Chapter 16: A Killer

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Mahale: "AAAAAAHHH!"

I opened my eyes and shot up out of a bed. I was still in a state of shock. I was breathing heavily and I felt my eyes well up with tears.

Mahale: "I'm... back?"

I looked around and I was in the exact same room in the mansion I woke up in.

Mahale: "What... happened? Why was I... screaming?"

I tried to remember if I had a dream, but I couldn't remember anything.

Mahale: "I shot myself... and then I woke up in bed. So... the time travel worked? I feel like... I'm forgetting something."

I made my way to the bathroom to wash my face, but as I looked in the mirror, I noticed that something wasn't quite right.

Mahale: "...What?"

I thought I was hallucinating, but after staring at my eyes for an unreasonable amount of time in any other circumstance, I knew I wasn't. My left eye was brown, but my right eye was purple.

Mahale: "They haven't... always been like that... have they?"

There was probably something very wrong about this, but there were other things to take care of first.

Mahale: "Right. Downstairs."

I made my way through hallways and headed downstairs as I was greeted by a familiar aroma. Sol's cooking.

Mahale: "Sol? You're cooking again?"

Sol: "Huh? Mahale? I thought I was the only one awake. Also... what do you mean by again?"

Mahale: "How do you know my name is Mahale?"

Sol: "...What are you talking about?"

Mahale: "Only Hikari and Scarlet know that. How do you know?"

Sol: "Because... that's... your name?"

I looked at him questioningly.

Sol: "That's the name Lumiere gave you..."

Mahale: "Uhh... no it's not?"

Sol: "Yes... it is..."

Mahale: "He gave me the name Beth."

Sol looked at me as if I was crazy.

Sol: "I was there... he didn't... it's not important anyway so... let's just drop it?"

I wish I knew what the hell was happening, but I could figure that out later.

Mahale: "Agreed."

Sol: "By the way, what happened to your eyes?"

Mahale: "Trust me, I wish I had that answer."

I made my way to the couch and began to zone out. I tried to remember what happened as I was travelling through time but only one word stuck out to me. Cherry.

Mahale: "Sol, does the word 'cherry' mean anything to you? Like... anything of significance?"

Sol: "Well... I'm using cherries in one of the jams I'm making right now, but that's about it. Why?"

Mahale: "Nevermind. It's probably nothing."

Sol: "Okie dokie."

Cherry... Cherry... maybe there was something in the book of names? I made a mental note to look when I had a chance.

A monotone voice came from upstairs.

Artemis: "Will you please stop yelling? I'm really trying to sleep."

Her voice took me out of my sleeplike state. I felt every instinct I had yelling at me to go the hell up there and find out what's happening. And so, I ran. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could. When I got up there, I found someone. I found someone carrying Artemis' lifeless body, her face stained with dried blood.

Mahale: "I did it... I found the killer."

I started uncontrollably laughing, as much as I didn't want to. After a short while, I stopped. My face grew serious.

Mahale: "You have quite a bit of explaining to do? Don't you? You heartless, cold-blooded murderer."

The killer looked at me, taken completely off-guard.

Catty: "N-Nyeh!?"

I pushed myself forward, and tackled Catty to the ground in order to restrain her. However, Catty was much more powerful then she appeared, and was starting to overpower me, trying to push herself off the ground. I cried for help.

Mahale: "SOL!!!"

Sol ran upstairs and stared at both of us. He was taken aback, and was trying to process what was unfolding before him.

Sol: "What... do I..."

Mahale: "Get the others! NOW!!"

Sol: "R-Right!"

Sol ran to the bedrooms.

Catty: "GET. OFF. OF. ME!!!"

Catty's index finger retracted into her hand, and a small blade replaced it.

Mahale: "Wait, you're a-"

Catty forcefully stabbed the blade into my stomach.

Mahale: "AAAAGH!!"

I tumbled backwards and almost fell down the stairs. Catty stood up and slowly walked towards me. One of her other fingers also retracted into her hand, and what looked like a barrel to a gun extended outwards. She pinned me to the ground, and brought it to my head.

Catty: "Terminating threat."

She fired the gun and my body fell to the ground. All I could see was black. I heard a voice coming from the bedrooms. It was Scarlet.

Scarlet: "Hmm... what a fascinating turn of events. Perhaps I could do my part to liven things up a tad as well."

I heard Catty's footsteps as she ran towards Scarlet, likely trying to kill her.

Catty: "Threat detected. Terminating threat."

I'm not quite sure what happened after that, but I felt my blood rapidly draining from my body, but not in the direction it should, it was as if my blood was being pulled out of me into the air, like it was being controlled. The last thing I heard before losing consciousness, was a horrific sound coming from Catty. It was the sound of machinery malfunctioning. A grinding noise, and then, silence.

Then I woke up.

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