Two weeks passed since Alexis and Diane's final fight with Kyle. Diane's sore muscles were almost healed and all she felt now were occasional aches. She was quickly recovering and returning to her old self. The same, though, couldn't be said about Alexis.
The girl still frequently complained about migraines, her usual diligence turned into disturbing passivity, she spoke only when necessary and preferred to be alone. Diane understood her. The brunette girl's injuries were more painful and some of them left scars, but Alexis' wounds went much deeper. Deep into her soul with only a little chance of complete recovery.
She was forced to kill, to mercilessly gun down her best friend, the girl she was in love with. Then she literally had to stop a demon from escaping his infernal dimension. And lastly, it was also because of her coming-out. She no longer kept a secret that she's attracted to women after she confessed her love to Marlene. Now, she's been trying to figure herself out, to accept who she is.
Diane understood her sister and gave her as much space as possible. She even did some household chores, which was an utterly unimaginable thing for her. Of course, Alexis also did the chores, but her usual verve was gone. She seemed like a robot, like her brain was operated by an autopilot. She also didn't stop cooking, but her meals were basic and bland, without a sign of Alexis' usual skills and imagination.
Diane didn't like it at all. Alexis' melancholic mood was contagious and Diane sometimes realized that she's having a hard time enjoying things like before. She didn't see Alexis smile in the past weeks - on the other hand, before she fell asleep, she heard muffled sobs coming from Alexis' room. Alexis probably didn't want Diane to know that she's crying herself to sleep almost every day and Diane didn't bring it up.
Even Anna's visits didn't raise Alexis' mood much. Oddly enough, Alexis seemed to avoid interaction with her rather than seeking it. The paralyzed girl was also confused.
"It can't go like this any longer," Diane said. She was alone with Anna in the impaired girl's room. She offered Alexis to come with her. She refused.
Anna nodded with a worry in her blue eyes. "I know that what happened to her was horrible, but her current condition still scares me. It's like someone... sucked her soul straight out of her. This is not the girl I used to know. And I want the original one back."
"So do I," Diane sighed, "but I'm afraid there's nothing much we can do right now. She needs time to recover; too many things happened in just one day. But honestly, it ruins me to see her this way. She doesn't even listen to music or play with Dante... I'm starting to be afraid."
"I just hope she won't end up with PTSD," Anna said. "That way, she'd never be able to recover completely. And I'm afraid that killing a person you used to have feelings for is an excellent trigger. I can't even imagine what would I have to go through if I had to kill one of you two. And we're not even speaking about the fight with Kyle and his demon which cost her almost all her power."
"That would break even much stronger people," Diane agreed.
"I think Alexis should seek professional help."
Diane shook her head. "That wouldn't work. Alexis is too proud to visit a psychologist. Besides that, what would she say? 'Doctor, I'm in immense stress because I had to kill the girl I was gay for and then I had to fight her boyfriend who was conjuring a giant, scary demon'?"
"Yes, that's true," Anna admitted. "Then I guess it's up to you. You are her sister, after all. If she's gonna listen to anybody, it's you. You should try to comfort her at least a little."
Diane sighed. "I'm no good at these speeches. I'm more likely to completely ruin it than to actually help her. That sucker Kyle... making trouble even from beyond the grave."
A day after the showdown, the death of Kyle Fletcher and his girlfriend was the number one event in all news media in Gabriel's Gardens. "Sudden" and "Unexpected" were among the most used words regarding the case. The people had trouble believing that a rich, successful, popular and handsome young man like Kyle would do something like that. But Alyssa Lafayette did a good job and nobody suspected a thing. The people believed that Kyle shot his girlfriend in affect and then, after realizing what he did, he jumped down from the roof.
Kyle's parents, who rarely visited Gardens, appeared on TV several times, but it could be clearly seen that their tears are faked. They took Kyle only as a descendant of their empire - that's why they raised him to be greedy, selfish and manipulative.
On the other hand, the Sanchez family was still in deep grief. A week ago, Alexis tried to visit them, but it didn't go well. The visit soon turned into a crying contest which only deepened their sorrow. They agreed that they'll meet again once the things sink in a little.
But they didn't sink in. They were still floating on the surface.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Anna bursted out crying. For a while, Diane had no idea what to do. She didn't remember seeing Anna cry. "Annie...?" she said cautiously. "What happened?"
"I'm sorry, Dee," Anna wailed. "I just couldn't take it any more. I also have feelings. And it's killing me inside how does Alexis act now. It's like she's avoiding me on purpose. Like... she doesn't like me anymore! Diane, maybe I lost a friend. I should probably stop being so clingy."
"It's okay," Diane said. "I'm sure Alexis still likes you. You said it yourself - she's going through hard times and maybe she just doesn't want her bad mood to affect us. Maybe she's avoiding you because she wants you to be happy, without having to deal with her problems. If that's not a sign of friendship..."
Anna smiled through tears. "Thank you, Dee."
Diane stood up. "I'll talk to her now. Expect the message about how did it go."
>><<
The girl found Alexis in her room, quietly sobbing. She was holding something in her hand. It was a stash of photos depicting her and Marlene. They knew each other since they were nine or ten. The pictures were taken in different eras - Alexis and Marlene as kids in the Starlandia theme park, as teenagers in front of the high school library, as young adults in front of the statue on the Angel Square.
For how long has Alexis been in love with her? Diane wondered. Since they were teens? Or it's a more recent thing? When did Alexis figure out that something's not exactly right with her attitude towards Marlene?
She had no idea. Actually, Diane has never been truly in love so far (the less with a girl), even though she had a reputation of a pretty tomboy highly popular among guys. She already experienced some tentative flirts, but it never grew up into anything more.
"Knock knock," she said. "Do I disturb?"
Alexis quickly tucked the photos under her blanket. "No. Come in," she replied. Her voice was completely numb and emotionless, except that it was a bit husky because of Alexis' crying. Diane entered the room and sat next to her. "I know you're going through hard times, Lex," she said, "but it's already time to move on. You can't be so devastated forever. I hate it. And so does Annie."
"I wish it was so easy," Alexis said. "Just move on. I did exactly what Alyssa told me - I was thinking about it. For a very long time. And no matter what I do, I'm always the guilty one. I panicked. If I was thinking clear back then, I could come up with hundreds of different solutions which cross my mind right now.
Maybe if I talked to her a little bit longer, she would listen. Or we could knock her off and call a police expert to remove the bracelet. Or we could just go down and try to use a chopper to reach the rooftop! All these options and I chose the worst of them. That's unforgivable. I'm not sure if I'll be able to live all my life knowing that I could save her."
"Yeah, maybe it wasn't the best solution," Diane said, "but it was the quickest, and that's what mattered. If we tried to go past Marlene somehow, Kyle would have more time to advance the ritual. If we came a little later, the demon would be already too strong for us to take. It was necessary, Lex. Marlene made the choice, not you. Sometimes, there are no "good" or "bad" decisions. Just necessary decisions."
"Maybe you're right," Alexis sighed. "But that doesn't change the fact I won't see her ever again. When she lived, there was still a chance that I could somehow free her from Kyle's grasp. Now... it's definite. She'll never come back. I wonder if she'd do it if she knew how much I really loved her. Besides you, she was the only person who understood me when all others saw me just as a boring nerd. Maybe she couldn't love me back, but it could change her mind. I'm stupid I didn't tell her earlier. Before she started dating Kyle."
"Nobody can blame you for that," Diane laughed. "It would take too much courage, asking out a girl."
Alexis' face brightened with a slight smile and Diane knew she played the right note. Alexis probably just needed to share her problems and worries with someone, like when you slowly release the steam from a pressure cooker. She wasn't alright yet - there was a long journey ahead of her leading to complete recovery. But at least, it was a start. And that was better than nothing.
"Annie is also pretty disconcerted about you," Diane continued. "She says that it seems you're avoiding her. And I have to admit, it seems like it. Why? Isn't she your best friend?"
"I'd rather not talk about it, but you can tell Annie that it's not her. I still cherish her as my best friend," Alexis replied, then quickly changed the subject. "Remember that prophecy of Elizabeth Abraham, that blind girl which allowed us to save the Festival of Founding? I meant her last prophecy."
Diane frowned, trying to remember. "Wasn't it something about... yes. Oh God. The first verse was Beware of the Book, right? It's real. One tiny book nearly destroyed the city." McWaller's journal was seized by the police and immediately destroyed.
Alexis nodded. "When the time comes, losing lives will be inevitable," she chanted the rest of the prophecy. "And your love will come at a high price."
"All came true," Diane said. "See, Lex? You couldn't do anything about it. It was already written in the Fate. Please, sis, stop blaming yourself and try to be happy again. It would help both me and Annie."
"Alright," Alexis said. "I will try."
>><<
A few days later, Alexis was much closer to the girl she once was. That doesn't mean she was fully recovered, she still suffered from depression attacks and preferred to be alone, but at least she talked to Diane and even to Anna much more, smiled from time to time and continued with activities she abandoned after the incident, such as reading or experimenting in the kitchen. She didn't even complain about migraines that much - they were probably mostly of psychosomatic origin.
Nevertheless, Alexis discovered that she has trouble with activating her insignia's power. Did she overcharge the power while trying to imprison the demon? Or does the feather-shaped mysterious tattoo resonate with her mind and she won't be able to use it properly until she gets into the right mind again?
Diane was already able to move freely without feeling the complaints of her strained muscles. That also raised Alexis' mood - during the first days after the conflicts, Diane spent all day inert, groaning in pain. Her right arm, the one put under the biggest pressure during the fight with Kyle, was completely immobile during the first two days and the girl caused several small disasters while trying to operate things left-handed.
"Lex, we have a mail!" Diane announced, running to the living room with a tablet computer in her hand. Alexis was already there, vacuuming and listening to the calming tones of Sleeping Entropy through her earbuds. Diane pulled one of the earbuds out. "Hey, Lex!" she shouted. "It's kinda important."
Alexis turned off the vacuum cleaner and paused the music, then sat on the couch. Dante took the chance and jumped on her lap - lately, his human friend with yellow fur on her head was in a bad mood, so he couldn't have much fun with her. Now it started to get better; Alexis started to scratch his head, which he loved the most.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Remember when Gray Forrestal promised us a party to celebrate our victory against Kyle?" Diane said. "He meant it seriously! It's planned for tomorrow, in his mansion!"
"I hope you'll have fun," Alexis smiled. "I don't feel like going."
"You have to be joking," Diane replied. "It's mainly because of us! There will be only the people who know what really happened, our closest friends. I think it will help you in your recovery. And, the most important part, there will be free food!"
"I'll think about it," Alexis said, but in fact, she decided within a minute. Maybe she really needs to attend something like that. Everyone will be there - Annie, Alyssa, Lenny and all others. Maybe it will help her forget what happened, even if just for a while.
She spent the following hours with a surprisingly girly activity - deciding what to wear. Her fashion sense, usually involving the combination of either band T-shirts or blouses and knee-long skirts, was often mocked by her sister. She wanted to be a princess just for this once. Just like on that fake wedding used to attract the dangerous assassins. Unfortunately, the glamorous wedding dress was only borrowed.
This closet now seems so much bigger, she thought. Now, when I'm not in it anymore. She spontaneously bursted out laughing - if someone just observed her, they'd have to think she went nuts. Alexis surprised herself. One stupid thought was enough to make her laugh like crazy - now, when Marlene is dead and her whole life seems to be falling apart. She immediately stopped and entered her empty, depressive state full of bitter regrets. She was able to pull herself together in an hour or so.
She returned to her dressing problem. Alexis had only one formal dress - a beautiful, long dark blue piece with long lacy sleeves and feather-shaped decorations around her neck. They were, however, connected to a memory. Both her and Marlene wore this dress the day they graduated from high school. It was the day when two plain, uninteresting nerds turned into elegant ladies regarded even by the most popular guys from school.
But Alexis didn't care about guys. Her mind was set on Marlene - so beautiful, so majestic. How she wanted to kiss these lips highlighted by a decent lipstick. Who would have guessed that the story of two lively, cheerful girls with high school diplomas in their innocent hands would end with a betrayal and murder?
She wanted to put the dress back. Then she frowned and threw it on her bed, ready to wear it tomorrow.
She'll be never free of her past if she won't face it.
>><<
The next day, eight'o'clock in the afternoon.
The first problem came sooner than expected. Gray Forrestal decided to make use of still warm weather and organize the celebration on the rooftop of the Forrestal mansion. The mansion's height was nothing compared to Arlington Tower, it was only four floors high, but both girls were still insecure about rooftops of any kind.
"Well, at least there won't be any demons," Diane said. She was wearing a simple sleeveless black dress and no make-up except for a bright red lipstick. Alexis felt surprisingly good in the blue dress despite the memories connected with it. Is she finally starting to let go?
"Alright," Alexis exhaled. "Three, two, one, go."
They opened the door leading to the rooftop. There really weren't any demons, just a small crowd of people. Gray Forrestal junior, good-looking as always in his tailor-made suit, announced: "And here we have our two heroines who saved our asses!" An applause followed.
Alexis looked at smiling Gray. She remembered that she hated him after the first sight - he reminded her of Kyle way too much. Later she realized that this man has nothing in common with evil, rotten Fletcher. And not only because Gray gave them a token of his gratitude - a large amount of money the girls used to buy their own flat in Serenity Square. Gray was probably the only friendly millionaire in Gardens.
There were many tables on Gray's rooftop, all filled with food and drinks. The air was infused with a pleasant smell of grilled meat coming from a giant grill. The girls came closer and greeted their friends. Lenny and Noah, the guys from Morningstar, were still shocked by all the luxury that surrounded them. Lenny hugged Alexis so tight that she almost fainted, but his heartfelt smile left her with no choice but to smile back.
"I've heard that I only live because of you," he said. "Good job, little one."
"Where's Alyssa?" Diane asked, already munching on a fresh hamburger.
"No idea," Anna shrugged. "The only person who let us know about their absence was Sandra Kent, because Kevin caught a flu. Alyssa sho..."
In that moment, the rooftop door opened and the police officer in a beautiful black dress came in. "This is the police!" she shouted. "We're here to cancel this illegal event!"
Gray walked towards her and offered her a steak and a glass of wine. "Is that enough to bribe you, officer?"
Alyssa smirked and accepted the food. "Give me a tuna sandwich and we have a deal."
They both laughed as a blonde woman in a yellow dress stepped forward. "Hello there, bro!" Melody Forrestal said and hugged Gray, her brother.
"The black sheep of the family," Gray smiled. "It's great to see you again."
Alyssa introduced her wife to the rest of the group. Melody's face was always decorated by a tomboy smile which made her look like she's just pulled a successful prank. She and Alyssa looked like complete opposites, but they seemed to sincerely love each other. Alexis immediately felt sympathy towards her.
"Alright, that's all of us," Gray announced. "Diane, Jesus Christ, please stop eating for a while. Okay. I suppose we all know what are we here for - to thank these charming young ladies for saving our precious asses. Kyle Fletcher was a sly bastard and I'm sure it took lots of effort to take him down for good."
"You bet it was," Diane smirked. "But during the final conflict with Kyle, we had two important allies - Alyssa and Annie. Lyss is the best cop you'll ever see, I guarantee it. And Annie? That's a living proof that even impaired people can do great things."
Anna blushed. "Oh, come on."
The girls had to repeat the tale about Kyle's defeat once again. Surprisingly enough, Alexis realized that talking about Marlene's death is easier. The audience probably saw things only in black and white - they saw Marlene as another villain, Kyle's helper. But Alexis knew about all the abuse, manipulation, blackmail and emotional trauma the girl probably had to go through.
After they finished, Gray Forrestal spoke: "I'll be honest. Until I saw the ghost of Henry Rudger murdering my father, I didn't believe in all this paranormal mumbo-jumbo. But I was... kinda forced to be more open-minded. I would have trouble believing this story, but now, knowing Warren sisters personally, I believe their every world. And you have to admit that their stories are most impressive."
"I don't know about you," Alyssa said, "but I want to hear more."
>><<
The pleasant, friendly atmosphere of the following hours helped the girls to forget their trouble even more. Diane once again prove that she's a true party animal, entertaining the whole crowd with the tales about their past cases. Some people were even hesitant to believe them, but Alexis confirmed them all.
While Diane was in the center of attention, Alexis was holding back a bit, standing aside the crowd, shyly nibbling on a chicken steak and drinking Coke. She didn't feel insecure at all, all these people were her friends, but bigger groups of people were still making her somehow uncomfortable because of her current condition. She hated herself for that - Gray organized this event mainly because of her and Diane...
Alyssa stood beside her with a glass of wine in her hands. "Did you do what I told you?" she asked casually.
"Yes," Alexis sighed. "But the more I think about it, the more guilty I feel."
"That's why you look so thrown off?"
The girl nodded. Alyssa didn't start preaching or explaining, she just stood there, quietly accompanying and encouraging the younger woman. Alexis appreciated it.
"Alyssa?" she said after a while.
"Yes?"
Alexis blushed. "What it's like to... date a woman? You know... now that the secret's out, I've been trying to accept who I am. And I was thinking it would be good if I asked someone... more experienced."
Alyssa laughed. "I had also a hard time accepting it. Actually, I've dated a few guys when I was your age, but it somehow didn't feel right, I couldn't tell why. It was like something was missing. Then, when I was around twenty-two, I became friends with June, my first wife. I told her about my relationship problems. And suddenly, she just kissed me. Without a warning. We made out for a while and I finally felt that this is right." After seeing Alexis' growing blush, she added mischievously: "You don't wanna know what did we do that night."
"No, I really don't," Alexis said. "I don't need the details."
"You may need them later," Alyssa winked, then returned to seriousness. "I don't recommend this for you, though," she said. "You seem to be more a shy type. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad thing - we all are different. Just don't rush it like June did. I think that your trumph card will be a heartfelt confession since you're smart and good with words. Other than that, I presume that our love is pretty similar to straight relationships. All you need is sincere love, understanding and having something in common."
"Thank you, Alyssa," Alexis said. "As if it wasn't hard enough for me, a boring nerd, to find a partner."
"Now I'll tell you something, just don't tell Melody," Alyssa said. "You're an exceptional girl and I would most probably develop a crush on you if I was just a few years younger."
Alexis' face was now as red as Gray's tie. "Alyssa, stop saying such things!" she laughed.
"I'm only telling the truth. We are also lucky that Gabriel's Gardens is open to homosexuality and offers all possible rights, including full-blown marriage. The only problems can come from your relatives, but I'm not afraid about it. Everyone here already knows and nobody judges you, see? You're more lucky than Melody. her family was more... conservative."
Alexis nodded. "These people are all great. I'm a bit worried about Father, though. He's a man of faith, after all, and the Bible considers homosexuality a sin. But... I'm not a sinner. I only think that girls are much more beautiful in all possible ways. If it makes me a sinner..."
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Alyssa smiled. "Reverend Warren never had trouble accepting me and June."
"But you're not his daughter."
"Alexis, you really do think too much."
"Maybe you're right," the girl sighed. "I think it's too much for me to take recently. Marlene's death, the fight with Kyle, my... you know. I think that my head is gonna explode at any given moment. I have trouble sleeping, suffer from migraines, even though it's getting better now. I even think I may be developing a depression. I'm afraid... I'm gonna end in a nuthouse soon."
Alyssa rolled her eyes with a smile. "Oh my God, Alexis, you're really a hypochondriac. Everything will eventually heal and I'm sure you'll even be able to find true love. You just have to look around you, sometimes it's closer than you think. I'll offer you a cure: come and have some food with these folks!"
>><<
After all, it has been a pleasant day for all the people present on Gray's rooftop. Alexis came home in a surprisingly good mood, with a full stomach and careless head. She was able to forgot about all the horrible things and feel normal once again, especially after her dialogue with Alyssa.
"Man, that was a good party!" Diane said as soon as they stepped home. Her face was red because of a few glasses of wine she drank, but she wasn't drunk, not even tipsy. Alexis thougt that her sister is finally learning to act responsible. "It's good to be heroes."
"Good, but tiring," Alexis smiled while putting on her pajamas. It was already long after midnight, closer to the time that Alexis usually woke up than to the time she went to sleep. "I think I overate myself... I'm not used to eating so much food. But it was all so tasty."
"Good to see you in a right mind again," Diane smiled.
"I guess I needed some kind of restart."
Both girls were able to fall asleep immediately and woke up after the high noon - Diane with a straight face, Alexis with a feeling of a big personal failure. She couldn't remember the last time there was a two-digit number of the clock when she got up.
She quickly got dressed and started preparing lunch - there was no point in eating breakfast. As soon as the pieces of the chicken breast meat started to sizzle on the wok pan, she turned on their "business cellphone" used for calling the clients. A short tone indicated a new message - a missed call.
"What's up?" Diane asked, walking around the flat only in a towel with wet hair - her time needed to get ready was many times longer than Alexis'.
"Jesus, Diane, get dressed already," Alexis rolled her eyes. "Someone called. Probably a client."
She wasn't exactly happy about it. She needed some more time on her own, even though her condition was incomparable to her depressive states several days ago. A client meant another chance to get into a dangerous situation and Alexis wasn't sure if she could handle it well right now.
Her professional side won in the end. The girl dialed the number shown on-screen and turned on the speaker. Diane joined her, finally dressed at least in underwear and cotton shorts.
"Hello? Minami Carrington here," a jolly female voice with a British accent sounded through the speaker. Minami? Is that some kind of nickname? Alexis thought.
"Warren sisters, paranormal investigation," she said and felt a sudden rush of nostalgia and excitement against her will. "How can we help you?"
"My house is haunted," Minami announced briefly.
"Could you be more specific, please?"
"Specific? It's... just haunted! Things moving on their own, strange knocks, noises and voices, seeing shadows on the walls. Maybe you have some fancy word for it, but I'm not an expert. That's why I called you."
"Seems like a basic poltergeist case," Alexis turned to Diane. The brunette sister nodded.
"Yeah, whatever," Minami said. "Just please give me a visit and try to find out what's going on. I live alone and I'm scared. I've heard some really good stories about you, so..."
The client gave them her address (North Haven) and they scheduled their visit for later that day - they needed to stay there at night to examine possible haunting. Minami sounded relieved.
"That sounds like another sleepless night," Alexis sighed.
Diane shrugged. "I don't care as long as they're willing to pay."
Alexis still didn't know what does she feel about having another client. She tried to persuade herself that she feels annoyed, but deep inside, she recognized some feeling of familiarity, that her life which was slowly falling apart until now is going in the right direction.
The promise of a new client made getting over Marlene easier.
The girl started to avidly pack her ghost-hunting tools into her backpack.
>><<
Miss Carrington lived in a flat in North Haven, near the border with Blue Street. Alexis knocked on the door in the third floor labelled Carrington. Soon after, a young woman opened.
Alexis realized that Minami is not a nickname since the client had apparently Asian roots; Japanese, to be more specific. She was a little shorter than Alexis and a little plump, even though she looked several years older. Her pitch-black hair with several blue highlights reached her waist. A few freckles were sprinkled on her round, smiling face. A pair of Lennon glasses borrowed her a nerdy look.
"So you're the famous Warren sisters, right?" she bursted out zealously and shook hands with both Alexis and Diane. She was wearing a T-shirt with a symbol resembling two wings crossed together - she recognized a symbol called "Wings of Freedom" from an anime show Attack on Titan.
Minami led them to her flat, resembling a student dorm. The air was filled with a smell of instant ramen noodles, the all-time favorite food of all students living on their own. On the other hand, the flat was clean and neat. But its true nature showed as soon as they stepped into the living room.
The walls were almost invisible because of numerous shelves filled with models and action figures of various superheroes, movie characters and anime heroes. The figures were meticulously sorted - one shelf belonged to Marvel heroes, a shelf next to it to DC Comics, the anime characters were arranged in teams they belong to. Alexis was able to recognize characters from Naruto, Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail and Dragon BallZ, others were completely unknown to her.
"Oh, great," Diane noted. "It looks like we stepped into hardcore weeaboo's house."
"Technically speaking," Alexis said, "can a person be considered a weeaboo if she's partially Japanese?"
Even though the girls were whispering, Minami heard them. She didn't get offended - instead, she just smiled and shrugged. "I'm just embracing the culture of my mother's home country. Well, it got a bit out of hand, as you can see, but what can you do?"
Alexis smirked. "Besides that, you were also really into anime just about two years ago, right, Dee?"
"I can't deny it," Diane replied.
On the table, there was already a kettle with tea; its mesmerizing smell was strong enough to beat the scent of monosodium glutamate from the ramen noodles. Alexis sniffed a bit. "Green, strawberry flavored," she said. "My favorite. How did you know?"
"It's my favorite as well!" Minami cheered. "So, I presume I can offer you a cup...?"
Alexis nodded with a smile, Diane politely refused and asked for a Coke instead. Minami complied with her request and seated them in the nerd-themed living room. Alexis enjoyed the tea with closed eyes, then asked: "So, could you please elaborate what's happening here?"
Instead of replying, Minami reached under the table and pulled out an action figure of a character named Itachi Uchiha from Naruto. The grim-looking man in a long black coat had one if his arms separated and also his face was dented. "Last night, my dear Itachi tried to kill me," she said. "I got up to examine strange sounds coming from this room, and as soon as I stepped in, this figure flew towards me. I somehow managed to evade it and it hit the wall instead. And see? He's broken."
"The hero of the Uchiha clan has fallen," Diane noted.
"Strange sounds?" Alexis said.
Minami nodded. "Yes, I'm actually used to them now. They happen every night. I get freaked out only when my stuff flies across the room or when I see some disturbing shadow on the wall."
"How long does it last by now?"
"About a year. I tried to live with it, but now I decided to seek help. It's starting to be dangerous."
Alexis remembered the case of Walt Ryder, the gay boy suffering from bullying and too big pressure from his homophobic father. That time, the haunting was caused by the immense stress he was experiencing. "Can I ask you about your psychical health?" she asked. "Are you in some kind of big stress or do you have unresolved things which affect your thinking?"
"No," Minami replied. "I'm taking things easy. The university life is pretty hard, but it's nothing that haunts my mind," she smirked. "Well, during the testing period, I'm usually stressed out, like a lot. But now, it's not a test period, so I'm pretty cool."
"Okay," Alexis said. "Let's stay until the nightfall."
>><<
"So... what's the matter with your family?" Diane asked. "I mean... you have Japanese name, you look like Japanese, but talk like British and live in America. That's what I call a multicultural madness." The clock were showing several minutes after 11 PM and the outside was already dark. The house didn't look like haunted at all - a light from a table lamp illuminated the faces of hundreds of fictional characters, but they didn't look menacing, more like watching the sisters befriending Minami.
"Well," Minami said, "my father is English while mom is Japanese. I was born in England and grew there, hence the accent. My parents, however, run a successful travel agency and Britain became too small for them. They moved to Gardens when I graduated from the high school. They bought me studies on a private university in The Centre and my own flat. I'm fine with living on my own since mom and dad rarely had time for me. You know, businessmen." She rolled her eyes.
"I see you're handling the flat pretty well," Alexis noted.
"Yes," Minami smirked. "And it has its benefits. Parents would never let me turn the whole flat into... well, into what you see right now. My mom got me into manga, but she had no idea how far will my addiction go. Well, I guess it's just my personality. When I love something, I love it hard. I obsess."
"Understandable," Diane said and put a handful of potato chips in her mouth.
"Dee! You're eating like a wild animal," Alexis scolded her.
Minami laughed. "That's alright. You should see me when I'm alone. I eat when I watch stuff. And I always watch stuff. That means..." she put her hand on her slightly chubby belly.
Suddenly, the trio heard several loud thumps coming from seemingly nowhere. The sisters were immediately on their feet. Minami noted: "So it finally begins."
Alexis walked around the house, taking photographs and talking into a voice recorder, trying to capture EVP. Diane kept her eyes open, looking for anything even slightly weird. It was the usual drill experienced countless times before, but this time, it was significant for Alexis. The usual increased heartbeat and heightened senses helped her to tie her feet back to the ground, helping her overcome her traumas.
She scanned the house with the heat-seeking camera - her collection of paranormal shots already contained some impressive silhouettes either hotter or colder than the surroundings. Identifying the source of haunting was a crucial part of their job - they had to decide whether the ghost will leave voluntarily or if they'll have to use force. Apart of thumping, nothing happened.
"Maybe you should check out my room," Minami noted. The girl has been following them all the time, carefully examining their procedures and gear. Alexis found it a bit annoying. "Usually, when I see some kind of apparition, it's in my room, waking me from sleep."
Alexis nodded and let Minami lead them to her room. While walking through the living room, a loud pop sounded through the room. A figure of Ichigo Kurosaki flew through the room and missed Alexis only by a few inches. He was quickly followed by Captain America and Mikasa Ackerman.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Diane groaned, deflecting the attack of Green Lantern with her hands.
"Run into my room!" Minami shouted. "This stuff usually doesn't happen there."
They rushed into the room. Instead of action figures, there were mostly posters of various bands, mostly Fall Out Boy. The furniture included a bed, several wardrobes and a big worktop with an expensive computer setup accompanied by a few packs of Cheetos. The room could be bright and pleasant during day, but now, in the nighttime, it felt somehow uneasy, maybe because of strange gazes of L and Light Yagami from Death Note looking from a poster hung right across the door.
"Finally safe," Diane exhaled, not knowing how wrong she is.
>><<
First of all, the computer's screen suddenly turned on - it was indicated by a green light next to the On/Off button. It was strange since the computer box itself didn't start and neither did any other piece of hardware. A few seconds later, a ghastly, pixelated hand appeared on the screen and started moving. It looked like it was waving at them, then banged on the screen like it was trying to escape.
"This happens only very rarely," Minami noted. "I usually see the apparition later that night when this happens. I got that screen checked. There's nothing wrong with it."
A loud sound caused them to look in the opposite direction, on Minami's bed. The Fall Out Boy poster hanging above the bed peeled off the wall and landed on Minami's pillow. "Wow," Alexis voiced. "Can you imagine what would happen if you were in the bed? That poster could've choked you!"
"Well, if someone had to choke me, at least it would be Patrick Stump," Minami gave an insecure smile.
The computer screen turned off again, but the thumps continued to resonate through the flat. Alexis was recording everything, trying to communicate with the entity through the EVP. Her attempts failed, though. The thumping was still clearly audible.
"I think I'll have to banish this thing," Alexis said. "Nothing particularly dangerous, but persistent."
"Nothing particularly dangerous?" Minami bursted out. "That thing is bombarding me with my collection on a daily basis! And it's destroying some of my most precious figures! It has already cost me so much bruises, money and nerves and you're saying it's nothing particularly dangerous?"
Diane smirked grimly. "Girl, trust me. You don't wanna meet a really dangerous entity."
"Dee! Look!" Alexis shouted and pointed into the living room.
In the middle of the room stood a glowing, transparent figure of roughly human shape. Alexis shivered - it was fairly similar to the demon Kyle was trying to summon, except that this figure had empty white eyes staring blankly at them. It emmited a milky glow which illuminated the figures in the room.
Minami quickly closed the door, leaving them trapped in the bedroom. "I call that thing simply The Figure," she explained with a nervous voice. "Every time I see it, I close the door. I have no idea if it's dangerous or whether it can hurt me. I prefer to be safe than sorry."
"I'll show that thing who's the boss," Diane said and opened the door again. She rushed into the room, but The Figure was already gone. The only sign of its presence was a Pikachu plush toy which landed on her head.
The thumping stopped. The flat went silent again.
"Well, I guess it's enough for today," Minami noted. "Once it stops, it rarely continues later." The girl had a habit of inserting hands into her pocket, which made Alexis nervy for some reason.
Alexis looked at her wristwatch. It was close to midnight.
"It seems that this flat is really haunted," Alexis told her verdict while Minami carefully placed the fallen figures back on the shelves where they belonged - fortunately, nobody got hurt like poor Itachi. "I think it's just a basic case of haunting, nothing we can't solve. We just have to find the right way to do so."
"The words Nothing we can't solve are key to me," Minami replied. "What are you going to do now?"
"Now? We will go home and analyze the recordings we made," Alexis explained. "Especially the EVP records. The voices of the entities are often the best way to identify them and to plan the next steps. The voices can tell us if the entity is just confused or malevolent. Normally, we'd also try to explain the haunting using natural explanations, but it seems that those flying toys..."
"Those are not toys!" Minami objected. "They are valuable collectibles!"
Alexis sighed. "Okay. Those flying action figures and the appearance of The Figure, as you call it, are enough proofs that there's actually something paranormal going on."
"I told you so," Minami said.
"We'll call you once we analyze the materials," Diane said. "I hope we'll have a plan by then. But don't worry. I hope you'll be safe soon," she grinned. "Both you and your precious collectibles."
"Okay, girls," Minami said. "Thanks for coming."
>><<
"What do you think about it?" Diane asked her sister on their way home. The TEx to Serenity Square was nearly empty, except for an older man reading something on his tablet computer and a group of rich-looking middle-aged men who looked and acted like FBI members.
"Honestly? I don't know," Alexis said. "It looks like a haunting without a doubt, but I didn't feel anything in my insignia. It always lets me know when the ghosts are nearby - it's one of the most efficent ways to identify and debunk fake haunting."
"But those flying toys..." Diane objected. "And that apparition. It was creepy as hell, Lex. It can't be just faked or explained naturally! We have a real deal here."
"You're probably right," Alexis sighed. "I'm concerned. Something's wrong with my insignia lately. I don't know how to explain it... when I talk to it, it doesn't respond. I know it sounds stupid, but I hope you know what I'm talking about. It's like it died. I'm afraid that the battle with Kyle's demon drained it completely."
"My powers were also weaker after that fight, but it's alright now," Diane replied. "I think yours will return to normal soon, too. Maybe it responds to your current mood. When you feel like shit, it 'charges' slowly. Try to cheer up a bit and maybe it'll start working again."
"It's true that today's investigation made me feel a bit better," Alexis admitted. "It's strange. If other people saw a ghost in the room filled by fandom action figures, they'd be probably freaked out and scarred for the rest of their lives. For me, it's a great feeling. That despite all the things I've went through, the world keeps spinning. That Marlene's death doesn't mean the end of the world. That I can possibly get over it someday and start again completely. I won't be able to forgive myself, never, but I think I can learn to live with that."
"That's the words I wanted to hear," Diane smiled. "It's slowly becoming you again."
"I've been probably insufferable lately," Alexis sighed.
"I understand that," Diane replied. "Having the toughest fight of my life while having to kill your love interest and coming out as a lesbian... to be honest, I think you're actually handling it pretty well. Most people would end up in a nuthouse while you're still standing."
"Bent, but not broken," Alexis smiled.
They finally arrived home. They didn't waste time and went straight to bed. Alexis received a thing she thought she'd never get again - a peaceful sleep without nightmares and waking up every two hours, drowning in regrets and guilt.
She realized it the next day after waking up. What's wrong with me? she thought. Can I really let Marlene go so easily? Like I didn't love her at all?
She left the bed and swayed a little because a slight headache struck the back of her forehead. The pain helped her realize how dumb were her previous thoughts. All she longed for was a release from the torment which Marlene's death brought. And now, when she finally started to feel better, she's unsatisfied again? She'd love to slap herself in the face. Maybe Diane would do it for her.
She got dressed, then turned on her computer and started to copy the files from her camera, heat-seeking camera and the voice recorder. Today's probably going to be a long day. She started with preparing breakfast and not so long later, Diane got up, too. Alexis was relieved that even after her coming-out, Diane was able to walk in front of her shamelessly only in underwear or completely naked. She didn't feel the need to cover herself more in her sister's presence - that meant Diane doesn't mind Alexis' orientation at all.
"Dee, get dressed and let me examine the recordings," Alexis said.
Diane smirked. "What? Are you having unclean thoughts regarding your sis?"
Well, maybe I rushed into my decisions too much, Alexis thought.
"Sorry about that remark," Diane said while seating herself next to Alexis by the computer in a black tank top and cotton shorts. "I promised to not joke about that."
"A joke now and then can't hurt," Alexis smiled. "It helps me accept the whole thing. Now, put on those headphones. We have quite a lot of material to examine."
>><<
The girls had very high expectations about the material they've collected, but all it offered was a disappointment. The voice recorder captured nothing but Alexis' voice and loud thumps. The thermographic camera records also didn't show any strange anomalies.
"Well, that's quite a let-down," Diane noted. "I expected a legion of various voices, but... there's nothing."
"At least we still have the records from a normal camera," Alexis said and played a videofile. Even though Alexis' camcorder cost a pretty penny, but the girl was always in motion while holding it; that made the take unstable and sometimes blurry. But everything important was there - flying action figures, the mysterious hand on the computer screen, the poster peeling off the wall and, most importantly, The Figure.
Alexis managed to turn and record the living room for just a moment before Minami closed the door. But it was enough - the ghastly figure was present on the recording, even though only for roughly two seconds. Alexis went frame by frame and found one where the apparition's picture was sharp and clean.
"This is pretty scary," Diane noted. "Minami is actually badass for being able to live with this for a year."
"I wonder why does it glow," Alexis examined the transparent shadowy figure. "Ghosts emmitting light are mostly seen in the movies. Actual apparitions are usually either shadows or transparent figures, but this is the first time I've encountered a glowing ghost."
"What about Henry Rudger?" Diane noted.
"Well, ghosts who feed on electricity to kill people are quite a special category," Alexis replied. "I hope this one won't be dangerous. It shouldn't be since it didn't attempt to hurt Minami so far. Look... it seems to be floating above the table, but Minami claimed that it also shows itself in her room."
"I'm confused," Diane said. "We have one of the best proofs about haunting, but on the other hand, there are no signs of haunting except the visual ones. What do you suggest?"
"We have to visit Minami once more, that's for sure," Alexis said. "We have to try harder at communicating with the entity. When I think about it now, the first attempt feels a bit rushed. We need to concentrate more and maybe that thing will be more willing to talk."
Diane smirked. "Let's just add him on Hangouts and text him."
Alexis laughed, then said: "It's not as ridiculous as it sounds, Dee. Entities use modern equipment more and more often - there are already lots of cases of paranormal messages received through a computer or a phone. like a phone call or an e-mail. You probably know about the case of the man which received an e-mail from his deceased friend which said: 'I'm in your house. Clear your effing attic!'. He stated that nobody but him and the friend knew about their argument about a dirty attic shortly before the friend died."
Diane raised her index finger. "Wait! What about the computer? There was this strange hand on the screen, so that means that the entity, as you call it, can manipulate with electronics at least to a certain degree. What if we use the computer as a 21st century Ouija board?"
Alexis thought about it for a while. "That's actually a great idea," she said.
Their discussion was interrupted by knocking on the door. Diane rushed to open them and returned with Anna. The smile on her freckled face froze a little when she looked at Alexis, but when the girl cheerfully greeted her as always, Anna exhaled in relief.
"Good to see you feeling better, Alexis!" she said.
"We got a new case," Alexis explained. "It helps me to take my mind off... you know what."
Anna's blue eyes filled with curiosity. "Care to tell me more?"
They shared the story with Anna and showed them the recordings. Curiosity in Anna's eyes turned into fear when she saw the recording of The Figure.
"Wow... I'm once again glad I don't work on your cases directly," Anna said. "And haunted computers? Don't even get me started. If that hand-thing showed on my screen, I'd most probably crawl into a cavern and never go out again."
Suddenly, Dante rushed into the room, jumped on Anna's lap and started to lick her face. "Oh, hey, little one!" Anna greeted him. "The good boy has returned!"
"I think I have an idea," Alexis muttered.
>><<
Later that day, they took a TEx to North Haven again, aiming towards Minami's flat.
"Why did Dante have to go with us?" Diane asked. The pup was laying on her lap, keenly observing other people in the train. The sisters had to deal with a pair of young teenage girls persistently begging for a chance to pet the doggy. In the end, Alexis let them. Dante seemed to enjoy it.
"Our trip to LA, remember?" Alexis said. "In the hotel where Guy Searer commited suicide, Dante was acting weird. I'm almost certain he's sensitive to the paranormal. Most animals are. For example, dogs often refuse to enter a room where some kind of paranormal occurences happen. This can be a test for both Dante and Minami's house. The way he'll react to it can tell us a lot."
"I admit, this is an interesting idea," Diane admitted.
They finally reached North Haven. Minami's house wasn't far away from the TEx station North Haven - Culture Centre, so they didn't have to walk too much. Dante was curious about the brand new surroundings, people and smells. He really enjoyed travelling.
They knocked on Minami's door. The girl was already expecting them - they agreed on the time of the meeting through a phone call. When she opened, her look immediately regarded Dante in Alexis' arms. "Oh my GOD!" she squealed. "A puppy! It's so ADORABLE! What's its name? Can I pet it?"
Alexis gave the pup to Minami who started to cuddle with him. Dante seemed to enjoy it. "This is Dante, our little friend," Diane explained. "We had to bring him with us because our friend who usually takes care of him when we're gone was busy today."
"Feel free to bring him every day," Minami replied. "I love animals so much, but I can't have my own. I usually don't have time, so the poor thing would languish. But once I marry someone, I'll get all the animals I've ever wanted!"
"Getting married with a room like this?" Diane noted. "Girl, you have to believe in miracles."
Minami laughed - she was never offended by Diane's poor jokes. "So, what are your plans for today?" she asked. "The same as yesterday?"
"Actually, no," Alexis said. "We'll try to communicate with the entity through your computer, that one with the ghost hand. It seems that your ghost is pretty modern - we found nothing on our recordings, as we already told you on the phone, but maybe if we try different approach..."
"A ghost in my computer!" Minami cheered. "That's exciting!"
The girls kept watching Dante as they walked into different rooms of the flat. The crucial places were the living room and Minami's bedroom. Oddly enough, Dante didn't have problems with any of these rooms. Alexis expected him to panic and avoid entering these rooms as much as possible, but the dog seemed calm. In the bedroom, he even made himself comfortable and fell asleep on Minami's bed. The girl didn't mind.
So either he's not paranormal-sensitive, or there's really something wrong with this half-haunting.
They waited again, like the previous day. And again, the thumping started somewhere after eleven.
"Okay, it's here," Alexis announced. "Let's go to the computer."
They entered Minami's bedroom. Dante was woken up by the strange sounds, now yowling anxiously. Minami turned on the computer. Its screen shone through the darkened room like a supernova as the Windows system greeted her with Welcome.
"I'll open the command line," Minami said and did it with a few clicks. Computer screen went black, only a white cursor flashed on the screen. Alexis took control on the keyboard and typed:
- Could anyone who can see this message communicate with us?
She hit Enter and the sentence appeared on screen. Oddly, the system didn't show any error message telling them that invalid command was entered. They waited. Nothing happened. Just as they were about to give up, another line of white text appeared:
- Who are you?
>><<
Alexis' heart raced with pleasant excitement as she typed: - We want to help you.
The entity replied: - Nobody can help me.
- Give us a chance. Who are you and why are you here?
- I no longer know who I am. I don't know why am I here.
"This is scaring me more and more," Minami noted, her hands in pockets again.
- Why are you terrorizing Minami Carrington?
- I have to.
- Why?
- I have to.
- If you refuse to go voluntarily, we can make you leave this place.
- You can't.
"Is it just my imagination, or is this ghost getting sassy?" Diane grumbled.
The thumps sounded again and Alexis screamed - a poster of My Chemical Romance flew off the wall and landed right on the girl's face. Alexis managed to shake it off, destroying the poster in panic during the process. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at the face of Gerard Way ripped in half.
"Now this poster is in the same condition as the band," Diane smirked.
"It's okay, I have lots of them in reserve," Minami said.
"Let's show that sucker what are we capable of," Alexis spat out. She pulled out a crystal cross from her pocket, clenched it in her hand and started to recite prayers in Latin. This process was seemingly agonizing to all kinds of ghosts, making it easier to banish them for good. Alexis' insignia was usually glowing while performing the ritual, but now, it was only faintly flickering.
The thumps didn't stop. Instead, action figures started to fly across the living room, as if the ghost tried to demonstrate that it's not going down so easily.
A few minutes later, a message appeared:
- Most impressive But not enough.
"It seems that I underestimated it," Alexis said. "It's too persistent. Either the ritual doesn't work... or I am too weak to make it work. Maybe my powers are gone."
"Look! The Figure!" Diane pointed to the living room. The ghastly glowing figure was there, floating above the table again. Minami tried to close the door, but Alexis stopped her. She gazed at the spirit which returned the look with its round, white eyes. It didn't move at all, just floated a few inches above the table.
"Close the door!" Minami shouted. "We don't know what is it capable of!"
"Don't worry, we're safe," Diane stood next to Alexis. The blonde girl was still observing the apparition. Something about it seemed weird, unnatural. She quickly grabbed her camera and took a shot. She, however, forgot to turn off the flash which illuminated the room for a second and blinded the trio. When they regained their sight, The Figure was gone.
"Damn," Alexis said. "I hope I took the photo before it disappeared."
The door quickly closed by itself.
"I hope it's not here!" Minami yowled. "Imagine being trapped with it..."
The door, however, opened again and another message appeared:
- I am everywhere.
"You promised to help me!" Minami was on the verge of crying. "I hope you will! You can't just make it even more angry and leave! You're professionals, aren't you?"
"But we didn't experience anything like that before!" Alexis said. "It seems to be immune to the standard procedures. It's not an ordinary ghost for sure. But I'm certain we can banish it... somehow."
Another message appeared:
- See you soon.
The thumps stopped. The flat was calm again.
"Okay. Time to go home," Alexis said. "But we'll return with new ideas. We promise."
>><<
The girls postponed all the talking about the ghost until the next day. In the morning, after breakfast, Diane finally asked: "Alright, case Minami. On a scale from 1 to 10, how screwed are we?"
Alexis shrugged. "And that's the problem. It's either one or ten, probably nothing in between. Yesterday, I've noticed some... things and I'd love to examine them."
"What things?"
"That's not important right now. First, I have to look at the photo of The Figure I took yesterday." She quickly ate the rest of her cereals and sent the photo to the cloud storage. She opened her laptop and turned it on. After it booted, she found the file and opened it.
"What the hell is that...?" Diane said.
Majority of the photo consisted of a large white supernova, as if the flash was reflected by something. The Figure itself could only be seen very faintly, almost invisible in the explosion of white light.
"Look," Alexis pointed at the photo. "The flash reflected from something, and if you look closely, you can see its edges." She marked a rectangle around the shadowy figure. Diane realized that Alexis is right - the light reflected in a way which made The Figure look like it's trapped inside some kind of transparent monolith.
"This is getting weirder and weirder," Diane noted. "I have no idea how to understand it."
"I think I'm slowly getting there," Alexis zoomed on the bottom part of the strange photo. She played with its brightness and contrast a little (Anna taught her, in case she'll ever need it) and revealed another mystery: something that looked like three human silhouettes somewhere near The Figure's legs.
"There's four of them?" Diane frowned.
"I don't think so," Alexis replied. "When I took the picture, you were both next to me - Minami was trying to close the door while you were ready to take on that ghost. And look, the figure in the middle seems to have fair hair, while the other two are dark. I think these are just our reflections."
"Reflections?"
"Yes. And considering all these details, I've come to a conclusion. This weird-acting thing around The Figure," she drew the rectangle with her finger once again, "is merely glass."
"It does look like glass, now when you mentioned it," Diane said. "But that makes even less sense."
Alexis smirked. "It makes a lot of sense to me now."
"Care to explain?"
"I've noticed one more thing," Alexis replied. "Those action figures flying in the living room. I remembered some of the characters which flew at us during our first visit. The redhead Shinigami from Bleach, Mikasa from Attack on Titan, Captain America, Green Lantern and a few others. Those toys were flying yesterday, too - and it were the same ones as the day before."
"Maybe the ghost just dislikes certain characters," Diane suggested. "I have to admit that I also didn't get attached to Ichigo that much."
"I'd prefer some explanation not involving otaku ghosts. Besides that, who the hell would hate Steve Rogers? If I was the ghost, I'd much rather throw Loki."
Diane smirked. "Is Steve hot even for lesbians?"
"Yes," Alexis admitted.
"This is an important knowledge. Okay, go on."
"I can make a list of things wrong with this haunting. First, no recorded EVP or another kind of paranormal indicator. Second, Dante wasn't afraid to step in. He seemed to like it there instead. Third, no sensation in my insignia, even though it may just be working incorrectly. Fourth, the weird photo showing The Figure on a panel of glass. Fifth, it was immune to the standard banishing methods. And finally sixth, a selected group of action figures with a desire to fly."
"Now translate it for the idiots," Diane said. "What does that mean?"
"It means that we have to visit Minami, preferably now."
>><<
"Girls, it's you again?" Minami smiled upon entering the door. "Having guests over three days in a row? I finally feel somewhat popular! Did you find out how to solve my... problem?"
"Maybe," Alexis replied. "I just have to examine some things before making more conclusions. Minami, would you mind if I looked at your figure collection?"
"Sure, why not?" the girl smiled, but it seemed somewhat nervous.
The girls entered the living room and Alexis went straight to the shelf with the Avengers. The original team was complete - Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, Hulk. On a shelf below stood further additions to the team - Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Vision - along with the villains: Loki, Ultron, Thanos.
But Alexis only cared about Captain America. She carefully picked him up and looked on the place where he stood. She had to examine it very closely, but it was there - a small device similar to a mousetrap imitating wood so well that it wasn't even visible on the shelf.
Gotcha.
"It was a nice game you played, Minami," she said, "but it's over now. I oficially proclaim this haunting as fake. And I can prove it."
"Fake?" Minami exclaimed. "But didn't you see it for yourself? All those things you've seen? We saw the ghost and even talked to it! The things moved on its own!"
Alexis stepped into Minami's room and carefully peeled off the Fall Out Boy poster above the girl's bed. It wasn't even attached properly - a slightest impulse could cause it to peel off and fall. And the impulse was on the wall - another small device whose purpose was apparently to blow out some compressed air, causing the poster to fall. After use, it probably fell under Minami's bed and left only a clean wall.
"How can you explain this?" Alexis asked.
Minami sighed. "Okay, I admit. It was all fake."
Diane looked genuinely confused. "But... how? The apparition... the little talk we had with the ghost..."
"Well, I guess I'll have to do some explaining," Minami sat on her bed. "First, you must believe me that I didn't mean anything bad by this. When I get older, I want to become an expert on movie tricks. As you can see, I've already learned a few tricks, but I had no chance to test them on someone. Then I learned about you. I had a phase where I watched all the ghost reality shows I could and I was fascinated. I wished I could see some real-life ghost hunters in action. So... so I just joined both of these things."
"So you basically wasted our time for nothing," Alexis muttered.
"I'm sorry that you see it like that," Minami looked down in shame.
"Actually, it was awesome!" Diane said. "You have to show me how did you do it. Everything. It was the real-est fake haunting we've ever solved, and we already solved many!"
Minami cheered up a little. "The trick with the computer was simple," she started; the verve in her voice was contagious. "I just had to write a script which turned on the screen and projected the animation of the ghost hand. And the chat with the ghost... I had to use a simple chatting program and disguise it as a command line. One of my friends took the role of the ghost, watched us through the webcam and replied."
"I have to admit it's pretty clever," Alexis said.
"But all these things happened by themselves!" Diane objected. "Nobody was manipulating with these things. How did it happen? Was it so precise timing?"
"I think I can answer that," Alexis pointed at Minami. "Empty your pockets."
The girl smiled and pulled out two small control panels similar to tiny TV remotes with numerous buttons. She pressed one of them - a swoosh sounded through the room as the compressed air device blew out another poster which flew through the room. Then it disconnected from the wall and fell under the night stand.
"I knew there has to be some reason behind you having hands in pockets all the time," Alexis said.
"So cool," Diane exclaimed.
>><<
Minami went to the living room and pressed another button - a device under the figure of Ichigo Kurosaki sprung like a little catapult and launched the figure across the room. "It was pretty hard to figure out the optimal force of this," the girl explained. "If it flies too little, the effect is gone. If too much, it can cause some mess. That's how I damaged my Itachi."
She continued the show by opening a wardrobe in the living room. She moved a pile of mostly black T-shirts with various band and fandom logos and revealed another device, a box with a tiny hammer. Upon pressing the button, the hammer hit the back side of the wardrobe, generating the strange thumps they've heard earlier.
"This is actually pretty impressive," Alexis admited. "But now, we'd love to see the secret behind The Figure. Could you be so kind...?"
"Of course," Minami smiled proudly. "He's my best project so far." She closed the blinds on the window to make the room darker. Then she pressed another button on her small remote. A glass panel suddenly started to rise from the table's middle part without making a sound. After pressing another button, something started to shine under the glass' bottom edge. And suddenly, it was there. The scary figure on the glass panel.
"A hologram," Alexis said.
Now it wasn't that hard to tell that the ghost is fake, but it was during daylight and the girls already knew the secret. When they saw it at night and only for a brief moment, everything seemed natural. "That's why I always closed the door when it appeared," Minami explained. "When you stare at it for too long, you'll eventually figure out that it's only a projection on glass."
She pressed another button. The hologram disappeared and the glass quickly vanished into the table again. The process was so short that no one wondered why didn't they notice earlier. "It's too bad you solved it way too early," Minami smirked. "I had much more ready for you." Upon pressing another button, a mysterious, distorted whisper sounded through the room. "The Figure's voice. Just a hidden speaker."
"If there weren't Alexis, I'd never figure out it's all just tricks," Diane bowed theatrically. "I salute you. You almost managed to fool the famous Warren sisters."
"But there's still one thing we have to settle," Alexis said. Her folded arms and frown on her face gave away that she's upset. "You faked haunting and wasted our time just to test out your devices. You still have to pay the expenses we charge. Those are rules."
"C'mon, sis!" Diane exclaimed. "Don't be so uptight."
Minami shrugged. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to test these devices and I had no one to test it on. And I really wanted to see some ghost hunters in action. If I caused you any trouble... I'm sorry. And of course I'll pay. I was counting with that when I called you."
"Alright," Alexis said. "We'll calculate the cost and return soon."
They said goodbye to Minami. As soon as the door closed, Diane bursted out: "You can't mean this seriously! To cash her after she showed us the best fake haunting show I've ever seen? It's been fun and it distracted you from your goddamn depression. You should be grateful."
Alexis sighed. "I'll think about it."
>><<
Back at home, Alexis fought her dejection again. After a moment of pride of solving Minami's case, her regrets hit her again. She didn't want to talk to anyone and Diane stood away from her. Maybe I'm really making a mistake, she thought. These tricks were really top quality.
Someone knocked on her room's door.
"Please come back later," she shouted. "I don't need anyone right now."
The door opened anyway and Anna drove in. "Sorry that I disturb you, but... it's important," she said. Alexis looked at her and melted a little. "Sure, Annie. But keep it short."
"I have to confess," Anna said. "The whole case of Minami and haunting in her flat... it was my idea. Minami and I are friends. We met on a course for artists and she showed me some of the tricks she already knew. She's really a master of her branch! And when I saw you feeling so down... I asked Minami to prepare a little show for you. I hoped that some good investigation will make you feel better.
I've just talked to her and I'm sorry how did it turn out. We didn't want to waste your time at all! I just wanted to give you something to do, so you won't have to think about what happened. She called me and told me everything. Please, remit that payment you want from her. Just for this once."
Alexis tried to be mad at her, but she failed. Anna's intentions were pure and her plan actually worked - she felt much better when she could keep her mind busy by solving Minami's case. If Minami didn't call, she would most probably stay at home and do nothing - so where's the problem?
She smiled. "Tell Minami that I don't want any money. And that her tricks are fantastic. She almost managed to fool me! Almost. And Annie... thank you. You really made me feel better. And also... I'm moved when I think about how much do you care about me."
"You and Diane are my best friends," Anna shrugged. "I have to care, even though my methods of caring can be a bit... extreme," she smirked. "But I just can't stand when someone is sad. I had enough sadness in my life already. One day, you are a happy family with loving parents. And the next day... you end up as an orphan on a wheelchair and your world falls apart."
"You're right," Alexis said. "I have no right to complain. I caused all these problems by myself and I solved them by isolating from people. I was behaving like a total moron. I'm so sorry."
"Don't diminish your problem," Anna replied. "Having to kill someone you had crush on, then fighting a thing straight outta Hell and then, on top of it all, having to come out as a lesbian. I'm certain that would break anyone and your recent mood swings are more than justified. I can understand it more than you think."
"Sorry if I'm being too personal," Alexis blushed a little. "What's your... uhm... preferred gender? You don't have to answer that... I'm just curious how deep can you understand me."
Anna laughed. "When choosing a partner, I don't care about shallow things such as gender, appearance or wealth. I'm looking for a person who understands me, who can make me laugh, stands by me whatever happens, someone with whom I have lots of things in common. Who is able to accept me with all my flaws," she looked at her paralyzed legs. "When I find such person, I don't care if it's a guy or a girl. I know it sounds like a cliché, but when I fall in love, I don't fall in love with look, money or gender. I fall in love with their soul."
"Annie?" Alexis asked shyly.
"Yes?"
"And... what do you think about my soul?" Alexis found it hard to maintain an eye contact with Anna who seemed a bit confused about what will come next. "But before you answer, please consider this. I'm willing to live for you. I can be your arms when you can't reach somewhere. I can be your legs when you can't go somewhere. I can be your voice when someone refuses to hear you. I know I can't force you into anything, but please, think about it because until now, I refused to accept how strong my feelings are and how much would it hurt if they weren't mutual. Annie, you are the most charming, the most beautiful and the strongest person I've ever met and I want to be with you." When the confession was over, she exhaled, looked away and anxiously expected the reply. She felt that she did something stupid, something that could ruin their friendship.
"Oh my God, Alexis..." Anna said after a while, as soon as she recovered from the initial shock. "That's probably the most beautiful thing someone ever said to me. I wouldn't refuse you even if you simply said: 'Hey, let's lesbian together,' I'd say 'Okay, sure' and here we go, but this..." she had to wipe a tear from her eye. "Oh, great. I'm touched. Good job, Lex."
Alexis found courage to look her in the eyes again. "So that means...?"
"To be brutally honest, I developed a crush on you after... three days or so after we met. So smart, so gentle, so kind. And you ain't ugly, too; nerdies have always been my type. Remember when I told you that I was in love once? I admit, it was Diane. But now I realize that I love her more as a friend and besides that, she's straight. As my girlfriend, you're much better choice, Alexis. Do you want me to say it? Okay. I love you more than anything and it'd be a honor for me to be your girlfriend."
Alexis found herself in some undescribable euphoria. She saw sincere love in Anna's eyes and her heart was overflowing with emotions. She couldn't believe it. At first, she tried to reject her feelings. Then she tried to hide them. But now, none of it was necessary anymore.
They kept silent for a while, then Alexis spoke: "So... it seems we're a couple now, right?"
"Hell yes we are," Anna smiled. "What will be our first case as a couple?"
Alexis returned the smile. "I'd love to investigate the mystery of your lips and then count all the freckles on your face. It'll require my full attention and investigator skills."
"Oh, your favorite word," Anna smirked. "Say it again."
"In-ves-ti-ga-te," Alexis whispered, leaning closer towards Anna with every syllable.
And after the last one, their lips finally touched.
"ui