Chapter 31
A/N: Happy Holidays everyone!
"I did not expect you to be Professor Lukić's assistant," Diana admitted.
They stood in front of another tent where Amanda took it upon herself to have fun since they were in a fair. She had been long engrossed in gunslinger games, losing and sometimes winning them left to right.
"Oh, only like once every two weeks," Lotte said. "Usually when my grandmother needs some favor from her, I usually am part of the bargain."
"So you work for her in this fair?"
"She is known to be Madam Lukić in these parts," Lotte said, looking around the fair. "May I ask why you guys were there?"
"It was Amanda's idea," Diana said, pointing fingers. "And I am slightly onto the fact that she must have suggested visiting Professor Lukić so she would have an excuse of me heading to the fair with her."
"Hey!" The American yelled from where she stood. She was holding a gun on her left and a huge plushie porcupine on the other. "It was so not because of the fact that the Detective Inspector asked of me to help you unwind."
Diana shot her a glare to which Amanda flinched.
"It's worth a shot! I mean, you're an expert on logic and detection yet you can't solve it. Along with other detectives working on the case. I'm merely suggesting going through the paranormal route."
Lotte's face darkened at that, but it disappeared almost completely, Diana thought she imagined it.
"The Blytonbury Killer proved to be a worthy adversary for the police," Lotte commented. "Most of Madam Lukić's customers are usually those who want their fortunes to be read, but lately they are those who want to speak to the dead."
"Pardon?"
"You heard me right, Diana," Lotte said. "I have no idea why Akko's there though. Madam Lukić's ethics are similar to priests when people go to them to confess. We don't share their reasons. It would be breaching the confidentiality."
"Can we backtrack for a moment there?" Diana strained her jaw muscles, annoyed at the fact everyone was slowly realizing her crush that they must mention her every once in a while. "You say Professor Lukić's customers come to her to talk to the deceased?"
"Yes, especially those people who haven't made peace to the dead yet."
"I am not a fan of the con," Diana said, disapprovingly. "Especially when you use a person's grief for money. And thanks to the Blytonbury Killer, there's no shortage of bereft customers ripe for the plucking."
"If people take solace in belief, who are we to criticize them?" Lotte said. "And besides, it's not illegal."
"Quite afraid you are right."
"Diana, I know it's not my place to say so, but..." Lotte swallowed, licking her dried lips. "How are you holding up?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Well, it just seems to me, that you're a girl with a lot of unresolved issues. You can't help people when you don't help yourself." Lotte held her by the shoulder, Diana flinched upon touch at first before allowing it. The touch somehow grounded and calmed her. "You're experiencing slight distress. It could be PTSD, I don't know, but you've witnessed a lot of deaths the past few days. Don't you think exposing yourself more on these kinds of investigations might have you spiraling into madness?"
"Are you asking me if I'm seeing a shrink?"
"More or less," Lotte said. "If therapists are bothersome, I'm happy to lend an open ear."
"I am stable," Diana said, firmly. As if she was convincing herself and not Lotte. "I am sane. I have no need for it. A complete waste of money."
"Alright," Lotte said, avoiding Diana's blazing eyes. "If you ever need someone to talk to. I am here."
"Thank you, but Amanda fills the position quite profoundly."
As if on cue, Amanda's raucous laughter emanated from the other side of the fair as she had won the first prize of bottle stand game and she was now boasting it out on a large crowd.
"Are you sure?" Lotte asked, concerned.
Rolling her eyes at her partner's shenanigans, she crossed her arms. "Trust me, she's capable of conversations sometimes."
"But are there any conversations you couldn't open up to her?"
"Well, I do not expect her to accept all of my thoughts. The same way you could not tell your friends why you are leaving them just to save their lives."
"You left your friends?"
"Why yes, Hannah and Barbara." A ghost of a smile rested on her lips. "I made it seem like I could not stand to be associated with them, when in truth I care so much about them I do not want them to be the next targets."
"But you hang out with Amanda..." she said, "and me. What makes them different?"
"The sole difference is that Amanda wants to join the investigation and be my companion. Despite all the risks and dangers, she is stubborn that way and I admire her for that."
"You make it sound like you're not an admirable girl, yourself."
"I feel lackluster. I do not feel remarkable. Without my last name, I am no one."
"You're not a no one—not a nobody. You are Diana."
"Who is Diana without her last name?" she said, managing a wry smile despite the prickle of tears she could feel building behind her eyes. "Diana's not noble. I do not have an identity. I have always been the Cavendish girl—Lady Bernadette's daughter. When my time comes, I need to know what kind of a person I am. Was I a hero who saved lives, as my mother would have me be, was I a progenitor of death among my friends, or... will I die a coward?"
"Shellshock does mysterious things to the mind. It closes doors." Lotte said.
"So… I brought this to myself?"
"I'm not saying that, necessarily. But someone powerful wanted you dead." She reached for her hand. "I know this is difficult, but you should let go of the dead in favor of the ones alive."
Nothing compared to the agony of losing Andrew. He was a permanent fixture in her life the day she met him. Their families were related and she was used to the idea of him hovering over her like a brother she never had. But losing the others could destroy her just as easily.
How long will this last? How many people will she risk losing?
"Capturing criminals is like war, Diana. You risk everyone, every single day. Especially the person next to you."
Diana bit her lip, almost draining blood to stave off the thought of Amanda O'Neill, dead and gone.
Her mother had died years before, Frank and Andrew followed just last year, and soon everyone who had ever meant something to her would desert her because she sure deserved to be left all alone.
All societies have rituals surrounding burial. They convey the dead from this world to the next, but they serve a function for the living as well. A way to say goodbye. A way to visit the dead like a locked door one cannot enter and can only leave gifts and letters.
"Hi." Sucy's voice was very low against the breeze, waiting all day outside Akko's flat for a chance to talk to her.
"Hey there, Sucy." Akko began, she had been out someplace where Sucy doesn't know of. Her whole demeanor was tensed upon laying her eyes on the person waiting for her outside.
"It's nice to see you again. I was...I was really afraid…I had lost you."
"Had you ran out of drinkable water?"
"Here we are, haven't spoken to each other for a long while and you just ask me if I had run out of water?" she made herself chuckle to lessen the tension that infiltrated the air. "Yes I did, I bought new ones. You don't need to bother yourself with being my water provider."
"What else is there left to talk about us, then?" Akko asked, opening the door with her spare key in her pocket and quickly tried to shut it, but Sucy blocked the doorway.
"I just want to talk about you and me again."
"There is nothing to talk about," Akko told her confidently, trying to get the door to shut. "You and I are over."
Sucy pushed the door wide enough to let herself slip in. "I'm going to decide what I want, and I'm going to take it right now."
And she did.
Akko finally managed to detach her lips from Sucy's, pulling her head back. "Please, Sucy... please stop this."
Hearing her name escape Akko's with such desperation, combined with the pain and pleasure of Sucy's ministrations mixing together in a heady combination that heightened every one of her senses—it was too much for Akko.
Sucy wasn't having any of it. "Tell me you don't want this," she said, breathlessly, "and I'll stop."
Akko's voice got stuck in her throat so Sucy moved. Akko clenched her teeth and gripped Sucy's shoulders with her claws, but Sucy kept trailing flaming kisses along her gasoline skin. Akko whimpered and heaved out of breath.
"Please, Akko, please," she whispered hoarsely in Akko's ear, "Please accept me back."
"N-no," Akko whimpered. "Don't. I… won't. Not until..."
Sucy's mind left her body then. All she wanted was to claim Akko's territory.
"No..." Akko managed to speak through her clenched teeth.
Sucy went hot all over. Her heart banged wildly in her rib cage. She didn't know that Akko's voice was enough to keep her going.
"Sucy stop! You said you would!" She then started sobbing.
The sound of Akko's cries sounded an alarm. It began to clang inside her body the way a bronze bell was struck. Sucy felt the heat rose to her cheeks. She turned away from Akko's red piercing stare abruptly.
OH GOD WHAT HAS SHE DONE?
Sucy's face flushed at the notion of her embarrassment. By now, Loa made a snickering noise of amusement.
The whole time she wished she could disappear through the tiny crack in the window.
"I'm sorry Akko," she bit her lower lip.
"It's okay," she replied. Akko wiped the tears that flowed to her cheeks. Sucy was waiting for her to continue but she just smiled and shut the door to her face, locking it even.
After Amanda had won various prizes on all the games she played, Diana managed to calm herself from an impending breakdown. They were now eating some bagels and popcorn at the picnic area.
"Sucy Manbavaran isn't a mob boss, she doesn't know dozens of criminals to acquire them and do her bidding," Diana argued. "And besides, no one goes to commit a murder hoping there's going to be a weapon handy, least of all a professional."
"Okay fine!" Amanda poured some sanitizer on her hand then rubbed them together. "But can you stop talking about the mystery for like an hour? It's not really doing you any good. We'll get back to it later, I promise."
Diana opted to clench her jaw shut.
"I swear you got to have a habit or something. Try to take your mind off things. You tend to overly obsess on stuff."
"I did recommend her to do yoga or a blind date." Lotte offered. "But she refused."
Amanda turned to Lotte, asking. "You sure madam crystal ball won't look for you?"
"Positive," Lotte said. "I'm taking a break. And besides, I missed you guys in school. I want to catch up."
"We have long been talking about the paranormal, Lotte," Diana said, licking her lips from eating some lemonade cotton candy Amanda shoved in her face.
"We're just having a hearty talk, Diana, come on. And what about you, Amanda?" Lotte asked "Skeptic or believer?"
"Let's just say..." Amanda persisted, throwing popcorn to her mouth. "I keep an open mind. I did tell Diana to visit the Professor of Occult."
"Always wise to keep your wits about you," Diana said, starkly.
"Did you know that this is the same fair where Shiny Chariot was discovered?"
"And we care… Because?"
Lotte chuckled. "Oh, Akko was rambling the other day. She told me before that she would want to start her road to fame as a magician here as well, but the mayor refused her idea to make up a small stage."
"Yeah, that sounds like Akko alright."
"But you should have seen her tricks," Lotte said before staring straight to Diana's direction. "You and I are well-informed spectators in a magic show. We know the truth behind the illusion. And for you, that ruins the appeal. Any amount of trickery and illusion the girl possessed could rival spiritualists. I can't say I'm not a least disappointed her request wasn't granted."
"You seem very familiar with Akko's repertoire," Diana noted.
"Oh, I need to be. Or tricksters like Akko will bring genuine spiritualists into disrepute."
"I see. Despite what my family thinks of illusionists, I secretly enjoy watching an expert practice sleight of a hand." Diana said, raising a brow towards Amanda. "Except when it comes to being a famous finger smith."
The implication of a thief went over Amanda's head but Lotte was unfazed by it.
"Why are you attracted to her anyway?" Lotte asked. "Is it because of her neotony face and attitude?"
Diana blinked at the question, but by now she's used to the fact that everyone else can see she got it bad for the Japanese girl. "Appearance-wise, she's average. Personality wise, I've had met a lot of people but Akko is definitely the most unique. I would like to know more about her."
"Hey Lotte, what if we make it into a bet on what great activity would serve as a good distraction for our blonde girl."
"What?" Diana gawked.
"I'm listening," Lotte said.
"Why on earth are we trashing the flower shop?" Diana huffed, it was the middle of the night and they were hiding in a dark alley near where Sucy worked. "And where did you manage to get reformist masks?"
They both were wearing the mask of the infamous fraternity hate group.
"I got it from Louis when he was being a little bitch. And that's not all! I got the necessities." Amanda waved her off, setting down her plastic bag and began taking out its contents. She laid out two cans of neon spray paint, half a dozen rolls of toilet paper, two cartons of eggs, and a bag of candy corn onto the table in a neat row.
Diana eyed the redhead carefully. "What are these for?"
"These items are essential for the destruction we are going to cause tonight," Amanda said like it was obvious. "How else do you think we are going to trash someone's place? And besides, Sucy lives in an apartment, it's hard to trash it. Too many things could go wrong. She owns this shop now, and it's easier to mess with."
Diana sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. "Just so you know, you are putting a lot of good money and food to waste."
"Relax," Amanda assured her, "Half of these were on discount and if anything, I'm doing the world a favor because candy corn isn't good food."
"I seriously ponder how good this will do to my mental and emotional health.|
"Quit whining, it's time for our plan to commence." Amanda shushed her and shoved the carton of eggs on Diana's arms.
"So, what do we do now?"
Amanda gave Diana a scornful look. "We start wrecking the place, obviously."
Diana scoffed. "Oh, forgive me for my lack of knowledge about criminal activity."
"Shh, no more sarcasm." She said. "In honor of your first time creating chaos, be my guest. Throw those eggs!"
Diana sighed but she attempted to open up a carton of eggs, she and Amanda were wearing gloves to prevent any fingerprints lying around. She grinned in triumph and reached to grab an egg only to let it slip and fall onto the ground with a crack. She lunged downwards instinctively which causes more eggs to fall, creating a mess. Miraculously, one egg yolk remains its symmetrical shape despite the impact. Pieces of eggshell are scattered across the ground around the yolk and Diana thought that it oddly resembled the stars and moon hanging in the sky.
"Well, I didn't know the great Diana Cavendish could be clumsy on her first time," Amanda said eyes widening as she stared at the eggy pavement. With a giggle, she tossed her a can.
Diana turned to Amanda with the can of spray paint in her hands, unsure what to do.
"Don't tell me you don't know what to do with that!"
"My lips are sealed then," Diana remarked as she peeled off the plastic covering the spray paint can. She uncapped it and gave it a shake, squinting in an attempt to look through the darkness. "Amanda, do you have a flashlight? I cannot tell where to spray"
"No, sorry, babe. My phone's bat dead. Just feel for the hole." Amanda then snickered softly at the unintentional innuendo.
Diana rolled her eyes. "Real mature, Amanda- FUCK!" She saw a bright flash of pink and immediately slammed her eyelids shut. Her face didn't receive most of the paint thanks to the mask but it didn't stop the fumes from irritating her eyes. She dropped the spray paint from her hand and spat out another obscene curse. Her eyes are stinging and she can feel them begin to water.
She's almost too distracted by the pain in her eyes to feel Amanda grabbing her frantically, demanding, "Diana! What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Diana gently rubbed her irritated eyes and opened them gingerly. She can see Amanda standing over her, worry etched upon her face. Maybe Amanda is a literal sight for sore eyes because the pain in Diana's eyes didn't start to subside.
"I am fine." She obviously lied but then proceeded to tell the truth. "None of the paint went into my eye, it is just the fumes."
Amanda released a breath of relief, giving the shorter a heavy look. Her voice is tinged with remorse. "Thank god."
"This is dangerous. Maybe we should not be doing this, as I have reluctantly agreed to the bet you made with Lotte."
"It's too late to back down now," Amanda gestured around them. "We've already made a mess. Might as well just continue." She picked up the neon pink spray paint and started spraying the wall of the shop, being extra careful to ensure it is directed away from her face.
Diana grabbed the other can of spray paint and began defacing the wall next to her. She is biting down on her lower lip in concentration, completely focused on her illustrating. After several more sprays of paint, Amanda stands back, grinning gleefully. "Ta-da!"
Diana squints her eyes at the glass wall, trying to make out the neon green graffiti. It is familiar to something she has seen doodled onto the pages of second-hand high school textbooks. Then it hit her. Utter horror stroke her when she realized what has been painted onto the wall.
"Is that—?"
"—a dick wearing a top hat," Amanda announces, looking very proud of her artwork.
Diana slapped her own forehead and groaned. "Your maturity level is off the charts."
"Hey! Vengeance is best served in the form of a juvenile prank!" Amanda defended. "What else could I have drawn?"
"Practically anything." Diana reached into the plastic bag and produced the bag of candy corn. "What did you get this for, anyway?"
"I thought it would be a good idea to scatter them around the house and then let ants take over," Amanda said,
Diana opened up the bag with the intention to bring it to Amanda. As she moved forward, she accidentally stepped into the raw egg and slipped, causing the bag of candy corn to spill out onto the floor and over herself.
"Goddamn," she groaned.
Amanda picked out a piece of candy corn from Diana's hair, fighting back a giggle. "You know, I don't think you are very good at this."
Before Diana can open her mouth to retort, they heard a voice from the other side of the street yelling, "HEY! WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
They both whip their heads around to see a patrolling constable running towards them. Diana's heart dropped into her stomach.
"Shit," Amanda scoped up their plastic bag of equipment before grabbing Diana's wrist and sprinting into the alley. "Run!"
Still paralyzed by shock, Diana fumbled and forced her feet to move. They brush past buildings, dumpsters, dark alleyways and duck under the nearby tree branch in a desperate attempt to escape from the man chasing after them.
"Oh my stars, we are going to be arrested and thrown into prison." Diana flailed her arm around frantically. "Oh my stars, oh my stars, oh my stars, oh my stars—"
She was silenced by Amanda's hand over her mouth. Amanda shushed before yanking her into the bushes to hide. Diana stumbled, tripped over her own feet and fell down. Instead of crashing into the hard ground, she felt her body collide into something soft and warm. It took a soft curse from the redhead for Diana to realize that Amanda had sacrificed herself to cushion Diana's fall.
"Sorry," she breathed against Amanda's neck.
"It's fine—" Amanda stopped herself when they heard footsteps coming their way.
The shuffling of feet came closer and closer to their hiding spot before it stopped abruptly. They both held their breaths as they wait for the man to walk away. Eventually, the constable walked away, swearing under his breath.
Once they are sure that they are alone, Diana groaned, "See, I told you this was a bad idea. Why do I even associate with you?"
"Because you love me."
"You can dream about it."
"Whatever," Amanda rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Lotte found a better way to improve your state of mind tomorrow."
Diana feared for what Sunday has in store for her.
They stayed in the bushes for a little while longer, just to ensure that they are alone. After checking around their surroundings, they get up and proceed to travel back home.