Unfinished Business [Fanfiction]

Prologue:

It was in a sunny morning. Their group had placed umbrellas beside the water, where near it was a wide concrete slab for the dam. Under the umbrella, a group of girls sat. They were all applying sunscreens in their tan skin. Finally, one girl stood. She had short brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her face radiated excitement and joy. “Hey, I’m really excited for next week!” she exclaimed. “You mean our graduation?” Another girl under the umbrella asked, unsure. “Yes, yes!” the brown-haired girl replied, jumping up and down in glee. “I only have to pass the English requirements, and I’m finally cleared!” The girls under the umbrella laughed, feeling the same excitement as the brown-haired girl. “We had already passed our requirements,” one of them said. “Good luck!”

She pouted, yet her excitement still stood. Her hyperactive side came out, went under the umbrella and grabbed the other girls. “Come on now! Don’t be slackers! Let’s swim!”

The other girls watched as she first dove in the water. Three girls followed her in. The rest watched them, contented of exposing themselves in the sun while reading pocket books and sightseeing. Why they were so joyful that day, they were not sure.

The brown-haired girl who dove first in the water stood up and started splashing the other girls. A water fight started between them. As they splashed each other with water, a dark shadow fell across the area. “Hey, the weather forecast said it was going to be sunny today…” a girl from under the umbrella said. Moments later it started raining.

The brown-haired girl looked up the sky, feeling sad for a moment about the strong rain. Then an idea struck her. “Let’s go there, in the deeper area!” she gestured towards the deeper parts of the water. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” another girl said. “I’m not really great at swimming at deep water…” The girl looked down the water, as if all the stamina she had a while ago was washed away by the rain. “Come on, don’t be such a prude,” the brown-haired girl replied, and with a sly grin, she grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled her in.

The water was colder in that area, but it was a lot better than paddling on shallow water. The two waved the others to join. The other two looked at each other, hesitating. Between raindrops and the cold wind that started blowing, they finally gave in to the temptation that’s right in front of them.
Just then, a low horn blew. “Hey, I know what that means…” A girl went out and shouted to the brown-haired girl and her friends. “Hey! Get out of there! It’s getting dangerous!” “What?” The brown-haired girl asked in reply. “I really can’t hear you!” “Get out of there! Go here quickly! They’re going to be opening the floodgates of the dam to release water!” she shouted back. “Come baaaaack! You’ll die in there!”

Hearing the word die, adrenaline rushed through her as she gestured towards her friends to swim back. She paddled her arms and swam as quickly as she could. The others did, too. They swam as fast as they could.

Then, it was too late.

The water moved, carrying the four of them. The waves were too strong… the other girls can’t follow them to save them. The four girls in the water tried finding something to grab onto, without success. They screamed, flailed, and tried paddling out of the water that’s now swallowing them into its stomach. The brown-haired girl, in desperation to get out, tried jumping out, only for the waves to pull her back in. Her tears were washed away by the water.

They were gone. And there was nothing they can do.

Their corpses were found the next day. The four girls have their hands joined in together. The other girls who didn’t drown amongst them went by their side, weeping. The brown-haired girl, with her sleeveless white shirt and her shorts, seems to regret everything. She has unfinished business. And everyone with unfinished business will definitely come back…

Spoiler:

*Yes, there's really a ghost in real life with the name of Lucia. I'm actually investigating about her, but so far, no new clues aside from the one mentioned in the story. And don't worry, no one so far had died or has been injured because of her. She's only third-level** ghost anyway.

**There are different levels of a ghost, depending on strength. The first-level's so weak only a person with a strong third-eye can see the ghost. A fifth-level messes with other people's dreams and thoughts.

Spoiler:

In the story, ghost!Lucia is really a fifth-level ghost.

~Sir Kirroha wrote:Hmm, I can't say I understand what this is about...

chapter 1:

She adjusted her glasses as she squints over the dirty whiteboard. The words of her history teacher seem to be echoes in her head. Why can’t I concentrate, she asks herself, wondering what had hit her. She glanced in her scribbled notebook. In it were the words “Ghosts” in black ink, and some other words she can’t seem to place. Now my handwriting’s so messy I can’t even read it myself…

Ever since she heard about the incident thirty years ago, her attention was nothing but a flickering light in her head. She can’t concentrate. She can’t focus properly. All she was thinking was that incident.

It was March 28, thirty years ago. Four girls died in a dam one week before their graduation because they weren’t able to get out of the water before the floodgates opened. One of them seems to be rampant in the school. She’s back to finish business… And the students now are scared after someone knocked on the door of the English department at the middle of the night.

Heh, talk about coincidence, she said to herself. First, doppelgangers came. Now, ghosts? You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Miss Nicol.” Her teacher was impatiently staring at her, with a cold glare in his eyes. “Are you going to listen or stare in the window all day?” She sat straight in her chair and flipped the page of her notebook which is filled with scribbles to the part with the lesson. “I’m sorry,” she said in reply. “I’ll listen now.” He faced back in the board and started discussing. Not even saying that I should listen more or get myself to the doctor to check myself for ADD…

I don’t know why that incident piqued my interest, or caught my attention. I was unsure. Lee offered to help me anyway and he said he can help me find some “clues”…

“Goodbye, class.” The history teacher faced the class. “Goodbye and thank you, sir,” the whole class bellowed slowly like preschoolers, as if they were all sleeping in the entire hour of endless discussion. Lucia tried to stifle a laugh as the teacher twitched in annoyance with the slurry, childlike greeting. He walked out in a hurry afterwards.

Oh, it’s recess time. Better find Lee, I wasn’t able to catch him when he left the room. Geez.

With a notebook, a pen and a correction fluid bottle in hand, she went to the cafeteria, expecting to find Lee there. No, not here… Where in the world is he? She went to the soccer field, and there he was, sitting in a bench under an umbrella tree, reading The Joy Luck Club out of boredom.

Lucia approached him, with slow, steady footsteps, careful not to make any noise. Lee doesn’t really like it when he is reading on a noisy environment. When she sat down beside him, Lee closed the book and looks at her. “What is it?” he asked, barely audible. Lucia waves the notebook she was holding in front of his face in reply. “You know why,” she said, pouting. “You told me you’ll help me. After the oh-so-scary events that have happened, we have to do something!” Even though I don’t want to… she said to herself.

She was only forced to investigate about the ghosts, since she was one of the top students and the teachers are really busy. While she is not a fan of either ghosts or investigation, she has to. Some even offered her extra grade just for her service.

And that’s the reason I was pulled over this bullshit, Lucia thought to herself. Lee grabbed the notebook and opened it. He frowned as soon as he saw what’s in there. He opened the notebook on the first page—which is blank except for a couple of doodles—and said, “Why isn’t there anything written in here? I thought you’re gonna ask for help?” Lucia grabbed the notebook, flipped it to another page, and shoved it in his face. “The reason,” she almost shouted, “is that you’re gonna help me find information, not arrange the information we don’t even have.” He does his best not to laugh as he shoves the notebook away from his face. “Okay, okay, I get you.” Lee sighed, giving up on Lucia’s “enthusiasm” to finish the case. “After class, where are we going to start?”

~

After class, they went to the only English teacher who knows about the ghost.

Lee stood in front of the door, and knocked silently. “Hey, why are we here again?” Lucia asked. “Geez, the only teacher here who have seen her with her own eyes is this teacher. She knows a lot about this certain ghost. Don’t worry.” He looked back at the door, realizing no one is answering his knocks. He rapped the door loudly. “Excuse me! Sorry for the intrusion!” he said, almost shouting. “We’re just finding Ma’am Nat! Can we go in?” Lucia wasn’t sure, but she heard someone inside shout, “No!” and suddenly stifled a laugh. Lee seemed to have heard it too, as he twisted the doorknob and went in.

As soon as the teachers saw Lucia and Lee, they heaved a sigh. They were all clumped in one corner in the room. “Wha-what’s going on?” Lee asked. “Is this concerning the ghost issue?”

“Yes!” The youngest English teacher replied. “All of us are scared after we all saw the ghost. She was terrifying!” Lee tried to calm her down, but she was panicking, her heart beating like a drum. He popped out Lucia’s notebook and started scribbling. “She wore a sleeveless white shirt and shorts, and she was wet! Wet with… with…” The teacher seemed traumatized with the sight. After hearing her testimony, Lucia knew what she saw. They saw the ghost with blood all over the ghost’s body. Blood and water. Hey… that rings a bell. Blood? Water? That seemed familiar…

“Can any one of you give us any more leads?” Lucia exclaimed to the other teachers in the department. One teacher raised her hand. “I can give you some information you need,” she says. “I have met the ghost when she was still alive.”

~~

“Tell us, was she your favorite student?” Lee asked. The teacher, lost in thought, dropped her head. “I never had any favorite student. But then, she was the one that said we English teachers were her favorite.”

“Interesting… when was the last time you talked to her?”Lucia asked, with curiosity evident in her voice. The teacher stayed silent, mulling over thoughts long ago. “It was on a Friday,” she started, “she was talking to me about her requirements. She told me that when she graduates, she’ll give me a gift for being the best teacher ever. But, she never did.” The teacher’s voice was shaking. She’s about to cry…

“And now, I see her, filled with hate, anger, or sadness… I can’t tell… she was such a good girl… but why is she doing this? Why? Was she mad at me for not accepting her homework because it’s late? Or maybe when I forced her to do house work for me? Or maybe…” The teacher broke in tears.

This teacher must have loved that ghost girl so much, Lucia thought. Was she that lovable? That kind? Then why is she like this?

“One last question,” Lee said. “What’s her name?”

The teacher stopped crying. She stared at Lee, then to Lucia. Her eyes were glinting brownish gold… it’s as if her sadness possessed her will and soul. “Do… you really want to know?”

“Yes, we do,” Lee said in reply. “We can’t really investigate about a ghost if we don’t know the name of the ghost itself.”

“I’m forbidden to say her name. She’ll be near…”
“Tell us!” Lucia urged the teacher, shaking her shoulders with her hands. “Yeah, tell us!” Lee urged more. “Please…?”

“Lucia,” she called.
“Why, ma’am?”

“No, no, no…. “She shook her head violently. “Her name, her name…”

What is this now? Things are getting weirder…

“Her name? That’s easy… Hahaha…” The teacher laughed, almost hysterically, almost as if she was possessed. Then, she started chanting words… “Her name, her name, her name is Lucia. Yes, that’s her name. Her name is Lucia. Yes, that’s it. Lucia.”

Chapter 2:

The way she said the name made her feel cold and her hairs stand up.

Lee glanced to Lucia’s direction, where her stare directed to nothing, her face terrified. The similarities of the name, it’s surely a mere coincidence. Lee thought to himself, frowning even more. But why…? He looked back to the teacher, who seems lost now in her world. The young teacher—who has seemed to already recovered her composure—approached the teacher, and whisked her away. But she turned to Lee and mouthed “Sorry” before going to another area of the department.

Lee turned back to Lucia, and said, “Are you affected by that so much? It is only a name, you know.” Lucia blinked several times and stared down the floor before answering. “Yes, I know. But it’s just... just…”

“Scary?” Lee said, trying to sound confident for her. “It’s just a coincidence. So what if you have a similar name? Will that make a difference? Tell me.” He stared her in the eye, held her shoulders, waiting for a response. “Tell me.”

He’s back in paranoid mode, Lucia almost uttered. But then, all she can do was say a weak “Yes”. Satisfied with the reply, Lee turned to the other teachers. “We’re really sorry. If you still want to give us information, you can just call us.”

“Wait.”

The young teacher approached Lucia and Lee. “I would just like to talk to her,” the teacher said to Lee, “can I?” “Sure.” Lee said, wearing a plastered frown. The teacher approached Lucia. As she moves nearer, Lucia fidgets and started fingering her sleeves. “Dear, I just have to warn you,” she said. “Don’t come here again. That teacher has been with me for a long time. She has been greatly changed by that incident…” The teacher looked down, concern obvious in her eyes, despite the creepy glow of the artificial gold. “I don’t really want to see her like that. She’s been my mentor for ten years.”

I won’t come back here again unless I need to, that’s for sure, she thought to herself. After knowing the ghost’s name, I’m actually scared now to even say mine.

All Lucia was able to do is nod.

-----

“Hi Jun! Since when have you been in here?” Lucia exclaimed, with the sudden surprise of seeing Jun on the school gates, waiting for them. Usually, she’d leave ahead of them, but now is different. “Ahh, nothing,” Jun replied casually. “I just thought I’d wait for you here.”

“Oh, I guess since you have somebody to join you home, I’d better leave…”Lee waved to the two girls. Lucia waved back, and Jun remained silent as she smiled. “Bye, Lee! Thanks for your help!” They watched as Lee was walking away until he can’t be seen.

“So, what’s up?” Jun asked, which seems a bit too soft for Lucia’s taste. “Nothing…” Lucia replied, a bit too calm, despite what happened. Jun seems unaware of her discomfort as she stares at Lucia blankly. “I see…”

Why is Jun too quiet? I’m feeling something weird here…

“Hey Jun. What are we going to do about our script for Ramayana?” Lucia suddenly asked. “The scripts are due on Friday.” Jun suddenly tensed with the sudden declaration. “Ehh? I’ll just do it at home,” she replied. “I’ll finish it. But, well… ahh… I think I’ve forgotten where I left the papers of what I’ve... done...”

“Didn’t you tell me that you haven’t even printed the script?” Lucia shot back, suddenly feeling something. “Ehh?” Jun’s eyes widen, seeming to suddenly regret the words she have just uttered. “I did? I forgot…”

Ha. Gotcha. You never forget anything school-related, even though you aren’t grade-conscious. You even told me that before.

“Jun, are you okay?” Lucia finally asked. “What’s wrong? You seem… distraught. “

But, instead of a tense and distracted face, her lips formed into a rather evil grin.

“You figured it out, huh? May as well as visit you,” Jun said, with her voice seeming darker and more mature. “I just realized someone called me a while ago, but I realized that I can’t contact you.”

“Who—ahh!” Lucia flinched with the sudden declaration. Then, she remembered a crazy tune in her head. A voice in her head… someone is singing a name…

"Her name, her name, her name is Lucia. Yes, that’s her name. Her name is Lucia. Yes, that’s it. Lucia."

“Why? Are you afraid of saying your own name? How embarrassing.” The possessed Jun placed her hands on her waist—something that she won’t do—and looked at Lucia with cold eyes.

This is her. Lucia.

“I guess this little Jun isn’t the silent and forgetful type like I thought. The cover blew. So, why are you finding me?” The Jun in front of her spoke in a different way like she never thought. Lucia, in desperation, uttered a silent prayer, in hopes that will turn her away. But she only laughed. “No use,” she smirked, “Prayers don’t work if your faith is small.”

“Let me just say, I’m not impressed. That woman is crazy. It’s a bad choice to banish me from this school using her. I’m a permanent entity here. I won’t leave, I’ll be forever here."

Why is she like this? I remember Lee mentioning that Lucia is a fourth-level ghost, so this scene is a bit expected. She’d be pretty much hostile. But then…

“Scared? Ohoho, don’t worry. If you find a way, then I won’t be happy. I’ll haunt you more. I’ll make you suffer. I’ll find a way so that you won’t make me leave. I’ll kill your friends. I’ll make you regret.”

And her voice wavers and Jun fell limp in Lucia’s arms.

Chapter 3:

“What?!” Jun shouted, almost disturbing the people in the hallway. “I got possessed? What the—“ Lucia grabbed Jun’s shoulders and shook it like a coin bank to calm her down. “Yes, you do,” she said in reply, trying her best not to think of the way Jun acted when the ghost Lucia was in her. “Did I say something horrible? Did I do something bad? Like, what, tell me! I’ll make up for it! I—“

Jun, please. If you were possessed by another ghost, she’ll surely make you shut up with such a boisterous attitude.

“Jun, except for a threat… nothing. I’m all right. You don’t have to worry.” Lucia calms Jun down as she panicked more. “Actually I should be the one who should ask if you are all right…”

“Meh, nothing. I was actually surprised when I woke up in the guardhouse, the last thing I remember is that I’m in front of my locker, putting the mug in it.” Jun rolled her eyes to the ceramic mess on the foot of her locker which is their project in Arts. “Sorry Lucia,” Jun said scornfully. “I’m sorry I broke that mug you took all night just to make.” Lucia just laughed as a reply. “Hahaha, it’s okay! I can make another one, you know.”

Le suddenly walked past, with a huge stack of books in his arms. “Hi, Jun, Lucia,” Lee greeted as he passed. He stopped first to talk to Jun. “I heard what happened yesterday,” Lee said, with a hint of worry in his voice. “Are you all right?” “I’m all okay, Lee. Thanks!” Jun suddenly transfers her gaze on the books. “What is that Lee?” she asked. “For the research work?”

He quickly shook his head in reply, and said, “No, I’m trying to do something in relation to the first doppelganger case. After the disappearance, the others were pretty interested about it.” He suddenly smiled a little, possibly entertained with the looks Jun and Lucia were making. “So they are expecting a documentation of the doppel stuff from the people who had an encounter.” Lucia suddenly giggled as she showed a smirk. “Ha! I bet Blake won’t like that,” she said. They all laughed in reply. Yes, Blake won’t like that.

---------------------

He was in his room. Wearing a frown, the night passes as the music echoed around the sound-proof room. He was lazily doing his homework, doing the quadratics the wrong way, writing that photosynthesis requires glucose. He was really sleepy, the music his only way to keep his eyes open. Yet he has to go on.

There was a project in Geometry that he has to finish. He was not good with scissors to cut out shapes, so he bought an X-Acto knife which lay in his desk. He also bought spare blades in case he broke it.

“Blake.”

A voice called his name. He turned around, he saw no one. Despite the music, the voice was clear. Yet… no one was there. He returned to his work. Then he heard the same voice again.

“Hello, Blake.”

He turned around, but then, nothing. He finally turns off the music, and placed earphones in his ears and cranks up the volume. After moments, though…

“Don’t avoid me, Blake.”

He was wrong. The voice wasn’t from behind. It was from inside his head, like someone sending her thoughts in it.

“I know you, Blake. You will suffer.”

“What? Who are you?” Blake grabs an X-Acto knife on his desk and points it to the nothingness behind him. Yet, the voice released a cold laughter in reply.

“Do you have to ask? The important thing is, Blake…”

He felt a light caress on his cheek. It was a cold, freezing touch. It is only the wind, he thought. But the feeling is almost like a corpse touching him.

“Who are you?” Blake asked again. His hands which hold the scalpel-like cutter is trembling. The voice only laughed.

“You are her friend. Thus you will suffer. Thus you’ll be the consequence of her actions.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Don’t you know?”

The source of the voice finally showed. It was a girl, almost a little taller than him. Her wet hair was brown, and her brown eyes almost seemed gold. She was wet with blood and water. The almost-clear red liquid was already dripping, on the floor, and as she touched him, it felt wet. Blake shivered in fear.

“You know me, right? You know who I am.”

“No, I don’t,” Blake replied, shaking. He tried not to shiver in fear, but the sight of the watery blood…

“You don’t? Ahahahaha. Because sadly, I know who you are.”

She flicked his forehead, which sent him tumbling back to the study table, as if she slammed her hand on his face instead. A blade was lying carelessly in the table, and it slashed his cheek. He dropped the X-Acto knife he was holding.

“My my, that was close.” She picked up the X-Acto knife. “Such a wonderful blade… too bad it’s just almost as sharp as a butter knife. I can’t use it to kill you.” She looked at him with a cold, deadly stare, as if he was a wood block ready for carving. She holds his chin, turning it to different directions. “My, it will be such a regret to ruin such beautiful face…” It was a compliment, but he was too scared to even acknowledge it.

“Just remember, Blake. Don’t support her actions, or else, you’ll be worse than dead.” She laughed hysterically.

“Who are you? Why are you bothering me? I don’t know you!”

“I told you, you know me, Luke.”

She disappeared in the blink of an eye. As soon as he stopped trembling, one name comes into mind.

“Lucia.”

------------------------

“Blake! Why won’t you help?” Lucia chased Blake into the locker rooms, until they are out of sight. “We have been doing this essay for a long while and you’re not helping! I demand you to do the rest of the essay!”

Blake just looked at Lucia with a stare and didn’t respond. “It was you, right?” Blake muttered. “What?” Lucia asked, suddenly perplexed with Blake’s question. “I saw a ghost yesterday. She said your name. You’re the one who sent her to me, right?”

“What!? Lucia visited you last night?” She was alarmed, and her face turned to a mixture of seriousness and curiosity. “What did she do?”

“She threatened to kill me!” Blake shouted. He never shouted before, which made Lucia flinch. “Blake, I’m hunting her down,” she said in defense. “I can’t talk to her unless she possesses somebody. Jun got possessed yesterday, warned me of the same thing. You want to be next? That’s why I’m hunting her down, to stop her!”

“But you’re just doing it for the grade, right? You grade-conscious freak.”

Lucia stepped back in shock of what Blake just said. To be honest… yes. Lucia thought. But that means I lose this, so I gotta say something to convince him…

“Yes,” she says. “I want the grade. But then, aren’t you being crazy just for your life? Then you’re more shallow and weak than I do.” Lucia chuckles and stared at Blake impassively, her green eyes meeting his... “You’re scared of a ghost? You’re not a man.”

Blake’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

Oops, I think I overdid it…

“You win. I’ll help you hunting her down.” Lucia smiled, and said, “Okay! But first, help us first with the essay!”

Just then, there was a caress that Blake felt in his cheek. He instantly recognized it. Freezing cold…

He heard a hysterical laughter. He knew it wasn’t from behind. It was her, the ghost from last night, breathing in his face. Telling him to die.

“Blake Landers,” the voice said, “those are the eight words that you’ll regret saying.”

Chapter 4:

“Wait, let me pass.” Lucia went and made her way to the crowd in front of her, pulling Lee along. She gripped at Lee’s hand almost like as if her life depended on it, yet the urgency of the situation isn’t almost different. As Lucia made her way in front of the crowd, she realized she haven’t prepared for the sight in front of her.

The person in front of her doesn’t seem to be him. He hit his head pretty hard. Someone had claimed that she saw a girl push him in the stairs, and made him hit his head on the way down. It only sounded simple, yet the amount of blood from the head wound’s almost unnatural. There he was, lying in the floor, with blood all over him, and unconscious. His favorite purple headphones – which he was wearing at that time—is now crushed into pieces by the weight of his body, the wires almost covered with blood. No one dared to touch him in fear they might kill him. After a few moments, Lee approached him and gestured Lucia to help him.

Is this all my fault? Forcing him to join me? Or forcing him to believe me about Lucia? Everything’s almost unnatural… what’s going on…

She approached the bloody mess at the floor, and kneeled beside Lee. Lee was pretty experienced at first aid, and so he was able to bandage the wound using the spare sweat towel he had at his pocket. Lucia also helped, but she was only able to help using Lee’s instructions. During the procedure, she only has one thought in her mind.

Why are you doing this, Lucia..? What have I done to you?

-----------

As they walk back to the classroom to get their bags, since they are sent back to their homes, Lucia was silent. Lee seems to have noticed this and spoke to lighten her mood. “Do you want to go somewhere after?” he asked. Lucia stayed silent for a while before responding, “No thanks. I’m good.” He stopped in the doorway of the classroom as he watched Lucia go ahead and arrange her stuff. No one is in the room, and the only sound that is heard is the birds and the steady blow of the wind. “Are you affected by it, Lucia?” Lee asked. “I’m all right, Lee. You don’t have to worry,” she replied, faking a smile. Yet, Lee wasn’t convinced.

“Lucia, don’t lie to me.” He went nearer Lucia, and grabbed her wrist as she was about to grab her books, and forced her to make eye contact with her. “I saw how you looked at Blake a while ago; don’t tell me it’s all right. No normal person looks at blood without being scared even just a little.” Lucia replied with a look of disgust, as she spoke, “Please, Lee…” She tried wrenching Lee’s hand off her wrist without success, “I don’t really want to think of it. I don’t want to meddle with this Lucia ghost business even just for a short while, please?”

He lets go and Lucia packs her stuff. She has changed greatly… Lee thought to himself. Won’t she even understand I’m worried about her? Is she really that dense..?

-------

It was the end of classes. He had thoughts in his head as he grabbed the mint-green notebook and looked at her squiggly-looking handwriting. The blue-green yarn that held all the pages together started getting loose, thus the pages aren’t so secure anymore.

His thoughts were on her only. He can’t understand. He told himself he’d try to restrain it, but he failed. He has no idea why. But, finally, he managed to focus his thoughts on what he should be doing. After he emerged from the forest which is supposed to be a natural sanctuary, he focused on the structure in front of him.

There was a signage in front of him. It said, “LaMesa Dam”. This is it, he told himself. The scene of the crime.

He approached the concrete slab that divided the water. With a tentative move, he crouched down and felt the surface of the slab, as if every detail counts.

“Were you looking where my blood splattered? I’m sorry to say it’s over there, in the water.”

He turned around. His third eye was really strong… he saw Lucia, with brown hair and almost golden eyes. She was sitting in the slab, staring to the water below. “Hello there. It’s nice to see someone visiting where I usually stay.”

Despite the sight in front of him, Lee didn’t flinch. He stared at the girl with a stern face, “You are the one who did that to Blake, right?” he asked. “You’re the one who pushed him.” Lucia looked at him innocently. “Someone saw me do that? I thought I’m invisible.” She sighed and smiled to the water. “I guess I shouldn’t trust the weakness of third eyes anymore.” Lee remained stern. He stood over behind Lucia was. “It’s not only me who can see you, Lucia. All people in this world have third eyes.”

She laughed in reply, almost hysterically. “So what if someone sees me?” She grabbed a small pebble and threw it to the water below. “Like they can do something about it. Only my namesake and you are the fools who wanted to hunt me down for that stupid grade,” she said, looking up to Lee’s dark eyes, which is staring at her intently. “That Blake, he broke his promise. I told him to stay away from you and her, but alas. Disobedient he is. He even offered his help! How foolish. He deserves more than a simple push in the stairs.”

“Stop it. Now.”

“And what will you do if I don’t follow? Shrink me to that magical orb of yours?” She laughed loudly, so loudly that her legs wiggled. Lee stared at her with a little surprise with the sudden laughter. “I’m not a doppelganger. Even though we have the same name as that Lucia, I’m not her. She’s someone whom I hate.”

“You—“

He suddenly shivered as the person in front of her vanished. He felt her cold, wet hands in his shirt, in his neck, stroking his jet black hair, and his pale skin… “You know, I don’t really want to do this, but…”

“…you are making me do it, Lee Zhuyuan.”

She places her hands on his back and pushed him to the waves below.

He found himself looking at the water below, the wind ripping his face off. This is my end, huh… He thought to himself. The water was really close… The dam, he haven’t realized, was really high. He closed his eyes, and waited…

But as he opened it again, he was surprised.

He was back on the top of the concrete slab. Standing behind the ghost Lucia, smiling at her ever so innocently with golden eyes. That was all a dream, he told himself, and I didn’t know it?

“You know, I feel what you have been feeling for her…”She stood up, looked at him in the eye, and poked his chest where his heart is supposed to be with her finger. “I feel your obsession of her. I feel the admiration, the obsession... everything. And now, with that knowledge, I will tell you a warning.

“Interfere with my plans… support the hunt… and you will end up with a fate worse than a simple push in the water. I will make your end much, much worse…”

He heard a laughter as the cold disappeared, the wetness fading. His widened eyes suggest his newfound horror. He ran away from the dam as he thinks of her.

He’ll protect her. He’ll do anything for her. He’ll even die for her. But why is this feeling suddenly turning to fear, as all the events unfolds in his very eyes?

He ran away as he shouts her name, a shrill, scared voice that only got swallowed by the empty forest.