Blood Flower

Chapter 7

TW FOR A SUICIDE ATTEMPT

"Good evening, Madeline."
The shocked blue-haired girl screamed at the sight of Irina. "You! You again! You tried to kill me in the basement!"
Irina laughed. "It wasn't a basement, Maddie. Do you know the Romanovs?"
"Romanov Pizza Parlor? I like going there often to get pineapple pizza and lemonade."
"First of all, you're a damn weirdo for liking pineapple pizza," Libitina said, finally restored to her true body. "Second, we mean the Romanovs who ruled Russia."
"Oh, them!" Maddie raised a finger. "Like Anastasia, the girl they thought survived?"
"Precisely. You di—I mean, fainted—while we were at the place where they died. Now, don't ask why. You won't need that information when I'm done with you."
Maddie's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"
Irina pulled out another syringe. "You came here on vacation, and you're staying at the Watch Hotel. Tomorrow, you're going to go on a tour of Yekaterinburg, and the day after that, you'll be on a plane back to the States."
A cloud passed over Maddie’s eyes, which quickly disappeared.
"Um, who are you?" she asked apprehensively.
"Doesn't matter," Libitina replied with a grin. "Aren't you supposed to get to the Watch Hotel? I hear they're serving some pretty good salad tonight at the restaurant."
"How did you kn—never mind." Maddie waddled off like a baby penguin.

***

Someone dead. Another one missing.
Could things get any worse?

Sayori tried to smile. She was known for keeping a happy, positive attitude at all times.
Leonid wasn’t someone she knew very well, but he had died for her and her friends.
She had to make it up to him.

“Before he died, Leonid said we got it reversed. Now, Ailuy doesn’t make much sense, does it? So what if he meant we got the syllables reversed? We get Liayu or Lia Yu! And judging from the name, we’re heading to China!” Sayori was practically bouncing as she spoke excitedly.
“Just because a person has a Chinese name doesn’t mean they’re actually Chinese,” Libitina remarked, staring blankly at her soup.
“True, but I know how to prove it! Remember how he said he was going to help us? That means he was planning to take us to wherever the next clue is. And it would very likely be on his phone, which I...accidentally snagged from his bag when we escaped the house. But what would his password be?”
“Well, it’s numerical, and it’s six digits, so it’s probably his birthday or that of someone he really cared about,” Yuri said softly. “And we all know who falls under the category of ‘People Leonid Really Cared About’”.
“Charlotte Thomas,” everyone said in unison.
“Right. So her birthday is probably his password! Yuri, when was your mom’s birthday?”
“September 20th, 1977.”
Sayori typed in ‘092077’.
“Huh. What? No, come on!”
“What’s wrong, Sayori?” Monika asked.
“Incorrect password,” she groaned. “What else could it be?”
“I think I know.”

They turned to face Natsuki, who, for the first time in ages, had spoken.
“Leonid deeply cared about Charlotte. He didn’t want her to die, but he had to lead the Markovs to her. So I think his password isn’t her birthday, but her death day. It’s a omark...a reminder of how she died. Because of him.”
“I...Natsuki, who hurt you?” Yuri asked jokingly.
“My dad—I mean, that tea you spilled on me in the clubroom last month! I still can’t forgive you for ruining my uniform, you idiot!” Natsuki quickly looked away and started shoveling salad into her mouth.
Sayori re-typed ‘050103’.
This time it let her in.
“Let’s check out this flight booking app, it’s sure to have the answers,” Monika said, hovering over Sayori.
“Hmm...Leonid Popov? What kind of surname is that?” Sayori couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Sayori, shut up. Don’t ridicule the dead.”
“Sorry,” she replied sarcastically. “Anyway, look! Flight tickets to Shenzhen, China. See, guys? I told you I was right! So, when are we leaving?”
“Wait,” Monika said grimly. “Look. An email from Renier Markov Jr.”
“But Leonid is dead!” Irina said, shocked. “Why would he try to message someone dead?”
“I think he knows we’re using his phone. Check the email out.”
Yuri began to read aloud.