"Haise, did you hear me?"
Haise realized that while he'd been manically running through files, Christy had come into the office and had been talking at him.
Haise sighed and turned to face the priestess, leaning against the chair. "Sorry, no. I wasn't paying attention. I'm super distracted. What were you saying?"
"I was asking what you know about this Sadako woman."
"Nothing except that I can promise you she's not just a woman," Haise said.
"Yes, I agree. You think maybe she's a shape-shifter?"
Haise was surprised. "Those can't be real. Why would you think that?"
"Because she looks just like…someone I know to be dead."
Haise rubbed his eyes from the vision of a dead Rize, and then an image of Kuri—Christy—dead, too.
Death was not the end.
And the visions were getting worse.
"Back to your original question, there are a lot of things out there—in this world as well as the Otherworld." Christy smiled. "I am a priestess after all."
Haise gave her a look. "I don't know about all that."
"Many cultures have evidence of shape-shifters in their legends and mythology. It only stands to reason that at least some of those stories are based on truth." Christy continued. "I mean, ghouls are real, why not shapeshifters?"
"I can't figure out whether that's good or bad," Haise said.
"I think the best we can hope for is that Sadako is like the rest of us—good or bad based on the individual. Which leads me to my next question. Mado said that you had a pretty strong reaction to her. Is that true?"
Haise felt his cheeks getting hot. "Sadly, yes. I made a fool out of myself in front of her."
"Why?"
"Because I'm a moron," Haise said miserably.
"No." Christy smiled kindly. "You're definitely not a moron, which is why I wanted to talk with you about this—alone. I think you should play down your reaction to Sadako, maybe even to Mado and Arima. Keep what you're feeling to yourself. Put on your poker face."
"Poker face? Sorry, the best I've got is chess and shogi."
"It means to keep your reaction to what you're seeing and how you feel about it secret from everyone watching you."
"Why?" She really had his attention now. It wasn't like Christy to ask him to keep secrets. It was more like her to convince him to reveal them.
Her eyes met his and Haise was struck anew by their unusual color. Blue and green. Unmatched, like his.
"I learned young that evil sometimes likes to be bragged about, even when it would be best if it kept a low profile. It has been my experience that Darkness's true struggle isn't against Light and the strength of love and truth and loyalty. I think evil's greatest threat comes from its own pride and arrogance and greed. I've yet to see a bully who doesn't gloat, or a thief who doesn't brag. That's why they get caught. Darkness could get a lot more of its destructive work accomplished if it was more, shall we say, circumspect."
"But it's in Darkness's nature to brag and gloat, so Darkness understands it when someone calls attention to its actions and stuff," Haise said, finally getting her point. "Which means when someone who is trying to fight for good stays quiet, and watches and waits for the right time to act, evil is thrown a curve ball."
"And caught unaware by the strength that comes from honesty and serenity and quiet determination," Christy said.
Haise drew a deep breath, looked around to make sure no one was lurking outside the office, and then spoke softly to Christy. "From the second I saw Sadako I knew she wasn't Sadako. She was someone I knew…from before. Like with Tsukiyama. I'm just…so confused and frustrated. And I've got a constant headache."
Christy's smile faded. "You sound frightened."
"I am frightened." Haise admitted. "All this is too much."
"Ah, I understand. If Sadako carries traces of your memories, that's why her presence affected you so much."
"She definitely made me feel strange, even before I saw her face and heard her voice."
"Strange? Like you were frightened then, too?"
"Yeah, but I also had a weird surprised feeling, like my intuition was seeing something that my mind couldn't handle. And then I got super anxious. There's something wrong about that woman, Christy, and that something is more than my memories, more than what we've faced before. Something that's just…just…wrong."
Christy continued earnestly, "I want you to spend some time thinking about Sadako. Note how you feel and exactly what you observe the next time you see her—but note those things silently. Keep your poker face on. Don't let anyone know what's going on underneath that strong façade."
She paused, then kissed him. "And remember. You are not alone, Haise. I'm here with you, this is our fight. Together."
Haise hugged her, wanting badly to cry out his pain in his shoulder as his head pounded with unspoken memories. But still, these memories had her face in them, so Kuri—Christy!—was Haise's anchor in the dark.