CHAPTER 15
Hana felt like she was floating. She couldn't recognize her surroundings — wooded hills and grassy plains everywhere. She was floating toward a massive cluster of buildings. From the presence of athletic fields she determined that she was at some kind of school. But it wasn't Sawai Academy.
Am I dreaming?, she thought. This doesn't seem like a dream, it feels way too real.
She suddenly heard the pained wail of a young girl. She felt herself being drawn to the source of the wailing. She could see several other teenagers, mostly dressed in school uniforms, just going about their business. I don't believe any of those are the wailing girl, she thought.
She could see some of the schoolchildren gathering in a group. As she approached the crowd, the wailing got louder.
"WHYYYYYYY!"
There was something familiar about the voice.
"WHYYYYYY GOD! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"
She soared over the crowd of students, some were shocked, some saddened, others just pointing and laughing. Then she found the source of the agonized commotion, screaming at the floor.
"YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME, YOU DAMN MONSTER!"
When Hana saw the tear-stained face and the familiar purplish-red hair, she gasped.
"Yuri!... No!... what's wrong, Onee-chan?..."
Yuri didn't react. Can she not see me? Hana wondered as she tried to get face to face with her.
Then her sister, the crowds, the school... all of it blurred out and faded.
"Onee-chan! What's happening? Where are you..."
Hana found herself opening her eyes and gasping in the camping tent. Ayane was next to her lying on her side, her hand resting on Hana's shoulder.
"Hana? Everything alright? You were moaning in your sleep and I thought you were having a bad dream."
"I saw... my sister. My sister Yuri. She didn't come here with us."
"Oh... did something happen to her?"
"I... don't know if she died that day or not. I was told that she was too old to come here, so if she died, she would end up in a different type of afterlife world."
"What about in your dream? Was she in trouble in any way?"
"She looked very devastated. She was on her hands and knees, angry at God, screaming how could he do this to her. She was at some kind of school, and there was a crowd of kids surrounding her. That's all I could remember."
"Oh my... I'm sorry you had to go through that." Ayane sat up and put her arms around Hana.
"Do you think this is something happening in the living world?"
"I don't think so. We don't have any kind of connection or window to the living world, at least that's what the Mystics told me. The only way we can find out what was going on in the living world is through what other departed souls tell us."
"So Ikuro was right. But was I just imagining it all...?" Hana was cut off by her cell phone ringing. She picked it up.
"Kari? What's up?"
"Hana... by any chance did you have a dream about Yuri-chan just now?"
"Was she... screaming and crying, going 'Why, God' and all that?"
"Yes! I had that dream too! And a few minutes ago Sota came crying to me saying he had a nightmare about Onee-chan and said the exact same thing! That's why I called you. What do you think this means?"
"I... don't know."
"You're still camping with Ayane, right? Are you coming back in the morning?"
"We're a few hours away, so it may be noon when I get home."
"Okay. As long as you're safe. Bye."
"Bye." Hana put the phone down.
"What did your sister say?" asked Ayane.
"She had the same dream. And so did my little brother."
Ayane paused, silent in thought.
"Do you think she's trying to reach out to us? Or is this some... supernatural alert?"
Ayane replied, "I'm not really sure of that. The surviving Mystics might be able to tell you."
"Mystics... you said they were at the Eternal Festival, right?"
"Yes. You should go there as soon as possible, ask to speak to one of the Mystics, and tell them everything you know of your dream. It would be more accurate to call it a 'vision', since your siblings shared it."
"I need to get back home, though... to Kari and Sota."
"That's fine. In fact, they should go there with you as well."