The moonlit sky cast a silver glow over the scene as Christine bid farewell to the chubby little figures.
"Will you be gone for long?" they asked with their cheeks all puffed up.
"Maybe , maybe not. But I'll make sure I bring a present when I'm back." she smiled, patting their heads before heading towards the car.
"Kitsune," she whispered, and the car zoomed off into the distance, leaving nothing but dust to fill the space.
PRESENT DAY
New York City
❃ Starlight High ❃
"Still the same dream?" Charlie asked, her voice muffled as she devoured her snack.
Christine's gaze drifted off, her mind elsewhere "Yeah. My grandma once told me..."
Charlie cut her off, "Dreams reflect our past lives or what happened in the past. Yeah, I've heard that a million times." she grabbed the can of soda, chugging it down in one go.
"But I've only said that a few times" Christine replied, her voice calm.
Charlie slammed the can on the table, her eyes locked on Christine's.
"You keep seeing them in your dreams, but you don't remember the slightest thing about them. I don't know if it's good or bad." she raised the can once more, but found out it was empty.
"I gotta go" Christine stood up, grabbing her skateboard as she waved at Charlie.
"Ricky Martin, seems like you're on the suspect list" Charlie said in a steady whisper that was no more than audible.
"Hey!" someone called out.
Uh! Not today, Nathan.
"Christine!" Nathan called out, but Christine's penetrating stare silenced him.
At her usual spot, she met up with Ford, the school's playboy.
"You got what I asked?" he asked grabbing her waist.
"Yep" she replied, handing him the parcel.
"Thank you," he immediately grabbed it before giving her a kiss on the lips.
After a brief kiss, she forcefully cleaned her lip with a handkerchief
"I wonder what girls see in him," she muttered.
*
MIC CLUBROOM*
Christine settled into a chair, her leg resting on a desk as she read her novel.
The was a welcome respite. She could hear the footsteps of lazy students roaming the hallway.
The sounds of girls giggling at each corner. The sounds of lockers clanging , but at that moment her mind was solely focused on her novel.
The flipping of pages was the only thing heard in the clubroom and a smile weaved on her face as she read through.
"Hey! How's it going?" a familiar voice echoed in the room, and she raised her head to see who it was.
"Evan, how'd you get in?" she asked, raising her book few centimeters above her face.
"Through the door, silly," he chuckled.
Christine resumed reading her novel , but then a sweet smell hit her when Evan grabbed the book from her hands.
"Shouldn't you be doing something else?" he asked.
"I don't think so," she replied, looking the opposite direction.
"Trying to act dumb, huh?" he muttered.
Their conversation was cut short when the clubrooms door was opened abruptly giving out a loud thud.
"We got it!" Charlie rushed in excited, waving tickets in the air.
"Is that it?" Evan asked.
"With this we'll be able to solve the case, president" she replied.
"You bet" he said.
"Aren't you hyped for this, Christine?" she shouted.
Christine's her lit up, but not with excitement ― she was more interested in finishing her novel.
"I'm quite curious" Charlie uttered, her eyes gleaming with fascination.
"Club president!!! My novel!" she growled, chasing Evan around the clubroom.
"That's the spirit. You should save that energy for the investigation" he laughed waving the book at her.