Strange Ones: Volume 3

Suspicion Rising

"Saoirse!" Frisk exclaimed before letting out a sigh. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it was best to look for you." Saoirse's words suddenly made her friend slightly jolt.

"You're usually quiet. What happened to you?"

"I thought it would be best to actually speak my mind for once. Are you surprised?"

"Very." Frisk nodded, but wore a grin. "But, what the heck? I missed that Irish accent of yours."

Suddenly, Saoirse frowned, and it got the other girl's attention.

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked. "Is this about your dad and Ben again? I get it. Those two are missing out on the games."

"It's not that." The seal Morpher crossed her arms before she anxiously looked around the hallway. "I'm feeling suspicious for some odd reason."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but the atmosphere has somehow changed. Bendy looks like he's losing his marbles, you are constantly absent, something's definitely up, Frisk. Betty was the first to notice it!"

"She's noticing a lot of change in detail nowadays." Frisk nodded and placed a finger on her chin. "Either that or Liquids Integrity and Kindness are starting to kick in for her Amber persona."

"Can you not change the subject?" Saoirse scolded before grabbing her friend's wrist and dragging her across the hallway until they both stopped at a janitor's closet, where they hid themselves.

"I can't believe you dragged me..." Frisk said before her nose suddenly picked up the closet's smell. "Is that lavender?"

"Focus on that later, friend!"

"Then why did you drag me here?"

"Look." Saoirse sighed. "While I was looking for you, I suddenly found that Strange One executive talking to Asgore and Toriel."

"You mean Romeo?" Frisk got a nod from her. "Oh, I've heard of him. I honestly thought he was a nice guy."

"He's a nice guy, yes." The seal Morpher nodded in agreement. "But there is something dark hidden within his apprentice."

"Do they have a name?"

"Harumi. Female. Last time I checked, she's Lloyd's ex-girlfriend and Weiss' rival."

"Wait, what?" Frisk shook her head. "Lloyd has an ex-girlfriend and Weiss has a rival? Why didn't they say anything?!"

That was when Saoirse shushed her before reaching into her coat pocket to pull out her phone. "Earlier, I approached Pinkie and I asked her about Harumi. Not even she knew about Lloyd's previous love life and Weiss' rivalry with her. Heck, she was completely baffled about it."

"Should I be baffled too?"

"Maybe..." She nodded as she swiped the screen of her phone. "But after she and Romeo were done talking with Asgore and Toriel, they started to have a quiet conversation. But I managed to get a hold of what they were saying."

"How?" Frisk wanted to know.

"I recorded them. I'll show you the video I recently made."

Soon enough, Saoirse finally found the video and she gave herself and Frisk access to the device's screen. She started the video and it showed Harumi standing in a hallway talking to Romeo.

"Harumi," Romeo said firmly. "We can barely keep this up. I'm telling you, there are some people in this building who are onto us."

"So?" Harumi scoffed. "Let them be suspicious. After all, you agreed to help me with an important task."

"Agreed?" The red-haired man repeated. "I agreed to none of your ploys! You force me to-"

That was when the snow-haired girl dressed in red pulled what seemed to be a silver-bladed knife from her boot and firmly brought the blade closer to his neck. Romeo gasped when it happened and so did Frisk, who had a hand close to her mouth.

"Listen up." Harumi darkly growled. "I am not leaving this building until I finish my mission. I cannot afford to fail them, and if you don't help me, Romeo, I will call them over so they can strip you of your life. Do you want that?"

With a petrified look on his face, Romeo quickly shook his head. Then, he let out a sigh once she took the blade away from his neck and carefully slipped it back into her boot.

"Good." Harumi continued. "I can't afford to kill you either, but I will if you don't follow me. Consider that strike one. Two more, and your soul is mine to keep. Got it?"

The red-haired Strange One executive nodded without saying a word. Then, he watched with wide eyes as his intern walked away from him, the sound of her boots tapping on the tile was the only thing he could hear. As soon as the video ended, Frisk was left with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Shaking her head, she quietly exclaimed, "What just happened?!"

"Honestly, I haven't a clue." Saoirse replied with a shrug. "But if I'm right, then she's onto something. Something...evil..."

"Saoirse." Frisk said. "If this keeps up, then we have to warn the others about this."

"But what if they don't believe us? We have many situations going on at once, Frisk! The Strange Games, Bendy's incident with him fainting on the battlefield and Atlas soldiers in the coliseum looking for Chara!"

"Wait, what?" The young Mimic raised an eyebrow. "Repeat that last bit. What did you say?"

"Atlas soldiers in the coliseum looking for Chara..." Saoirse repeated the last part of her sentence.

That was when Frisk's eyes widen once again. If the soldiers of Atlas are here in the Strange Coliseum during the Strange Games, then so must be Winter and General Ironwood. If they find Chara, who knows what will happen to her? Looking at the door of the janitor's closet, Frisk took in a deep breath and balled both her hands into fists. She has made her decision; she will tell her the truth, whether she will be hated or not.

"Frisk?" Saoirse said. "What're you thinking?"

"She has to know..." Frisk marched up to the door. But when she grabbed the doorknob, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What're you doing?" Saoirse wanted to know, her hand tightening on her friend's shoulder.

"I have to find Chara." She firmly replied.

"What're you going to do?"

"Tell her the truth. She needs to know what happened."

"The truth?" Saoirse repeated before she immediately recognized what she was emphasizing. "Wait, is that why you were absent? The truth?"

Frisk didn't have the time to answer, for she has already opened the door and has ran out of the janitor's closet. Saoirse ran out as well to see her friend dash through the hallway.

"Frisk, wait!" The seal Morpher called, but her friend didn't turn around. "Frisk!"

But it was too late. She was already out of her sight.