"Kath?"
Kathleen turned at the sound of her name, finding Samantha looking at her with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Samantha was already seated on the bed, her attention fixed on Kathleen as she carefully arranged the medicines on the tray by the bedside table.
"Yes?"
"Can I go home tomorrow?"
Kathleen hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Samantha had been persistent about returning to her own house, but everyone had insisted she stay for now.
Tomoya had spun a story about the earthquake—which is true—from the night before causing severe damage to her house, making it unsafe for her to return.
But that wasn’t the whole truth. They hadn’t told her everything, especially about the day she disappeared. Samantha, with her memory clouded, even believed she was still dating Scott and had been asking about meeting him.
Tomoya had crafted another story, claiming he had an emergency with his daughter, but Samantha’s relentless follow-up questions drained him. He'd excused himself, eager to escape before his composure completely crumbled under her probing.
Samantha began to wonder why, out of all places, she ended up staying in Takumi’s home when Kathleen’s would have made more sense.
But the most unsettling question, the one that finally broke Tomoya’s resolve, was that he had been with her the entire time since she woke up. They hadn’t spoken in ages, their paths having split long ago, yet here he was, suddenly by her side again.
"I don’t understand, Kath," Samantha said again, her fingers idly ruffling the soft blanket draped over her legs. Her gaze shifted to one of her hands, and she began to flex it in the air, scrutinizing it carefully.
"If I only woke up a day or two ago, why are my hands this thin?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
"How did I end up here? And why is Tomoya here?" Samantha's brows furrowed in confusion. "He’s been acting so familiar with me—and with you," she added, her voice laced with uncertainty. "You hated him, yet the way you two interact... it feels like I've missed so much."
Kathleen’s throat tightened as Samantha's piercing gaze locked onto hers. "What are you two hiding?" Samantha’s words hung in the air, heavy with accusation.
"W-What do you mean?" Kathleen stuttered, caught off guard. Samantha, being a professional psychiatrist, had an uncanny ability to read people’s minds just by their actions. And on top of that, she knew Kathleen better than anyone else.
"I mean," Samantha grimaced, her expression one of disbelief. "This doesn’t make sense. I know you love Christian, but really? Tomoya? Him?"
It took a moment for Kathleen to process what Samantha was implying, and when the realization hit, she cringed. "Oh my god, ew!"
With a playful flick, she tossed a dose of Samantha's medicine, which Samantha easily caught mid-air.
"Y-You're only here because Takumi offered to help. You know I'm broke, and you needed medical care that I couldn’t afford," Kathleen explained, her voice a little shaky. "Coincidentally, Tomoya’s staying with him, and he was the one who took care of you while I was at work. So, I should treat him better."
"Takumi, huh?" Samantha’s voice dropped to a low, teasing tone, and Kathleen felt a knot form in her throat. She realized with a jolt that she had referred to Takumi so casually.
"I didn’t know you three could get along that well in such a short time," Samantha added, her gaze sharp and probing, as if she were piecing together something Kathleen wasn’t ready to reveal.
"Well, he insisted I call him just Takumi, so..." Kathleen trailed off, trying to explain without giving too much away. She had to be careful with her words, or she’d risk jeopardizing Takumi's plans.
She had been completely against it at first, but Takumi had pulled a few tricks that left her with no choice but to go along.
"We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?" Kathleen quickly stood beside Samantha, gently tucking the blanket around her. "You need plenty of sleep."
Samantha didn’t argue, slowly settling back down with a soft sigh.
"Thank you, Kath," she whispered before her eyes fluttered shut.
Kathleen found herself gazing at Samantha’s bare face, her thoughts heavy. What Takumi and Tomoya had said made a strange kind of sense.
Samantha might have truly consumed Junel's energy—along with the others who had collapsed when she woke up. It could explain why she had instantly regained her original beauty.
The fine lines, the wrinkles, the gray hairs—they were all gone, as if they had never existed. On top of that, those who are involved looked incredibly drained as though they lost a day of their lives.
Kathleen was about to leave when her gaze caught the glint of Samantha's ruby necklace. A smile tugged at her lips. Despite everything, Samantha had returned from the other realm with the necklace still around her neck.
Back when they were younger, Samantha had been relentlessly bullied by a group of jealous girls. She never fought back—until one of them dared to lay a hand on the necklace her mother had given her.
That simple act of disrespect triggered something within Samantha, and the consequences were far beyond what anyone could have expected.
Kathleen blinked in surprise when the necklace suddenly gleamed. It lasted only for a split second before fading away, leaving no trace as if nothing had happened at all. She paused, unsure if she had imagined it, but the moment felt strangely significant.
•••
"Fuck!"
Everyone froze when Dryzza suddenly groaned from her seat. Sai rushed over immediately, only to find her clutching her hand in pain.
"What happened?!" Sai asked, his voice laced with concern as he examined Dryzza's hand, noticing a burn starting to form.
"Holy shit! What did you do?" Esmeralda exclaimed in shock, her eyes widening as she saw part of the computer keyboard melting. She quickly shoved it aside, placing it on the floor.
"Fire extinguisher, please!" she shouted urgently.
Within moments, one of their coworkers arrived with a fire extinguisher and handed it to Esmeralda.
It wasn’t strictly necessary, but she sprayed it anyway, her focus on the situation at hand.
"What happened?!" Esmeralda repeated, stepping closer to Dryzza, who signaled for her to lower her voice.
Thankfully, Esmeralda caught the hint and immediately adjusted her tone, understanding the gravity of the moment.
"Oh! Only a paper cut?" Esmeralda quickly tried to ease the tension, letting out a small chuckle. "Silly me. Thank you still, Emily," she said, turning to the girl who handed her the fire extinguisher.
Emily merely grimaced, and everyone returned to their seats.
"Now, what happened?!" Esmeralda asked for the third time, her voice now lowered, sensing the seriousness.
Dryzza signaled for Sai to retrieve the keyboard, which he did, donning protective gloves.
"Careful, you might get burned, too," Dryzza warned, and Sai immediately understood the implication.
"The necklace?" he asked, and Dryzza nodded.
"It started heating up inside my coat when I took it off and dropped it on the keyboard," she explained.
Sai gave a small nod of understanding. Esmeralda handed him a handkerchief, which he used to carefully wipe the keyboard. Slowly, the necklace emerged from the powdered residue. It was still glowing, but the heat had dissipated, and it no longer melted the keyboard.
"W-What does that mean?" Sai asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Dryzza sighed, frustration evident in her eyes.
"I don’t know. But there are only two people I know who might have an answer."
Sai, Esmeralda, and Dryzza exchanged a glance.
"Takumi and Tomoya," they muttered in unison.