Act 5: Without a Trace

-August 20, 2010: Friday: School-

-Morning-

The class assembled itself as soon as the tardy bell had rung. Afterwards, a woman had stepped through the door and entered the classroom with a noticeable anxious look on her face. The woman had dark brown hair, appeared to be in her earlier thirties and deep green eyes. She wore a blue dress shirt tucked into a skin-tight black skirt that extended above the knee with stockings and black heels. Her hair was tied in a somewhat messy bun and she wore diamond earrings with a silver watch. Many appeared to be confused as murmurs of question were heard coming from their mouths.

MALE WITH GLASSES: Hey! Do you know who this woman is?

FEMALE WITH BLONDE HAIR: I don't know. Must be a substitute.

FEMALE WEARING SLIPPERS: If she was, we would've been notified about this. But then again, as neat and refined this school may be, they are late when it comes to information.

After a while, the teacher stood in front of the desk, her presence easily silencing the entire class. She had managed to plaster a smile, albeit nerved, on her face and waved to the entire class.

NERVOUS WOMAN: Um, hello students. My name is Jessica Thompson and I'll be replacing your teacher, Mr. Chambers.

More murmurs of question were followed and silenced once more as Jessica spoke.

MS. THOMPSON: Mr. Chambers was reassigned to a new school located outside of Minnesota. Your principal has appointed me to be your homeroom class teacher. Now I must admit, I'm a little nervous about teaching. If you all didn't know by now, I tend to be a bit… clumsy.

Murmurs were restarted, but not by question.

FEMALE WITH BLONDE HAIR: I kind of figured that. You could see sweat soaking her underarms!

The murmurs were silenced.

MS. THOMPSON: Also… I don't know what the subject of this class is supposed to be.

The following visible reactions were met with surprise, including Julie. How could she not know what to teach the class? Didn't the principal tell her what subject to teach? From the moment she met this woman, Julie could tell that she was going to have a time for this year.

MS. THOMPSON: Your principal didn't tell me what subject it was that I was supposed to teach you all, so can anyone tell me before I end up teaching you guys the wrong stuff?

One of the students rose their hand: Ian, of course. Ms. Thompson called him once she saw his hand.

MS. THOMPSON: Yes. Can you tell me?

IAN: This class teaches history.

MS. THOMPSON: History? Oh. Thank God. I was afraid this was a Math class. If it was, I guarantee you all would've failed the finals for it. But need not worry, I am good with history, although I graduated with a Bachelor's in Economics.

That sentence gave her a thought and she turned to the class.

MS. THOMPSON: Is Economics involved in this class?

The answers were simple shaking heads and a few "no's" from the class. A sigh of depression blew from her mouth.

MS. THOMPSON: I guess not. Oh well, let's just start our work! What lesson are you guys on?

Another wave of surprise flourished the class, along with a nervous giggle from Ms. Thompson after realizing the obscenity of her question.

MS. THOMPSON: Yeah. Neither your teacher or principal gave me a heads-up on the lesson you guys are on… nor did I think to ask.

Sweat beads fell from the entire classes' heads. This was going to be a long year.

-Lunchtime: Rooftop-

Julie met up with Ashley on the rooftop of the school during their lunch hour and once again, Clayton and Ian were nowhere to be found. After greeting each other, they pulled out their lunches and began eating. However, the silence couldn't be any thicker.

Julie looked over to Ashley, still consuming her meal but not saying a word to occupy the mood. Of course, she knew what this had to do. After all, she did see the worst side of Ashley last night and saw the fears that she had hoped no one would know. It was noticeable by how quickly she began to consume her ramen, even chewing the noodle, which is something that she never saw her do. Well, never saw her do, but was told that she doesn't do.

JULIE: Hey Ash... are you okay?

Ashley turned over to Julie, hiding the uneasiness behind her smile and gentle face.

ASHLEY: Yeah. I'm fine.

This was a lie. Julie could tell that Ashley was not feeling much like herself after what had happened. However, she couldn't judge her. When it comes to becoming the perfect person, people try their best to improve their looks and qualities. Ashley was one of these people. She couldn't change herself to be perfect and this frightened her. It was the reason she was scared of mirrors. They never showed a change that Ashley wanted, but what change would cover how she looked. This was her theory, but from how it sounded in her mind, it could be a fact.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Julie scooted over to her with a friendly smile. Ashley looked at her friend and back down at her ramen, letting go of the chopsticks in her hands and breathing a sigh.

ASHLEY: Actually, I'm not fine.

Seeing that Julie was concerned, Ashley felt free of all weight to finally say what was bothering her.

ASHLEY: When we encountered my Shadow, you saw everything that represented my fears and flaws. You saw that I was spectrophobic.

She stood up from the bench and placed the ramen box on it, taking a few steps forward but remained close to Julie with her back turned.

JULIE: You can tell me anything, Ashley. I won't judge you.

As she said that, Ashley began to speak, but from the tone of her voice, this wasn't a story she particularly enjoyed sharing.

ASHLEY: It started when I was eleven. I was starting middle school and I participated for figure skating. I was the only black girl who ever auditioned and I was one of the few to make the cut. It was exciting. I had experience in Kung Fu through my dad, but I always wanted to try figure skating and I did well on my first try.

And just as her voice picked up, it fell down with her head as she continued on.

ASHLEY: However, that was what I possessed, apparently. Throughout my years of figure skating, I felt somewhat inferior to the other girls. Everyone had long hair or straight hair, but I had curls and my hair didn't go below the shoulder. I thought about purchasing extensions but figured it would take too much time to put them in. I won first in every meet we had but never received recognition for it from coach. Then came Giovanni. She was this beautiful, light-skinned girl with elbow-length raven hair and hazel green eyes. Of course I have hazel eyes, but not as bright as hers. Coach fell in love with her. Whenever she practiced, she would always applaud her for her talents and effort and so would everyone else. I did the same to show that I was a good sport, but it was strange. I've been doing this since eleven years old and here comes somebody else who is getting better approval than me.

JULIE: Is Giovanni the reason why you're afraid of mirrors?

Her voice fell silent for a short moment. She turned back to Julie with a stern look on her face and shook her head.

ASHLEY: It wasn't Giovanni. One day, I looked in the mirror and saw everything that was wrong. Granted my skin is not dark but I have brown skin. Sometimes I look brighter under light, sometimes darker when there's not enough lighting. My hair wasn't long enough, either. Day after day, I changed my image to better suit the idealistic view that I wanted, but my results were null. No matter how hard I tried to change myself... I never looked different. I ended up punching the mirror out of anger and lied to my parents that I saw a fly and tried to kill it.

JULIE: Sounds as if you were trying to kill your own reflection. You were haunted by the reflection you continued to see, so you decided to erase it as a whole.

She nodded.

ASHLEY: Exactly. It was almost as if the mirror continued to taunt me, telling me that no matter how hard I try, I will always be a rejection... and it scared me. I didn't like the feeling of being no one but I didn't enjoy looking at myself in a mirror, either. Some mornings, I manage to at least take a quick peek in the mirror to check my appearance, but after that day, I avoided them.

JULIE: Ashley...

ASHLEY: And to this day, I'm still evading mirrors. I just can't bring myself to look at a mirror without turning away anymore.

Julie stood up from the bench and walked over to her friend, standing beside her as they turned to watch the clouds in the sky move, summoning a sensational wind that blew through their hair.

The conversation fell silent once again. Ashley couldn't bring herself to say anymore. All that she felt and all she had feared, she laid it to Julie before her. It was a haunting feeling she had with mirrors. The words her Shadow had said were haunting her as well. Everything revealing her fears and how she felt, she wished that Julie and even Tara hadn't heard. She wasn't one for speaking her feelings to people, even her friends and she could feel nothing but humilation following it.

However...

JULIE: Ashley. You don't need a mirror to see how much potential you hold.

The sudden sentence broke Ashley out of her train of thought and she turned to Julie in surprise.

ASHLEY: What?

Julie turned to Ashley with a smile on her face, something else that shocked her.

JULIE: Mirrors cannot show the potential someone carries, it only shows what they look like. I understand everything about your fear. I guess if the shoe was on the other foot, I would feel the same, but you can't allow it to judge how you are.

ASHLEY: Julie...

JULIE: Ashley... It's your determination, strength, intelligence, friendliness, prosperity and conservatism that makes you a person. No one is ideal, nor are they perfect. Perfection is only an opinion, not a fact. We can't prove how perfect we are because we can make mistakes. That doesn't make us pitiful, it just makes us human. No matter how people see you or what they think of you, you are your own person.

Julie turned back to the sky but Ashley's eyes never left from her.

JULIE: Back in Inaba, a lot of kids picked on me for how I sounded. I have a strong British accent and it was even stronger growing up. A lot of kids would mock me, saying I should be "sipping tea and eating crumpets" and "speaking to the governor".

With a scoff, she shook her head but kept the smile on her face.

JULIE: It's funny how people love to stereotype you when you're different. In England, it wasn't easy because some of the kids were against biraciality. Not a lot of them, but only a few and they would write nasty things about me, calling me a "half-breed" or a "mixed pedigree".

ASHLEY: That's sad. How could people judge you by how you sound or your nationality?

JULIE: I wondered the same thing. I've seen people be mistreated by other races of people for how they appeared. Supremacism stands stronger than racism these days. You want to change people's minds, tell them that not everyone is perfect and that we're all the same, but you just have to accept that there is people who'll simply judge you for how you look, how you sound, your religion, sexuality and everything else. Maybe it's how they were taught, what happened to them in the past or just being plain ignorant, but everyone has their opinion. Whether they're racist or not, someone has some kind of distasteful view about someone else and you can't allow it to affect how you should change yourself or how you feel.

Those words fell heavy into Ashley's mind. Never has anyone told her this before and for once, she felt glad that someone did. A smile slowly began to form on her face as she looked at Julie, who was still gazing to the sky. She hadn't paid much mind to how she appeared because she was afraid to look in a mirror. Gratitude stood clear in her eyes.

ASHLEY: Thanks. I don't know whether to believe you, but... it means a lot.

JULIE: Trust me, I know how special you are. You received your Persona after all. What was her name again, Orithiyia?

Ashley nods.

ASHLEY: Yeah. It's odd, though. The moment our minds merged, her name was spoken to me. It's funny because I've looked up the name. In Greek mythology, Orithiyia belongs to the Amazonian queen who later became the goddess of the snowy mountains.

JULIE: Really?

ASHLEY: Really. I even looked into yours, though it was kind of haunting: the goddess of death. In Japanese mythology, her husband, Izanagi, went to look for her in the underworld and rescue her, but when he found her, she didn't look like herself. She bore the resemblance of a reanimated zombie.

JULIE: I know. Trust me, I've read books.

She turned away again and back to Ashley, but this time, with an unneased look on her face.

JULIE: By the way, should we tell Clayton about what we saw?

Before Ashley answered, she fell stuck in words. Now that Julie mentioned it, she never really gave much thought about it. Clayton wanted to participate in this investigation and showed excitement when the investigation was formed, only to be spurned when he realized that he had no way of getting out. However, telling Clayton about another dimension where monsters known as "Fiends" roamed around, beings known as Shadows escape from the "fears of the heart" and how the realm represents fear sounded a little theatric when Ashley placed herself in his shoes. Actually, "theatric" was just a formal way of putting it. Clayton would think that the two girls had officially lost all sanity, if he were to be painfully honest.

ASHLEY: I don't know. Of course, we know it's true, but will Clayton believe us?

JULIE: He has to. I'm sure he will understand once we tell him about it.

-Later: Afterschool-

CLAYTON: Were you guys dreaming or smoking last night?

It was afterschool and most of the class had left while the trio stayed behind to talk about last night's events. Of course, Julie and Ashley were the only ones who knew about the realm of Hofu and... knew it was a mistake to tell Clayton. It was clearly obvious by the uneven creasing of his brows that he did not believe them and Julie wished she had listened to Ashley.

CLAYTON: So you mean to tell me that there is this realm called "Hofu" and in this realm, there are monsters called "Fiends" and the realm manifests fear into reality?

JULIE: Exactly.

CLAYTON: Sounds like a tale to me. Come on guys! Just say that you didn't investigate last night because I was stuck at home and you didn't want to do things without me.

ASHLEY: To be honest, I really didn't care.

That earned her a cold glare from Clayton, which she really couldn't care about.

JULIE: We're being serious. We even met a priestess named Tara. She explained to us about the realm and our Personas.

CLAYTON: Persona?

The questioned look on his face was vivid compared to when the girls first told him about the realm and the Fiends. This wasn't easy to explain.

ASHLEY: I told you this wasn't a good idea.

Ashley turned to Julie with a look that read 'I told you so', but Julie paid her no mind. She resumed her talk with Clayton, but noticed something else that she had forgotten. Looking around the class, she could see that they were the only three inside... just them. She turned back to Clayton.

JULIE: Clayton. Where's Ian? Did he come to school?

Her question refreshed Ashley's mind as well, being aware that she also didn't see Ian today.

ASHLEY: Yeah. Where is he?

CLAYTON: Oh, Ian? He said he had something to do for his dad, so he didn't come to school today.

ASHLEY: Again? God, his dad is running him ragged. But come to think of it, I haven't really been seeing Ian much lately.

CLAYTON: Well, when it comes to being the son of a gangster, there's a lot of responsibility to be done. Can't complain, really. He can skip school if he wants to and he's bringing in cash as well. He has a lot more privileges than us.

There it was again. Julie could spot the jealousy in Clayton's tone of voice. But that wasn't all that she caught onto. His eyes rolled away once he used the word 'privileges', a quick up-and-down shift of his eyebrows was implemented and a slight scoff escaped his lips when he finished his sentence. Was Clayton that jealous of Ian?

Of course, Ashley couldn't detect the jealousy but she was certainly unnerved by Clayton's nonchalance regarding to their friend's lifestyle. Julie could share that concern. After all, Ian's father is a gangster and a leader of a mafia. Naturally, anyone would be nervous or terrified to get near to Ian, but there was something about him that felt welcoming. He wasn't cruel, cold-hearted, ruthless or greedy like the common stereotype goes for mafia leaders or their children, but he was noble and honorable. She couldn't deny also that everyone at school must know about Ian's father, but no one has shown fear to him at all. As a matter of fact, he is one of the most popular male students at their school.

ASHLEY: Do you really consider those as 'privileges'? From all the work he has to do for his father, I'm surprised that Ian's sanity still holds.

CLAYTON: I know! Geez!

However, there was tension in the air that was strong enough to touch.

-Later-

After leaving from school, Julie decided to return home and parted ways with Ashley and Clayton about ten minutes ago. Now she was walking down the street of the busy city to the bus stop. After catching the bus, she was now walking towards the train station amongst a crowd of people who were just leaving from work.

At the gate, she presented her train card and was permitted to proceed. She had been in Minneapolis long enough to know how their infrastructure works and knew which train to take to get home. In essence, Julie and her friends lived in the Twin Cities, which is Minneapolis-St. Paul. They lived in the Hennepin County and normally, Julie and her friends had to take a train to get their homes. Of course, Ashley had figure-skating practice and Clayton needed to help manage the baseball team.

By then, the train had come and came to a halt, allowing the passengers to step aboard. Once Julie stepped inside the train, she found herself looking for an open seat. There wasn't that many passengers on board, but there was still enough to keep some people standing. As Julie searched around, she heard the voice of a familiar person calling her name and turned back to find the voice. A smile plastered on her face as the voice she heard was who she anticipated.

JULIE: Ian! Hi.

Ian wasn't dressed in his school uniform. He wore a black business suit with a black tie, black suede shoes and a gold ring on his finger. From view, he appeared as a mobster, but this didn't concern her. She knew Ian too well to know that she was comfortable on being around him. She also noticed that the bottom of his head was faded out while the top held a head-full of hair. Maybe she was paying attention to his features as observantly as she thought or this was a new look, either way didn't matter. With all that he had to do and even missing school to top it off, she was glad to see his face again, but she knew that he was stressed.

Taking a seat next to him, the two began to converse.

JULIE: It's nice to see you. You weren't in school today.

IAN: I know. Father needed my help in bringing some cargo and I had to take care of it for him.

JULIE: Did it involve you wearing that suit?

IAN: It's something that father taught me. "When you are doing business with different people, you have to dress as professionally as you are. Otherwise, you're just some cheap bum thinking you can get over on somebody and I know that I did not raise some bum."

He mimicked with a perfect Italian accent, earning a giggle from Julie that made his cheeks burn a little in compliment to a nervous smile.

JULIE: You have to admire a father who knows how to do business.

IAN: Yeah.

Suddenly, his voice fell flat, prompting Julie to bring a halt to her giggling. She looked at him with observant eyes and could see the stress on his face. The entire process of doing helping his father with business seemed to be placing heavy weight on his shoulders but there was more to it. In compliment to the stress, there was a hint of... fear in his eyes. Something about it made Julie think in question. What was he afraid of that made him fall flat in the conversation? At first, he showed gratitude towards Julie's presence, but now, his aura changed.

However, he managed to show a weak smile, probably because he knew that he was worrying Julie by going silent in his sentence.

IAN: By the way, how have things been with you and Clayton?

Should she choose to ignore the fact that Ian displayed uneasiness when speaking to her about his father? However, she didn't want to push the topic, especially if it was making Ian visibly uncomfortable.

JULIE: We're getting along well. He's a nice guy.

IAN: Yeah. I know he is. We've been friends for a long time. Actually, I met Clayton through Ashley when we were little. He was small, skinny and full of fire, but that was what I liked about him. ... He was everything that I wasn't.

JULIE: And what is that?

It took Ian a few moments before he could answer, but he managed to pull in the effort.

IAN: He's comfortable when talking to other people, he's not afraid to stand up to anything even when the odds are against him and... he lives a normal life.

JULIE: 'A normal life'?

IAN: Yeah. If you can, please be good to him. He may be a firecracker sometimes and Ashley already has little to no tolerance with him, but I believe you'll give out the best in him.

While those words were of gratitude, something about what Ian said made her feel a little uneasy. What did he mean by 'a normal life'? From all that Clayton had commented about Ian, it seemed that Ian paid the same token to him. However, this didn't sound anywhere close to jealousy from how Ian was speaking of it. It sounded more of a longing, as if Ian was longing for something that he didn't have. Was this because of his life as the son of a gangster? For all she knew, Ian showed visible stress, but never admitted to it. It was a feeling that he failed to masquerade, but never surrendered in continuing. Maybe he was trying to keep Julie out of involvement with his life, whether out of denial or security, but he was making strong with his attempt.

Eventually, Julie spotted her neighborhood from the train as they were approaching the next station. She got up from the seat, holding onto a bar to support her balance with the train's movement and looked back at Ian.

JULIE: This is going to be my stop. It was good talking to you.

IAN: Same here. I've never really talked to another girl like this before. Most of the girls who usually talk to me often flirt, except for Ashley, of course. It was nice having a normal conversation with another female.

JULIE: Well, I'm pleased that I was able to suit to your needs. By the way, will you be at school next week?

Ian shrugged.

IAN: I don't know. Father said this is supposed to be a big shipment that will come in and that was the first cargo shipped. It may be likely that it will come tomorrow but Father hasn't given me the details yet.

JULIE: Okay. Well, see you later.

As soon as she gave her valediction, the train came to a stop.

-Amano Residence: Evening-

CATHRYN: So Julie, how was school today?

The family were seated in the dining room, enjoying a home-cooked meal of fish and chips. Since her parents are from England, they mostly cooked and served English dishes, but Hanbei would always cook Japanese meals that he enjoyed in his youth and that Julie enjoyed also.

The scenery was divine, to say the least. The family seated to enjoy their dinner and this time, without Cathryn being a work. Working for a magazine company resulted in crucial restraints in enjoying family time. Of course, Julie didn't mind her mother's work occupation, since it was her mother and father who taught her the values of working. However, Hanbei would show otherwise. Grateful he was about his wife's work, but ungrateful to the constraints it had on her spending time with the family. However, he wasn't going to let it show around Julie and kept a straight face as usual.

JULIE: It was okay. We got a new teacher who doesn't seem to know much about what she's supposed to do.

CATHRYN: Oh dear. Well, I hope she gets the hang of it. By the way, some of my colleagues have informed me that you're talking to Ian de Luca. Is that true?

She would answer right away but could tell the seriousness in Cathryn's voice when she said it, clearly giving away that she knew about Ian's father. However, she would never lie to her mother, nor her father about anybody she was talking to and answered.

JULIE: Yes, mother. I have.

CATHRYN: Oh. Well, do you know who his father is?

JULIE: Yes mother, I do. His father is Joseph de Luca... a notorious gangster here in Minneapolis.

Suddenly, the atmosphere stopped. Everything that was good and lively suddenly took a care to the dark. Julie was well aware that her mother wasn't comfortable with her being friends with Ian, especially given his father's reputation and she made it known when she spoke again.

CATHRYN: Julie. Ian is the son of a gangster and a mafia leader. A mafia leader. Do you know what happens when you associate yourself with them?

JULIE: Yes I do. But mother, Ian's not like that. He won't tell us about his father's business to us and he's not anything you expect from someone of the mafia or who is kin to someone in a mafia.

CATHRYN: I can understand that and I'm not trying to change your mind. Everybody at work tells me that he's noble and doesn't get into trouble at school, but I cannot deny that his father is a man who kills people and has enemies as well. Plus, those enemies may be targeting Ian to get to his father or one of Ian's friends to get to him, including you.

JULIE: I understand that as well. Mother, I know who Ian is and I know everything about his father. If he was dangerous, I wouldn't talk to him at all, but he's not. You need not worry about me.

CATHRYN: That's the instinct of a mother, Julie: worry. I just don't want anything happening to you because of Ian's status. I've read reports of how friends of a mafia usuallly turn up dead or missing and I don't want the same to happen to you or your father. I'm sorry if I sound like being the type of mother who never lets you live your life, but I have concerns.

JULIE: I know.

She did know, but she knew her mother as well. It wasn't anything new, especially given Julie's history of people often teasing her and taunting her. She had gotten over all of the racism in regards of her blood lineage and comments of how she appeared, but her mother didn't. She couldn't blame Cathryn for feeling worried. Yet at the same token, she wished her mother would understand a bit more.

-August 21, 2010: Saturday-

Alone. That was one word to describe how Julie was feeling right now. Her parents had left for their occupations probably an hour ago, leaving her home alone. Of course, this has happened on so many occasions that Julie isn't bothered by it. As a matter of fact, it was her understanding that her parents had to work to provide for them was what kept Julie in holding animosity to her parents. However, Julie wasn't the type to hold animosity, no matter how grim her view of anyone seemed.

The month of August was slightly chilly. Though not cold, Julie could see a few people passing by wearing light jackets. The sky was blue, with a few clouds flying by and the sun shining like a newborn star. It was a beautiful day. She had a thought of wanting to go outside enjoy the day and she received a call on her cellphone. Looking over her shoulder to the dresser on the left side of the bed, she crawled across the bed and grabbed her phone and saw the caller ID. A short smile plastered on her face when she saw that it was Ashley and she answered.

ASHLEY: Hey, Julie. How are you?

JULIE: I'm well. How about you? What brought you to call me, if you don't mind me asking?

ASHLEY: Well, I can't tell you now. Come meet me at the mall today by the fountain. There's something I want to talk you about.

This had to be serious. If Ashley couldn't talk about it over the phone, she knew that the topic was for a matter of discussion. Julie nodded.

JULIE: Okay. Just let me get dressed and I'll be right there.

ASHLEY: Alright.

Both hung up. Placing her phone on the bed, Julie looked over to her closet and rose from her bed. Given the weather, Julie decided that it would be a good idea to wear a jacket or a sweater. After showering and taking care of her personal hygiene, she wore a black jacket with a lavender shirt, a long black skirt that reached her ankle, short black boots and purple earrings. For someone with an upbeat attitude and a generous spirit, Julie enjoyed wearing dark colors, which people often took as her being a Goth.

-Callisto Mall-

ASHLEY: Do you walk around dressed like a vampire?

Ashley took some time to note Julie's appearance with an amused look on her face. It wasn't anything new. For some reason, Julie just had a taste for dark colors, not that she hated bright colors. Ever since she was six, people often called her a Goth until they actually met her.

JULIE: I just like dark colors. I hope my gothic appearance is bothering you?

She folded her shoulders with a playful smile on her face, teasing eyes directed to Ashley. The latter threw up her hands and backed away.

ASHLEY: No. That's your style. Odd to say, but it fits you well.

Julie nodded and noticed Ashley's appareil. She wore a long-sleeved sky blue tunic, a white skirt with black stockings, short sky blue boots and diamond earrings.

JULIE: So does your style. You look very feminine.

ASHLEY: *scoffs* Well, I may be aggressive sometimes, but I like dressing up and putting myself together, even casually.

JULIE: That I can understand. Back in Inaba, between me, Yukiko and Chie, Yukiko and I were the only two who were sophisticatedly dressed. Chie wore skirts much shorter than yours.

ASHLEY: No stockings or tights?

Julie shook her head and Ashley giggled.

ASHLEY: Not trying to cast stones on your friend, but her parents never said anything about her skirts.

She shook her head.

JULIE: No. And Chie's your typical tomboy.

The two shared a laugh as they sat at a bench by the fountain inside the Callisto Mall. The mall was pretty busy, but nothing beated like a good Saturday morning than talking with a friend. In Inaba, the only place where Julie ever hung out with her friends was in Okina City. There, they shopped for clothes, laughed, talked and even skipped class at one point.

However, given what was happening, now wasn't the time for a chat. Julie had to remember that Ashley called her because of something important and it seemed that Ashley had just remembered the reason why she did so.

ASHLEY: Oh yeah. I've been meaning to tell you about a few things.

Julie nodded.

JULIE: Okay. What is it?

Before she started, Ashley looked around for listening ears and none were present.

ASHLEY: Last night, I went into Hofu to test the power of my Persona, Orithiyia.

JULIE: Ashley...

There was a clear tone of disappointment in her voice.

ASHLEY: I know. I wanted to try out my Persona without any assistance. No offense.

JULIE: None taken. But what time did you enter?

ASHLEY: It was around nine. When I met Tara, she said that anytime around night is good.

JULIE: Good. Going each night by midnight will leave us exhausted. It's probably best if we leave at earlier times.

Ashley nodded in agreement.

JULIE: So what did you learn about your Persona?

ASHLEY: I've been testing out my Persona's abilities while in Hofu. Tara was there and kept check. You know how your Persona had wind abilities?

JULIE: Right. From what I know, your Persona carries a certain elemental ability. Wind, fire, ice, water, earth, etc.

ASHLEY: True. Apparently, Orithiyia knows ice and ailment abilities, along with a few physical skills, as Tara described it. As a matter of fact, Orithiyia even learned a new skill called Mabufu, which Tara said works similarly to that skill Izanami has where she summons multiple cyclones of wind.

JULIE: So you can summon multiple shards of ice?

Ashley nods.

ASHLEY: Precisely.

Suddenly, she turns away for a short while, apparently gathering in all the rights words to make out her next sentence.

ASHLEY: Say Julie... have you heard from Ian?

Julie nodded.

JULIE: Yesterday, actually, while I was on my way home, I talked to him on the train. He said that his father is shipping in a cargo that will take some weeks to get in.

ASHLEY: Oh. Well, Clayton called me last night and said that he tried to call him and he didn't answer.

JULIE: Maybe he was busy.

ASHLEY: That's what I told him until he said that his father called him to see where he was. Julie, I think Ian is missing.

The words that fell from the girl's mouth brought the whole world to a halt. Missing? It was impossible to believe. Julie saw Ian yesterday and talked with him, so for him to just disappear without a trace was... troubling.

JULIE: Missing? Do they know where he went?

Ashley shook her head, a grim and dark expression bearing welcome to her face.

ASHLEY: No. When I talked to Ian's father, he said that Ian was checking out some cargo that was shipped and when he called in to see about him, he wasn't there. Nobody knows where he went and according to Clayton, Riccardo thinks that one of his rivals must've kidnapped him.

JULIE: But...

Despite how the message seemed, Julie knew there was more to the story than what was being let on and Ashley felt relieved to know that her friend was getting the stronger hint.

ASHLEY: But I think that Ian may have been taken to Hofu.

She expected her friend to say this, but her blood ran cold the moment those words were said.

JULIE: Are you sure? You said you went to Hofu last night. Did you see him or anything at all?

She was brought to disappointment as her friend shook her head.

ASHLEY: No. I even asked Tara if someone was brought to Hofu and she said she wasn't sure. Maybe we'll get our answer the next time we meet her.

JULIE: Right. But we have to bring Clayton. This is his friend we're talking about. If Ian was really brought into Hofu, Clayton would want to save his friend.

ASHLEY: Yeah, but Clayton doesn't have a Persona. As far as I know, he doesn't have a weapon to defend himself with.

Ashley was right. Clayton may be fearless and brave, but was live bait if ever taken into Hofu. This was something that needed to be thought through before acting upon and Julie knew it.

JULIE: Alright. We won't go tonight but we'll meet tomorrow night.

ASHLEY: Understood.

The plan was set. With Ian missing in action, the two needed to be certain of his whereabouts. Nobody knew of the realm of Hofu except for Julie and Ashley and they held the power to survive in the realm. However, if Ian was truly in Hofu, then his chances of survival would be a grim outlook. They needed to be certain that he would be saved.

-Night: Amano Residence-

Light taps on her window continued, irritating her eardrums. Each time she laid in her bed, the sound grew faster and the repetition was one that Julie was having trouble tolerating. What was tapping on her window? A bird? A branch moving by the wind? Whatever it was, it began to eat away at her.

Gathering some composure, she turned to the sight of her window and was almost frightened by the sight of a familiar figure who stood crouched at her window. After being shocked, she regained her breath and moved from the bed to the window, relieved to see a familiar face yet slightly astonished to see such a face.

CLAYTON: Hey. Can you let me in? It's freezing as hell out here!

Julie unlocked her window and opened it, allowing Clayton to enter inside, but not before she checked around to make sure there were wandering eyes looking. After closing the window, she turned back to Clayton, who was wearing a brown jacket with a white shirt underneath, khaki shorts and white sneakers.

JULIE: What are you doing here? Better question is how did you leave your house? Ashley said that your dog is very alertive.

CLAYTON: Yeah, but I may have slipped a small dose of sleeping medicine from my dad's cabinet into his dog bowl.

JULIE: Clayton, you didn't...

CLAYTON: I did. I had to see you about Ian and you were the most available since your parents aren't usually home.

JULIE: Okay. What would you like to talk about? And not trying to be picky, but please make haste of it because if my parents found out I let someone in the house, especially a boy into my room, I will be grounded.

CLAYTON: Yeah, yeah, but this is important. It'll only take a minute or two.

A sigh escaped her lips but she knew this had to be important. Otherwise, Clayton wouldn't lead her like this without a reason.

CLAYTON: About this realm, Hofu... do you believe...? Um...

He was trying to gather his words, unsure as to how his sentence should be formatted. However, the moment the word "Hofu" was mentioned, Julie knew clearly where this conversation was going. Before he knew it, Julie was already mouthing out the topic for him.

JULIE: Do you think that Ian is in Hofu?

Once she said it, a sigh escaped his lips and sat on her bed, hands inside the pockets of his jacket. His head hung low and Julie sat beside him, her direction turning directly to Clayton. As she thought, Ian's disappearance and the possibility of their friend being in the realm of Hofu left a chill in his spine.

At first, Clayton didn't believe Julie and Ashley when they told him about the realm but it seemed that he was starting to understand the likeliness of it all. More specifically, the thought of his friend being summoned to that realm frightened him.

CLAYTON: I know it sounds... silly, but... *sighs* For Ian to just up and disappear like that and not even call me...

He shook his head and brought it back up, eyes looking directly at hers in confusion and desperation.

CLAYTON: I don't think that some rival gang was involved in this. If anything like that happened, he would send me a message or something. I normally don't believe in the supernatural, but... Ian's sudden disappearance can't be natural. He's my friend and if I lose him...

His words fell clustered and Julie placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and stood up.

JULIE: Hang on a minute.

With that said, she walked over to her dresser and grabbed her phone, dialing in Ashley's number.

JULIE: Hey Ash. Change of plans. We're going to Hofu tonight.

ASHLEY: Tonight? But we planned for tomorrow.

JULIE: I know we planned for tomorrow, but...

She turned towards Clayton and he looked back at her with a confused eyes.

JULIE: Clayton is worried. He needs to make sure that Ian is safe.

ASHLEY: Wait. You mean he bought all that stuff about Hofu?

JULIE: Yes and he believes that Ian was summoned there. He wants to be sure and check.

ASHLEY: *sighs* He's in your room, isn't he?

JULIE: Yes. He is. How did you know?

ASHLEY: He tried to sneak through my window until my dad came around. But if we're going to Hofu tonight, then I'll try to get ready.

JULIE: Okay. I'll see you there.

Hanging up, she walked to her closet and grabbed her jacket and some shoes. Clayton got up from the bed and walked over to her, taking the time to notice her pull out a black umbrella, which caused his eyebrows to crease unevenly.

CLAYTON: What's going on? Are we going?

She nods.

JULIE: Yes. Now the means of getting there are... intense.

The comment was rewarded with a skeptical look on his face.

CLATYON: "Intense"? How?

Zipping her jacket, she grabbed her umbrella and walked closer to him, taking hold of his wrist with her right hand and carrying her umbrella with the left.

JULIE: You'll see soon enough.

And with that, she called upon the name of Izanami and within seconds, the two vanished.

A/N: And that is the end of Act 5. This story seems rushed but that's what happens when you haven't published your next chapter in weeks. I'm so sorry about that, by the way. Anyway, I'm cancelling Citadel Chaos. Something happened with the next chapter and my story didn't save all the way through. Sorry for fans who enjoyed it, but life tends to be a bitch. I won't stop with this story, though. In the next act, Clayton faces his Shadow. Review!

Also, there's a change in Tara's attire. Since it's not easy to explain, I'll just say this. If you've ever played Mass Effect before, think of Tali's outfit after ME1. I didn't really like the first one, but the second one was... appealing. However, just imagine Tara's being green and two locks of her hair sticking out.