She lets go.
“How’s your oddity?”
“They are, hurt; but alive.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you didn’t die.”
“Same.”
“I would have been mad, if you died. Promise if you die, you’ll still live.”
“You know, I might actually be able to make that promise, with how strange things have been.”
“That’s why I asked it.”
“Fine, even I die, I’ll survive.”
“Good.”
Chapter 4: Disappearing
On September 8th, Quinn is heading to his first day back to school, looking rather unenthused. “Ah, I don’t know what to make of it. We nearly died just a couple days ago, and now I’m headed to school, like it didn’t even happen. I don’t know, it feels wrong to be spending time at school, while there are still oddity problems. Then again, the normality of it is actually reassuring, in its own way.”
Quinn’s train of thought ends, as he soaks in the atmosphere around him. “My last year of school... Maybe, my last year in general.”
“Sup.”
“Hm?”
Quinn notices Neri walking next to him, with a ball bag on her back.
“How long have you been there?”
“Since you started to get all sentimental.”
“Oh. What are you doing here?”
“Walking to school with you. I figured you’d be out here, since you like walking.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Then, since we have some time, how about you tell me how you beat the Oddity Hunter?”
“So that was what you were after.”
“Can you blame me?”
“First, let me correct one thing, we most certainly can’t call that a win.”
“But you lived, so it’s a win.”
“It wasn’t pretty.”
“Not all wins are.”
Quinn explains the events of the hunt, leaving out specific details as needed.
“Wow, you actually seemed kind of cool.”
“Huh, do I not normally seem cool?”
Neri looks away.
“Ah, you answered without answering.”
Quinn looks to Lucifer.
“I’m usually cool, right?”
Lucifer looks away.
“Stop avoiding eye contact. I get it already, I’m not cool; but there are nicer ways to say it.”
“I think you’re cool, you just don’t seem cool, or act cool, or give off cool vibes.”
“So... there’s nothing about me that’s cool; but I still am?”
“Hmm, yes.”
“Oh, wow, I feel so much better.”
“Good.”
The day progressives on, till it’s time for the last class of the day, Psychology.
“Hey, we’re in the same class, and it’s the last one, that’s pretty lucky.”
Neri sits down next to Quinn, who seems a bit surprised by the development.
“Uh, yeah.”
“If we had time, we could have picked a class together; but it seems it worked out anyways.”
“Why would we do that?”
“Because it would be fun, plus it’s more convenient.”
“Hm, fair enough.”
Quinn unconsciously looks over to the door, as it opens; though, his attention would have been grabbed either way, by the boy walking in. They have a lanky build, with pure white hair, and deep blue eyes. He had on a white button up, with the top two buttons undone, black slacks, and black, casual, flat sneakers, with white soles. The boy has a slight smile and narrow, focused gaze. He takes a seat at the desk on the opposite side of Quinn. After a few moments, he turns to Quinn, maintaining his smile, with a shrewd, piercing look.
“Hello, I’m new, my names Alastor Ozul, nice to meet you.”
“I’m Quinn Solomon, nice to meet you as well.”
Quinn notices something strange. “Why did I feel like giving my last name? Was it just because he gave his?”
“Then Quinn, I hope we can get along.”
“Yeah.”
Eventually the teacher shows up, and starts class. She writes everyone’s names on the white board, as to be able to remember them better. Eventually, class ends. On the way out the door, Alastor tells Quinn.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah, see you.”
Quinn looks over, to see Lucifer staring at the boys back, as he walks away.
“What’s up?”
“That boy, he seems... Familiar.”
“Familiar how?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t feel like I have seen him before.”
“Hmm.”
The next day, Alastor talks to Quinn, once again.
“So, Quinn, how do you feel about psychology?”
“I mean, it’s fine, this is only the second day, after all.”
“I meant, more so in general?”
“In general, well it’s kind of interesting, I guess.”
“You guess? You must not have put much thought into this class, before picking it.”
“It’s just an extra credit class.”
“Yes; but I would assume, you could have taken anyone you wanted to.”
“I suppose.”
“Meaning, something must have called out to you, about this one in particular.”
“...Sure.”
“I take it, you don’t want to be a psychologist. Then, perhaps another reason?”
“If I absolutely had to place it. Then I’d say, it seems like it could be useful.”
“Useful? You mean in day-to-day life?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Yes, being able to read people, can be a useful thing. Though-”
He tilts his head, and maintains eye contact with Quinn.
“Don’t you think, it’s a little underhanded?”
“w-What?”
“You know, breaking people down, into such simple terms. Treating the calculations of the brain, as nothing more than lines of code, to be adjusted to how one sees fit. Truly, who deserves such an ability? Especially, if even those who seek to create good, still end up corrupting others because of it.”
“I don’t really-”
“Oh, excuse me, just thinking out loud.”
“...Why is it you took this class?”
His smirk widens.
“It just seemed like I needed to. Like a roll of the cosmic dice, lead me here.”
“Huh, okay.”
Class starts. The teacher makes a note, out of the fact that it’s only the second day of school, and not just one person; but two are already absent. Quinn takes notice, of a focused look on Neri’s face, when the teacher says this. After class, Quinn asks about this.
“Did you notice something, at the start of class?”
Neri glances to Quinn.
“The two absent people’s names, they’re crossed out on the board.”
Quinn looks to the board, and sees two names with a line through each.
“Oh, yeah I see. Isn’t that just because they were absent?”
“Who did it, though?”
“Hm?”
Quinn looks at the two crossed out names. “I guess it wasn’t the teacher, since she seemed surprised.”
“Maybe, one of the students who knows them, did it.”
“But why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm, okay.”
“Does something seem off about it?”
“...No. Not that, I guess; but it seems like, there’s something else missing.”
Quinn looks back to the board. The only other things on it, are the three markers at the bottom, two erasers, and over a dozen color coded magnets on the board, behind people’s names.
“Is this a, something wrongs worry, or a I can’t figure something out focus?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Hm, well, tell me if you figure something else out.”
“Okay.�
�
The next day, Quinn immediately notices, that two more names are crossed out. He takes a seat next to Neri.
“Figured it out?”
“...The magnets, by the names, are gone.”
“Huh? Oh, they are.”
“Why?”
“Maybe, they mean something to the teacher? Like a way to keep track of something.”
“Hmm.”
When the teacher gets onto the topic, of the absent students, she asks if anyone could get in contact with any of the absentees. To which, no one seems to know them well enough, to be able to do that. After class, Quinn’s odd neighbor gets up.
“It’s almost like people are disappearing.”
“Hm?”
Alastor walks off. “Strange comment.”
Quinn looks to Neri, who is deep in thought.
“I’ll try and get in contact with the absent students.”
“Okay.”
“Tomorrow I’m going to show up early, and see who is crossing the names out.”
“Mhh, be careful.”
“I guess I can.”
The next day, two more names are crossed out. Quinn has an uneasy feeling, when he sees this. The class of sixteen students, and one teacher, has shrunk this much already. He takes his seat next to Neri.
“Well?”
“The class room is locked, up till around twenty minutes before class starts. When the teacher came to unlock the door, the names were already crossed off.”
“Wait, that means, either someone crossed them off the day before.”
“Or something crossed them off, while the room was locked.”
“Do you think, it might be an oddity?”
“...Hmmmm.”
She crosses her arms, and sinks into her chair.
“That’s the thing. I can’t think of what type of oddity, would be causing such a specific set of circumstances.”
Alastor walks over and sits down. Neri and Quinn share a look, that says they will continue later. Alastor, seeing this, rests his chin on the top of his fingers, and gives a sly grin to Quinn. The teacher talks about the fact that people can’t be showing up if they are sick. With a virus going around, its better if people stay home. After class, Alastor stares at Quinn, up till the point where Neri gets up to leave.
“...What is it?”
Quinn asks, with a general uncomfortable demeanor.
“You and Neri seem to get along well.”
“I guess.”
“Have you asked her out yet?”
“h-Huh?”
Alastor just looks at Quinn, with his hand holding his head up, caressing his cheek. “I don’t like these types of talks.”
“I don’t really know, where you got that type of impression from.”
“That’s a no then.”
“Hmm.”
“Then, you wouldn’t mind, if I asked her out.”
Quinn’s eyes widen, and there’s a distinctive shift in his presences.
“Why would I-”
“Hehe, that was a cute reaction. Don’t worry, I’m just messing around with you.”
He looks away.
“Besides, I already have my eyes on someone else.”
“I see.”
Alastor gets up to leave.
“Well, good luck, with figuring things out.”
Quinn looks a little off put.
“That was hilarious to watch.”
Lucifer says, arms leaning on the back of Quinn’s chair.
“Shut up.”
“I felt your adrenalin spike, when he said that.”
“Leave.”
“Sorry, I’m attached at the hip.”
“Then I’ll leave.”
Quinn catches up with Neri.
“What now?”
“We watch the class room, to see if we can catch who is crossing out names.”
“Excuse me; but what if the crossing out of names actually is a bad thing, and the preparator crosses the names of the two looky loos off?”
Lucifer asks.
“Oh.”
“What?”
Quinn relays the info.
“That’s a fair point.”
Neri paces around, while asking a question.
“How can we pinpoint the cause, while also not making ourselves into targets?”
“Perhaps, a camera?”
“That’s a good idea.”
“We just have to place it, without being seen.”
“Yes, alright, we will go with that.”
“Then the question is, how?”
“It would take time to acquire, and to set up. Meaning, the class room will be locked for the weekend.”
“Alright, I’ll get a camera, swing by saying I forgot something, and set it up.”
“Then, I’ll distract the teacher.”
Quinn shows up at class. He tells the teacher he forgot something, and slips inside, while Neri asks her a question.
Quinn sets up the hidden camera, in the corner of the room, above a storage cabinet. He then walks out. “Okay, we will see how you do.”
“Thanks for answering my questions.”
“Sure thing. Quinn, did you find what you were looking for?”
“Got it, thanks.”
The two quickly leave.
“Alright.”
Quinn pulls out his phone, and looks at the live feed.
“This is also being recorded, so we can scrub through it later.”
“Okay.”
Eventually, the two viewers have a shocked reaction, as a line begins being formed, through a name. Quinn looks at it, shocked.
“What just, happened?”
Quinn asks.
“Another’s coming!”
Yet another name is crossed out, without anyone being caught on the camera.
“It looked like it was being crossed out.”
Neri states.
“y-Yeah.”
“Like a person just drew a line through.”
“Okay, what does that mean?”
“It means...”
Neri seems frustrated.
“I’m not sure. No matter how you look at it now, this is clearly the work of an oddity.”
“Yeah.”
The two sit in silence, until Neri speaks up.
“Okay, I’m going to check on the people who have been absent.”
“You didn’t find anything before, though.”
“I’ll go to their houses, if I have to.”
“Okay, I’ll come with you.”
After looking around for a while, a crushing reality comes crashing down onto them. “Not even their families remember who they are.”
“It seems only the people in class, remember that they existed.”
“...I’m at a loss.”
Quinn expresses.
“That’s fine, darkest before the dawn.”
“...If we could figure out, the goal of the oddity.”
“Or, the goal of the person who has manifested it.”
Lucifer says.
“What do you mean?”
“Look at the camera feed again.”
Quinn does so, which catches Neri’s attention. While looking at the screen, she gets a revelation.
“Those are imperfect lines!”
“Uh- Okay?”
“If this was a nonphysical oddity, they would probably be perfect lines. Meaning, this is a physical oddity...”
Her smile fades.
“Or, it’s a person who has manifested an ability.”
“It could be; but what motivation would they have to do this?”
Lucifer gives out his idea.
“If the oddity has manifested itself in this way, then it’s not a far stretch to think a person would follow through with the power, they themselves wished for.”
“That’s...”
“What?”
“He thinks it’s likely, that if an oddity like this exists, it means the creator would also be wish
ing for this to happen, and would follow through with this ability.”
“That does make sense.”
She places her hand onto her chin, and holds her arm up, with her other hand. She looks up, with a calculating stare.
“That means, that one of the people in the class, is trying to dwindle the numbers down, little by little.”
“But why slowly?”
“To savior it?”
Lucifer asks.
“It might be a limitation, of the ability.”
Quinn finally crosses the threshold in his mind.
“...If this is true, then doesn’t that mean, we are on a time limit, to figure this out? Even if we do, how do we stop it?”
“...Show me the footage of the cross out, again.”
“Okay.”
Neri examines the board.
“The magnets disappear, when the name is fully crossed out.”
“Yeah.”
“There must be a significance to it.”
“Like what?”
“They might represent something to do with the students.”
“...Could it be the teacher?”
“Of course.”
“I meant, more so, is she the most likely one.”
“Hmm, at the moment, that does seem like the best candidate; but the percentage chance of being sure of anyone, is still far too low.”
“Maybe, we should examine the board.”
“Remember, that might put you in danger.”
Lucifer, restates.
“Right, it would be risky to make ourselves a target.”
“If we were to do anything, it would be alone, and right after a name is crossed out.”
“Why alone?”
“Lower the odds of us both being crossed out, at the same time.”
“Yeah; but... I don’t like the idea, even if it’s right.”
“Lots of things that are right, are not likeable ideas.”
“Mhh, yes, technically correct.”
“Though, we aren’t sure that we will get anything, from the board. So, risking it now wouldn’t be to wise of an idea.”
“Then we hold off, until Monday?”
“...One thing is bothering me.”
“Yes?”
“What if, it continues over the weekend?”
“Oh...”
“If that’s the case, then the odds of both of us making it to Monday, are low.”
“...Could we, somehow, raise them?”
“That seems possible; but how?”
“...Aren’t the odds of both of us being fine up till this point, low as it is?”
“Sure.”
“Doesn’t that mean, that perhaps there’s a reason for it?”
Oddity Specialist: Purgatory Page 7
