***
When classes ended, Reiko collected her things in her tote bag and was ready to leave, but Sumi said she needed to talk to their math teacher about an assignment she hadn’t done so well on.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting in the entrance hall.”
“Wait, are you sure?” Sumi gave her a worried look.
“I...” Reiko’s quiet voice faltered. “I think I’ll be okay. I should start stretching out more. Nothing has happened for a while, and there are plenty of people there now.”
Sumi sighed, “Um, okay...just gimme’ a call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
The masses of other students moved ahead of her in the halls. She paid close attention to all of them, to make sure no one got too close.
She could see how much trouble this had been causing her friends, as well. They were each going to great lengths to help her without any complaint. Each of them tried their best to make sure she was not letting this get to her, and it had been helping, if only a little. She could not imagine where she would be without them while dealing with this. Probably at home, with the only two people who showed her more love than anyone.
She wanted to do something for them. It could be anything, just to show their efforts had not been in vain. She just had to think of something.
She let this thought lift her spirit and carry her all the way to her shoe locker. There were still droves of Aki Guro uniforms on the move to leave school and enjoy the rest of their day.
The aisle where her locker was located was the one against the wall on the right. There were not normally many students in this aisle, and right now, there were only five. Her locker was on the second row up from the bottom.
She brushed past two students and made it there when she noticed something that was a little out of place for the inside of a school. She wondered if someone had brought an animal in for some kind of presentation, or maybe there was an...animal club here?
The object that had conjured this line of thought was the brown feather lying at her feet. The school probably had a rule against students bringing animals, which made this all the more bizarre. Maybe a bird had somehow flown in through the doorway, or got in through the ventilation.
While contemplating this, she knelt down, undid the combination to her locker and unlatched the door.
Tiny and motionless, a body of more of the same brown feathers lay in the open space provided by her shoes having been pushed further back. A hazy, blue marble of an eye, that had once been black and glossy, was now satined over by death. The white chest didn’t move, and the black beak gaped open slightly, frozen in its final cries, its wings hugging its gentle frame for protection.
Reiko’s tote bag hit the floor, her back slammed up against the lockers behind her. Chest heaving, she tried repeatedly to draw breath. Her vision clouded in fine, sparkling shades around the lifeless body inside her shoe locker. She whimpered and raised her hands in front of her face, but she could not see them.
VNNN!
“Ahh!”
Her phone had vibrated inside her skirt.
When she reached for it, she noticed the people on both sides of her were staring.
Her trembling hand drew it out and opened the text message she had received, not remembering to check the sender.
‘Do you like it? My little lark? You look so beautiful in your uniform.’
He was here! He was here right now, watching her!
‘How did he get my number again!? How!?’
A sob erupted from her chest, but her throat was so dry, it had turned into a squeak. The words on her phone’s screen blurred into black splotches against its background.
No matter what she did, she could not escape him. Her world was no longer her own. He owned it all.
The next thing she knew, she was running, phone still in hand. She had glided past the other students without even remembering it and was headed for the corner to her left. Around here would be the faculty offices. She couldn’t trust anyone, but she had to tell someone.
She made it to the corner, and was about to turn, when there were two people walking in her direction. As soon as she saw them, she realized she was moving too fast and didn’t have time to dodge away.
“Whoa!”
It had been a guy and a girl, walking side by side, and in her attempt to evade, she collided with one of them, her shoulder impacting his arm and causing her to lose what little balance she still possessed. Her legs fled out from under her, and she was on the floor.
She couldn’t risk being in a vulnerable position like this, and pushed herself up immediately.
“Are you okay…?”
The voice sounded tense. She looked up and trembled.
The guy had offered a hand that seemed to be trembling as well, but the other was clutching a head of black, wavy hair. Yellow eyes winced at her, in a face that looked like it was in pain.
It was him! It had to be him! The one her friends had warned her about!
Suddenly, the eyes opened up wide and stared at her, his mouth gaping.
Why was he staring at her like that!? Was he the stalker!?
She whimpered and pushed herself away from him. She didn’t want him to move any closer. If he did, she might lose all control and scream.
“Wait, wait!” the girl behind him stepped around. “Are you alright? Let us help.”
Reiko grabbed her phone, got up and ran down the hall as fast as she could, gasping for air, everything whipping past her in a blur.
“Hey! Wait!”
It didn’t matter where she went, nowhere was safe, but she had to tell someone.
She just wanted to see her mom again.
Eiichi P.I., Vol. 1 Page 19
