Incident 1: Killer Queen (Part 2)

*beep-beep-beep!*

“Ugh...” Tsubaki slapped her phone, silencing the alarm. “Tired...” She mumbled, sitting up. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she felt like she’d been run over by a truck. ‘I think sleep just made things worse.’ She wiped her mouth. ‘No thoughts, head empty. Just get moving and figure shit out later. Got school.’ Bleary-eyed, she stumbled into the small bathroom. ‘Found jack last night and all I get for my effort is the joy of suffering through school.’ She brushed her teeth with the enthusiasm of a zombie before splashing water on her face.

‘'Mmm cold water feels good...' she massaged her puffy eyes with the frigid tap water. Forcing herself to open her heavy eyes, she was met by her reflection. She froze. The mirror reflected a black, hazy figure lingering behind her. Tsubaki’s eyes widened and she leaned in. The figure was indistinct, as if it was barely present. It seemed to be some sort of humanoid, but the way it flickered like tv static made it hard to tell. While the figure seemed to be struggling to manifest, it was there, as ephemeral as it was. Tsubaki snapped her head around, but there was nothing. She turned back to the mirror, half expecting to see some sort of monster crawling its way out, only to be met with her own exhausted face. She blinked slowly, unconvinced but not wanting to dwell on it. “Don’t give it attention. That’ll just help it get a foothold over you. It’s not real and you are still you,” Tsubaki mumbled, peeling herself away from the sink to go make coffee.

‘Just keep it moving.’ While the coffee brewed, Tsubaki dug in her freezer. Why cook when you could just buy box lunches from the gas station and freeze them? Randomly choosing one, she dumped its contents into her lunch box.

By the time her coffee was ready, Tsubaki had run a brush through her hair and started dressing. Taking the coffee and a protein bar, she plopped down at the low table in her underwear. ‘I got up fast enough. I can just chill for a few minutes before I get my uniform on.’ Not exactly classy, but screw that. She was tired and lazy, and who was there to see her, anyway? Finding the silence too tempting, she turned the tv on to get her brain going. “More stuff about the serial killer?” she wondered as she sipped her coffee.

“As of this morning, the death count has gone up to eighteen confirmed victims claimed by the beauty queen killer. As a result of their review of unsolved murder cases, three more murders have officially been connected to the series of killings. All three victims are women and young girls in the same thirteen- to twenty-eight-year-old age range. These three earlier victims were all killed during the summer, with the last victim in the cluster only having been found a few weeks ago by hikers at a nature park on the outskirts of the city.”

Tsubaki remained morbidly fascinated by the ongoing case. Granted, it was partially for a reason, but it was still the sort of thing you couldn’t help gawking at. “Geez, what’s wrong with people?”

“As of now, the sixteen-year-old girl believed to be the killer’s first victim remains unidentified. While she was found the same night she was killed, the police say that the damage to her face was so much more extensive than the other victims that it has continued to prevent identification.”

Tsubaki sat up straight and set her cup down, waiting to see if there was anything else. A picture of park benches alongside a river flashed on the screen. The type of place so pretty that it was a shame that a death happened there. ‘Still, this is something I can actually check out.’

“The young victim was found in the grass by the water’s edge around 10pm on the first day of summer vacation for local students. She was wearing an ordinary sundress and sandals, leaving police unsure if she was out for a walk alone or intending to meet someone that night. Anyone with tips that could lead to either the capture of the killer or the identity of the unknown victim is being encouraged to call the Tokyo PD as soon as possible.”

Finding a scrap of paper, Tsubaki scribbled down a few notes before the picture of the crime scene switched over to the news anchor. “Well, as enlightening as that was, I suppose I better get dressed." Even as she was getting ready, her eyes never left the news program.

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Tsubaki adjusted her collar, making sure that her impromptu notes were hidden. ‘If you don’t want to lose something, it’s best to keep it close.’ She smirked at the reminder of how secrecy had become an ordinary part of her life. She didn’t need anyone finding any hints of what she was up to, and she needed to conserve as much mental stamina as possible, so hiding the paper somewhere easy for her to check was the best she could do. She definitely wasn’t going to leave it sitting in her school bag. She quit tugging at her clothes, figuring she did the best she could.

As she walked through the city on her way to school, Tsubaki couldn’t help feeling unsettled by how lonely and strange her commute was. Ever since she was little, she’d walked to school with Hana. Even when Hana entered high school, that hadn’t changed. ‘Next year, Hana would have been a senior. We should have had two years together before she left home.’ Ever since her sister had died, it had felt like the center of her being had been cored out. Everything felt so wrong and empty. ‘Well, given how she died, my normal life really did die with her.’ Tsubaki reflected bitterly. ‘After all that, I couldn't just go back to the way things were after losing her and our stepmom and knowing that those things were out there parasitizing humans. Even if her condition hadn’t passed on to me, there was no way for things to go back to the way they were.’

If her old normal still existed, she would have eaten a real meal with Hana and Mama Mio. Actual food made from scratch, not just Tsubaki filling her stomach with something to placate it. She’d be walking to school with Hana right now, on her way to meet her group of girlfriends in front of her old middle school before classes started. After school, she’d be going to art club and then maybe hanging out with her friends at their favorite karaoke spot before going back home. It was like there were two Tsubaki’s; her from before she knew about the worm and magical girls and the current her who had been left behind in the fallout. Everything she had been no longer existed; that past version of herself had been erased along with her sister and stepmother and was never going to come back. Even if she wasn’t living on a biological timer...

“Tsubaki-Chaannn!” Someone hurtled into Tsubaki, making her yelp. “Good morning, new girl!” Emiri Todo droned, squeezing Tsubaki’s arm. “Emi...” Tsubaki huffed. “Could you not do that?” “Sorry!” The girl chirped, not sounding particularly apologetic as she linked their arms together. “Let’s walk together! So, you live nearby, too?” “Y-yeah” Tsubaki muttered, uncomfortable with Emiri’s physical clinginess. ‘Gotta suck it up and act like I’m actually happy to see her.’ Something about Emiri’s personality had rubbed her the wrong way from the second they’d met two days ago but, somehow, the blond diva seemed to think they were best friends now. Yesterday, she even dragged Tsubaki and the other three girls out for crepes after class. Pigtails, Glasses and Tomboy promised that Emiri was over the top but harmless, but her presence was draining. Tsubaki didn’t have the emotional energy to spend on friendship crap, and Emiri was the type of bubbly that drained the energy out of you. ‘Can’t be helped. You’re not going to like everyone.’ “How about you?"  

“Yep, my families' condo is just a few blocks away!” “Oh, so you’re a Tokyo native then?” “Yeah, though we’re new to this area.” Emiri sighed, tossing her bleached curls. “We lived farther out from the city center until a few months ago. I liked it better there. It was busy but not busy-busy like right here in the heart of the city, you know?” Tsubaki nodded, pretending that she understood. “Did you move to be closer to the school?” “No. It’s so stupid,” Emiri tugged on one of her hoop earrings. “A girl who lived nearby disappeared. Probably just ran away, everyone said, but daddy was sooo paranoid and didn’t wanna keep living in the vicinity.”

Tsubaki felt the buzzing in the base of her skull again. As much as she wanted to ignore it, twice couldn’t be coincidence. ‘I’m not listening to you. I am my own person. I’m just following my own instincts.’ For a moment, she felt like the figure from the mirror was lurking in her mind, leering at her.

“Yeah, that’s kind of over the top.” Tsubaki plastered a sympathetic smile on her face; her character mask settling back into place.