Reunion

I’m really tired… Tired of everything. I want to rest, but in this darkness, the only thing I can see is a faceless body in front of me.

Blood. A lot of blood.

My head hurts.

A black cat is now swimming in the blood.

I just want to sleep…

Now I see everyone from my class, dead.

I want my peaceful life back…

Mei’s body with her eyes open, looking into my eyes… She is in my room, near my bed, by my side.

Ah… I’m really tired of everything. I don’t want to think anymore.

Just let me die already.

The last month was a nightmare and the last few days in special basically destroyed my soul. What happened to Hayato was the death blow to my sanity and his funeral crushed my very existence. Her sister crying calling for him in despair was too much for me to bear.

I was having sleep problems because of the constants and terrible dreams I was having since Mei’s death, but now I keep seeing them even awake.

The human being called Souma is broken.

The sky is dominated by heavy clouds, like it is ready to mourn for the souls resting here in the cemetery.

After finishing a prayer, I stand up in front of a tomb.

“Have you finished?”, Arata, who already had prayed too, asked me.

“Yes.”, I confirmed. “I’m going now, Hayato.”, I said while looking at the tomb.

“So, let’s go home. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Thanks, Arata, but I’ll refuse.”

“Oh? Do you want some time alone?”

“I want to visit someone else.”

“Someone else? Oh, I understand. Well, I have some job to do, so I’m going now. Take care.”

“Thank you for coming here with me.”

“That was nothing.”, Arata said as he started to leave.

Now alone, I started to search for another tomb. While I walked, I looked everywhere and I didn’t find anyone else here. In this emptiness, I could hear the wind blowing and it was making a sound like a sad melody.

After searching a bit, I finally found it: Mei’s family tomb. For the first time since her death, I was visiting her.

“It’s been a while, Mei.”, I said while kneeling in front of the tomb.

The wind started to get stronger and I looked up to the sky while remembering what happened that night, the night that started this madness.

“I’m sorry...”

Why am I saying this?

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry...”

I don’t know why, but I repeat myself while some tears start to appear in my eyes.

“Forgive me...”

For what? What could I have done for her? Yeah, nothing. We weren’t friends, we were just classmates. Even if I had some feelings for her, I never really tried to approach Mei. To me, she was a dazzling, unreachable light. Now she is gone and the only thing in my mind is regret.

“Hey, Mei… I tried to find any lead about who did that to you, but... But…!”

The tears start to overflow and I punch the ground.

“I’m weak! No matter what I do, I just find more problems!”

I said I would find anything to help me end that situation and the result was a pile of corpses.

“Every time try to catch some hope, I only find despair!”

There’s no hope. And after the last events, the police seems complete lost.

“You died, Sakura died, Akira died… My best friend is dead!”

They’re gone, forever. And thinking about this makes my heart feel an unbearable pain.

“And what I achieved!? Nothing!”

Drops of water start to fall, signalizing the beginning of the rain.

“Everything I did… Everything I did was in vain!”

All my actions, all my trips to school at night didn’t help in anything.

“I hate this… I hate how pathetic I’ve become.”

My weak mind is full with nightmares.

“I can’t face anything...”

Every time I would be controlled by my fears. The only moment I had the opportunity to maybe see the murderer, I jumped from the window.

“I...”

I sit on the ground, crying while getting soaked by the rain. Yes, now is the time to cry, the time to release all this sadness and pain. I need to shed all my tears now, so I can stand up again and face the harsh reality with everything I have.

“This tragedy can’t go on… This has to end...”

My tears are finally stopping.

“Hey, Mei… Tell me… Why did all this happen?”, I asked while looking to the tomb.

I knew she would never answer, but I continued. “Why Mei? Why would someone kill you?”

“You really don’t know the answer?”

An expression of surprise appears in my face.

Someone answered. And this voice…!

A girl was standing behind me, smiling.

“I thought you were smarter.”, she said while sitting with her back touching mine.

“That’s something really cruel to say.”, I said with a faint smile in my face.

“Really? You know it was a joke.”, she said after a small laugh.

We stayed silent for a moment. I know this is a daydream, an illusion, but part of me wanted to enjoy this a bit.

“Hey, Souma, what do you really want?”

“I just want this nightmare to end.”

“So, you can’t give up, right?”

“I don’t want to give up, but… If the police can’t find the culprit, how can I do it?”

“And what if I told you that the answer to everything is closer than you think?”

“What? So tell me, why would someone kill you?”

Mei got up and I turned around to see her looking at me. She was using her school uniform, her long hair dancing in the wind.

“You know, Souma, some things happen because of the stupidest reasons.”, she said with a weak smile.

I just stayed there lost in thoughts while looking at Mei.

There isn’t some convoluted story behind her death. Mei knew something about someone from our school and that person killed her. That same person knew about other people from our class and could even approach Hayato. The killer is in my class. The police was too focused on me and Hayato, letting the true murderer continue with that bloody game. Yes, that crazy person think this a game, a game I’ll beat.

“Oh, that’s a better expression in your face!”, Mei said.

“Huh?”, I said while touching my face with my right hand.

“Keep this determination with you!”, she said while extending her hand to me. “So, let’s go?”

“Yes, let’s go.”, I grabbed her hand.

“We’re going to find the light that will end the darkness!”, Mei helped me get up.

The rain stopped and the sunlight started to appear between the clouds.

Is this a daydream? A hallucination? Or is Mei really here? I can’t answer that. But one thing I know for sure: Now my heart is once again filled with hope.

I’ll find the truth!

When I was leaving the cemetery, someone was outside waiting for me.

“Can I help you with anything?”, I asked the detective who works with Arata.

He approached me. “Arata can believe in you, but let me say to you that I don’t. After what happened with Hayato, the police is changing how they’re approaching the case, saying that you shouldn’t be the killer. But I see something wrong in you... You killed Hayato, you killed your best friend just to move our attention to another person, right?”

“If you’re just going to say that I killed Hayato, I won’t waste my time with you. Bye.”, I said and started to leave, but the detective grabbed my right hand, pulling it in his direction, then he used his left hand to place something like a paper on it.

“Let me give you a good advice before you go.”, he let off my hand. “I know about your secret trips.”, he said that and went in the direction of a car.

After he was a bit distant of me, I gave a look to what he had left in my hand.

“What is this…? A photo?”, I said to myself. “This can’t be true...”

In the photo you could see someone jumping the school gate at night.

It was me in the photo.