Wonderland Carnival

Junko

Halo Two: Junko:

The new nurse roamed the halls with a smile on her face. Students couldn't quite figure her out. Junko kept everyone at arm's length at work. A couple of the male teachers tried to hit on her for a date. She would glare at them with eyes of the devil.

"You do know that is inappropriate behavior, right?" she'd ask them. The teachers would instantly back off. No, Junko had other plans in mind. The Raira trio, Chiharu, and Noriko had their doubts about her from day one.

"I don't like the way she looks at us," Anri said on the roof during lunch. "It's really creepy."

"Yes," Chiharu said to herself with chopsticks in her hands. Noriko lowered her own as if lost in her thoughts.

"I feel like..." she began. She tried to think about how she wanted to word this. "Like I know her from somewhere, but I can't remember where." All eyes fell upon her. Noriko shrugged her shoulders.

"I just do," she said. "I don't know why."

"Maybe she has one of those faces," Mikado suggested.

"She might," Noriko replied. Chiharu narrowed her eyes at her.

"I don't trust her, myself," she spoke up. "Don't ask me why; I just don't." No sooner had she said that, the door to the roof flung open. A freshman girl stood, panting.

"Ishikawa-senpai," she said when she got her breath back. "Taichibana-senpai wants to see you." The five juniors looked rather puzzled.

"Me?" Noriko asked. "Why does she want to see me?"

"She wouldn't say," the freshman replied. "She said that she needed to see you right away." The girl turned and walked back into the building before more questions could follow. Noriko rose to her feet. Chiharu grabbed her hand before she walked away. The other girl turned to see her friend staring at her.

"Be very careful," she said. Noriko nodded before Chiharu let her go. The four remaining friends watched as she walked into the building.

Junko sat waiting at her desk when she heard footsteps walking into the office. She smiled to herself before she turned around. Noriko stood in the doorway, eyeing her.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked.

"Ah, yes," she said. "Please take a seat." Noriko reluctantly walked into the office and sat down on the stool in front of her. Junko smirked to herself. I have you now, number two, she thought. She pulled out a folder.

"I was looking through the students file to get to know their medical records, you know," the nurse began. "I couldn't help but notice that yours is blank." Noriko gave her a confused look.

"Huh?" she asked. "That can't be right."

"Let me show you," Junko replied. She opened the file and showed it to the student. Noriko looked with her so perplexed.

"That can't be right," she said. The nurse gave her an icy, devilish look.

"Just who are you?" she asked with the tone of a serpent. Noriko glanced up at her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm Ishikawa Noriko." The nurse slowly shook her head.

"No, you're not," she said. "Who are you really?"

"I am Ishikawa Noriko," the student repeated.

"No, you are not," Junko said. "Who are you really?"

"What are you talking about?" Noriko asked. Junko rested her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Come on," she whispered. "It's not that hard for you to remember. Tell me who you really are." Noriko looked at her with big eyes.

"I... I..." she said. Junko stared her down intently. Noriko looked down at her lap with trembling hands. The nurse smirked, shaking her head.

"That's a shame," she muttered. Noriko lifted her head.

"What?" she asked. Junko patted the girl on the shoulder.

"They put a strong block on your memories, I see," she said. "Well, it looks like I'm going to have to make you remember."

"What do you-?" Noriko started to ask. Junko leaned in close to her ear and whispered the seven-worded password to unlock the Wasteland within the teenage girl. Noriko's eyes grew wide at the sound. The nurse pulled away, licking her lips.

"That is all," she said. "You may go." The girl rose to her feet and walked out of the nurse's office in a daze. Junko sat back in her chair, feeling satisfied with herself. She pulled out her cell phone, typed a text, and pressed send.