Sora and the rest of their classmates sat in stunned silence as their homeroom teachers and all the professors of class 2-B spoke of the passing of their classmate Fuu. Some shed a few tears in their seats while others sat in shock as they listened on to the story.
Professor Aerith, who appeared very much unlike herself with a somber expression on her face, spoke next. "The family will be hosting a memorial service for their daughter on Friday. I'll have more information for you all tomorrow on the location. It would mean a great deal to the family for you to pay your final respects."
With that the other professors left the room and the homeroom teacher allowed the students a few extra minutes to collect their thoughts before continuing on with the school day.
Sora glanced at Kairi, who was holding up much better than she had been yesterday after they witnessed Fuu's death. Kairi turned her attention to Sora and their eyes met, each of them thinking the same thing.
"How could this have happened?"
The fact that Fuu had died was shocking enough but it was the manner in which she passed that nearly traumatized Sora, Riku, and Kairi. A well-known classmate had plummeted from a building and landed in front of them, painting the sidewalk red before their very eyes.
Sora shivered. That would be something he wouldn't soon forget.
"I spoke to Fuu's parents," Kairi told him, wiping away her remaining tears.
Sora's heart sank. "How are they?"
The redhead sighed heavily. "They're trying to hold it together but they're still in shock – I think we all are."
Sora rubbed his temples. Not long after they left Trinity Magic Shop and had witnessed Fuu's death, they had to wait with the police to give a report on what happened. Of course it took longer than expected and when the trio finally returned to their homes it was already dark outside.
"The school is allowing us time at the end of the day to see a counselor and talk about how we feel about the incident," Sora stated absently. "Do you want to go?"
Kairi hung her head low, and set her hands on her desk. "No. My parents and I had a long talk about the incident last night. Besides, we have to go back to the shop and do more research."
Sora had almost forgotten about their plans to revisit the magic shop. But with all that had transpired it was easy to understand why. "Yeah, you're right. Besides, we can always go to the service."
"Yeah," Kairi said distantly, looking out of the window near her to see unusually grey skies hanging over them. "That sounds like a plan."
Kairi stood at the front of the school with an umbrella in hand as she waited for Sora and Riku. She frowned, noting that the weather was not helping with the overall mood of the day recent events.
Sora and Riku soon appeared with their backpacks and met up with Kairi.
Riku, who had been the one to remain his composure the best, glanced up at the sky. "Well if this isn't setting a tone…" he trailed off.
"Don't remind me," Kairi said to Riku as she opened her large blue umbrella for all three of them to stand under. "All I wanna do I crawl into bed and watch tv. But we do have to get ready for the festival."
While Sora and Kairi chatted amongst themselves about what they needed to do for the class, Riku's thoughts drifted elsewhere. Riku didn't tell anyone about the figure he saw at the time. Part of this was because he thought that he was seeing things (and that was very possible given the fact that he had just witnessed one of his peers fall to their death). But the other part of the reason why he didn't share what he saw was because what he believed he saw unnerved him. Riku couldn't make out any distinct features of it and the figure was gone before he had a chance to look closer. If it was really there at all…
The trio had arrived at the shop and Kairi knocked gently on the door, closing the umbrella once they were under an awning. A few seconds later Naminé appeared with a warm smile on her face and welcomed the group, taking the umbrella and setting it by the door as she ushered them in.
"It's good to see you all," Naminé said gently, stuffing her hands into her apron pocket. "I almost thought you wouldn't come with the weather being so crummy."
Kairi smiled apologetically. "Yeah. The rain came out of nowhere and I thought about staying home. But here we are!"
"I'm glad," Naminé then called over her shoulder saying, "Roxas! They're back!" Hearing a slight grumble from the back of the store and taking it as a sign that Roxas heard them, Naminé led the trio through the store and to the back where Roxas was setting down several heavy boxes of books.
"Are you almost finished with the shipment?" Naminé asked curiously.
Roxas stood up and cracked his back loudly, causing the three young students to cringe. "Yeah I'm done for now. The boss ordered all these books and trinkets for the shop that she found."
Sora's eyes lit up. "Are we going to meet your boss? Is she in?"
Naminé and Roxas stole a glance at one another almost as if asking "can they?" simultaneously. However it was Roxas who answered the question. "She's down in the basement at the moment. I'm sure she'll come up if she finishes her business."
Riku looked over Naminé's shoulder at the large descending staircase leading down to darkness. "And the lounge is where?"
"Down there," Naminé nodded her head in the direction of the stairs.
Kairi and Sora glanced at one another, immediately feeling a chill overcome them. Watching the three teens hesitate, Naminé attempted to calm their nerves.
"I'm sure you guys know that story of the theatre tragedy," she began, watching them nod their heads all at once. "Well, rest assured that we've totally restored the lower levels of the theatre. Trust me," she laughed, "you won't find any ghosts down there."
Even though Naminé tried to ease everyone's nerves, each of the teens held onto a slight ounce of uneasiness for different reasons. Still, they didn't want to let one another know what they were feeling so they put on their best smiles and followed Naminé and Roxas down the stairs to the first floor of the basement level.
"If you don't mind me asking, why would you guys decide to open up a shop here?" Kairi asked, surprised at how dark it was leading to the first basement level. The entire corridor was pitch-black save for the candles that lit their way, making the area a bit suffocating and eerie. Kairi secretly hoped that the lounge wouldn't be nearly as creepy as this place was.
Naminé looked over her shoulder and replied, "Well, we're no stranger to the Destiny Islands. Plus our boss has a lot of connections here. I know it may sound strange, setting up shop on supposed haunted ground, but our boss was fond of the idea. She said it gives the shop a bit of "edge" or something like that."
Sora grimaced and whispered to Riku, "This boss is probably some creeper. I betcha she's some weird old hag lady."
"I heard that!" Roxas called sharply, causing Sora to jump.
Naminé laughed and reached into her apron pocket, pulling out a set of gold keys on a silver ring. She slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the door slowly, light spilling into the otherwise dark hallway.
Sora, Riku, and Kairi all filed into the room one by one and their jaws dropped. The lounge was just as big, if not bigger, than the ground level of the bookstore. The walls were painted a rich royal purple with elegant gold-colored furniture everywhere. On the wall in front of them was a large, floor-to-ceiling flat screen television with hundreds of movies sitting inside of bookcases framing it. On the side walls were, of course, other bookcases but there were fewer books in total and they all seemed to be without any covers with simple, gold bookends holding them up. In the center of the room was a large gold, oak coffee table with large, plush, comfortable sofas surrounding it with an abundance of matching cushions and throw pillows. The lounge was a book-lover's fantasy come true.
Sora looked closer and saw that the table was full of cakes, cookies, and breads, causing his mouth to water almost instantly.
Naminé noticing the look on Sora's face, invited them to take a seat and get comfortable.
"Go ahead. The boss and I were busy baking all morning," Naminé told them, watching as the group sat down.
Roxas snorted to himself and smirked. "Yeah…all morning…"
Naminé rolled her eyes and jabbed Roxas in his side, silencing the other blond immediately.
Riku sat opposite of Sora and Kairi, taking note of how comfortable and relaxing the area was in spite of the earlier feeling of unrest he got when he was in the hallway. Riku wondered if he was letting his mind play tricks on him by making him believe that there was something wrong with the stop and tried to shake the thoughts away. However, Riku still was uneasy about Roxas and Naminé even though they seemed to be as normal as they come.
"Where are the books?" Kairi asked as she watched Naminé pour them all freshly brewed tea.
The blonde looked up as she poured Sora's cup. "Oh! I have them. Give me a second. Roxas," she called to her coworker, "can you mind the shop?"
Roxas nodded and without a word headed for the stairs, closing the door tightly behind him.
A heavy silence filled the room when Roxas left. Kairi watched Naminé head to one of the shelves and pick out three heavy books, bringing them to the table.
"Are you guys in school?" Kairi asked innocently as she watched Sora tear through a piece of lemon cake.
Naminé shook her head. "Not right now. We've been so absorbed in the shop that we haven't really thought about it."
"How can you guys not be in school?" Riku asked curiously, hesitating to take a sip of his tea.
"Not all kids our age are in school, Riku," Kairi reminded him as she began leafing through the first book. "They need special permits if they're helping out with a business and usually they get a pass. Right, Naminé?"
The blonde smiled and nodded. "That sums up our situation. We do study though – enough to keep up with people in our grade – but we've been busy working on the shop. We want to get it up and running before we even think about going to school."
Still, Riku was not fully convinced. "I see…" He trailed off.
Sora yawned, now full from all the dessert he had just devoured and relaxed against the couch. "Did you guys hear what happened yesterday?"
For a moment, Naminé's soft blue eyes hardened and she took a seat next to Kairi. "Yeah. I heard about it yesterday night," she said sadly. "That girl…she was so young. Did you guys know her personally?"
Kairi paused from her reading, the memory of Fuu's lifeless body forcing itself to the forefront of her thoughts. "Uh huh," she answered in a monotone voice. "She was in our class…and we were the ones to see her die."
This time, Naminé did not react. Instead she listened closely and intently. "That's so unfortunate," she said, almost sounding as if she were thinking out loud. "No one should have to go through that."
Before Naminé could say anything more, Roxas returned to the lounge. However, when he returned, he came with a gold rectangular box that was held shut by a lock. He approached the group and made a slight nod to Naminé before setting the box on the table in front of the group.
"What's that?" Sora asked curiously.
"I almost forgot. Our boss wanted me to give you guys these," he said with a smile, reaching into his apron for a heavy gold key. "Since you all are our first patrons, she wanted you to have them as gifts."
Kairi and Sora leaned forward as Roxas opened the box. Even Riku found himself slightly interested in what the box held.
Roxas opened the lid and there inside lay three gold chains with key shaped pendants attached to each of them.
"Oh my gosh," Kairi gasped, admiring the key in the middle. "They're so pretty!"
Sora reached forward and took the first key, holding it up to the light. "It's so cool!" From the moment Sora touched the key, he instantly felt an attachment to it. "Are you sure we can have them?"
Naminé smiled. "Yes of course. It's our way of saying "thanks"."
Riku hesitated before picking up his key but even he had to admit that they were nice. He reached forward and took his, putting it around his neck. "What exactly do these things unlock?" He asked Naminé.
"Nothing, really. They're just good luck charms. Legend has it that they're a symbol of protection," Naminé explained.
"This shop is so cool!" Sora exclaimed. "Here I was thinking it was going to be some boring old bookstore!"
Roxas folded his arms over his chest. "Well, the boss will be glad to know that you guys like them. Those keys are extremely rare and valuable."
Kairi set the key inside her breast pocket and looked to Roxas. "And she's giving them to us? Just like that?"
"Just like that," Roxas answered. "She appreciates your business and hopes that you guys will be back again."
"Speaking of which…" Riku glanced around the room. "Where is your boss?"
"Oh yeah!" Sora jumped in. "I thought you said that she would be here."
"I wanted to thank her for the gift and letting us use her books," Kairi shut the first one and pushed it aside, starting on the second one.
"She's still down in the lower levels taking care of business," Roxas announced, watching everyone's face take on disappointment. "She wanted to express her deepest apologies."
Sora threw his arms over his head and smiled. "Nah no big deal. She's probably super busy. After all, it's just you three who run the shop, right?"
Roxas nodded. "That's right."
"But the next time you all should come, we'll try and make sure that the boss can sit with us. I'm sure she'd love to meet all of you," Naminé added. "That is…if you want to come."
Sora and Kairi looked at each other simultaneously and grinned. "You can count on it!" They said simultaneously.
Riku managed a nod before he patted his chest where the key rested against his heart. Everything seemed normal enough but for some reason, in the back of his mind, Riku felt strangely uneasy. While Roxas and Naminé played the part as host and hostess, he still couldn't shake the feeling that they were hiding something. In addition to that, he wanted to know who this mysterious shopkeeper was.
He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Looks like he would have to come back another day.
Naminé and Roxas stood at a giant red door. The petite blonde knocked gently and stepped back, watching as the door swung open.
The pair walked into, what appeared to be a study that was in a rich crimson and gold theme that was dimly lit.
"They left a little over an hour ago," Naminé said into the darkness, walking to the back where a large lounge chair was. Despite the poor lighting, she easily made out the figure lying on it.
"Oh?" The voice belonged to a female. "And did they take the trinkets I gave them?"
Roxas smiled. "They put them on as soon as I told them they were theirs."
The female reached out to the table, her tanned skin showing from underneath her long, wide sleeves, and grabbed the candle out in front of her, setting it on the nightstand near her. The girl looked to be about the same age as Naminé and Roxas. She was clearly taller than the average woman, had long ebony hair that reached her elbows and bright, vivid hazel/gold eyes. On her head she adjusted her black flower headdress and removed her glasses from her face.
"Why didn't you come up to meet them, Jasmine?" Naminé asked. "They were excited to meet you."
The girl looked up and rubbed her eyes, being oh-so careful to not disturb her black eyeliner. "I got caught up with something down in the basement," she explained.
Roxas' eyes narrowed. "Is it…?"
"Yes. But I contained it," she reassured him. "I must admit, this old theatre has a lot going on. And this town…" She sighed and sat up straight.
"It's funny how things have really changed," Naminé thought out loud. "Who would've thought that we would be back here so soon?"
Jasmine frowned, her eyes hardening. "Who would have thought we'd be here at all?" She crossed one leg over another. "But it is what it is and regardless we have to keep moving forward."
"I invited the group back at the end of the week. Do you think they'll come?" Naminé asked Roxas and Jasmine.
The ebony-haired girl smiled mischievously, her eyes practically dancing in the dim light from the candle. "Of course they will," she replied confidently. "You and Roxas did a good job keeping their interest. It's a shop built on haunted ground with two mysterious teenagers and an unknown shopkeeper. They'll be back for sure. Probably before the end of the week. After all, who doesn't love a good mystery?"
Author's Note: Well I hope you all are doing well and enjoyed the new chapter. I realize that I ended chapter two in a very…unpredictable way. As a warning, the story will have some scares. Still, I hope it doesn't deter you from reading further.
Queen Micky: Sorry for the mild jump scare lol. Thanks for the review!
thelonesomeartist: I'm glad that you like the story so far. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Sookdeo: No. This story is not going to be Alice in Wonderland-ish…well at least not now. Then again who knows where my mind goes when I write. I can't promise too much like that anymore lol. As for the name it's too early for me to give you an answer about the shop name. Due to the nature of this story one spoiler might give away a huge part of the story away. I hope the story keeps your attention though!
hopefuldreamer1991: I'm happy that you're excited about where this story is going. I hope I don't disappoint you!
Alright guys well I hope to get the new chapter up soon. Also I really want to know what you guys are thinking so far in terms of the story. Leave a review and I hope to have an update for you soon. Thanks guys and take care!