Catalyst

The News

Ayano placed the bloody knife and empty syringe of poison beside Osana and stood back to admire her work. Looking at the lifeless bodies made her feel like a weight had been removed from her chest. She couldn't stay long though. Someone in the motel must have called the police about the screaming. She quickly crossed to the window and hopped out, lowering herself via a tree growing close to the wall.

Her bike was still there, right next to Osana's abandoned orange one. She won't be needing it anymore. Ayano resisted the urge to vandalize it and rode off without looking back.

*****

Taeko's tears dripped onto her phone screen, displaying the headline Motel Murder-Suicide. Pictures of Kokona, Osana, and a man Taeko did not recognize decorated the page. She didn't have the willpower to read the rest of the article. She didn't even have the willpower to get out of bed. Or walk to school without Osana. Taeko rolled onto her side and pulled a pillow to her chest, burying her face into it.

She was late to school. The teachers cast her pitying glances but didn't say anything. She would later find out that her first class teacher didn't even mark her tardy. An announcement was made about Kokona and Osana, but Taeko hardly listened. She wasn't ready. She didn't think she could ever be. Osana had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember. Imagining the rest of her life without her seemed dizzying and impossible. She didn't know Kokona as well, but she had always been kind to Taeko and was always lovely to talk to. She didn't deserve to die. Neither of them deserved to die.

She sat on the stairs to eat her lunch. She didn't want to eat anywhere she used to eat with Osana. She got through maybe half of her lunch before giving up and putting it away. A pair of brightly colored shoes appeared in her vision. Taeko knew exactly who they belonged to. She did not look up and kept her gaze impassive.

"Aren't you glad your freak friends are dead?" asked a high pitched voice above her.

Taeko stayed silent.

"Imagine being friends with a whore and a murderer," Musume continued.

This time, Taeko lifted her head. "A-a murderer?" she asked. Her voice sounded weak.

Musume raised one glittery eyebrow. "You didn't know?" she mocked. "Your bitchy little friend killed that man and that whore and then offed herself. They found a knife and a syringe of poison at the scene."

Taeko's heart pumped in her ears. Was that true? It couldn't be. She was under the impression the older man had been the one to commit the murders. But he did, didn't he? It couldn't have been Osana. Sure, she had become aggressive after she hit high school, but she would never kill anyone. Would she? She was vaguely aware of Musume and her friends trying to get her attention, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Musume was probably tricking her. That was it. It was the man who had...had killed them.

Taeko stood up suddenly and began running as fast as her legs would take her to the bathroom. She took a few moments to splash some water on her face. It was cold and shocking, but didn't particularly help. She pulled out her phone and navigated back to the news article, not allowing herself to hesitate. Musume was right. Osana was suspected of killing Kokona and the mystery man and then injecting herself with poison.

Taeko pressed a hand over her mouth, stomach churning. Her thoughts were spinning, hardly any of them coherent. She couldn't comprehend Osana killing anyone, much less two people and then herself. Taeko stood there for what seemed like hours, some girls entering, looking at her, and then leaving. The bell rang at some point, but Taeko didn't respond to it. When she finally emerged from the bathroom, the halls were empty.

Taeko checked the clock on the wall. Class had already started and had been going for about twenty minutes. Again, when Taeko entered class late, no one really batted an eye. Before she left, the teacher asked her where she had been. She mumbled out something about the bathroom and feeling sick before going to stand by the door.

Right, she thought. No one is coming to meet me.

She found herself wandering aimlessly down the hallway, watching everyone file off to their clubs. She passed the bright pink cooking club room and her stomach rumbled, in spite of herself. This was the last place she had spoken to Kokona. It still looked the same, almost frustratingly so. The cooking club members were the only things that seemed off about the whole scene.

They were going about their normal club activities, but there was very little conversation. One girl with a green cloth wrapped around her hair was doing most of the talking, but it was mostly what seemed to be short, reassuring sentences. She had a soft gaze and a gentle way of moving. Taeko couldn't help but stay and watch her.

After a moment, the girl looked over. Taeko quickly looked away, red faced. She shouldn't have been staring.

"Hello," called a strong, but gentle and high voice.

Taeko glanced back up. The girl with the green headcloth had crossed over to her. She was smiling gently, without a trace of pity. It had a very soothing effect on Taeko.

"Hi," Taeko responded.

"What are you standing out here all alone for?" the girl asked. "We're making croissants!"

"I-" Taeko began. She wanted to say she was busy, to run away and find a place to be alone with her grief. But a pastry sounded so nice. Her eyes began to sting, and before she could stop them, the tears were falling. She broke down, right there in the hallway. Her chest heaved and her throat burned. She didn't doubt people were looking at her, but she couldn't bring herself to care.