"It's raining, and we don't have a single umbrella!"

"Dan, you left them at Runo's house..."

Shun and Dan went inside the gates of the church, and Dan knocked on the door multiple times. "This is my fault. Why did I walk Runo home? Now I can't ask her to get them, and neither do I have her number. What were you doing at the hospital?"

"I spoke with a trainee who knew Alice very well. His late girlfriend Mira had a disease, but that didn't prevent her from keeping Shadow away from Alice. She died during surgery, and this drawing, signed by Shadow, is probably what caused it."

Shun explained more of what Ace said, and Dan unrolled the artwork. "This Shadow is psychic. A simple drawing caused Mira's death? Freeeeeeeaky."

"And Runo received a drawing of us coming in, which means he's still here. My main concern is if Alice is still here." Now it was Shun's turn to knock on the door. "What were you two doing?"

"Turns out that her issues with the hospital was that no one was there to help her with her leg. Another issue could be Mira's sudden death."

"True..." Shun gave up and looked at the back of the brown piece of paper. "Serena Sheen. That's probably who the woman—"

"Can I help you?"

A navy-haired girl in a white cloak with a yellow umbrella stood at the gate. Shun looked at the paper and girl. "I was wondering if you knew a girl named Alice—"

"Gehabich?" The girl's green eyes blinked multiple times. "Back when my sister Serena managed the church, yes. Come inside."

Her sister's name is the same name on the note.

She unlocked the church doors and led the boys to the kitchen. "Here's some warm water. What were you to doing other there?"

"We're not from here, but need to investigate something." Shun explained. "After Alice saw Mira die, she came to see your sister and asked for funeral services, but I think she did more than that. Your name is...?"

"Fabia Sheen. I took care of this church after my sister died. My sister fell to her death while fixing the bell tower. Also, do you need a place to stay overnight? Looks like you don't have a place here to stay."

Fabia was right. It was already dark outside with a new moon, and Shun was getting tired. "Sure. I hope we're not bothering you. I would like to hear more, though."

"But I'm tired and hungry." Dan complained. Fabia laughed and served him warm milk and butter biscuits. "Thanks for the food!"

"No problem. Why don't you eat here while Shun and I talk outside?"

"Sure. I'll be waiting."

Fabia led Shun outside to the altar and spoke. "Alice and I talked to each other a lot when she was here. She was the first non-clergy person that I've talked to."

"Your first? What did Alice ask for?"

"She asked Serena about funeral services in general but burst into tears. I comforted her for the night while she stayed here." She nodded and pointed to the room left of the kitchen. "That was her room for a while. Also, I didn't catch your name."

"Shun Kazami. She talked about me, didn't she? Did she also mention a guy named Shadow?"

Fabia's hand froze right before she lit the candles. "She wouldn't stop talking about you or Shadow. Alice even asked Serena for charms to ward off evil, but Serena say those things don't exist. Speaking of bad things," She pulled the drawer open and took out a yellow piece of paper. "Alice told me to give this to you when you came. She kept insisting that you'll come someday."

"Thanks. I should sleep now."

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Not in the mood. Neither do I have the appetite."

But Fabia stopped him and handed a glass of warm milk. "At least drink it for Alice."

Fabia's right. Alice never forgot me no matter how tempting some things in Sunshine Point were. He grabbed the glass and drank it all. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. Thank Alice. She wouldn't want you to starve while finding the answers to these mysteries."

That changed everything.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"She's been fighting that disease for years. This was an unexpected ending."

"Not to me." Alice accepted the glass of water from Serena and drank it all. She dried her hair with towels, but no matter how much she dried, that imaginary feeling of weight on her shoulders didn't lift.

Alice whispered to herself as usual. "Was I too direct when I rejected his coat? I know he only meant well for me, but the drawings say otherwise. What does Shadow want? Mira only wanted him to stay away from me because she respects me and Shun." Her head hurt badly and rested it in her hands.

"Alice, what's your real request? You're not Mira's family, so there has to be something else."

Alice's hand trembled as the other tried to hold it down. "I moved here, not knowing a single person, away from my other friends and that one boy who cared for me so much. Now there's another boy trying to get close to me, but I don't want him. Is there a way of dispelling this bad luck?"

"Only a pure heart shows invincibility and invulnerability. Stay strong and have faith."

Alice looked out the window and saw an old bell tower. "I have a question. Have you heard of the practice of hitting a bell a certain number of times to get rid of evil spirits?"

Serena's eyes widened and slowly nodded her head. "I have, and I can give it a try." She looked up and waved her hand. "There you are, Fabia. Come and meet Alice. She'll need a place to stay tonight."

"Hi Alice. You can stay the room next to me."

"Thanks, Fabia. Thanks, Serena." As straight-forward as it sounds, I'm going to do anything that will work for me.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Why am I just lying here doing nothing?

Shun sat up and stared out the window. The sky was raining with complete darkness. Alice, if you're willing to see me at the highway outside of Sunshine Point to lure me in here, then why won't you see me now? Shun took the time to calculate everything he learned and discovered so far. He took out a pen and notepad and got writing.

First, Alice moved here, settled in, and met Runo the next day. The day after, she met Julie, and unfortunately, Shadow. Two and a half friends weren't that bad.

Second, Alice went to the hospital with her grandfather and met Mira and Ace. She continuously visited Mira with Ace until surgery day, in which she was the first to see Mira die. The drawing was proof.

Third, Alice came to the church for help, but Shun hadn't figured out the rest yet, especially how Serena died. No progress to document there, so Shun read the paper Fabia gave him.

It's my fault she ended up dying.

Either way, I won't stop trying.

But Grandfather called me away to his lab at the hill.

I won't let anything weird happen against my will.

"Two times in a row did people that Alice met ended up dying." He flipped the paper over, but there was nothing on the back but a long line in the middle of nowhere. "No name? Weird." Shun held the paper up against the window and gasped. "Grandfather is underlined..."

He flung his feet over the side of his bed and felt something poke his leg. Looking down under, he found a rolled-up piece of paper. "Fabia!" Shun walked outside and showed her the crayon drawing. "Look familiar?"

Fabia rubbed her eyes and gently ran her fingers over the lightning bolt to the large fire to the navy-haired woman upside-down, headed toward the ground. She pinched the burnt corner and shook her head. "It was here all along. How could I have missed it?"

"Is there a laboratory on a hill around here?"

"Not too far from here, but Shun, you should get some sleep. I'll bring you two there tomorrow."

"You said so."

This mystery just got a lot more complicated...

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Serena, be careful. The steps look so old and rusty."

"Don't worry, Alice. This bell will be fixed in no time."

Alice sighed and prayed that Serena would be safe. "Please don't let anything weird happen. I want to enjoy my new life here." Thunder roared in the sky and scared Alice. She held the jade koi in her hands tightly.

"Alice, relax. It's just thunder." Fabia soothed. "Serena fixed the bell tower before in all kinds of weather, even snow. She'll be fine. Just think of Shun."

"I wish. He told me this method of counting how far away lightning or thunder is, but I forgot. If I only had a glass of warm milk to calm the butterflies in my stomach. Shun taught me that, too."

"What else did he teach you? He's the only guy you ever talk about."

"We taught each other a lot of things, and I miss him a lot. Now do you understand why I asked your sister to fix the bell tower?"

"It's because of him, isn't it? How will fixing the bell tower help?"

"Shun told me that ringing a bell belonging to a community a certain number of times will cast away all evil. At least, that's what his shrine maiden distant relative says."

"There goes you talking about Shun again. I'll get you a glass of warm milk."

Although a windy thunderstorm was approaching, there wasn't any rain. "Serena, do you need help?"

"Just another bolt to tighten. Let's just hope it works. Where did you learn this?"

"Shun told me, but not for ringing a huge bell. He gave me key chain charm with a bell on it, hoping that the same process works."

"Smart boy you met. I guarantee you'll reunite some—"

"Thanks, Serena, but—" Serena stopped talking, and Alice looked up. Instead of tightening screws, Serena stopped to look at what looked like sheet of paper. A bolt of lightning struck the weather vane and lit the entire building on fire. The quick lightning and fire surprised Serena, who lost her grip and fell twenty feet to the very bottom.

And died right in front of Alice.

The redhead had first-hand saw many deaths lately, and this was no different. The paper Serena was reading floated down to Alice's hands. It was a vertical drawing, with a large zigzag of yellow hitting the rooster, lighting the bell tower in a blaze of red and knocking the pink-skinned woman down to the ground.

Even with a corner caught on fire, the remaining S and the date was enough for Alice to conclude who did this.

"How could he do this?!"