Trail of the Torch

The Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter leapt over the rooftop easily, the Rinnes presence shining like a beacon in her senses. There it is! She drew her blade in a swift flick of the arm and landed on it, blade down. With a wail, the Rinne burst into the characteristic blue flame and dissipated. Youve improved. It only managed to take out one. The voice came from mid-air. It was weak, Shana voiced to seemingly no one in particular, A Torch then, as usual. The consumed girl reappeared, seemingly no different from before. Her expression still held the panic at the bullies rounding on a boy some ways in front of her. Hmph! Our job is done here. Lets go, Alastor. Yes.

Simon looked down at the fridge shelves. Why was there chocolate in the fridge? He didnt recall wanting to buy chocolate. Mom! Did you buy chocolate? Whatever for? No, I didnt buy chocolate. Did you? Did I buy chocolate? I dont remember. But I did go to the grocery. Simon shrugged, it was getting late for school. Hey Simon, what are you staring off at again? He looked up at his friend Thomas. Ah, that. Something happened this morning. Thomas looked at him inquisitively. Simon could feel the question already. He shrugged, Its just something out of place. I saw chocolate in the fridge that I didnt buy. What? Thomas laughed and patted him on the back, in a friendly way, Is that it? Your mother must have bought it then. Yeah, I thought so. But she didnt buy chocolate that time. I remember. Thomas shrugged and sat down on the seat in front of him. Why crack your head over something as small as this? Youve better things to do. Simon nodded, reluctantly. But he was sure, he knew what he was doing all the time. And he didnt do things like buy chocolate on a whim. Nevertheless, he wasnt to know that it was only the beginning. Its strange, Simon muttered to himself over lunch. Floe looked at him concernedly, Youre still worried over the chocolate? He shook his head, No. Its not just that anymore. Theres a blank seat in class. Floe and Thomas looked at the empty chair. Er ok, theres always been one there. So whats so troubling about it? Remember how our teacher assigned us our seats? Simon stood up, there was definitely

something wrong. You mean by index number? That was at the start of term right? Floe asked him, hesitantly, not following his logic. Simon frowned at her, The problem is staring you in the face, why dont you see it? Look, if we were assigned seats one by one according to index number, there shouldnt be an empty seat in the middle of class, right? The two of them looked at him. I guess so. But whats there to get worked up about? Thomas asked, a little bewildered. They werent completely surprised though. Simon was a stickler for accuracy. Everything had to match up or he wasnt satisfied. It must have just been a mistake. Its not that big of a fuss, right? Simon looked around, still getting the feeling of something not right. Slowly, he sat back down. Looking around is not going to solve this. I need more evidence. Two unexplained incidents. It might just be coincidence. Or it might not. It was more by luck than by his own observation that the third clue came to him. He was still counting the chairs and tables when it happened. 23 chairs and tables. But we have only 22 classmates, Simon said to himself. Behind him, Floe looked at Thomas worriedly. Who merely shrugged. There was no stopping Simon. Kya! there was a scream from Floe as the class representative tripped over and fell on her. Simon turned around. While returning the class register, the representative of the class, Sarah, had fallen over and bumped into Floe. Simon bent down and picked up the register that landed at his feet as Thomas helped the girls up. Are you ok? Thomas asked. Sarah nodded. She reached out for the register but Simon pulled away, still looking at the list. What is it, Simon? Floe put out a hand, taking the register from Simons shaking hands, Found another one? Sarah looked at them curiously, Whats going on? Did I make another error? Thomas shook his head, what a reputation Simon had. Hes been going on about some inconsistencies in the world since this morning, they looked at Simons frown and signature thinking poise, Maybe he thinks theres some sort of conspiracy going on. Ah ok. Good luck with that then, Sarah took the class register and left. Floe shook Simon out of his trance. What is it? How many other titles do you want to earn? Youre already known for being a perfectionist, Sherlock Holmes and a daydreamer. Simon smiled, he had a hint. A puzzle does exist! I got it. Theres a trail. Something is afoot. After all, they wouldnt have 23 lines in a 22 person class register. And it makes no sense that the blank line is the 12th The exact same index number the non-existent person in the blank seat would have.

Simon tapped his chin. The chocolate didnt fit. His instincts told him that it was connected to this incident. But why? How is a bar of chocolate related to a non-existent student? A chalk hit his forehead and he swiped at it angrily, trying to concentrate. A ghost? But theres no evidence of the supernatural. Oi! Are you listening?! The teacher screamed in his face, making Simon sit bolt upright. Sorry, sir. I was thinking, sir. He could hear the laughter going around the class. The daydreamers at it again? Ill show all of you. This one is big. And I hope I am wrong. Please, let me be wrong. After school, Simon grabbed hold of Thomass shirt as he and Floe walked past. They stopped. What is it? I need your help, Simon said, the faraway look still in his eyes, Looking for evidence. Floe waved a hand in front of him to make sure Simon was listening, Hello? Why do we have to help you? Do it yourself. I dont want to involve myself with your crazy theories. Simon chewed his lip thoughtfully, Yeah, I guess I shouldnt involve you guys. See ya at the library! he walked out of the class. Geez! That guy, why would we see him at the library? Were going home! Floe complained to no one in particular. Thomas, paying attention to the exchange, remarked to her, It worries me that he backed down so fast. Floe looked at Thomas disbelievingly, How would you know that? You spend too much time around him. She pouted, feeling a little annoyed. Its a guy thing. I think hes just trying not to bother us, Thomas replied. Hmm? Im getting curious. Perhaps we should go see what it is. All right, our year. Class 2C. Address list. Simon ran his finger down the list, counting. Ignoring the rattling door, he ran the numbers under his breath. 212223! What?! He frowned and put the registry book down, That cant be. Theres something wrong here. Whats wrong? Floe asked from behind his shoulder. Jumping in shock, Simon turned around, shutting the book. Who? Oh its just you. Why are the two of you here? Floe scowled and shrugged, I was interested. And we were here for the past five minutes already. So, what did you find? Your pet theorys wrong again right? Actually, no. I just found solid evidence, Simon turned back to the book, flipping it to the dog-ear. Look. We have 22 people in class. There are 23 addresses on the register. It makes it

difficult that I only have access to the list we wrote in at the start of term. So its jumbled up and I cant tell which one is the extra. Still, theres something wrong here. Dont you agree? They looked at the book together. Thomas finally admitted, Actually. That does look kind of strange. I know these three are ours. I know Sarah lives here. And I can recognize that these two over here belongs to Misa and Helen. Floe poked Thomas in the side, You sure know where a lot of girls live. Simon watched Thomas retort playfully and turned back to the book. I begin to suspect the worst. I wonder what they would say. So, will you two help me check these? Floe huffed, And why do we have to spend our time calling random houses? Well get into trouble you know? Simon thought for a while, But if you dont help me, we wont ever know what happened right? I will at least. You want me to call these four and check whose house they are? Thomas held up the slip of paper with the numbers. Simon nodded, Yes, its to find out which address in the book doesnt belong here. Floe, it will go faster if you help, Thomas hinted at her. She scowled at him and looked away. Still scowling, she then snatched the paper out of Simons hand and took out her mobile phone. Simon looked at Thomas, who shrugged nonchalantly. They had it rounded down to 13 after taking out those addresses that they knew were real. Time for the mystery to reveal itself. Who are you? Mysterious student? Simon looked at his list of five numbers and dialed the first one. Except the ever-truant student hypothesis doesnt explain the chocolate. Maybe that was just a coincidence. Yes, do you have a son enrolled in Eintein High? I would like to Simon hung up from his next failed attempt. Floe frowned and put down her phone with shaking hands. What is it, Floe? Thomas asked, a little concerned. I found it its this one, Floe pointed at an address with the phone number they had written on the list. Her voice was shaky though, as if something had frightened her. Simon picked up the book and looked at the address. It was quite near his own house. It supports the truant student theory. If that person came to school, they would have to take the same path as me. I would have seen them at least once. What am I thinking about? If they came to school, Ill see them in class! Thomas patted her on the head, There, there. Calm down. Whats so scary about that? The family doesnt have children. If the couple doesnt have children, then why are they on the school register? Simon

replied for her, looking at the address. It was in a familiar location too. Also, Mrs Limone and Mr Hayet are healthy and have been happily married for nearly twenty years already. Why dont they have children? There goes the truant student theory. That person doesnt even exist! But then how do you explain... He breathed a sigh of relief. At least my fears are unfounded. You know them? Floe asked. Yeah, I do. Ive been to their house a few times, Simon said. Thomas looked at Floes scared expression. Perhaps we should investigate them. Simon rang the doorbell. Mrs Limone greeted them. Oh! How nice of you to visit! Do come in, you and your friends. Simon nodded his thanks. Its a bit sudden to come at short notice but do you mind if we ask you some questions? Mrs Limone nodded, Why dont we do that over tea? Thomas and Floe sat at the table sipping their tea silently. Simon had excused himself to go to the toilet and it was awkward talking to someone they didnt know. You two are his friends? Mrs Limone asked in an attempt to start some conversation. They nodded. There was a pause before Floe broke the tension. She put on a small smile and said, Why dont we get over this awkwardness. Simon has a bad habit of ignoring other people when hes interested in something. Im Floe. Hes Thomas. Nice to meet you, Mrs Limone, and thank you for your hospitality. Thomas and Mrs Limone laughed. Yeah, he does have a tendency to do that. So what was it you wanted to ask? Thomas said for Floe, You dont have any children do you? Mrs Limone shook her head, No, we dont. Why not? Floe asked, quite untactfully. Floe Thomas chided her a little, seeing Mrs Limones slightly pained expression. Its a personal question and Ill prefer if you dont ask further. Floe shrank back a bit and muttered an apology at Mrs Limones annoyance. Perhaps I stepped too far. There was a bump from the floor above them. They looked at the ceiling. A scraping sound followed. What in the world is Simon doing? Simon pulled open the drawer in the desk. There was a full strip of sticker photos on top. He took the photos, looking at them in disbelief. The door opened and Mrs Limone came in, Floe and Thomas right behind. The room was decorated with pink wall paper. A shelf of books was across the room from the chair and table right under the window. Simon currently sat in the chair staring at something on the table,

oblivious to their presence. Floe looked around at the rumpled bed and scattered stationery on the floor. What had Simon been doing? Simon? What are you doing? Thomas asked him. Oi! Listen! Simon looked up with a pale face. Before he could reply however, Mrs Limone sighed and shook her head, saying in a stern voice, I dont recall giving you permission to mess up the spare room. Would you please ask before looking other peoples belongings? Simon closed his eyes and looked as if he was about to say something. Instead he lowered his head and nodded apologetically. Sorry for troubling you. Well clear it up and return right away. Floe asked Simon as they waited at the door. Why did you have to do that? It was very rude of you, you know? Hey! Are you listening?! Mrs Limone had called Simons mother and his parents were coming to pick him up. Floe didnt want to leave until she had got an explanation. Thomas pulled her back, knowing Simon better than that, Why dont you give him a chance to explain? Floe shrugged irritably, muttering to herself, He could at least just tell us whats going on, instead of messing around with all this, she raised her voice again, You know, its this attitude that you have that makes other people hate you! Simon pulled out the roll of sticker photos from his pocket. Its this. The next clue. But its weird. Floe and Thomas looked at the photos. Floe asked, Whats so weird about them? Two things. Why is a roll of sticker photos of me in Mrs Limones drawer? Secondly, I never took sticker photos of myself. Simons parents pulled up on the kerb and his dad gestured for him to get in. It seemed they were quite angry at him. Floe watched the car go off down the slope to Simons house. He is right, you know? I find it weird that Simon would have taken sticker photos of himself. Its the kind of thing only couples do, Thomas commented. I wouldnt put it past him. Hes weird enough as it is, Floe huffed her irritation at being chased out of Mrs Limones house. Well, theres always tomorrow. Its late; Ill walk you to the station. Why do you always make trouble for other people? Cant you be more normal? Simon sat on his bed looking at the roll of stickers. It wasnt nice getting scolded by his father but he had learnt to respond automatically while thinking about something else. Theres more than those two things wrong with it. The photo is done on a flowery background which makes it useless for identification. You cant use this for official documents.

And I would never use a flowery background this pink. And whats with that cheery expression on my face? Why would I be this happy to be taking a sticker photo? He frowned at it a bit longer. There was something else wrong with his pose in the photo. Not only was it too cheerful, the Simon in the photo seemed to be leaning a bit too much to the left. It wasnt centered either. Hmm? If the me in the photo was leaning a bit more to the left, it would have been impossible to stay upright without support. He tried to copy the pose and nearly lost his balance. Supporting strings? Why would I do that? He was still pondering the photos the next day in class, despite the heavy rain that poured outside. The class chattered away as the history professor droned on unaware of the classs lack of attention. It did seem to Simon that the whispering was less than usual but he paid such mundane matters no mind. Someone smacked him on the back. Floe said cheerfully, in a vague attempt to cheer him up, Hey, you had an entire night to think. Solved the case yet, Sherlock? Simon turned around as Thomas chided her gently, Thats a bit rude of you. I havent solved it. In fact, the photos are intractable. It isnt possible to take such a photo. Nor do I have any memory of taking it. From the back of the paper, its from the photosticker machine in the Yard Mall. Floe shrugged, But you havent been to the Yard in the last month. He nodded. Its an impossible puzzle. They blinked. Simon said a puzzle was impossible. That couldnt be right. What do you mean? Thomas asked, Its not like you to give up like that The bell chimed the end of class and the start of lunch. Simon got up from his seat, sighing, But its plainly impossible for such a thing to happen. Anyway, Im going to buy lunch. I didnt wake up early enough to prepare sandwiches. Theres no answer. Everything comes out as impossible. Floe looked at Thomas with some concern. It was unearthly behavior for Simon Simon drew his wallet and checked. Yes, I have enough money He looked again. There was one of the sticker photos in his wallet. Huh? I dont recall putting one of those in there. He plucked it out and examined the back. Yes, it was one of the same set. But there wasnt Um Simon? A girl tapped his shoulder from behind. He turned around. Hmm..? Uh, yes? What is it? She looked down and muttered softly, Could we alone ? Simon looked at her slight blush and the small bag she carried. Looked like there was a package in there. Shes giving me something embarrassing and wants to go somewhere we can be

alone. Ok, at the back gate then. Simon frowned. This cant be a confession, can it? Since when have I actually done anything? Um I wanted to thank you for saving me from those thugs three days ago, She held out the wrapped package, blushing furiously. His frown only deepened and he rubbed his forehead. I dont remember saving anyone from thugs. And its not like Im fit enough to do so. And uh its also for Valentines Day. I wanted to give these chocolates early so youll remember them! Simon froze. Ah, its the 13th today. I forgot. People give each other chocolate on Valentines day. He thought a bit more, quite oblivious to the trembling girl in front of him. But the answer is impossible. Something like that happening is out of the question. No, it has to be! There is no mistake! I have it, the answer! he grinned at the girl whose name he didnt even know, Thanks for your help. Im really grateful. He turned around and took two steps away from the poor confused girl when something caught his collar. Floe yanked him back, saying roughly, Are you some kind of jerk? Have a heart and answer her! Thomas walked around the corner, grinning apologetically, She wanted to follow you. Who thought we would see you in such a situation! The girl backed away a little, saying, Er perhaps I better go. Im interrupting. Floe grabbed her arm, Oh no, you dont. Simon here will reply, now. What are you saying, Floe? Simon asked her, pulling free. Without waiting for a reply, he turned to the girl, Can I ask a few questions? She nodded, still looking confused. Whats your name? Tiriel, class 1A. I- When and where did I save you from those thugs you mentioned? You dont remember? It was outside the Yard Mall. Er- Were those people in a gang? Yes. They were. What are As I thought. There is a way we can test this. Not everything can have disappeared. Floe smacked him, hard. There was a short silence as they all stared at her. Whats wrong with you? Asking these kinds of questions when Tiriel here is Simon scowled back, The answer is around the corner! I know who the missing person is! he turned Tiriel, Sorry about that. But everything fits. There is a missing person in our class. She has gone missing since three days ago and all obvious trace of her existence has been

destroyed. Our memories of her were deleted. It is the only answer. And how is that answer to some game of yours more important than Tiriels business here? Floe asked him, holding up Tiriels hand for emphasis. Simon winced. Sorry. It is. Because that missing person is my girlfriend. What? Floe shook her head. That cant be, you dont have a girlfriend. And the way you act now no one would go out with you. Simon smiled, with a slightly faraway look in his eyes. It was slightly unsettling to watch him. Yes, that is true. It is my hypothesis that I had a personality change as well. They stared at him as if he was crazy. It did look like he was crazy for a while, until Thomas broke the spell. Er, how can that be? Would you explain? Simon squatted on the path, laying out stones to count out the number of points. The trail starts at the chairs in the classroom. One is empty where it should not be. The answer is simple. It was her chair. Mrs Limone is her mother. That is why the school has their address. Why the address itself wasnt purged from the records was probably because the school has sent letters to them and it would be highly irregular to send letters to an address you dont know. Then there is her room. Dont you think that pink wallpaper and a bookshelf are bit too much for a spare room? It looks more like a high school students room. The sticker photos are the main clue. It is true that these things are meaningless if you take them yourself. Most purchases of these would be couples looking for a photograph. The existence of me in a sticker photo is good evidence that not only I knew that person; I had a special connection to her. This likely also explains how I know Mrs Limone without being neighbours, relatives or having any sort of connection. Note the flowered background. If you remember the pink wallpaper in her room, it is easy to conclude that that person is most likely female. From there, the conclusion that the missing person was my girlfriend is easy. Furthermore, look closely at the photos. Im smiling and seemingly leaning on something. The pose is simply not possible unless youre leaning or being supported by strings. I dont see why I would have setup something as deliberate as that. Of course, the problem disappears if Im leaning on her shoulder. The evidence that I underwent a personality change after the incident comes from two things. The first piece is my smile. Im sure you know me well enough that I would not smile like that. The second piece explains the chocolate in my house. Valentines day is tomorrow. I was going to give her those chocolates. Everything is explained perfectly. We just need to test its truth. Simon paused for a while, noting that the three of them were staring at him.

There are three tests we can do to confirm this. It is my hypothesis that I went to the Yard Mall with her, in the process taking the photo, helping Tiriel from the gang and buying the chocolate. Therefore, we can test that. The first one is almost definite. I have a copy of the sticker photo in my wallet. But the strip of sticker photos in Mrs. Limones house has none of them taken out. It implies that I have a copy of them myself. I can search my room easily. Tiriel and saving her from the gang can be tested if the gang uses the Yard Mall as their normal hangout. It only takes Tiriel to confirm that they are there and them to remember I saved her. The chocolate is the hardest. If I can find the receipt, it will have the date and shop details. But the receipt might have been destroyed or lost by now. Floe interrupted him with a cough, You dont know that this is true. Everything is indirect. Nothing is certain. Why dont you stop playing the games now? How do you think Tiriel feels when you discuss a hypothetical girlfriend in front of her?! Simon looked at Tiriel. There was a hint of tears in her eyes. Sorry, Im not the kind of guy that saved you anymore. I dont even remember doing it so Im not sure what your impression of me is. Tiriel turned around and took a few steps before his voice caught her again. He had thought of a more pressing problem, Dont go. We have a bigger problem than that. What force could possibly seemingly remove a person and all directly related memories? Were talking about large scale world-changing here. And why destroy her? There is a reason why my unknown girlfriend was removed from existence. If whatever is responsible for this happening gets wind of us doing this, were done for. Anything able to so totally destroy people could easily make it so that we never existed. Im sorry, Tiriel, that we had to drag you into this. But you cant go now that youve heard. Try not to tell anyone, ok? Youll just widen the circle of targets. Floe tapped her foot irritably, Us? I dont recall agreeing to that. Just what the hell are you talking about? Simon shrugged, Its what I think is the truth. Or most likely to be the truth. We need to test it. Like hell I am! You cant just go around saying we are being hunted by some underground organization that seems to have superpowers!? Floe yelled at him, What are we going to do? Nothing unusual. Its just a hypothesis. Anyway, can all of you go check of the Yard Mall after school. Ill look at my house and join you afterward Why do we have to listen to you! I dont believe this! Dont just order people around! Simon frowned at her, a tinge of irritation creeping into his voice, Im sorry I stepped on

the landmine that was this case. But now that its blown, we have to get to the end of it. Floe opened her mouth but Thomas silenced her with a hand on the shoulder, He is right, irritating though it is. Calm down, Floe. Simon looked at Floe, expecting her to retort. He had never managed to control Floes outbursts before. Strangely enough, she quieted down. Amazing, Thomas. Now then You too, Simon, Thomas interrupted in a stern voice. Simon looked at him questioningly. You need to learn peoples limits. Frankly speaking, you have running around having fun with no consideration for other people. You barge into Mrs Limones house and rummage around as if youre familiar with it. You ignore other people when they try to state their opinions and suggestions, expecting us to do things without regard for whether we want to or not. People are not pieces of a game in your own fantasy world. Simon was quite taken aback by the outburst. Not realizing how his actions affected other people was one of Simons major irritants. Fine, you dont have to help me. It is mostly my problem anyway, he replied, feeling a little miffed, I only ask that you dont tell anyone else what this is about. He stalked off without waiting for a reply and Thomas let him go. I guess I just have to do this alone. Simon left the class almost immediately after the bell rang, not wanting to face Thomas. Hell come, I hope. Hes always come. Anyway, there was the matter of testing the hypothesis. That was more important. Mom, where do you keep the plastic bags? Theyre beneath the sink! Simon bent down and riffled through the stack. Found it! A Yard Mall bag! He unfolded it and looked inside. The receipt wasnt there. But I always keep the receipt in the bag. It must have fallen out or something. Ill have to find the others then. He ran up to his room and dumped his school bag hurriedly, then paused. Where would I keep sticker photos? It cant be somewhere obvious or I would have seen it already. He pulled out the drawers of his desk, not there. It wasnt in his stack of textbooks, nor wedged among his bookshelf. Where else can I keep some sticker photos? Its not like me to lose things. He had gone over the lot a few times when he decided to give up. Looking over the same few pieces of furniture wasnt going to help. Why in the world would I hide something like sticker photos? He looked at the roll he got from Mrs Limones house that he had put on his desk. Where could I hide it anyway? Ill just have to check out the bullies then, its the last lead.

Simon looked around at the lesser used entrance to the Yard Mall. It had lesser people and therefore more likely to have the gang hang out there. That could be them. There was a group of four rough looking youths chatting at the edge of the car park, smoking cigarettes and playing cards. Too bad I forgot to ask Tiriel how many of them there were. I can just approach them cautiously, if its not them, I dont want to get beaten up. Er excuse me, have I met you before? You look familiar, Simon ventured by way of introduction. One of them stood up, towering over Simon. He assumed it was the ringleader. Hey, its the brat. Are you back for more? I told you last time that we let you off light. It is them. They know me, but I dont know them. Now how to get out of this situation Im not, just passing by. Hehe.. ha He waved at them nervously and backed away. One of the others stood up and looked around, Hey, we could have some fun today. Why dont we get him? Simon turned to run but they were too fast, the leader grabbed his shoulder and flung him to the ground. Soon he was lifted by all four limbs and carried out of the car park; struggling didnt seem to do any good. The thugs chatted and laughed as they hauled Simons relatively smaller frame easily. They dumped him down on the grass in the park, Simon watching them warily. He wasnt about to try running away from four larger boys. What are you going to do? he asked timidly. Chuckling to himself, the leader shrugged, What are we going to do? We could use him as a ball, one of them suggested. But hes puny, hell break too fast. Simon looked at them arguing. How can there be people this dumb? Deciding to take the chance to run, he got up and sprinted as they yelled from behind him. Floe gritted her teeth at Simons retreating back. Whats with him and that high and mighty attitude? Wont he get in trouble? Tiriel asked worriedly, Hes going to investigate those bullies by himself. Even if what hes saying is rather far-fetched, that gang is at least real. Floe patted her on the head gently, Youve got to do something about that crush of yours. Youre wasted on a boy like Simon. Tiriel scowled and blushed at the same time, with a rather bewildering effect, Dont tease me, Simon was really cool, standing up to those bullies even though they had knives. She looked at Floe and Thomas, Er is something wrong? They had knives?! Simon is going to get himself killed! Floe chewed her lip in frustration,

Dont look at me like that, Thomas. I Tiriel watched their exchange and smiled to herself. Simon might be irritating now, and he was too caught up in his dreams. But, I am not going to lose to a fantasy girl. Ill get that Simon back! Thomas watched Simon run out of the classroom immediately after the bell rang. He sure is eager to investigate something like this. Even though its too dangerous. It wasnt that Thomas did not believe Simon. But searching for something that could so cleanly delete a person He looked at the blank seat and shivered. If Simon hadnt pointed it out, Thomas was willing to wager that no one would have noticed that unknown girls disappearance. Someone who could do that was better left alone. Hey, class is over. Shall we go? He looked up at Floe. Do you think we should let Simon continue? She returned his questioning look, What do you mean? Hes just chasing after nothing. Its not nothing, Thomas contradicted her, shaking his head, Simon makes sense. There is someone missing here or there is something very wrong with us. She scowled at him, getting irritated. Ive had about enough of this detective game. Whats with boys and adventure anyway? If weve all forgotten about this girl as Simon says, then just leave it alone. But no, he Thomas cut her off gesturing at a chair for her to sit, Just pretend for a while. Lets say we accept Simon is right. Then, whatever caused this girl to vanish must be quite powerful, right? If that person notices that Simon and us have realized this were quite done for. We could go the same way as that girl. Floe chewed her lip worriedly. Yes, Floe. Im worried too. If those bullies injure Simon enough that he gives up this investigation, it might be better for us Thomas added. And youre going to leave him just like that? Tiriel said incredulously. They turned around to look at her standing in the doorway of the now empty classroom. Simon just went out the school gate. Im sure hes going to go the Yard Mall. If those four bullies are there, hell get injured! Floe stood up, Ill go with you. Thomas, you can stay if you want. We shouldnt stay around Simon and his investigation, He pleaded, getting up as well, Its dangerous, I explained. Please, Floe, Im worried. Dont go. She considered him for a while before smiling, Its sweet of you. But, sorry, I wont leave a friend in danger. Thats why were friends right? Ill still help even if I disagree with him. Thomas took a long look at the two girls walking out of the classroom. I guess Ill come too, then. They sat at the bench watching the four youths across the carpark, Thomas frowning with

impatience. Are you sure its them? I am. Even if they are wearing different clothes. It is those four that Simon is looking for. Tiriel rocked on her heels, squatting on the ground. She had changed position several times already and Floe was at her limit. Tiriel, why dont you go buy a drink? It wont do you good to wait here all agitated. At least its something to do. She looked up and nodded at Floes suggestion. What do you two want? Thomas shrugged, Anything cold will do. Running out here and now having to wait He took out a 5 dollar note from his pocket, Here, get all of ours with this. Tiriel waved her hands, No, its all right, really. I can pay for my own. I insist. Go buy all the drinks with that. Dont forget the change though. He shooed her off. Floe looked at him side-on, You sure are good at this sort of thing. Heh. As if Ild be defeated in this sort of social contest by a girl. Floe scowled, That isnt very reassuring. Im a girl too, in case you forgot. Thomas grinned back. She picked it up, as expected. Teasing Floe could be such fun! I wouldnt try that on you. Not after seeing that smack you gave Simon Tiriel walked back, carrying the drinks in a bag. She still felt guilty about paying for her own. Stupid, why should I feel guilty about paying for my own drink As she neared the bench, she saw Floe and Thomas sitting on the opposite ends facing away from each other. She approached Floe. I got the drinks. Did something happen? Floe didnt respond, oddly enough. Tiriel thought she saw her cheeks turn a little red. Er Tiriel wasnt quite sure how to deal with this sort of atmosphere. Especially not after that chocolate Never mind that! She looked around. I wonder what Simon would do? Look around for clues I guess. Judging from how they act, I guess something embarrassing happened. But they were getting along so well. She looked at the bench, noting that their schoolbags had been shifted into the middle of the bench. Something happened regarding their relationship. Shes hesitant or Did Thomas do something to do you, Floe? Tiriel watched with interest as Floes cheeks quite literally turned cherry red. Thomas snorted from his side and turned around, with a broad grin. I told you, Floe. Tiriel can read people better than Simon; youll have to be more careful around her. Well, you see, Tiriel, we had a little argument that ended up with mmph! Floe covered his mouth with her hand, saying in a dangerous tone, No, you do not. Thomas, I am warning you Tiriel burst out laughing, Its ok. Im sure you two will be fine. More importantly She

turned back to the four bullies. Who werent there. Where did they go? Thomas dropped his mirth and looked at the spot they had been watching for the last hour. The bullies were quite clearly absent. Eek while we werent paying attention! Floe scrambled up, taking her bag with her, Simon must have found them! They werent going to leave suddenly in the middle of a game of spades Thomas nodded in agreement, Lets go see what we can find. Perhaps we could do a little detective work ourselves. No reason why Simon can do it and we cant. Thomas crouched over the pile of cards haphazardly left on the asphalt. There were a few cigarette butts and a button on the ground as well. What would Simon make of this? The cards are scattered towards the center of the carpark, but they couldnt have gone that way. I cant make heads or tails of anything. How does Simon do it? He complained to himself. Floe pointed at the row of bushes behind him, You might want to look further afield. The bushes on the edge of the carpark had a conspicuous hole through it, with snapped twigs and leaves scattered over the ground. Its in the direction of the park! Tiriel took off, running quickly. The leader dropped Simons wallet, after taking what money he had. Thomas watched as he stamped on it, getting the soil all over the cover. I guess I should have thought this through a bit more. Thats them, and Simons being held by that guy over here. If I remember, he and that leader guy are the ones with knives. Tiriel pointed them out for Thomas. Floe scrambled forward, Im not letting this go anymore. Thomas tried to grab her arm and missed. If she just walks in, theyll True enough, he and Tiriel watched as the bullies simply laughed at Floe. They couldnt hear the conversation at this distance from behind the bushes, but it was turning bad fast. What do we do? Floe will end up Tiriel asked him worriedly. Thomas looked around; there was no one around the park at this time. Which must be the reason they chose to come here. If only we had a whistle or something. Tiriel gasped and looked around the grass. What is it? Thomas asked. There, two long pieces of grass, Tiriel plucked them and put them together and blew hard. Some tries later and a piercing whistle sounded from the vibrating leaves. The bullies paused in their intimidation and looked around. They wont leave unless they think someone is coming. I know! He waded through the bushes towards the group making as much noise as he could and

sure enough, they left hurriedly, leaving Floe and Simon in the clearing. Thomas hopped back out of the brush and by the time he got there, Tiriel was already dusting Simon off. Haha! That was some trick! Floe laughed as Tiriel explained the whistle, For a while I really thought you somehow managed to get the police here. Thomas caught up and looked at Floe. Im fine, Thomas. They didnt do more than growl a bit. Simon shook off the dirt and sighed, I thought you guys werent going to follow me? We had an argument if I remember correctly. Or was that some elaborate joke? Tiriel smiled at his confusion, Simon could be hilarious in his absolute seriousness. Floe answered, You read too much into things. Were friends right? We wont leave you alone, even if you will just walk off by yourself. Well, were lucky nothing serious happened. Even though your wallet needs some cleaning. You only lost some coins right? Thomas asked. When Simon nodded, he continued, Thats good. Why dont we go collect our bags and go to Simons house? He can tell us what he found. Where did you learn to do that with the grass anyway, Tiriel? Simon asked, Its not something people would know normally. Tiriel thought as they climbed the stairs to Simons room, I dont really remember, but I learnt that on the school trip that climbed Mount Kashima. That one? Thomas commented, It was a combined lower secondary trip only three months ago. I dont remember them teaching anything like that. She shrugged, I dont remember that trip very well. Though I do know my group didnt have either of you. Simon waved them into his room, Of course, I would have remembered you if I saw you before. The groups were only 6 people though, so its not that surprising. In any case, the bullies are the first concrete evidence that something is very wrong. I do not remember them at all, but they remember me trying to save Tiriel and so does Tiriel recognize them. And this happened only three days ago. Me not having any memory of going to the Yard Mall is very worrying. He gestured to indicate he was finished. Thomas asked, What about the chocolate and sticker photos? I wasnt able to find the receipt and theres no trace of sticker photos in my room. Ive searched all over for them but I cant find it. Floe shook her head and sighed, Just think of where yould hide something embarrassing and theyll be there. Simon frowned with confusion, But theres no reason to hide them. There was no answer, strangely enough. He thought for a while, hmm why would I hide

photos of me and my girlfriend? Say, Thomas, if you took pictures with Floe and had to put them in this room where Tiriel bit down a giggle as Thomas looked out of the window, as if to say Im not listening. Floe also seemed to be rather interested a loose thread in Simons blanket. Tiriel giggled some more as she saw Simons confused look, Simon. You can be so thickheaded sometimes. That wasnt a question you should have asked. Well just help you look over the room again, shall we? Yes. Good idea, lets do that! Thomas nodded and gestured behind the table, asking for permission to move it. Simon frowned again as he watched Floe look under his bed, Hey, what did I do? Did I say something wrong? Oi! Tiriel found it in the gap behind the cupboard. Its here. You really did hide it. Simon looked at the things. The receipt for the photos, two copies from the Yard Mall. A book on chocolate shaping and a roll of the same sticker photos with the first one taken out. And the receipt for both the chocolate and the book on chocolate. Floe nudged Simon suggestively, Ho you were even going to make the chocolate for her! Simon nodded, There is no doubt now, right? Everything revolves around the disappeared girl. He was quite surprised when Floe pouted and complained with a mischievous tone, Its no fun teasing you, theres no response at all. Well, then, Thomas cut in, The games over, youve got the solution and proof. Are we going to the police with this? Simon shook his head, No. They wont believe us. The proof we have is only inconvertible to me, who knows myself and the victim very well, and you guys, who know me well. To anyone else, it looks like were playing games. They stared at him before Floe shrugged, Whoever thought Simon would admit other people think his schemes are stupid? I guess we can go back to being normal middle school students if were stuck. After all, Tiriel here has to be better than this forgotten girlfriend right? Tiriel shot her a Look, while Simon considered his options. No. What we need is more proof. Thomas rolled his eyes, We dont need more proof. Floe was right when she said you should stop playing these games. There are things that we, as 14 year old children, should not be playing around in. Tiriel looked a little intimidated at the somewhat harsh critic of Simons actions, though she said nothing. Floe picked up on it and nodded to Thomas, I need to talk to you outside. Thomas looked at Tiriel and reluctantly agreed after seeing her expression. She must feel like were excluding her by our familiarity with each other. He and Floe left the room to the two of them.

Simon looked at them leaving. I dont understand why Thomas would suddenly change his mind. He was agreeing with me when we argued. Now hes saying Im playing a game Um Simon? Tiriel began timidly, You know them very well right? Simon nodded, Yes, of course. Theyve been my friends since primary school. They settled into an uncomfortable silence for a while. The muffled sounds of Floe talking fast came through the door. Do you really have to investigate this? Tiriel asked, still hesitant. Simon frowned at her. He had never thought about that, if anything seemed wrong, then he would investigate. It had always been second nature to him. Er I dont know. I suppose I dont have to. It troubles you that Im investigating this? Tiriel nodded, I dont want to lie. Why would you go so far for this disappeared girl? Can I ask? Do you still love her, even if you dont remember her? Simon shrugged, Who knows? Does anyone really understand all their own motivations? Tiriel considered it for a while before smiling, Ok then. It doesnt matter. You should go look for her. Simon failed to pick up on her slightly forced tone and frowned in confusion. So what did you want to say? Thomas asked, feeling a little peeved. He knew Floe was giving Tiriel a chance to talk, but he didnt like her supporting the investigation. She rounded on him, Why do you say these things? Someone has made to disappear, from everyones memory and all records! Its a grand case of murder! How do you just let this go?! Wait do you realize what youre saying? Thomas held up a hand to stem the flow, You want us to go up against these guys who did this?! She paused for a while, We cant just let something like this go. Would you stop investigations just because of danger if I was the one who disappeared? Thomas winced. You fight dirty, he muttered after a while, a hint of a smile on his face, I wouldnt drag other people into this danger though. And yet Floe paused, looking at the door to Simons room. Tiriels voice floated out, a little muffled by the door, It doesnt matter. You should go look for her. That idiot, she muttered under her breath and opened the door, What are you saying Tiriel? I thought you didnt Tiriel looked at her in surprise and Simon turned around to say, Oh, youre done? Thats good. We can go Thomas held up a hand, Wait.. everyone stop talking at the time! He waited until there was silence. All right, first things first. Floe, youre just confused. You want me to stop saying we shouldnt investigate but want Tiriel to stop saying we should. Make up your mind whether you want us to investigate this or not. Floe frowned and looked a little confused, Yeah, I guess I was a bit confused. Im not

sure why. Thomas waved her down and continued, More importantly, Simon. I must advise against investigating this case. Think about it. You said it before; its dangerous for us to possibly anger something with so much influence. It wiped our memories for goodness sake! If whoever did this found out about us, were dead! Simon sighed and walked over to his window, taking his time to explain. Floe just demonstrated exactly why I think its not dangerous. Ive been thinking about it ever since I stopped Tiriel from leaving with that excuse. Remember the pieces of evidence. They were the empty seat, class register, the girls room, sticker photos, valentines chocolate and the bullies. There is one thing in common with all of them. Theyre all indirect evidence. All direct evidence that this girl existed is gone. Why has only our memories and direct evidence vanished? If you were the person concealing this girls disappearance you would at least take away those photos right? The existence of the photos is the major clue that my deduction hinged on. And if they could wipe all our memories at the same time and modify all the records, why not take out her address as well? And steal the letters sent by the school? Theyre certainly powerful and far-reaching enough. If you were directing this operation, you would not leave these things behind. It just means that people close to her would suspect something wrong. The answer to these questions is this: There is a rule that governs which evidence disappears. They take away her picture, but they do not take away the frame. They take my memory of the Yard Mall visit, but they do not take Tiriels memory of the bullying. I have forgotten about buying and hiding this book, but the book itself is not gone. This is where Floe comes in. She has her memories of this girl taken. But it left her confused as to whether we should continue with this or not. Floe, why you cant decide whether to search for this girl is probably due to a contradiction caused by the removal of your memory. Exactly how it works, I cant tell. Even you might not understand your own motivation behind this. My conclusion is this. There is no They. There is no organization behind the mass altering of reality. If it was done by any form of intelligence, the evidence I have now would not exist. Her disappearance from reality and the destroying of direct evidence is the result of a natural law, without a guiding intelligence. We do not have to fear anything noticing us doing this investigation. The anything doesnt exist. What we need to find out as soon as possible is the event that caused her disappearance. That is what we need to fear. There was a silence in the room for some time after Simon finished. I might be wrong. We might all die from investigating this. But I know she existed. I know I was a different person. I want to find out who she was, and how I was like. Even if it means apologizing to Mrs. Limone. The next step is convincing her of this.

Thomas opened his mouth to protest but Tiriel spoke first, I understand. If it is important to you that you do this, go ahead. Though, you shouldnt need a reason to apologize to Mrs. Limone. You should have done that from the start. Its these things that make you irritating to others. Floe smiled, Whoever thought Simon would make a noble speech? Keep improving and you might even get some friends. Simon looked at them with a little wonder. Dont look like that, Floe said, Just go ahead and do your investigation. He nodded wordlessly. As they left, Thomas frowned to himself. He could be wrong. He wasn't certain. There is a risk... Simon rang the bell to Mrs. Limones house, not without some trepidation. Why did you come back? She asked when she opened the door and saw the four of them again. I wanted to apologize for my inexcusable behaviour yesterday. Perhaps you would accept a gift in apology and an explanation? He asked smoothly, having made up a short speech on the way. Mrs. Limone narrowed her eyes and held the door open for them. Floe nudged him, Cant you look a little more apologetic? You dont sound like youre really apologizing. Simon unfolded the envelope of evidence and began explaining. It took a long while and she wasnt convinced. He did give her the chocolate as a gift though. That cant be, I dont have a daughter. But dont you see that this is the only explanation? Floe pleaded with her. Simon shook his head, Never mind, Im sorry to have bothered you again. But just to make sure to yourself, can you go check the place where you keep your familys passports personal documents? Im sure youll find three. Mrs. Limone frowned even deeper, Dont kid me around with games like that. I dont have the time to play these things. Please? Simon pushed a little, It wont take five minutes. And if I am wrong, Ill drop the whole idea. There was a pregnant pause, if Mrs. Limone said no Simon didnt want to get caught for stealing; it would make explaining difficult. She nodded and they breathed a collective sigh of relief. Ill look, but you dont touch anything. Mrs. Limone opened the cupboard and immediately, Simon saw it. There, on the bottom

shelf, was three slim red books. There, thats it. Three passports. There was a stunned silence as he bent down to examine them. Mrs. Limones and Mr. Hayets he gave back, but the last one was completely blank. No photo, no name. Even the travel stamps were gone. Its not possible to get one of these you know? And Im fairly sure you dont have any memory of forging passports, Mrs. Limone. There should be more blank documents, like birth certificates. Mrs. Limone nodded, still recovering from her shock. They dug around a bit more and it rapidly became clear there would be no more clues to her identity. So close! Yet so far! Floe complained as they gathered all the documents, We have her birth certificate, no name, no parents signature, but the hospital stamp is embossed on it. School application confirmation, no name, no class, no teachers signature. Immunization records, no name, no doctors signature. What good is knowing she had hepatitis vaccination? I want to know her name! Simon shook his head, It is good. With this, we can ask the police to release government documents by tracing these. Most of these have dates and the issuer. We can chase the paper trail down. It is the first solid, unshakeable proof that she existed. Mrs. Limone looked at them, You already knew. I Im sorry for doubting you. This is Tiriel nodded, We understand. I hope Simon does too. It was expected that you would doubt us. Simon watched with mild interest as a tear trickled down Mrs. Limones cheek, not picking up the hint even with his friends surreptitiously looking away. I... Im sorry. Its just that Ive always wanted a daughter. For more than ten years. And now she appears in front of me, with these papers. And I dont even remember Tiriel touched her on the arm, trying to offer comfort as she broke down completely. Why dont we go to the living room? You could do with a drink, Tiriel said, shooting a look at Simon that said stay out of this. Thomas changed the subject in the uncomfortable silence that was left behind, At least, we shouldnt report this. If we go to the police, all pretense at secrecy is lost. If, just if, you are wrong, and someone is responsible, we will have just killed ourselves and Mrs. Limone. Feel like betting our lives on whether youre right? I well, I could be wrong. We could all die but Truthfully, Simon was glad for the chance to discuss something else. He hadnt expected Mrs. Limone to react like that and it wasnt exactly comfortable. No, I guess youre right. If we report this and Im wrong, we all die. If Im right, well just get more useless blank papers with no name and signature. If we want to find out more, itll have to come from her room. Floe smacked her palm, Thats it! No doubt shell have a secret corner just like you did! That would have more things about her there

Tiriel helped the woman into the living room chair, What would you like? Ill make it for you. Mrs. Limone sniffed, wiping away the traces of tears with a tissue, Sorry about that. Could you get me a glass of juice? Feel free to have one yourself. Tiriel poured out the glasses in silence and brought them to the table. There wasnt much she could say, but she could listen. Mrs. Limone would feel better if she talked about it. Its a bit confusing, I always felt as if someone was missing. Do you know what happened to her and why we dont remember? Tiriel shook her head, Sorry, we dont recall anything, and it is likely no one does. What do you know of her? I suppose you must have uncovered something. We know almost nothing actually. Except that she was in Simons class and was his girlfriend. Mrs. Limone raised an eyebrow, Simons girlfriend? I I guess I have to apologize to him, no wonder he was so persistent Actually, he doesnt remember either. Hes investigating only because he wants to. There was a sound of steps on the stairs and Simon popped his head into the living room, Excuse me, but I thought I should ask before poking around in the room again. Can we go search in well, her room? Mrs. Limone nodded and Simon went back up the stairs again, she and Tiriel watching him. I wonder why my daughter would even date him. Hes not exactly the most agreeable person. Tiriel fidgeted in her seat, He wasnt like that certainly. He was must have been very noble when he tried to fight off a bunch of bullies single-handedly. I remember him defending me, your daughter must have been there from what weve gleaned, but I dont remember her. There was a silence as Tiriel waited for a response and Mrs. Limone waited for her to continue. Tiriel caved in first. Despite how he behaves he has his good points. Mrs. Limone nodded and smiled at Tiriel, I suppose he does. Tiriel got the distinct feeling that Mrs. Limone knew more about her relationship with Simon than she let on, but she didnt get a chance to reply. Simons voice drifted from the room, tinged with excitement, A clue! Theres actually a message, for me! Floe frowned and read the words again, they didnt make much sense. seems to be ignoring me. Only the place under this tree brings me any peace now. I wonder why this is happening to me? The reverse side has a date on it, but is otherwise blank. The date there is one day after my Yard Mall visit. I think its a page out of a diary. Its the last page she wrote. Judging from the crease marks and the tear on the side, I think she was angry about something and tore it out, Simon rubbed his chin thoughtfully, the line didnt make much sense either to him though. Which

tree is she talking about? Thomas sighed, Simon had the tendency to get all excited so quickly. Going to the toilet, he passed by a hairdressing stand. Hmm? Why does Mrs. Limone have a brown-tinged hair gel? She has black hair It wasnt until he was finished and on the way back before it struck him. It must have been her hair gel. Ill ask Mrs. Limone. He entered the girls room and found Tiriel and Mrs. Limone had joined in. Holding up the tube of gel, he asked, Mrs. Limone, is this yours? It doesnt match your colour. Mrs. Limone shook her head, Is that one of hers? My husband doesnt use hair gel. Neither do I. Scowling, Thomas shrugged it off, I guess its just me who finds useless things, what does a bottle of hair gel tell us? Thats great Thomas, and weve our first inkling of what she looks like! Simon reassured him, Hair long enough to use hair gel, and probably brown hair of approximately that colour. Thats only probably. I might use that shade of brown myself seeing as I have black hair, Floe pointed out, Although girls dont usually use hair gel. Tiriel stayed silent, having nothing to contribute. She looked around the room aimlessly, after having given up on deciding what the message meant. Heh, what am I doing? Helping find out about Simons ex-girlfriend who we dont remember and is probably dead But if Simon wanted it, then she would help. Hey, isnt the bed a bit small? She asked, noticing something, Thomas, do you mind lying down on it? Just to compare lengths. They looked over. Hmm Im not sure, it looks slightly smaller than mine, Thomas said before trying. His feet just hit the edge. Well, its just too short for me. Which means she was shorter than me. Floe shrugged, Doesnt mean much. Youre the tallest in class They all looked at Simon, expecting him to say something. What? I agree. It doesnt mean much, Simon replied, Shall we look again? Maybe theres something we missed. Mrs. Limone went to the door, Well, just try not to mess the place up too much. Shall I get you all some tea? Yes, please. After about an hour, Simon finally gave up. We cant find anything else. Except that she liked pencils maybe. I think its because we dont know what we want to find, Tiriel pointed out, Each time before, you always had a good idea of what we should expect. Now youre just casting aimlessly searching this room over and over. Simon considered it for a while. All right, well look for descriptions of her. And what

sort of person she was. They stared at him. Isnt that impossible? Floe complained, We cant tell what sort of person she was without our memories and descriptions are impossible without a photo. Mrs. Limone suggested, If youre looking for her data, Im sure the school has health records. I request to see them if they still think I have a child registered. Oh, nice idea. Shall we do that tomorrow? Its getting late. Simon walked home, puzzling over the sheet of paper out of the girls diary. Exactly what did she mean? Floe had insisted she was going to take the sheet so Simon was forced to copy it out. She has been collecting all the evidence so far. I wonder what does she do with it? Considering that was the last entry, whatever incident that caused her to disappear must have happened during that day, one day after the Yard Mall visit. So she was being ignored by someone she wasnt expecting. Theres a tree that she likes sit under and is attached to. And something she doesnt understand is happening to her. If we can find the tree, we can understand her much better. Or at least get an idea of what she considers important. He took the walk through the playground as he always did or more like always did when I came back from her house. I dont use this route anymore but its familiar. There was a meow and something brushed against his leg. Simon looked at the cat rubbing its head against his leg. Huh? Whats this? He bent down to examine it and the cat looked back expectantly. Arent you going to feed it? Youve left it for a few days already, how irresponsible. He turned around and saw an old woman was talking to him. Er what? I forgot Sigh, youths these days. Play and feed stray cats until theyre familiar and then just dump them. You forgot, what an excuse. Simon frowned. He didnt remember feeding cats. Oh, Im sorry. I dont have any cat food on me now. Maybe Ill give it a snack. He pulled out a roll of chocolate wafers he was intending to save for a snack later. Giving a few to the cat wouldnt hurt, especially if he could persuade the woman to clarify What are you doing! Chocolate?! Youll make it sick! I thought you of all people would know what not to feed a cat! The woman waved at the packet, seemingly quite furious. He didnt know how to respond. Why is this woman so angry? Maybe I knew her? Do I know you? I dont remember seeing you before. What are you talking about? You used to come here every few days to feed this cat. I was around most of the time watching you. Surely you couldnt have missed me. Wait I dont remember doing that. And this playground is on the way from that girls house to mine. I remember the route, but I dont remember feeding the cat. Why? This has something to do with her disappearing. Hello? You listening?

Sorry, I need to investigate this a bit! He apologized as he ran back to Mrs. Limones house, ignoring the womans curious inquiry. Im sure itll be there. Mrs. Limone was rather surprised at seeing him turning up again out of breath, she let him in though. After some poking around in the cupboards in the kitchen, he eventually located it. Six cans of cat food. And Mrs. Limone doesnt own a cat. Found you! She fed strays, I see, Mrs. Limone shrugged, She must have been a rather nice girl. Simon smiled to himself. This is more like it, compared to wandering around in her room aimlessly. He nodded to Mrs. Limone and took up his bag to go. Well, then, Im amazed at what youve all discovered, but my husband will be back soon and I need to cook dinner. He nodded again at the implied go away and looked back at the cans. Perhaps it wouldnt hurt to feed the cat after all. You actually fed the cat? Floe said incredulously, Its not like you to do that. Simon shrugged, Why not? I mean she fed the cat with me, right? They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Is Simon regaining his memory? He might stop being so obsessed about the investigation. Thomas pulled Floe and Tiriel away from Simon and said in a low tone, Its good that hes becoming more normal. Perhaps we should leave it alone. Itll be better for you, Tiriel. As Floe nodded in agreement readily, Tiriel had to be persuaded however, Isnt that like him regaining his memories? I dont think so; he would be telling us all about it if he remembered something. There was no question that if anyone was to regain memories, it would be Simon. Tiriel continued to waver but agreed reluctantly after some time. So what was that about? Simon asked as they returned. Floe began to make up an answer but Thomas interrupted smoothly, Well go check out the nurse with Mrs. Limone after she comes in afterschool. Would you take Tiriel and go find the tree that was mentioned in the diary? There was quite a large consideration at Thomass suggestion. Tiriel understood almost immediately and scowled at Thomas, who winked back. Whats up with that look? Simon asked, when he noticed Tiriel and Floe looking a little embarrassed. If you dont get it, youll wont even if we explain, Floe replied and gestured for them to disperse, the bell for start of class was ringing, Youll better go back, Tiriel, class is starting. What was that about? Simon asked Tiriel as he joined her at the school gate. Ignore Thomas, even though he is right in that well find more things if we split up, Tiriel explained, feeling a little guilty at supporting the division. Its not because of Simon! As the two went out the school gate, the shadow on the roof of the building watched

them leave. They feel normal, Tomogara cant possibly want to go to human school. So why is there a distortion following them? There were two more fainter ones in the building. This has to be investigated, whatever happens, its a distortion, and it needs Tuning. Its only a small one. Slightly more than one Torch. Outlaw gave you an assignment, this is not it. The shadow hesitated, and explained, Its grown rapidly over the last two days. Ill Tune it and leave immediately. Ill only be a little late for the appointment. There was more silence as Simon and Tiriel walked down the street. Firstly, I need to tell if they know the truth. A test at the center of the web then, if theyre responsible, theyll feel it. If we can find the diary, well have all the information we could possibly find. Maybe therell even be more links and evidence! And it starts with that tree, the diary is going to be there, I just know it. Tiriel looked at the satellite picture of the town blankly, letting Simon chatter on. It had become sort of a background noise to her, it was nice to listen to it even though Simon thinking aloud was too fast for her to follow. Ive marked six points in town where theres only one tree around. Surprisingly, there wasnt too many spots, after all, you cant rest at a road intersection of something. Lets go then, she said, pointing to one spot at the graveyard, circled in bright blue ink. Simon looked crestfallen, Thats the problem, the six spots are all over town. Itll take us all day just to look at even two of them. Plus, Im not sure what Im supposed to find there. Scanning the map wasnt going to do much good. If Simon cant spot the right tree, I have much less chances. Where would you go? I think these two are good choices, theres one isolated one at the riverbank and the other is the graveyard one. The shadow looked around the base of the tree. You could set up the tuning pillar here. One will be enough for something this small. There was some movement in the shade of the tree and the shadow plunged a large shining metal pillar into the ground. There, thatll be the bait. The sky grew dark as the Fuzetsu spread its red tint over the small area around the tree. Come. Simon looked over the map, Two of them? Wheres the first one? What do you mean? There are six points right? One. Two. Three. Four. Five. See? The first one is the graveyard, right? He frowned at Tiriel. Somethings wrong with that statement, but I dont know what. Is it just me or did you think there was something wrong with what you just said? Eh? Er She thought for a while, It does sound kind of strange, but look, theres the six points on the map. The graveyard is the most likely one, so lets go there first!

The map had six points, Simon was sure of that. He looked at it again. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five points. I thought I found six in a rough circle around the department store last night. Im sure of it. He stopped Tiriel in confusion, Somethings wrong. Im missing something here. Tiriel backed up, they had learnt that Simons intuition was very accurate sometimes. What is wrong? The map? She looked at the six blue dots. True, I did say there were two likely spots, but theres only the graveyard. I did say there were two spots right? But theres only the graveyard that could be likely. Lets go sit down over there, Im not letting this defeat me. Simon had already connected this to the girls disappearance. Were having the same kind of mental block as we have with our memories of the girl. The position of one tree is hidden from us. I. Will. Find. It. The shadow was about to give up and go find a local to tune the area. If there hasnt been any change in the last fifteen minutes, they dont know. I have better things to do than worry about normal people. A flash went through its senses, the distortion jumped and danced before stabilizing; a ratchet higher than it was before. The shadow stood up and smiled. A threat I see. Ill defeat them here. And settled down to wait again. Simon crouched over the map, with his ruler measuring distances over the impromptu grid he had drawn. If our attention is being deflected from the tree, I can pinpoint its location. Measure the distance of the side of each square containing one object and compare that number with the row above. If were ignoring an object, the affected rows will be shorter. Got it! Tiriel shouted with glee, Over here! The river is too short on one side! Simon nodded and drew in a finer grid. 28cm on this row, but 29 above and below it. The heights are 17 here and 18 on either side. Thats it. That square contains our tree. As they went to get their bikes that they had borrowed from a rental store, Simons hand phone rang. He was lucky that his mother had agreed to letting him borrow it to do this, she still thought he was playing with his friends. Yes, Floe? You found her entry? Mrs. Limone here, actually. Thomas found it. There isnt much but at least we know she was actually underweight. And short too. Oh! Mrs. Limone! Sorry about that, me and Tiriel found the tree that was mentioned in her diary. Could you ask Floe and Thomas to come to the corner of Bridge Street? Theyre coming, the four kids that are at the center of the distortion. The shadow examined the impromptu scanning spell arrayed in front of it. They arent Tomogaras either, what is going on?

Even an Unrestricted Spell can be fooled by a skilled Tomogara. Be on your guard. The shadow nodded in agreement. Simon led the group of four down the riverbank. It should be right here, by this bend. They looked around futilely. I dont see it, not even on the satellite map, Tiriel complained, the printed sheets of the black and white views of the town whipping in the wind. Simon had drawn a large cross on the paper, after finding that he couldnt see the cross if he placed it right on top of the invisible area. So where along this rows of houses do you see a single tree? Thomas nudged Simon suggestively, knowing he was going to be the one to come up with it. There was a pause as Simon looked at the surroundings, comparing it with the map. The distortion jumped and twitched as Simon scanned the area, it wasnt settling down with the source this close. As the children discussed it, Khamsin focused on the one called Simon, ignoring the girl frozen at the edge of the Fuzetsu. He was at the center of this distortion and it was growing quickly. A normal human. Who is creating distortions. I wonder how? At least with this at the center of the web, he wont find it. Simon looked at the building on the other side of the river, Were standing right in front of the tree, he concluded, were directly on the other side of the river from the blind spot. Thomas was about to take a step forward but Simon caught his sleeve, Where did Floe go to? The two of them looked at Simon in confusion for a moment before horror spread across their faces. He watched as the boy approach the Fuzetsu slowly, not seeing the frozen girl almost in front of him. Simon was watching the boy closely and Khamsin saw Simon gesturing as the boy entered the Fuzetsu and froze as well. Theyve noticed. Its that boy, Simon, hes the one increasing the distortion. Khamsin stood up, there was no point maintaining the Fuzetsu anymore, if Simon couldnt see through it by now, there was no chance he would be a threat. Thomas scrambled up the grassy slope, looking as closely as he could. There was something weird about the gap between the two houses, but he couldnt quite put his finger on it. No matter, where the weirdness is, the answer will be. He took a step forward and there was a flicker. Floe suddenly appeared in front of Thomas and he stepped right into her, sending them to the ground in a heap. Ah! Ow! Floe shook her head as they got up painfully, the stones on the riverbank were

quite hard. Simon helped them up and Thomas jerked around in surprise. Eh? I thought you were down by the river? We have better things to worry about, was Tiriels reply, pointing at the young tanned boy standing in front of them. There was a burnished metal pillar in the shade of a large tree wedged in the gap between the adjacent houses walls that followed the curved riverbank. They looked at the boy examining them in silence, both sides weighing the other. Simon smiled and took a step forward with a hand outstretched, as if talking to a lost kid. Tiriel pulled him back, Dont go near him. I cant tell for sure, but hes not just some lost primary school student. Floe glanced sideways, not taking her eyes off the boy, who still hadnt moved, How do you know that? His eyes and posture. I I dont know, he just doesnt act like a The boy interrupted, with a far more serious voice than any primary school kid should have, Are you the cause of this? There is something I need to tell you. What you are doing is dangerous. And what happens if this Distortion gets too big? Simon asked unsteadily. Khamsin shrugged, Depends. You could fracture space-time and destroy the city if it was big enough. Though I doubt that would happen in your case. Why are you telling us all this? Thomas interjected, Arent we in your way? There was a long pause before a voice spoke out of the air, You are the people who know about this Distortion, for us to remove it, one of you needs to guide the process. They considered it. Do you mean to say that you cant remove these things without knowing about them? Simon asked. Yes, Khasim held out a slim unmarked book, a few clods of fresh dirt stuck to the cover and even a small worm. The hole in the ground beside the tree marked where the girl had buried her diary. He continued, If I Tuned it now, all that would disappear is your memories and this book. Unless you help me, not all the evidence will disappear. More silence ensued from this revelation. Well lose our memories of this. Was it all in vain? Thomas took the diary from Khamsin and opened it; there was the place where the girl tore out the page. Simon saved me from a bunch of bullies yesterday, but he didnt even listen to me when I went to thank him in class. I wonder why. My teacher also didnt listen when I tried to answer the question he asked. Still, at least that annoying boy who keeps pestering me has stopped. There might be some good to my newfound invisibility after all. Ill continue this after school, lunch break is almost over.

Why!! I tried to buy a snack but the shopkeeper ignores me. No matter how I shout or jump, he doesnt say anything! I even pushed over a row of milk cartons on the shelf in frustration. Guess what? The shop attendants just started cleaning up, as if they couldnt see me! Ah I resorted to violence to attract some attention. Forgive me, please? Im sorry already. But I even tried deliberately walking into my mother, but she just got up and went on cooking maybe this is a retribution for all the bad things Ive done. Is it? At least you are still around, dear diary. You wont leave me. I want to say goodbye to Simon, before I disappear completely. I just went to his house. Sneaking out at night is too easy now. But he ignores me. I can cover his eyes and hell keep on working. Why Please, whoever is doing this, just let me speak to him! But theres no chance of that right? I cant get anyone to do it. Everyone seems to be ignoring me. Only the place under this tree brings me any peace now. I wonder why this is happening to me? What a cruel end, Tiriel murmured, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the girls confusion. That must have been the last day, Khamsin commented, still stoically logical, Its a common occurrence when Torches are about to disappear. Floe put her hands on her hips, I dont like how youre treating this. Do you think well cooperate? You apparently dont care anything about people who died without even knowing what killed them! Why should we help you erase what memories we have of her? Its the rule. Looking for people who, in a sense, never existed causes errors in the fabric of reality. It is these Distortions that I am here to heal. Shes dead already, give up and leave her in peace. Hes right. We cant be chasing shadows forever. Simon?! Floe turned around, surprised. His face was obscured by the shadow of his cap, but Floe could tell from his tone that Simon was forcing himself to say it, Even though even though we are doing what we can to remember her, to find out about her, it wont bring dead people back. And with time, the evidence will disappear, as people erode them with corrections and new memories. Doesnt that happen to all of us eventually? Thomas and Floe looked uncomfortable; Simon waxing philosophical was quite a new thing. Khamsin observed, still distant and apart from them. Rather than dig up the past, we should look for ways to prevent this from happening to others. I will help with the Tuning, since I figured out all the evidence, theyll all disappear. Lets just get on with our lives. Floe stared, What are you saying?! Didnt you just she paused as she noticed the tears in his eyes. He knows something that makes him say this. Tiriel jumped as Floe nodded after the silence, All right, I give in. Can you leave it till midnight? I just want to finish reading her diary.

They looked at Khamsin, who nodded wordlessly. Floe sighed in relief. Itll work, I know it will, Simon has shown me the path of his deduction. She took the diary with her as they left, her hopeful feelings contrasting with the downcast atmosphere that Simon projected. Just you wait, Simon. Midnight came, Simon showed up alone. Khamsin went forward to meet him, Why did you change your mind? Are you planning something? How could I? If I left any evidence, it would merely be erased. After all, I cant very well lay evidence that I dont know about. Khamsin nodded, Go on. Given that you obviously know much more of this situation, and assuming that you did not lie, there is no other conclusion than that you can easily stop our attempts, or at least seriously hinder it. You managed to tell that there was a Distortion as you call it. Which means that you are able to track our progress in uncovering this evidence. Furthermore, you can Tune it, possibly using that metal pillar over there, such that we lose our memories and evidence you know about disappears. With just these two, and that you do not want us to uncover the truth means we cannot possibly do it. You can undo in moments what took us the best of three days effort to uncover. Furthermore, you obviously have something to do with Tiriel disappearing and our inability to remember a location. I found this place through that trick you used. Whats more, the fact that both Thomas and Tiriel were equally surprised about seeing this tree and you means that when they entered the area, they didnt see what was in it. Khamsin raised an eyebrow, again. The boy was full of surprises. Add that to the fact that they appeared practically on top of each other, means that Tiriel stopped moving when she entered it, and so did Thomas. It was lucky that they chose the same spot to do so, but it might be due to the ease of climbing up the slope over there. Therefore, that area is a time-stop area. You can freeze time inside it. More evidence is in the book. You handed it to me with fresh dirt and a worm on it, which quickly fell off. That means that you just dug it up. Yet you are not exhausted by the exertion, which means you did it some time ago. The time field explains this. Furthermore, you were inside the area when it turned off. Assuming you were responsible for turning it off, means you can act inside such a field. Against a time-stop attention-deflecting field, large scale memory wiping and ability to track our progress, we stand no chance at all. In fact, if we persisted in our investigation, it wouldnt be too difficult for you to erase us much like how that girl disappeared. You mentioned Torches disappearing, that confirms the phenomenon to be due to a natural consequence of an event, not an active malicious act. But who turns people into Torches? I was pretty sure she started out human.

I can only ascribe these seemingly magical powers to one who already has others. You, who call yourself a Tuner, are responsible for this. Or other people like you. Why then should I risk my friends lives to find more statistics about a girl who was essentially a stranger to me? Id much rather cooperate with your scheme and hope you leave us alone. We are not worth the effort of killing if we do as you say. Khamsin took a deep breath. Too bad their memories will have to go. He would have made a good detective for Outlaw. Its five past, well start, He turned to examine the Tuning pillar again as Simon scrambled down the slope. Khamsin crouched on the roof of the school as the bell sounded the end of class, watching the four of them walking out of the school. Just in case, Simon is smart enough that Im sure he must have had a way to get around it. Its impossible, once you Tune the Distortion, they lose their memories permanently. Khamsin nodded in agreement, but he couldnt shake the feeling. So where do we go? Its Friday! Floe asked them. Simon smiled at her enthusiasm, it was always refreshing to watch Floe and her upbeat mood. Whyre you so happy? Thomas asked, curious. Dont ask about things that dont overly concern you, Thomas, Simon commented, with a wink at Tiriel. Who smiled back shyly. She must be feeling out of place, a 1st year among 2nd years. When was I such good friends with a younger girl anyway? The amusement park sounds good. Lets go there and have a nice day out! See? Theyre perfectly normal, if a little different than they were before. You have another assignment, lets go. Khamsin stood up, no point worrying about things that were past. Simon was such a waste, if only Outlaw had less strict recruitment policies. Ten hours later, he was on a plane out of the country. One week later Mail! Floe went to the door sleepily, Parcel post on a Saturday morning? The parcel was an unmarked brown packet, with no return address. It seemed to be quite full of paper though and it was addressed to her. Whod send me this? She went upstairs and tossed it on her bed and went down to the kitchen, she could look at it after breakfast.

To myself: If you are reading this and dont know what this is about, then my plan has succeeded. I have successfully sent a message past the Tuning. Firstly, theres a mole on the inside of your upper left thigh. And really, you actually like Thomas. Youre blushing right? I hope that proves Im you. Enclosed is a series of documents and pictures that is the evidence of a missing person investigation that Simon dug up. Each of them has notes that explain their significance and under what circumstances we found them. What is more important is that supernatural events have been afoot. There are people called Tuners who can remove these evidences if they know about them and Simon helped them Tune away the original copies. These ones are a number of high quality photocopies that I made, the receipt is enclosed, if you doubt my account, then go ask the printing shop about the transaction. Please satisfy yourself with the evidence that the only explanation was the one that we came up with. And that this is not an elaborate joke, the clear watermarks on the pages should be proof enough that they are copies of genuine documents. Hand these documents to Simon and see what he makes of them. I can only hope I included enough to ensure that it convinces him. Go to the police to check the passport number if you wish, the Tuner should have left town by the time this package arrives, this was the reason why I sent such an important package by snail mail. Floe PS: However youre going to deny it, you like Thomas. Please be nicer to him. Good luck.