Lunch break at school. After the teacher left the room, Cole remained seated, resting his chin in his hand, looking out the window at the deserted front yard and the closed gate. For some reason, looking outside always made him feel calm and comfortable.
A moment later, his tranquility was broken. "BAM," someone suddenly slammed their hand hard on the desk next to him. Cole turned to see who had hit the desk, and his eyes instantly widened. He recoiled and "GUSRACK," he fell backward onto the floor, huddling against the wall right beneath the window.
"Hu... huh," Cole muttered, recognizing the person who'd slammed the desk.
It was the girl he had rescued yesterday. The girl bent over, leaning closer to Cole, who looked shocked, though he was usually unfazed by anything. The girl smiled. She reached into her shirt pocket, pulled out Cole's student ID card, and showed it to him.
Seeing it, Cole immediately checked his own pockets and wallet—his ID was nowhere to be found. He looked back at the girl and reached out to take the card. But the girl dodged him and stood up straight, holding the card. Cole noticed she was carrying a quite large lunch bag.
"Want it back? Join me for lunch on the roof. Just us," the girl said, smiling.
Cole became extremely confused. He opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly he felt intense stares directed at him. He looked over to see all his classmates staring at him, as if wondering, "Huh... no way." Cole looked back at the girl.
"Give it back," he insisted.
"Nope. Like I said, eat with me on the roof, and I'll give it back after that," the girl countered.
"Please return it. I don't want to draw attention," Cole said coolly.
"Still no. Come with me," the girl persisted.
"I don't want to eat. Please give it back," Cole pleaded.
Suddenly, the girl sat down in Cole's chair and placed her lunch bag on the desk. Then, she turned and leaned down, bringing her face incredibly close to Cole, who was still on the floor.
"I'm just like you. I also have memory loss and transferred to this school a year ago. Maybe we can work together to search for our memories," the girl whispered.
Hearing the girl's whisper immediately changed Cole's mind and piqued his interest. He ignored the sharp glares from his classmates, especially the boys, because what the girl said was far more important than anything else.
Cole looked at the girl and nodded, signaling that he would accompany her to eat on the roof. The girl instantly smiled and stood up, then reached out a hand to help Cole to his feet.
After Cole stood up, they immediately walked out, followed by the envious stares of his male classmates. Cole walked down the corridor, following the girl, who was ahead of him, looking cheerful and humming a tune. But when he heard the melody the girl was humming, he recognized the tune.
"Hey... that song... what song is that?" Cole asked.
"I don't know, I just like it, and I don't remember where I heard it," the girl answered, walking and looking back.
Then, after reaching the quiet hallway where only the music room and the lab were located, they went up the stairs and continued to the roof, as the stairs in that quiet corridor were the only way up. Stepping out the door, they arrived at the large, empty rooftop deck.
The girl put her lunch bag down next to the door, then walked to the center. The strong wind swept her long, black hair around. She bent down to hold her head and her skirt, then turned around.
"Over here," the girl called.
Cole, hesitant and feeling extremely awkward, finally stepped forward, but as he stood in front of the girl, suddenly "CRACK... CRACK," both of the girl's arms, from the elbow down, became covered in black, snake-like scales, and her hands turned into claws with red nails. Her skin turned a pale grayish-black, and her red eyes glowed as she stared at Cole.
"Huh,"
Before Cole could react, "GRIP," the girl caught Cole by the neck and lifted him up. Cole immediately grabbed the girl's arm and struggled fiercely.
"Hey... who are you, really?" the girl demanded.
"I... I don't know... I don't remember anything... l-let go," Cole replied, struggling to break free.
"Why aren't you transforming... hurry up and change... fight me," the girl commanded.
"I... I can't... I can only transform like yesterday... once... a month," Cole sputtered, still trying to free himself.
"Hmm... okay," the girl said.
"BLUGH," the girl released her grip, letting Cole drop to the floor. Then, the girl reverted to her beautiful human form. She crouched in front of Cole, who was still clutching his neck, and smiled.
"Come on, let's eat," the girl invited.
"Ugh... what do you really want?" Cole asked.
"To confirm something. Let's go over to the water tower area. It's secluded, and no one will bother us there," the girl said casually.
They then used the small ladder to climb onto the roof area where the building entrance was and sat down under the water tower, secluded and protected by its shadow.
"Now, before we eat, let me introduce myself. My name is Celeste, just call me Celes. I'm from the next class over. I transferred to this school a year ago, mid-way through 11th grade," Celeste, the girl, said, extending her hand and smiling widely, her eyes crinkling.
"I'm Cole," Cole replied, shaking Celes's hand cautiously and full of questions. "Celes? Where have I heard that name before?" Cole wondered.
"First, I'm going to ask you a question, Cole. What do you think this world is like?" Celes asked.
"Huh... what do you mean?" Cole asked, confused.
"What do you see around you, and what do you see in the sky?" Celes asked.
"Just the usual, the town and the sun... your question is weird," Cole answered.
"I figured... can you tell me when you first regained your memories?" Celes asked.
"Huh... three years ago, when I woke up in an empty, old house with nothing else there," Cole replied.
"Hmm... I only remember my life starting a year and a half ago, when I woke up in a man's room," Celes responded.
"Really?" Cole asked.
"Yes, I don't remember anything before I woke up. I didn't even know who I was or my name. The man I was with told me," Celes answered.
"You woke up in this town?" Cole asked.
"Yes, that's right, but on the south side of town," Celes answered.
"So what do you want from me?" Cole asked.
"Before I explain everything, let's eat first. After that, you'll understand," Celes replied.
She immediately took a lunch container out of her bag. Cole was shocked when a very strong, delightful aroma hit his nose from the container. Celes opened the lid. Cole's eyes instantly widened because he saw a piece of raw meat, still full of blood, in the lunch box, as if it had just been sourced, though he also saw a hint of a purple stain among the red surface of the meat.
"Wh-what?" Cole asked, backing up.
"Come on, eat. You haven't 'eaten' in a long time, have you?" Celes asked, smiling.