The Cursed Bride's Vengeance

Chapter 1

"And then came the fateful day
The dead will come out of their graves
The souls that wander the world
Of the old, the young, the sick and the brave...

Haunting under the moonlight
But wait, where is the moon...?
Came Friday the 13th again
And it will be repeated soon..."

The seven teenagers listened to the old fortune-teller as she said those words in her raspy voice. An eerie atmosphere surrounded them.

"Friday the 13th? What's so scary about it?" Nagisa asked, curious.
The fortune-teller gave out a crooked smile.

"You will find out when the time comes..."

"Hey! We came here for our fortunes to be told! Now quit this nonsense and tell us about our futures!" Shinji shouted.
"Shinji, calm down," Asami held his hand.

A tension got created followed by a silence which seemed to last forever. Finally, the stillness was broken off by Tomohiko.

"I think we are wasting our time. Let's go out."

They started to leave but were once again stopped by the senile fortune-teller's words.

"Souls that sought vengeance
Over the hollow promises that were never kept
Ashes and bones of the cremated
Out of the earth have crept..."

"Ptt...Yeah, whatever," Hitoshi scoffed as he went out.

The seven youths came out of the fortune-teller's booth and onto the stone pavement which was lined up by various stalls on both sides.

Most of the people who visited the shrine this evening wore traditional clothes, and so did this group except for Hitoshi and Yui.

The summer festival always brings with it a kind of jubilant environment which makes everyone mirthful. However, this particular group of friends were still dazed at the words of the old lady they just met.

"Whose idea was it to go to the fortune-teller's booth?" Hitoshi said, annoyed.
"Sorry. I thought it would be a great idea to visit one, there had never been a fortune-teller's booth set up here before," Haruko talked her way out of this mess.
"Yeah, whatever..."

With a now-spoilt mood, the teenagers decided to shrug off the topic and take a stroll around the stalls.

A variety of counters and stalls can be spotted which sold candy floss, fried noodles, meatballs, folding fans, good luck charms and a vivid range of masks which resembled the celestial beings from the folklore.

"Look Shinji, what a cute mask," Asami pointed at a mask which was designed to look like a white fox with red outlines around the holes for the eyes.

"Do you like it?" Shinji asked.
"Yes, of course!"
"Okay then."

Shinji bought for his girlfriend a pair of same fox masks - one for Asami and one for himself.

"Masks are nothing more than veils which conceal your true self and disguises you as someone who you aren't," Yui said as she adjusted her glasses.

Nagisa chuckled. "That's quite a dark side to something so fun to wear."
"Quit with this chit-chat and let's get moving!" Hitoshi groaned.
"Stay calm for a while, will you?" Tomohiko sighed.

The group of seven were high-schoolers who were in their third and last year of school life. Having found companionship amongst themselves, yet their personal interests were not so similar.

Hitoshi was the most short-tempered member of the group, though this comes with the fact that anyone who hurts his friends would get a taste of his wrath.

Yui may, at first glance, appear to be a rather intelligent girl, with square-framed glasses and an aloof demeanour. However, her intelligence is limited only to gothic literature and science fiction. Academic books doesn't interest her.

Yui's, astonishingly, best friend Nagisa preferred laces and soft toys over gothic styles; yet her surprisingly well-knowledge about the Celtic history made them fast friends. Nagisa's father is a writer who researches on ancient European culture and Yui adores him.

Tomohiko was the calm one in the gang, whose tranquil composure and quick judgement of issues made him the perfect person to turn to when an argument arose in the group.

Shinji and Asami. Their romantic relationship has been going on since middle-school. Never have they been seen apart from each other. It is yet unknown who confessed first, but their passionate bond brings a smile on anybody's face who witnesses this blessed couple.

Lastly, Haruko was the athletic type of girl who can be seen covered in perspiration after each sports game and yet with a grin on her face. Her one and only true love is sports and is always the first one to be chosen as a team member for a soccer match.

These were the seven teens who were brought together by fate. Without them knowing, destiny had started pulling the strings to each one of their lives. What will be the outcome? Where will it land them? The fireworks covered the entire night sky as the youths gazed in awe. The sky lit up bright, unlike their future.