Don't Turn Around

During a break between classes the next day, Hana took Nami and Aika to the roof of the school. It was there where the three would find Sayuri, who had said some very troubling things to Nami earlier that day.

“Hey!” shouted Hana. “What’s this I hear about you wanting to confess?”

“I think it might be the best thing for us to do,” replied Sayuri. “If we tell the police it was an accident, they'll go easy on us. The fact that we’re all minors might keep us from getting too harsh a sentence.”

“You think if you go to the police, they’ll go easy on you just because you made it easy for them to solve the case?” asked Hana. “What makes you think you’re better than the rest of us? You’ll get into just as much trouble as us.”

“Is that what you want, Sayuri-chan?” asked Nami. “To get us in trouble?”

“I don’t know what makes you think you’ll be in less trouble than the rest of us,” said Hana. “If anything, you’ll be in more trouble.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sayuri.

“Think about it. There’s three of us and only one of you. All we have to do is tell the police that it was all your idea to cover things up. We wanted to confess, but you wouldn’t let us. You threatened us. You told us your father had powerful connections and he would make sure the three of us kept our mouths shut.”

“You wouldn’t,” said Sayuri.

“You want to find out?” asked Hana.

“Look at it this way,” said Aika. “If one us talks to the police, then we’ll all get in trouble. But if none of us talks, then none of us will get in trouble.”

“Think about what I said the next time you get an idea like going to the police,” said Hana. And with that, she, Nami and Aika took their leave.

After the unfortunate meeting, Sayuri went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. So upset was she over what Hana had told her that she could barely keep the water cupped in her shaking hands from spilling out.

The cool water had helped calm Sayuri down, but her troubles would return in abundance when she looked into the mirror and found Shizuko standing behind her. Turning quickly, Sayuri found there was no one in the bathroom with her. She once again looked into the mirror but the only thing she found was her panicked reflection staring back at her.

Wanting to put recent events out of mind, Hana took Nami and Aika out for some much needed amusement after school. The local karaoke box never failed to lift the girls’ spirits when they were in need of cheering up.

“How come we didn’t bring Sayuri with us?” asked Aika as she browsed through the song catalog. “She likes karaoke more than anyone.”

“I already told you,” replied Hana. “She’s not here because she’s pissing me off. What more do I need to say?”

“So, does that mean she’s not our friend anymore?”

“That’s up to her,” said Hana.

Despite the lethargic state Nami was in, Hana tried to hand her the microphone. “Hey, it’s your turn,” she told her.

“I don’t feel like it,” replied Nami.

“What’s wrong with you? Still feeling bad about what we did?”

Nami gave no reply.

“Well, you’d better stop acting like that. Because if anyone notices anything different about any of us, then we’re as good as dead. Understand?”

“I’ll go next,” said Aika, taking the microphone from Hana. “Don’t worry about Nami. She’s just moody. In a few days she’ll start acting like her old self.”

“She had better,” said Hana.

Unable to get the image of Shizuko out of her head, Sayuri hurried home and took to her computer, hoping to find some answers. Most of the sites she found had no pertinent information that could help her. But there was one website that provided something that troubled her.

“A spirit that is still struggling with love, hate or sorrow may be unable to pass on,” read Sayuri. “If these emotions are strong enough, the spirit can return to the world of the living. Spirits have been known to come back to haunt their tormentors. Some have even been known to bring death to those who wronged them.”

Not wanting to read any more, Sayuri turned off her computer. “That’s just folklore,” she said. “Those are just stories they tell to scare little kids.”

In the reflection of her monitor, Sayuri thought she caught a glimpse of Shizuko. When she turned to look, Sayuri found no one else in her room.

Hana and Aika were having boisterous fun at karaoke. They were singing as happily as two people who hadn’t a care in the world. Nami, on the other hand, was unable to partake in the festivities. Her mood was one that had remained unchanged since the death she and the others had caused.

“What song should we sing next?” asked Aika.

“Pick something slow,” said Hana. “I want to feel like I’m in love.”

A horrible scratching sound began blaring from the speakers.

“What’s happening?” asked Hana. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” replied Aika, who frantically began pushing buttons in hopes of making the horrible noise go away. The one thing she did accomplish, however, was making the main light go out and replacing it with flashing ones.

“How does that help us?” barked Hana.

Nami’s eyes nearly doubled in size when she found Shizuko standing behind her friends. The recently departed girl looked no worse for wear after having fallen off a cliff.

Nami screamed a bone chilling scream. It was immediately after that when the horrible sound came to an end and the lights returned to normal.

“What’s going on?” asked Hana. “Why’d you scream?”

Shizuko was no longer in the room. But that wasn’t enough to calm Nami, who ran from the room without explaining herself.

Without having anyone push any buttons, another song began playing. It was a cheery number that took on an eerie feeling with what had just happened.

“I told you to pick something slow,” said Hana.