But, this did nothing to comfort Ren.
"No." Ren shook her head, shaking off Harley's hand. "No, I can hide it." As she spoke, Ren picked up her hat and stuffed her long locks inside it. "I won't let them know." Ren put her glasses on her face and left the kitchen. "I can't let anyone know!"
"Ren!" Harley yelled after Ren right before he heard a thump, followed by a quiet "Ow…" from Ren. "The stairs are on your left."
"Thank you."
"Well, that explains a lot." Toshiro said, now understanding why the current Ren wasn't asthmatic and didn't wear glasses. "Although, I'm not sure what Harley meant by Ren recovering from injuries quickly."
"Uh…" Katelyn started, her eyes drifting left and right. "Why don't you skip ahead and find out?"
"…" Toshiro narrowed his eyes, suspicious of Katelyn's behaviour. But, he got the diary out and turned the page. In seconds, the duo was back at the school, and the first thing they saw was Ren walking straight into a bag rack.
"Ow!" Ren staggered back, rubbing her head. She tucked a lock of hair into her hat before straightening it while clearing her throat. She side-stepped around the bag rack and carried on walking…right into a door. "Ow!" While this was happening, Harley was stood behind Ren, rolling his eyes. "Nya! Ow!" Now, Ren was on the floor, staring at a toppled over chair. "Who put that chair there?" Ren stood up and walked straight into a wall, making her stagger and fall over with another "Ow!"
"Okay, enough is enough." Harley got down on one knee in front of Ren. "Just take those glasses off. You'll get hurt."
"Dame da." Ren made an X sign with her arms. "They'll know I can see without them if I do."
Oh, and walking into things isn't a clue? Toshiro heard Harley think.
"Just say you're wearing contact lenses, then." Harley suggested. Silence.
"Oh!" Ren exclaimed, tapping her fist on her palm. "Why didn't I think of that?!"
What an idiot. Harley, Katelyn and Toshiro thought at the same time, sweat dropping.
"Well, they're cracked anyway." Ren took her glasses off and pocketed them. "But I'm keeping the hat and inhaler."
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"That's the bell." Harley stood up and helped Ren back on her feet. "Come on, I'll walk you to registration."
"Harley, I can walk by myself. Just get to your form room."
"And let Rosalie harass you? Not a chance."
"Oh, alright." Ren gave in, but Toshiro noticed how there was no reluctance in her voice. In fact, as they walked off, Ren was still holding Harley's hand. And like they did with Rosalie the previous day, the crowd of students parted to let the siblings through. It was mainly because, whenever somebody looked in Ren's direction with malicious intent, Harley would shoot them a look that said "This is my little sister. You mess with her, you mess with me.", and they quickly backed off, even if some of them were older than Harley. They were smart enough to know that a protective older brother like Harley was not to be messed with. And a quick glance into his mind showed Toshiro that Harley had given quite a few people a piece of his mind, and then some, to anyone who dared to harm Ren.
"Here we are, Ren." Harley said, stopping in front of a classroom. "I'll see you at lunch."
"Okay." Ren said, letting go of Harley's hand with some reluctance. She walked into the classroom, pausing for a moment to turn to Harley and make a heart shape with her hands, with Harley, returning the gesture, and he didn't leave the doorway until Ren was sat down behind a table.
Alright, I can do this. Ren thought, getting a book out of her bag and reading it. If anyone asks, I'm wearing contact lenses. The hat shouldn't be a problem; Rosalie gets away with not wearing a uniform, so I should, too. I just have to make sure it doesn't fall off or get snatched.
"Hey, dork."
"…" Ren looked up, and met the face of a girl her age, which had brown hair tied back in a ponytail.
This girl… Ren thought. She's from Redwood, too. She's wearing the symbol on her blazer.
"Symbol?" Toshiro thought out loud.
"That's right. I almost forgot. Six years ago, anybody associated with the Thornton's or the village of Redwood were required to wear a badge bearing the family symbol. I think it was to show Ren that no matter where she went, Redwood would be there. It was to make her feel as powerless as possible." Katelyn explained.
"Mind explaining this?" The brown haired girl asked, placing a sheet of paper on Ren's table. Ren looked at it. It was a test sheet littered with red X's, and right at the top was Ren's name.
Right. Ren thought. Rosalie ordered me to fail my tests since I get better marks than her. Ren glanced up at the girl. Now she's sending lackeys to punish me for doing what she asked? Does she want me to get good marks or bad marks?!
"Answer me!" The girl demanded, slamming a hand on the table to get Ren's attention. "Did you even study for this?"
"Sort of…" Ren muttered.
"Sort of? Ha! 'Sort of' doesn't justify this awful mark! And the teachers say you're smart? I think they've got a few screws loose." The girl took two fingers and placed one on each side of Ren's head, twisting them left and right. "And so have you. But, oh dear. I can't seem to screw them back in."
"Hey, leave her alone!" Toshiro yelled, forgetting for a moment that nobody could hear him except for Katelyn.
"I mean, look at this!" The girl snatched the book Ren had been reading out of her hands. "'Animal Farm'? You're still reading baby books!"
"Give that back!" Ren stood up and tried to grab it, but the girl was much taller than Ren, and she simply held it up in the air and out of reach.
"Aw, what's wrong? Does baby want her baby book back? Does baby need her big brother here to save her? Aw, what, you gonna cwy? Is baby gonna cwy because she can't have her baby book back? Is baby too stupid to read?"
"…" Ren looked at the ground with her fists clenched, frustration evident on her face as she clearly heard the snickers of the people in her form group.
"Actually, you're wrong."
"Huh?" Everyone, including the time travellers, looked in the direction of the voice. It was a boy with curly blonde hair.
Tom? Toshiro thought, recognising the boy as a younger version of Ren's friend.
"What do you know?" The girl demanded with a sneer.
"A lot more than you." Tom retorted calmly, approaching the girl and taking Ren's book out of her hand. "This is a classic by George Orwell. It tells the tale of how power can be used and abused, and how the animals were powerless to do anything. It's actually quite complex. I've heard that this is studied in the sixth form, and she's already reading it at age twelve." Tom looked at Ren and smiled. "That's amazing…Ren, is it?"
"…" Ren, stunned that someone stepped in to help her, could only nod in response.
"Whatever." The girl, obviously losing interest, walked off to the other side of the classroom.
"Um…" Ren started. "A…Arigatou." Ren said, giving Tom a small bow.
"Ariga…Oh, is that Japanese?" Tom held his chin in thought. "I know I heard it somewhe…Ah, I see. You're welcome." Tom handed the book back to Ren, who clutched it to her chest and gave another small bow. "So, what got you to read that book?"
"Well, um…It reminds me of myself…I guess." Ren said quietly, overcome with sudden shyness.
"I see…" Tom looked at the ground sadly, realising what Ren meant. "But…I know that your story will have a happy ending." Tom said, trying to lighten the mood. And when he saw a happy spark in Ren's eyes, Tom knew it had worked.
"Um…What's your name?" Ren asked.
"My name is Tom. Tom Barnes. I'm from Woolfield."
"One of the villages." Ren realised. "Oh! Um…I'm Ren. Ren Conner."
Wait, he already knows that. Toshiro heard Ren think. Ren, you idiot!
"It's nice to meet you, Ren. Honestly, I've wanted to talk to you for a while."
"Why?"
"Because you seemed like an interesting person. And I was right."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Tom nodded. "Wait…where are your glasses?"
"Oh, um, they broke." Ren said quickly. "I'm uh…I'm wearing contacts."
"Oh, okay." Tom smiled at Ren. £If you ask me, you look a lot prettier without them."
"…" Ren felt her cheeks turn pink. Tom outstretched a hand to Ren, who only stared at it.
"I want us to be friends."
"You do?"
"Why are you so surprised?"
"Uh, nothing." Ren said, waving a hand dismissively.
He wants to be my friend? Is he out of his mind? Does he even know what Rosalie could do to him? And yet…Ren placed a hand where her heart would be. It feels strange right here.
"So, what do you say? Do you want to be friends?" Tom asked politely, Ren's silence not going unnoticed.
"Um…okay." After some hesitation, Ren reached out and clasped Tom's hand, cementing their new friendship.
"So that was how they met?" Toshiro asked Katelyn.
"It is." Katelyn nodded.
"I'm glad that he was there for Ren." Toshiro opened the diary and tried to read the entry, succeeding after a few attempts. "And judging from this entry, I'd say Ren was glad, too."
"Of course she was." Katelyn said. "Up until that point, almost nobody had ever stood up for Ren before. She had been conditioned to believe that nobody would come to save her, whether she asked for help or not. Likewise, everyone was too afraid to do anything about it."
"Rosalie?"
"Rosalie."
"Now, that's just evil." Toshiro said angrily, remembering Ren's tearful confession during the Nathan incident. "It's bad enough Ren didn't have anyone to turn to, but to rub it in her face?!"
"That's just the way things were."
"Why are you wearing a hat?" Tom's question brought the duo back to what Ren and Tom were doing.
"Um, well, uh…" Ren's eyes shifted around, trying to think of something to say. "I got a bad haircut the other day. It's really embarrassing."
Well, technically, it's not a lie. Ren thought to herself, not knowing that a certain white haired time travelling invisible boy heard every word.
"It's not that bad, is it?"
"Yeah, yeah, it is." Ren said quickly, moving a few paces back just in case Tom tried to take it off, even though he made no attempts of doing so.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Alright, settle down, everyone." A male teacher said, walking through Toshiro and Katelyn and into the classroom "It's time for the register."
"Wow that still feels weird." Katelyn said, shivering.
"It takes some getting used to. I'm still getting adjusted to it myself." Toshiro reassured Katelyn while never taking his eyes off Ren as she sat down and went back to her book.
Saved by the bell. Ren thought as the teacher took the register. It's great that my hair's grown back, but why did it happen? And on top of that, my asthma's gone and I don't need to wear my glasses anymore. I've always healed quickly, but nothing like this has ever happened before.
There it is again. Toshiro thought. Somebody's mentioned Ren's healing ability. What do they mean?
What's going on? Wait… Ren looked down and held the teardrop-shaped gem of the necklace in her hand. Could this necklace have something to do with it?
"Ren Conner."
"Wha-I wasn't-I didn't-I mean, yes?" Ren gabbled, startled at having her name called.
"Calm down, Ren. It's just the register." The teacher said calmly, which prompted the form to give off spiteful snickers.
"Uuuu…" Ren whined, hiding her embarrassed face behind her book.
"…" Tom was the only person (well, solid person) who wasn't snickering, and this didn't go unnoticed by Toshiro.
"I don't get it. Why did Tom choose now of all times to talk to Ren?"
"Because he was afraid of the repercussions from the Thornton family. To them, Ren was more than just a strange girl."
"What do you mean?" Toshiro asked.
"Throughout the history of our villages, there is a myth that there is someone from the villages once a generation that will try to bring about Redwood's downfall. With the Thornton's history and reputation, that wasn't surprising, but they made sure that nobody would go against them, including that person. This person was considered bad luck among the villagers of Redwood. In fact, the myth was so widely believed, they gave it a name."
"The Redwood Reaper…" Toshiro realised.
"Exactly." Katelyn confirmed, deciding not to question Toshiro on how he knew that.
"So that's why Ren is being tormented? The Thornton's thought she was bad luck?" Toshiro asked, finding it ridiculous that such a powerful family believed in such a stupid myth.
"It was. They noticed that there was something about Ren that was different from everyone else. You could say that something was "off" about her. So, they had me keep an eye on her and ensure she wouldn't have the courage to stand up to the Thornton's or anybody from Redwood. But, when Ren attacked me, it only confirmed their suspicions that Ren would make Redwood fall. That's when Rosalie took over my role, and before we knew it…" Katelyn looked into the classroom, where the students were all talking in groups, except for Ren, who was left alone as if there was a shield surrounding her that prevented anyone from approaching her. "…Ren's life was miserable."
"The Thornton's were right about one thing."
"What's that?"
"Ren really did cause Redwood's downfall. She did destroy the village, after all."
"Hm." Katelyn agreed.
"Did you believe in the Redwood Reaper?" Toshiro asked out of curiosity.
"Of course not." Katelyn immediately answered. "Unlike the Thornton's and the Redwood villagers, my family and I didn't let paranoia and superstitions rule our judgement and common sense." Katelyn's eyes shifted to look at Ren. "Although, I did sense something about Ren. I could never put my finger on it until now. I mean…she's human, but at the same time, I knew that there was something inside of her that made her…special."
"Like her Cielvian heritage."
"Yeah, like that."
"I've noticed that Harley mentioned Ren could heal quickly. Do you know what he means?"
"You'll find out when this Ren meets past me." Was all Katelyn said to answer Toshiro's question.
"When's that?" Toshiro asked, getting the diary out, but Katelyn placed a hand on the cover to prevent him from opening it.
"It won't be long. Besides, you'll want to see what happens next." As if on cue, the school bell rang, and Ren practically jumped out of her chair as if she had suddenly been shot with electricity, shoving her book into her bag as she briskly walked out of the classroom and not noticing when a fluffy purple pencil case fell out and onto the floor.
"Ren, wait!"
"Huh?" Ren stopped walking and turned around, seeing Tom pick up her pencil case.
"Is this yours?" He asked.
"Yes, sorry." Ren said, trotting over to him and taking the pencil case. She gave a quick bow, turned around and briskly walked away.
"Ren, I was wondering if you would…" Tom trailed off after realising that Ren was already gone. "...like to walk to class together." He finished feebly.
Why did she run off like that? Tom thought. Could it be…? Tome looked behind him, and approaching the classroom was Rosalie, still not wearing her uniform. The crowd parted to let her through instinctively. Rosalie paused outside of the classroom, opening up a vanity mirror to check her lip-gloss. Satisfied, she shut the mirror shut and pocketed it before peering into the classroom with her poisonous smile on her face. But, after a few seconds, she frowned. She straightened up, and that's when her eyes fell upon Tom. Tom didn't say anything, but he did glare at her. Rosalie glared back. The surrounding students were silent, wanting to see where this glare-off would go.
So that's why she left. Tom thought.
"Do you know who you're giving the evil-eye to?" Rosalie asked in a demanding tone.
"Ren's not here." Tom said. "Now, leave."
"You should worry less about that freak and more about yourself." Rosalie held up a pink phone in her hand and waved it left and right. "A friend tells me that you're cosying up to Ren. You know what happens when people get close to her. They seem to have a bad habit of getting hurt."
It must have been that girl teasing Ren this morning. Tom mentally theorised.
"I'm not afraid of you, Rosalie. Anything you do to me is nothing compared to what you put Ren through. And, unlike you, I'm not superstitious. The Redwood Reaper isn't real; you're just using it as an excuse to torment an innocent girl."
"She injured Katelyn. She is an enemy of Redwood. And if you stay with her, you shall become an enemy, too. You're smart. You should know that much. And you should know that everyone has a hard time saying "no" to me. After all…" Rosalie flicked some hair over her shoulder. "…if people aren't afraid of me, they adore me instead."
"…" Tom narrowed his eyes at Rosalie. "When the villagers say they adore you, do they mean it?" Tom asked.
"…" After hearing this question, Rosalie's smile vanished, and her eyes seemed to widen a little. For the first time since arriving in the past, Toshiro could see Rosalie's confidence falter.
"Stay away from Ren." Tom said, and with that, he left. Rosalie watched him leave, still reeling from that piercing question Tom asked her, and the students started to whisper amongst themselves.
"Tch." Rosalie sharply turned around and walked off, the students quickly scuttling to the walls so she could be let through. Toshiro was in awe at the courage Tom had displayed. He had underestimated him; Tom was quite gutsy for a human.
"You should turn the page now." Katelyn said.
"Right." With a newfound respect for Tom, Toshiro turned the page of Ren's diary, and the scene turned white before it switched to the school cafeteria. Toshiro looked behind him at the clock. It was 1:25; ten minutes into the school's lunch break. Toshiro scanned the room, hoping to find somebody familiar, but there were so many students in one room, it was hard to tell who was who.
"If you're looking for Ren, she's over there." Katelyn said, pointing to her left. Toshiro looked. The very first thing he saw was a girl wearing a rainbow beanie, sitting all by herself at a table close to the wall and away from prying eyes. Ren.
"Let's go." Toshiro walked towards Ren's table for a closer look, Katelyn not too far behind.
"…" Ren was silent, pushing her food around on her plate and trying not to draw attention to her. She was starving before, but her nerves prevented her from enjoying her food. Not even this meal of chicken and chips could lighten her mood. She pulled her hat further onto her head, making sure her hair wouldn't fall out.
"There you are."
"?" Ren looked up at the voice. It was Tom, carrying a tray with a can of Cola and a plate of chili con carne on it.
"I was starting to think you weren't here, you were hidden away so well." Tom said with a smile.
That's the idea. Ren thought.
"Do you mind?" Tom asked, sitting down next to Ren and setting his tray on the table.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll go." Ren said, standing up, but Tom grabbed her arm before she could do anything else.
"Why are you leaving?" Tom asked.
"Because nobody ever wants to sit with me."
"I do."
"Yes, but everybody else tells me to move. One time, I just had a chair in that corner over there."
"I would never make you leave."
"Eh?" Ren blinked.
"Stay." Tom said gently. "Please."
"…" Confused, yet touched, Ren slowly sat back down. Tom started to tuck into his lunch, while Ren resumed pushing her food around with a fork, only occasionally taking a bite.
"So…" Tom started after a good minute of silence. "That's a nice hat."
"Th…Thanks." Ren said, clasping her hat as if making sure it was still there. There was another silence, but this one was a lot more awkward than the last one.
Come on, Tom. Think of something to say. Tom thought.
"Have you read 1984?" Tom asked. "It's great."
"I have." Ren nodded.
"I guess that's probably where the Big Brother TV show came from. Am I right?" Tom said with a laugh.
"I guess."
"…" Tom raised an eyebrow. "You don't talk to people much, do you?"
"Mm-mm." Ren shook her head.
"Huh. Well, they're missing out."
"Not really." Ren disagreed. "I'm just a loser. Nobody will ever want to talk to me."
"I'm talking to you, aren't I?"
"You'll probably just laugh at me behind my back like everyone else."
"I would never do that."
"Everyone else has."
"Well, I'm different."
"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from me. I'm bad luck."
"Is that what you believe or what Redwood believes?"
"Uh…" Ren said rather stupidly, trying to think of an answer.
"Ren…" Tom reached out to Ren, hesitating just before he touched her back, and instead opting to place his hand on her shoulder. Ren stiffened a little, but she didn't shrug off his hand. "I won't leave you. You are not bad luck."
"…" Ren said nothing, but Toshiro noticed how, while her face was non-expressive, her eyes were shining with happiness, moved by Tom's words. "Tom, I…" Ren started, turning to look at him, but her eyes quickly widened with fright, and she looked down at her food, stuffing some chips in her mouth.
"Ren, what's wrong?" Tom asked, alarmed.
"Mofin', mofin'." Ren answered, her mouth full of chips.
"Hey, slow down, you'll get hiccups."
"No, I won't." Ren said after swallowing her food, and she hiccupped right on cue. "Uh…that was you."
So she's terrible at lying, too, huh? Toshiro thought, sweat dropping mentally yet also amused at how Past Ren and Present Ren were so similar yet so different; it was almost laughable.
"Calm down, Ren." Tom said, placing a hand on Ren's to prevent her from stuffing her face any further. Ren looked at him, a chip sticking out of her mouth. "Now, what's got you fretting like this?"
"I believe it's me."
"…" Tom didn't need to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. It was Rosalie, and he could just picture her standing there with a hand on her hip and her sweet yet oh so sour smile. She might even have a couple girls behind her. Tom looked over his shoulder. Yep. He was spot on.
"Tom, you should probably change table. There's an insect on this one." Rosalie said, and the two girls behind her snickered. Ren said nothing.
"Get lost." Tom said with a coldness that surprised both Rosalie and Toshiro. Neither of them had ever heard him use that tone before.
"Do you know who you're talking to?"
"I do. And I don't care." Tom turned to Ren. "Ren." Ren looked at him after hearing her name. "Let's go." Tom offered Ren his hand, and after a few seconds of hesitation, Ren took it. They both stood up, and Ren let Tom lead her through the cafeteria, keeping her other hand firmly on her hat.
"Get the hat at my signal." Toshiro heard Rosalie say to one of the girls. "You, block the entrance."
"It's alright, Ren." Tom said in a hushed yet comforting voice. "We're almost there." He turned back around to look at the approaching exit. "What the…" Tom stopped walking. A sixteen year old girl was blocking the doorway with her arms folded and a smile on her face. Tom saw a circular golden brooch of a cross with a large rose shape at the centre taking a proud place on her blazer. Tom looked at the approaching Rosalie and her other flunky, who was also wearing the same brooch.
Damn. Tom mentally cursed. They're all from Redwood.
"I'm not done yet." Rosalie said, standing in front of Tom, who had a protective arm in front of Ren.
"Stay behind me." Tom said to Ren without taking his eyes from Rosalie, and Ren nodded, still keeping a hand on her hat.
"I warned you, Tom I warned you to stay away from that freak. But, I'm a kind person, so I'll let it go this time."
"Kind?! Would a kind person hack off a girl's hair?!" Tom demanded.
"!" Ren's eyes widened. "You knew?"
"I figured it out." Tom said, looking at Ren and his voice becoming gentle. "Why else would you clutch your hat like that?" Tom looked back t Rosalie. "So she gave you that "embarrassing haircut", huh?"
"…" Ren said nothing, but that was all Tom needed to know he was right.
"Wow! Nothing gets past you, Tom!" Rosalie said, clapping. "That's right. I cut her hair. In fact…" Rosalie took her phone out of her pocket and after clicking some buttons, showed the screen to Tom. "I took a picture. After all, you know how a picture makes things last longer."
"!" Tom gasped when he saw the picture, and Ren looked away. "You…" Tom glared at Rosalie, anger and disgust evident on his face. "You're a monster!"
"Oh, I'M a monster? What about her?" Rosalie pointed an elegant finger at Ren. "She's always wandering around with her head in the clouds, and she's as unpredictable as the weather here. She may as well be a robot, because she doesn't have any emotions whatsoever!"
Hey, I'm right here. Ren thought, annoyed yet hurt, since these comments were nothing new to her.
"I'm a monster? She's the inhuman one. Isn't that right, Ren?" Rosalie smiled her smile. Ren didn't answer. "No answer? Why am I not surprised? Well, let me put it in a way you'll understand." Rosalie leaned down to Ren's height. "Nobody wants you here." Rosalie's smile became even more poisonous. "Ba-ke-mo-no."
"Why, that little…" Toshiro growled, walking toward Rosalie with his fists clenched, but Katelyn stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Toshiro, you can't do anything. You don't exist, remember? Besides, that word, um, bakemono, doesn't even mean anything."
"No." Toshiro shook off Katelyn's hand, still fuming. "She just spoke Japanese."
"She did? Well, what does it mean?"
"It means "monster"."
"Oh…" Katelyn said, looking away. Now, she couldn't blame Toshiro for being angry. In fact, if it weren't for them being ghosts, she probably would have let Toshiro unleash his fury on Rosalie.
"Now…" Rosalie looked at her lackey by her side and nodded at her. "Let's show everyone how much of a monster you are."
"!" Ren stood back, now with both hands on her hat.
"What's wrong? He's seen your picture. You don't have to hide how ugly you are." Rosalie said while the other girl walked towards Ren, a hand outstretched and ready to take off the rainbow beanie.
No, no, no, no, no, no! Ren thought.
"!" Toshiro flinched without any warning.
"Toshiro, what's wrong?" Katelyn asked.
"Nothing." Toshiro answered. He glanced behind him.
Just now, my back burned. Toshiro thought. He looked back at Ren, who was fearfully staring at the girl's hand as though it were holding a gun. I'm probably just imagining it.
"No!" Ren yelled, closing her eyes. The girl's hand stopped, and it started to shake.
"What are you doing? Get her hat!" Rosalie demanded.
"I…can't…" The girl said, her voice strained from the effort. "Something…is stopping me."
What? Toshiro thought. Could she be…? Toshiro looked at the girl's struggling hand suspended in front of Ren's confused face. There were tiny white stars shining around the girl's hand, but Toshiro was the only one who noticed. So his back burning wasn't his imagination. Ren was now telekinetic!
"You're useless." Rosalie looked at the other girl guarding the door. She beckoned her with her head and the second girl nodded and approached Ren from behind while Ren was distracted. "No matter. A girl is always prepared."
"!" Tom turned around and noticed the other girl. "Ren, behind you!"
"Eh?" Ren looked behind her and saw the other girl. At the same time, the tiny white stars vanished from the first girl's hand. She flexed her fingers, and smirked when she realised she could move her hand again.
No! Toshiro thought, noticing how Ren's distraction dispelled her telekinetic hold.
"Wide open!" The first girl promptly grabbed Ren's hat and pulled it off her head.
"Nice." Rosalie said to the girl as she pulled off Ren's hat. "Guess you're not useless."
"No!" Ren yelled, trying to grab the hat, but it was too late. Her long, dark blonde hair had already tumbled out of its refuge and was now hanging down her back. Rosalie turned her attention to Ren, ready to mock her. But, when she saw Ren's hair, her face fell.
"What is this?" She asked quietly, her face fearful. Now, there was a circle of students surrounding villagers, since Rosalie looking anything but condescending was new to them all. Although, Toshiro himself knew that none of them would understand why Rosalie was looking so scared.
"…" Ren stared at the speechless Rosalie, her mind unable to form an excuse to explain her sudden hair growth.
"Her hair…" The first girl said, dropping Ren's hat in shock. "It's impossible…"
"What's going on over here?" Toshiro heard Harley's voice demand. Several seconds later, Harley pushed his way through the students. The first thing he saw was Ren's hat lying on the ground, and he immediately figured out what happened. Looking up at the scene, he was right. "Oh, no."
"Ren…" Tom whispered, confused but not afraid, unlike Rosalie. Ren was silent, slowly backing away and shaking her head as if she were trying to convince herself that what was happening right now wasn't happening. Out of impulse, Ren span around and bolted for the exit. They slammed open and Ren ran out of the cafeteria while the doors swung on their hinges before coming still. Everyone said and did nothing, too confused at what just happened to do anything.
"Ren!" Harley was the first to make a move, picking up Ren's hat and running after his sister. Tom shot a quick glare at Rosalie before running after the siblings.
"Her hair grew back." Rosalie muttered fearfully. "It's impossible. She's…" Rosalie clenched her hands into fists. "She's a monster." Rosalie glanced around her, noticing how all the students were silently staring at her. Rosalie growled. "Get outta here!" Rosalie yelled, reasserting her authority, and the students quickly obeyed, the cafeteria going back to its busy, lunch rush state as if that confrontation had never happened.
"How did her hair grow back?" A Redwood girl asked Rosalie.
"Like I know!" Rosalie snapped. "I'll tell you one thing; that girl is finished. No more playing nice." Rosalie walked off towards the exit. "That freak is going to get exactly what she deserves!" Rosalie pushed the doors open and stormed out of the cafeteria, and the students outside the cafeteria immediately let her through the crowd, seeing the look on her face and not wanting to be on the receiving end of her wrath.
"I think we've seen enough here." Katelyn said.
"Me, too." Toshiro agreed, opening the diary up at the current date.
"Let me see." Katelyn looked over at the diary before Toshiro could turn the page, curious about what Ren might have written. "Oh, lord, she sounds terrified."
"And can you blame her? The whole school knows she can regenerate."
"But at this point, only Rosalie and those two girls know."
"Yeah, you're right when you say "at this point". After what I've seen Rosalie do, she's definitely going to make Ren's recovery public."
"Good point."
"Let's move on." Toshiro turned the page, and one white scene later, the pair was in a town square that Toshiro recognised all too well.
"King's Square." Katelyn said, being the second person to realise where they were.
"There's Ren." Toshiro spotted Ren in the square, sitting on a bench and staring down at her hands.
They know. Ren thought. They know. They know. They know. It's all over for me.
"…" Ren ran a hand through her now loose hair. "Crudbuckets…" She muttered.
"There you are!"
"Huh?" Ren looked up. In the crowd, she saw Harley running towards her. "Harley?" Harley stopped running when he reached Ren's bench, planting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
"Damn, sis…" He gasped. "You may be little…but you're fast…I've never seen you…run so quickly before…"
"Me neither." Ren agreed.
It must be because my asthma's gone. Ren thought.
"Now…" Harley straightened up once he got his breath back. "Why did you run all the way out here?"
"…" Ren looked away sadly.
"Right. Dumb question." There was a silence between the siblings.
"Harley…" Ren started quietly. "What am I going to do? She's seen my hair. She's seen me without glasses. And she's in my swimming class. It won't be long before she knows I can breathe perfectly fine." Ren looked up at Harley, a lost look on her face. "This was the only thing Rosalie didn't know about. What am I going to do?"
"…" Harley said nothing, not knowing how to answer that question.
"Why is this happening?" Ren wondered out loud.
"I don't know." Harley answered honestly. "But if Rosalie or anyone gives you any grief, you tell me right away and I'll set them straight." Harley knelt down to Ren's eye level. "Okay?"
"Nn." Ren nodded.
"Let's go."
"Go? Oh, no, I can't go back to school." Ren almost cried, her face becoming very frightened.
"That wasn't what I meant."
"Eh?" Ren said, confused. There were a few seconds of silence as this statement processed in Ren's mind. When she did figure it out, Toshiro could have sworn he heard a "ding!" sound in Ren's head.
"Skip school?!" Ren exclaimed.
"Yeah, I mean, you don't want to go back today, do you?"
"No, but…but…" Ren stammered, trying to think of something to say. "We can't skip school!"
"That was lame." Harley said bluntly.
"I know." Ren hung her head, knowing how weak her comeback was.
"Besides, we may be the weakest, but we're still members of the head families. And these days, I wouldn't be surprised if we could get away with murder." Harley stood up. "So, what do you say? You ready to not be a goody two shoes?" Harley asked in a teasing tone.
"Uuuu! I am not a goody two shoes!" Ren retorted, standing up.
"How about a goody two shoes with dark socks?"
"Hmmm, not bad." Ren said, holding her chin. "Fine. Nuts to it. Let's skip school."
"That's the spirit." Harley placed Ren's hat on her head. "Let's go."
"Yeah." Ren walked past Harley, and stopped after just a few paces. She turned around, ran back to Harley and gave him a huge hug.
"Yeah, I love you, too, Ren." Harley said with a smile, hugging Ren back.
"Aaaaaawww!" Katelyn couldn't hold back the "aw" after seeing that scene. Toshiro, however, looked away with folded arms, finding Katelyn's girliness predictable.
"Hm-hm-hmmmm…" Ren hummed, now in a much better mood than before, trotting ahead but not so fast that Harley was trailing behind. Harley himself made sure that Ren was at least two metres in front of him. "We're being naughty! We're being naughty!" Ren sang.
"Hey, hey, don't rush off ahead without me." Harley said still smiling with his hands in his pockets.
"We should go before we lose them." Katelyn said, starting to make a move, but a hand grabbing her wrist stopped her. "Eh?" Katelyn looked over her shoulder. Toshiro was stopping her, and he shook his head. "What is it?"
"Something doesn't feel right." Toshiro said, letting go of Katelyn's arm. "I've been feeling it for a while now."
"So what do we do? Should we follow Ren and Harley?"
"No. I think we should skip ahead." Toshiro opened the diary, ready to turn the page.
"Wait. Look!" Katelyn placed a hand over Toshiro's to stop him from skipping ahead, and pointed at Harley.
"…" Harley was frozen on the spot, looking rather Ren, while Ren was happily walking on, oblivious.
That feeling again. Harley thought. It's close. Harley quickly caught up to Ren.
"Ren, this way." Harley said, grabbing Ren's hand and walking off briskly in the other direction.
"Harley?" Ren said, confused. "I thought we were going home."
"…" Katelyn and Toshiro followed the siblings with their eyes, puzzled at Harley's behaviour. Harley, on the other hand, was walking briskly with a determined expression on his face.
"What's going on?" Ren asked.
"I just remembered something I have to do." Harley answered, giving Ren a reassuring smile.
"Okay, but can we slow down? I'm tripping over my feet here." Ren then tripped over and regained her footing before she could lose one of her black ballet pumps.
I have to get away from here. Harley thought.
What's he getting away from? Toshiro thought as he watched Ren and Harley walked off.
"What was that about?" Katelyn asked nobody, her hands on her hips.
BOOM!
"Huh?" Katelyn looked over her shoulder, and there was a cloud of dust rising up from a building.
"!" Harley stopped walking and looked up at the dust cloud.
"What was that?" Ren asked, looking up to find what Harley was staring at. "Was that an explosion?"
"Race you to the nerd shop!" Harley yelled quickly, running down the street.
"Uuuu, no fair! You got a head start!" Ren yelled, running after Harley. "And it's not a nerd shop!"
"Ah, they're getting away!" Katelyn said, seeing Harley and Ren get further and further away from them.
"Forget about them. I'm more worried about that explosion."
"Why? What's wrong?" Katelyn asked Toshiro.
"Well, either that building had a gas leak or…"
"Or?" Katelyn encouraged Toshiro to continue.
"I hope I'm wrong, but it could be-" Toshiro was interrupted when another huge explosion rocked the square, and this time, it was right behind them. The explosion was soon followed by a rumbling noise, and a foul odour. Katelyn and Toshiro slowly turned around, and Toshiro was not wrong. The explosion was caused by…
"A Feather." Toshiro finished. The Feather in question had a star shaped white mask over its face, its white feet were webbed like a frog, except these had sharp claws on the end, a long tail with a triangular tip and green patterns on its grey body. This Feather, in addition to looking like a giant frog, was sitting just like one, too. But, the people on the square seemed unaware that a monster was standing on the street. Instead, they were muttering amongst themselves about a gas explosion.
"…" Katelyn stared at the Feather, her eyes and face full of fear.
"It's alright." Toshiro reassured Katelyn. "We're still invisible. It can't see or harm us."
"…" Katelyn looked into a shop window. Toshiro was right. She wasn't casting a reflection. But, she still wasn't at ease knowing that. The Feather looked so damn scary, and its breath stank!
This must be what Harley was so worried about. Toshiro thought. But I thought he'd never seen a Feather before. He was lying! I guess it makes sense, considering his abilities are linked to Ren's/ He must have kept it secret for fear of Ren remembering.
"Rrrr…" The Feather softly growled, its eyes briefly flashing red, which Katelyn noticed right away. And on closer inspection of its eyes, she saw something else. "Um…Toshiro? The Feather can't see us, right?"
"No. We don't exist."
"Then why is my reflection on its eyes?"
"What?" Now it was Toshiro's turn to stare at the Feather. He looked deep into its eyes. They were glazed and emotionless, yet they also looked hungry. They were so blank that Toshiro could easily see his face on its eyes. His face? He was meant to be invisible. The Feather shouldn't be able to see him. Toshiro looked at the ground. No shadow. He looked in a shop window. No reflection. He looked back at the Feather, which let out a rattled, stinking breath. There was his reflection on its eyes.
"Well?" Katelyn said, not liking the silence of the Feather and Toshiro, especially when the Feather started baring it sharp, jagged teeth at them.
"Katelyn, get back." Toshiro placed an arm in front of Katelyn and started to walk back, never breaking eye contact with the Feather. With his other hand, he got the diary out from his back pocket, trying not to make any sudden movements.
"Toshiro?"
"It can see us."
"What?!" Katelyn yelled.
"Shh!" Toshiro hushed her, trying not to startle the Feather, but After Katelyn yelled, the Feather twitched, and then let out an almighty roar, sending its spittle flying.
"Turn the page, turn the page, turn the page!" Katelyn shouted quickly as the Feather raised its claw up in the air, ready to strike. Quickly, Toshiro turned the page and the scene shattered just before the Feather's attack could meet them. The scene instead changed to Hazelford.
"That…" Katelyn started, falling flat on her butt. "That was too close. What happened?"
"I'm not sure." Toshiro answered, re-pocketing the diary. "There's still a lot I don't know about the Feathers. All I know is that they have different types and are attracted to a Cielvian presence. It must have been reacting to my being there, and sensing Cielvian magic, the Feather partially cancelled it so that it could see us."
"Yeah, that might explain why I saw its eyes flash before I saw my reflection in its eyes. It must be immune to Cielvian illusions…I guess."
"That would be a logical explanation."
"Well, we're still alive. That's all that matters." Katelyn said, standing up after recovering from the shock of almost getting killed.
"Hn." Toshiro said, too caught up in his thoughts to pay attention. He looked at his hand. It was still ghostly. Just to be sure, he tried to grab a nearby street lamp. His hand passed through it. After looking for his reflection in a house window, Toshiro finally felt certain that he and Katelyn were back to normal. Well, not normal; more like abnormal. Whatever this was, Toshiro still couldn't quite shake off the bad feeling he was having.
If a Feather could see us, who's to say that somebody else could be immune to Cielvian illusions? Toshiro thought. I don't know what could have caused the spell to temporarily fail, but we have to be extra cautions from now on.
"Toshiro, I think I see Ren over there." Katelyn pointed ahead of her up a small hill. There was a figure of a small girl opening a metal gate taller than her, entering it and disappearing from sight. Judging from the rainbow on top of her head, Toshiro and Katelyn knew that this had to be Ren. Toshiro followed the path that Ren would be walking behind the wall, and he almost immediately spotted a church.
"She's going back to the graveyard." Toshiro realised.
"We should go."
Meanwhile, Ren trudged through the graveyard, staring at her feet. She stopped when she recognised the foundations of the cross. Ren looked up at it, staring at the symbol in the centre in particular. A wolf, howling at the sky. And surrounding this wolf head, ivy imbedded with the flower of the six villages. Ivy. After the things Ren had been through because of the villages, the ivy may as well be poisoned. Without looking away from the cross, Ren clutched her hat and pulled it off her head, seeing no point in wearing it now.
"I knew you'd look better with your hair down."
"…" Ren looked behind her at the source of the voice. A couple of paces away, there was a boy standing on the path. A boy of eleven years old with blonde, spiky hair and brown eyes. He wore grey school trousers, an unticked white shirt and a burgundy jumper tied around his waist, yet Ren could clearly see a symbol of a tree on the left breast. Ren recognised it as the crest of her old primary school. Ren mentally sighed. Things may have been bad back then, but it was simpler, and much better, than what she was going through right now.
"Don't get used to it." Ren said, clutching some of her hair in her hand and running her fingers through it. "And shouldn't you be at school?"
"That's my line." The boy retorted in a playful tone.
"Well, I just had a bad day. What's your excuse?" Ren asked grumpily, sitting down on the cross' foundation.
"Same."
"You can't have had a bad day, too."
"That's not what I meant."
"Eh?" Ren looked up, confused. The boy approached Ren and sat next to her, concern all over his face.
"I heard what happened yesterday. I tried to give you some space, but it was driving me nuts, so I came here to wait for you. You always come here after school."
"I'm glad you did." Ren said, flashing him a rare, small smile, and he smiled back. "But you're not supposed to skip school, dingbat." Ren gave him a light shove.
"Oi, neither are you, twit features." The boy said, giving Ren a light shove back, just as Toshiro and Katelyn arrived. When Toshiro saw the duo, he was surprised to find Ren smiling. No, more than that. She was giggling. Toshiro didn't think that this Ren had ever cracked a smile, let alone laughed. Well, except with Harley. So, this boy with her must have been one of the few people in this time that could make Ren smile.
"Katelyn, who is that boy?" Toshiro asked.
"That would be Nathan Harris."
"Nathan?!" Toshiro exclaimed. "That jerk?!"
"Nathan wasn't always a jerk, and he never was. He was a brave and kind person." Katelyn watched as Nathan offered Ren some bubble-gum. "And he was Ren's best friend."
"So what happened to make the Nathan we know today?" Toshiro asked, finding it hard to believe that a bully could ever be friends with Ren.
"It's a long story." Katelyn answered.
"What do you mea-"
"It just is." Katelyn interrupted curtly.
"Knowing he wasn't going to get an answer on that subject, Toshiro stopped asking.
"Okay, now what?" Ren asked Nathan.
"Now, blow. But not too hard."
"…'kay." Ren said slowly, and right after she did, she blew a bubble with the bubble-gum, and it popped when it couldn't get any bigger. "Ah! I did it! Did you see that?! I did it!" Ren asked Nathan, an excited smile on her face.
"Wow, I've never seen somebody get excited about blowing a gum bubble before. But I have to admit, you really learn quickly."
"Oh, yeah? How long did it take you?" Ren asked, already preparing to blow another bubble.
"Two weeks." Right after Nathan said this, Ren's new bubble popped.
"Bloody hell! Two weeks?!"
"Yeah. Good thing bubble-gum's cheap."
"The village shop here only sells regular gum. Well…when he serves me."
"Don't pay attention to that. He's a coward. He's not worth it, and neither's Rosalie."
"Hm." Ren said, wrapping her arms around her knees.
"So, uh…did Rosalie really cut off your hair?"
"Yeah."
"Looks like she did a bad job. Your hair looks exactly the same."
"That's because it grew back this morning."
"What?! Already?!" Nathan exclaimed, almost spitting out his bubble-gum.
"Nn." Ren nodded. "It was never this fast before."
"Eh?" Nathan heard his phone beep from his pocket. He brought it out and looked at the screen. There was a brief silence. "Ren?"
"Hm?"
"Is this you?" Nathan asked, showing Ren his phone. Right there on the screen was a picture of Ren with boyish hair and a black eye.
"Yeah…that's me." Ren said, her voice shaking with fear.
"That's the Redwood symbol in the corner. Rosalie's sending this to everyone in the villages!"
"…" Ren clutched her hat in her hands, uncertain if wearing it would do any good or not.
"That evil witch." Nathan growled angrily, shoving his phone back into his pocket with such force, he almost tore the pocket off his trousers.
"Now everyone's gonna know."
"Let's be honest; it's difficult to keep healing factor's secret."
"Uuuu…" Ren whined in response, burying her head in her knees.
Nathan mentioned it, too. Toshiro thought. Someone has said Ren healed quickly. That's got to be the third time somebody has brought it up. Could it be…Toshiro looked at Katelyn, who didn't notice, and he narrowed his eyes. Is there something she knows that I don't?
"But…I know someone who can help."
"Who?" Ren asked, looking up.
"I can't say right now. Stay at home tonight. I'll come and get you. I'll use the secret knock so you'll know it's me."
"The secret knock? Why?"
"You'll see soon enough. But if you really want to know…well, let's just say that not too many people would be happy to see her near you."
"Her?"
"Whoops. I've said too much." Nathan said with a teasing wink.
"Uuuu, no fair leaving a cliff-hanger!" Ren punched Nathan lightly on the shoulder.
"Aaaaaaaah!" Nathan fell on the ground, clutching where Ren punched him. "I'm hit! Man down! Man down!" Nathan cried with deliberately terrible acting.
"Kick 'em while they're down!" Ren cried, pretending to kick Nathan.
"Counter attack!" Nathan jumped up and tickled Ren, making her squeal and collapse on the ground, and the two of them wrestled a little before collapsing on their backs, laughing. They calmed down with a sigh, and there was a silence until Ren blew another gum bubble that quickly burst.
"You should head home." Nathan said, sitting up. "Rosalie will be here soon."
"Uuuu…" Ren whined.
"Remember what I told you."
"Wait for the secret knock to meet the mystery girl." Ren muttered, standing up and brushing the grass off her uniform. "Right." Ren walked off towards some hedges lining the churchyard.
"Ren, the gate is that way." Nathan said, pointing to his right.
"I know." Ren said without turning around. "It's a shortcut to my house. It's a public footpath through the field, remember?"
"Oh, yeah."
Field? Toshiro thought. That's where I found the tunnel. Ren's house was nearby.
"Well…" Ren parted some branches to reveal a field. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Nathan. "See you tonight, ya dingbat."
"See you tonight, twit features." Nathan said, also with a smile. With that, Ren turned back around and vanished into the field. "Hm?" Nathan noticed some striped wool on the ground, and when he crawled over to pick it up, he realised it was Ren's hat. "Guess she won't need this." He said to himself. "I'll give it back to her later." Nathan stuffed the hat in his pocket, along with his hands, and began to make his way out of the churchyard, walking between the transparent duo.
"Nathan and Ren were friends?" Toshiro said.
"They were. Aside from her brother, Nathan was the only person Ren could turn to and be herself with." Katelyn explained. Silence.
"Nathan and Ren were friends." Toshiro said again, still stuck in a state of disbelief.
"Well, funnily enough, they couldn't stand each other when they were younger." Katelyn chuckled. "But when I started bullying Ren, Nathan came to her defence. Since then, Nathan became one of Ren's few allies, and their insults became affectionate nicknames."
"So what happened to make them so distant?" Toshiro asked, preparing to turn the page of the diary.
"I'll explain later." Katelyn answered as the churchyard turned white before changing to Ren's bedroom. The night sky was clearly visible through the window of Ren's room, along with a view of the field hiding the secret tunnel Toshiro fell in. Ren's room was a light pink with dark pink curtains, and her bed cover was white with cartoon frogs littering it. Ren herself was still in her school uniform, minus the blazer, and her hair was still hanging loose. Ren was silent, sitting on her bed with her knees drawn up, her phone beeping and clicking as she scrolled through her messages. Toshiro peered over to see what she was looking at. There were dozens upon dozens of unopened messages, and they were all from the same number. He couldn't read all the messages due to the speed Ren was scrolling through them at, but the first few words he could see were far from a friendly "hello". With a frustrated sigh, Ren tossed her phone on her bed before wrapping her arms around her knees so that she could bury her face in them.
"What do I do now?" Ren said quietly, her voice muffled by her arms. There was a knock, followed by two short knocks and another long one. Ren's head immediately shot up. "That's the secret knock." Ren jumped off the bed and all but ran out of her room. "I'll get it!" Ren yelled as she bolted down the stairs and to the front door. She opened it up, and Nathan was standing at the door. "Nathan, you're here!"
"You got your shoes on?" Nathan asked in a hushed voice.
"Just about. Why?" Ren said, hopping on one foot to get her black school shoes on.
"Come on." Nathan took Ren's hand as soon as she got her last shoe on.
"Um, I'm going with Nathan, be back soon!" Ren shouted into the house before closing the front door. But, Toshiro and Katelyn simply stepped through it, following Nathan as he led Ren through the darkness.
"You know where the tunnels are?" Nathan asked.
"There's an entrance behind my house." Ren answered. Nathan immediately made his way to the back of Ren's house, sneaking through the back garden and staying away from the lights from the house illuminating the ground. "Why do you need to know that?"
"I keep forgetting where the entrances are. Plus, that person wants to meet you there." Nathan said, parting some hedges and holding them open so Ren could step through. As soon as the gap closed, Ren saw a figure standing in the field, moving something made of wood onto the ground.
"Who is that?" Ren asked Nathan.
"Hey! She's here!" Nathan called to the figure.
She knows about the tunnels. Ren thought. But I thought only the head families knew about them. Is she one of them?
"I'm sorry I'm late." The figure apologised as she approached the pair. "I had to make sure nobody saw me."
"Not at all." Nathan said politely.
"It's dark, Nathan." Ren said. "I can't see." Ren clung tightly to his hand.
"I know, I know, you're scared of the dark." Nathan smiled. "Good thing I came prepared." Nathan produced a torch from his pocket and clicked it on, illuminating the small patch of field they were standing on in light. Ren immediately relaxed when she could see, but when Nathan shone the light over to the figure, she tensed up again, and this time, she was even more afraid than when it was dark. It was a girl with black hair and wearing the same lower school uniform as Ren. It was a girl Ren knew.
"Katelyn, is that…?" Toshiro started, recognising the girl.
"Yeah." Katelyn nodded. The figure was a younger version of Katelyn, who Toshiro recognised from the drawing. "That's me."
"Um…Hello, Ren. Katelyn here. Well, I guess you knew that already." Past Katelyn said nervously.
"…" Ren moved behind Nathan fearfully.
"Ren, it's okay. She comes in peace." Nathan said.
"Nathan, that's Katelyn. She's from Redwood. And she knows about the tunnels. That makes her one of Rosalie's…flunkies." Ren said after searching for the right word.
"I was." Past Katelyn corrected. "But Rosalie and I are finished. That girl is evil."
Well, we agree on one thing. Ren thought.
"Look, what I did was wrong. I knew that from the start. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, but you should know how sor-"
"I know." Ren interrupted, stepping out from behind Nathan and fiddling with her hands. "I know that you regret it."
"You do?" Past Katelyn said, surprised.
"Mm-hm." Ren nodded. "I know when people are lying. I could tell you never meant those things you said." Ren looked at her ballet pumps, a silence passing by the three children. "Katelyn…" Ren started after a few moments of quiet. "I'm sorry for what I did to you."
What? She's sorry? Toshiro heard Past Katelyn think. But I deserved it.
"Ren…" Past Katelyn said, but Ren raised a hand up, silently saying "let me finish", so Katelyn did as she asked, and closed her mouth.
"I won't deny it." Ren continued. "It felt good when I attacked you. I felt like I was finally in control of my life. Every punch, every scratch, every tug of your hair, everything I yelled at you…I had never felt more satisfied. I felt…free. I felt like you were getting what you deserved."
"…" Toshiro saw both Katelyn's give small nods, agreeing with Ren.
"But then, when I got home and sat in my room, that feeling went away. All that was left was nothing. I felt empty. Right here." Ren placed a hand over her heart. "And then I realised…" Ren looked up at Past Katelyn. "That must be how you felt back then."
"All the time, Ren." Past Katelyn whispered, nodding. "All the time."
"It must have been so scary. You were sad and alone with no way out."
"What happened to me was my way out. You saved me."
"But still…"
"Hm?" Past Katelyn dared to move a little closer to Ren.
"You had a way to escape." Ren said in a quiet yet sad voice. "I'm still trapped."
"…" Nathan and Past Katelyn said nothing, being unable to think of anything to say.
"You know…I saw this anime where you could banish someone you hated through a website." Nathan said, trying to break the silence.
"Jigoku Shoujo? I've watched that." Ren muttered, sitting down on the ground with her knees drawn up. Nathan sat next to her, and he looked over at Past Katelyn, who was standing awkwardly, not sure if she belonged here or not. Nathan beckoned her to come, and after some hesitation, Katelyn tentatively sat down with Nathan and Ren. Nathan placed his torch on the ground with the light pointing at the sky, providing the three children with a little light in their little circle.
"Um, what's it about?" Katelyn asked.
"You type in a name on the website, the Jigoku Shoujo, the Hell Girl, shows up and gives you a straw doll with a red thread tied around its neck." Ren explained glumly.
"If you untie it, that person is sent to Hell." Nathan finished.
"If it was real, I'd send Rosalie to Hell in a heartbeat." Ren said abruptly, much to Toshiro's shock. He had never heard Ren say something that malicious before. At least, when she wasn't corrupted by darkness. Just what had Rosalie done to Ren to make her say these things?
"Seriously?!" Nathan exclaimed, sharing in Toshiro's shock. "That's not like you, Ren! Besides, you know how it goes; if you send someone to Hell, when you die, you'll end up there, too."
"I've been in Hell for some time now." Ren said bitterly. "What difference would an eternity make?"
"Hn." Nathan said quietly, deciding it was the best thing he could say. Past Katelyn looked away, guilt evident on her face.
"Don't feel bad." Ren reassured her, noticing this change. "It's Rosalie that I'm mad at, not you."
"Speaking of which, I saw the image she sent of you."
"Ah, right! That's why I brought you here!" Nathan remembered.
"What do you mean?" Ren asked, confused.
"Katelyn, Ren has an amazing healing factor!" Nathan said excitedly. "It's how her hair grew back!"
"Uuuu. Um, Nathan?" Ren said nervously. "I'm not sure you should-"
"You can heal?" Past Katelyn interrupted, shock all over her face.
"Um…yes." Ren nodded.
"…" Toshiro paid close attention to this conversation, barely even breathing for fear of not hearing something.
"Nathan…Why did you bring Katelyn here?" Ren asked. Nathan said nothing, looking over to Past Katelyn and giving her a look that asked her to answer Ren's question.
"Ren…" Past Katelyn said, digging into her reserves of courage before looking Ren in her face. "You're not the only one who can heal."
"Not the only one?" Toshiro repeated, confused. But, after a few seconds, his mind clicked and realised what she meant. "It can't be…" Toshiro said, his eyes widening.
"Katelyn, are you…" Ren began to ask, but she couldn't finish her sentence.
"I have a healing factor, too." Past Katelyn confessed.
"Is this true?" Toshiro asked Katelyn, still reeling from this shock. Katelyn nodded, and the look in her eyes showed Toshiro that she was serious. "But that means…"
"Ren isn't the only one we're protecting."
"The conspiracy was to protect you, too." Toshiro said, unable to believe what he had just learned.
"You can regenerate?!" Ren gasped, unwrapping her arms from her knees.
"I can." Past Katelyn nodded. "It's how I recovered from your attack so quickly."
"Healing is a Cielvian ability." Toshiro muttered to himself. "And you have it. That…"
"…" Katelyn said nothing, looking Toshiro in his eyes to show that this was not a fantasy but reality.
"Katelyn…" Ren said, shocked.
"You're a Cielvian reincarnation!" Toshiro realised.
Boom! How that for a bombshell?! Katelyn is a Cielvian reincarnation! Bet nobody was expecting that! Who is Katelyn reincarnated from? What does Rosalie have in store for Ren? Can Ren survive what is to come? And why is she getting strange powers? Find out soon, only on Fate and Destiny!