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Chapter Three: The Chariot

Yomi went home directly after school. She knew she probably had a club meeting, but right now she needed some time alone. If she was still there the next day, she could go wherever she needed to and apologize.

Yomi walked in the front door of her house, carelessly slipping her shoes off. She made it as far as the living room, where she slumped face-down onto the couch. She did not cry, scream, or show emotion in any way. It was not the time for that. All she did was lie there face down, perfectly still. In an uncharacteristically childish way, Yomi hoped that by staying there she would not have to deal with the new world anymore; that she would not find any more changes.

"You're home early."

Yomi jumped at the sound of the voice. Lost in her own thoughts, she had not noticed anyone else in the room. Now she could see a blonde girl. She was sitting just beyond the couch in a wheelchair. She had a pile of things on her lap, holding a doll in a red dress on top of the pile.

"What's the matter, nothing to say?

"Oh! Where did you come from?"

"That's rude, not even realizing someone's there. I was waiting for you to come home you know. All alone."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The girl glared at her. "That isn't funny, Yomi."

"What isn't?"

"You know who I am."

"Sorry, no."

The girl looked down at the doll in her lap. "Hey Mary, Yomi says she doesn't remember who I am."

Moving the doll's arms, the girl replied to her own comment in a different voice. "She's lying, Kagari-chan! No one could forget you! Especially not Yomi, after what she did to you!"

"That's right, Mary. And we don't like it when Yomi lies to us, do we?"

"Liar! Liar! Liar!"

Dead Master lightly hopped off the end of the chain just before it struck a cliff wall. She had chased the red-eyed girl into this maze. She had to be somewhere nearby, certainly. However, Dead Master had lost sight of the girl as she had darted into the maze. She walked along the passage that looked most promising to her. Her heels clicking against the stone floor was the only sound that could be heard.

She had no more than a fraction of a second's warning. From a side passage burst an enormous mechanized spider, carrying behind it a Chariot. Dead Master tried to dodge out of the way, but found herself entangled in the creature's legs. Two of them struck her body, crushing her to the ground. Behind them came the wheels of the chariot; as large as those of a locomotive and made of steel.

In the instant before the wheel of the chariot reached her, Dead Master pulled herself out of the way with one of her chains. The chariot passed her by, just barely missing Dead Master's legs. As it rolled down the passageway, She caught a glimpse of a blonde girl riding in the back of the chariot. Dead Master stood, picked up her scythe, and readied herself for another attack.

"Please, stop it! Stop it!"

The girl relented. "Say my name!"

"Your…name?"

"Don't be an idiot. Say. My. Name."

"Ka…Kagari…chan?" That was what the girl had said, right?

Kagari smiled. "Very good, Yomi." She lifted a brightly-colored box from beneath "Mary." She showed it to Yomi. "I brought Macarons. We can share them while we watch TV."

Yomi stood up to switch on the television. She had known this girl a total of thirty seconds, and already she was drawing conclusions about this Kagari girl. First, it was clear she was emotionally unbalanced, though why that was Yomi had no idea. Second, The fact that she had been let into Yomi's house meant that she was someone Yomi was supposed to know. Yomi shivered; She did not like what knowing this girl implied about her own character.

The chariot was returning; the blonde girl must have found an intersection to turn around in. Wherever that red-eyed girl had gone, This had now turned into a fight. Dead Master gripped her scythe tighter and smiled. If it was a fight this other girl wanted, then it would be a fight she would get.

Dead Master Swung her scythe at the face of the robotic monster bearing down on her. It connected, chipping the face of the monster, but did nothing to slow its advance. Dead Master Threw all of her strength into resisting the push, but felt herself sliding backward. She felt her back hit a wall, then the wall behind her give way. This creature intended to crush her.

"Hey are you spacing out again? This is a really good show! Look! The leopard totally just caught that stupid antelope!"

Yomi simply watched her lap. A small pile of Macarons sat in front of her, only a few of which Yomi had eaten. "Mato…"

"What was that?"

A single tear fell from Yomi's eye. "Where did you go, Mato?"

Kagari glared at her. "That girl again?" Yomi simply let another tear fall. Kagari sighed. She reached for Yomi's top button. "Come here. You're suffering. I'll make it go away."

Yomi slapped Kagari's hand away from her coat.

"What's the matter with you today?" Kagari snapped. "Don't look at me like that; like you're afraid!"

"Why are you doing this?" Yomi pleaded, "Who are you?"

"You're the one that put me in this chair!" Kagari screamed "You Bitch! I can't do anything without you now!"

The wake of Kagari's last comment left a buzzing in Yomi's brain. She could not think of anything to say, and even if she had, her mouth would not have let her.

Then suddenly, Kagari was composed again. Her voice was absolutely calm. "I'm going home."

"Kagari-chan…"

"I'll come over tomorrow. You better be in a good mood."

The instant that Yomi's mother had come and wheeled Kagari out of the room, Yomi pressed her face against one of the couch's throw pillows and screamed.

Disappear.

Yomi sat in class the next day; not really paying attention to anything that was said. She simply sketched on the page of her notebook, not even focusing on what she was drawing.

Disappear.

Breaks came and went and nothing changed.

Vanish.

Yomi had done it once before. Was that other world really so bad?

Come with me.

It had been so easy that time. She knew Dead Master would do it. And this time, Yomi could stay there. Forever.

The bell for lunch sounded. there was the sound of scraping chairs as the rest of the class stood, some leaving to eat outside, others finding their friends' desks. All the time, Yomi continued to draw.

"Good afternoon!" It was Mato's voice. Mato looked over Yomi's shoulder. "That's really good, Yomi-chan!"

Yomi responded without really thinking. "Thanks."

"She's cute in that dress. Are those horns on her head?"

That got Yomi's attention. She focused on what she had been sketching. Dead Master stared out at her from the page, that condescending smile on her face.

With a crash Yomi was out of her chair and out the door. She ran, paying no attention to the people who turned as she passed them. She had to get away from that mocking face. She wanted to run until she left this strange world behind.

Yomi tripped, then crawled over to the edge of the hallway. She sat there, curled up against the wall, rocking back and forth. She muttered to herself, "Mein gott…Mein gott…Dem nicht so ist" over and over again. It had been a long time since Yomi had said anything in German.

"Are you alright?" a kind female voice asked. Yomi looked up to see Saya standing over her. Saya crouched, offering Yomi her hand. "Come, I'll make you a cup of coffee."