This Girl Is A Delinquent!, Vol. 3

Chapter 32: Together In the New Year

Shadows crawled across the darkened windows of the student council room as if contorting tendrils were threatening to engulf it. Standing in the center of the room, Ken could see that the colors that normally filled the area were somehow less vibrant. Most notably, he thought, was the absence of his friends and the ambient sounds that would usually bring a smile to his face. Reaching for his phone, it was nowhere to be found and he began to feel a sense of fear.
However, before he could begin to despair, the robust wooden doors to the room groaned as they slowly fell ajar. Ken pushed his feelings aside and dashed to check the gap and determine what had created it. As he did, the sounds of footsteps retreating down the hall echoed into the room. Wasting no time, he ran after the noise wondering if this was one of Lyra's pranks. Entering the corridor, it appeared empty but he was convinced that the footsteps were indeed real.
Several minutes passed as he ran and investigated each hallway. Eventually coming around the student council room again, he was sure that the unknown person was toying with him. Gritting his teeth, Ken considered giving up and going back to the dorm. Yet, just as he did, he caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure moving into the stairwell. He wasn't sure why, but his legs began to move and he was soon ascending the steps. Floor after floor, he traveled just slightly too slow to catch his target.
Reaching the top of the stairwell, he noticed a door that he had never seen before. Faint light passed though the space where it hung open, wavering gently in the wind. Disregarding the peculiar door, he pushed open and stepped through. Suddenly, he was outside and the sky was looming overhead. This must be the roof of the school, he told himself as he looked around for confirmation. However, his eyes were instantly drawn to the center of the roof.
Facing away from him, a petite figure stood completely still. Its chest did not heave, its clothes did not react to the wind, and it remained motionless. His instincts told him to turn and run away, but something made him stay. The figure was shrouded in shadows and yet, he knew that it bore striking resemblance to someone he knew. Through its obfuscated form, he could see that it was wearing a skirt and that its hair was long and bound into two pigtails. Its name almost formed in his mouth but he couldn't quite remember it.
Without warning, Ken raced forward towards the figure. However, it skillfully stepped aside as he lashed his hands out to grab it. Never once turning to face him, it always seemed to stay just out of reach. Many attempts later, the figure had moved to the edge of the roof and with no form of egress, Ken knew that he could catch it. Reaching for it one final time, the figure tried to avoid him and he felt his extended fingers brush against its shoulder.
Yet, where he expected flesh, he found only smoky trails of shadow as the figure spun around in response. It was then that Ken finally made eye contact with the person before him. With glowing red eyes, the tormented face of a girl came into view. He felt a spike thrust into his heart upon seeing her and retracted his hand. The eyes seemed to follow him as the figure waned away from him and started to teeter on the edge of the roof. Before he could react, it went careening over the edge without making a sound.
A shudder moved down Ken's spine as he fell to his knees. Darkness filled the sky above and his vision became limited. He paid it no mind as his heart raced and he struggled to focus. Just as he felt his consciousness slipping, the name of the girl softly echoed through his head.
Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
The buzzing of Ken's alarm made his eyelids lift instantly as he slowly sat up in his bed. His shoulders were still shaking from the intensity of his dream. Yet, he reached not for the notebook under his pillow, but instead for his phone. Seeing that there were no messages, he wiped the sleep from his eyes and proceeded to get dressed and leave his dorm room.

A few hours later, Ken returned to the dorm clad in his jacket. The island weather was lukewarm, but the difference between summer and winter was noticeable. He wondered where the time had gone. After the events at Sonya's house, she hadn't returned to school. While not uncommon for students to take the end of the year off for vacation, Ken couldn't help but miss his friend.
Once he had returned to the dorm, he looked up Sonya's family online. All the information was there. Her dad's tragic car accident, the family's withdrawal from public life, and Charlotte's ascension to head of the Astaril company. It took a while for it to sink in, but Ken had decided that Sonya was still a dear friend and her past didn't determine her future. However, one thing was definitely on his mind as he walked up the stairs toward his room. The trimester had drawn to a close and winter break had started without a single word from her.
As he ruminated on this fact, the door to his room came into view. However, his thoughts would have to wait as a loud yet familiar voice emanated from inside the room.
"Dodge, stupid!"
The shout made him jolt, but he quickly turned the doorknob and opened the unlocked door. Sitting on the floor and loudly yelling at a video game, Lyra twisted her neck to see who had entered. Pausing the game and dropping the controller to the ground, she stood and addressed her brother.
"Oh, hey. I was wondering when you'd show up."
"I thought you gave Sonya the key to my room..."
"Who says that I need a key to get in? Where were you anyways?"
Her voice dripped with sarcasm and Ken scoffed as he removed his jacket before retorting.
"So you copied it... I was at school."
"What! You know it's closed right? Did you hit your head?"
Lyra's eyes went wide as she sported a devilish smirk. Ken could tell that she had no intention of letting him go without a reasonable answer, so he decided to respond honestly.
"If you have to know, I'm feeding the cat in the courtyard. There's no one there until next year and I'm worried about it."
This served as blood in the water for Lyra, who gleefully wriggled as she spoke.
"Annnd you are specifically worried about this cat? So worried that you woke up before noon during winter vacation?"
With a smug demeanor his sister watched as his face became flushed. She had only been with him for a few minutes, but she had already figured out his motives.
"Fine. I thought... that Sonya would do the same if she was here... Why are you even here anyway?!"
"There! That's the face! That's why we all came back early to have a New Year's Eve party to cheer you up. I figured that you'd be more excited to see everyone..."
As her voice trailed off in a sing-songy tone, Ken touched his cheek and realized that he was wearing a scowl. He quickly remembered the date and pulled out his phone to double check.
"Wait, what... Is it already New Year's Eve...? Crap, I completely forgot. I'm sorry."
Rubbing his temple, Ken apologized. The time since Sonya had left had gone by both exceedingly fast and excruciatingly slow. His commitments over winter break had fallen to the wayside as he tried day by day to stay optimistic. Interrupting his negative thoughts, Lyra spoke in an uncharacteristically motherly tone.
"See? You're so mopey that you don't even know what day it is. But... At least you're apologetic this time. Mary and Lucas were asking about you, so I came over to make sure you were up. We're all supposed to meet up at the girls' dorm this afternoon."
Disregarding her tone, Ken tilted his head at the mention of the venue.
"Girls' dorm? Am I even allowed in there?"
"Should you not be? You do have a history of being creepy with first year girls..."
"Are you finished?"
Ken stared flatly at Lyra as she reverted back to her onerous self and met him with a smile before speaking.
"Yeah. I'll head back over, but you should hurry up before they send another search party. Oh yeah! Mom and dad said to tell you that they miss you. You should call them."
"Thanks. I will."
Her purpose for visiting fulfilled, Lyra pursed her lips as she stood and slowly walked towards the door. As she bent over to slip on her shoes, Ken's voice caught her ear.
"Lyra."
"Hmm?"
Turning her head with a curious state, Lyra was met with a pensive expression from her brother. Exhaling softly through his nose, Ken spoke.
"Are you mad at me for what happened to Sonya?"
Their communication had diminished in the last month and Ken was sure that he knew the cause. Flashes of Lyra holding Sonya's collapsed frame filled his head and made him break eye contact. 
"I was waiting for you to get all serious... Heh."
Brushing her hair to the side with her fingers, Lyra kept a calm smile as she moved to meet his eyes once more and lowered her voice.
"I was mad. For a while I didn't know who to be mad at. I thought that there was something we could have done... But, after thinking about it, I'm not so sure. Sometimes you have things going on inside your head that no one knows about. As much as I love Sonya, I don't know a lot about her. This seems a lot bigger than us, so I'm not mad. I just want her to get better. I want you to feel better too, Ken."
Her honesty made Ken hesitate. His little sister, who was usually crass and playful, was now offering him support. He could tell from her eyes that she was serious and he was taken aback by how dependable she seemed in comparison to the girl that he had left back home when he first came to school. A feeling of pride filled his chest as a brilliant grin forced its way to his face.
"You're really getting mature, you know that?"
Her brother's smiling face made Lyra's cheeks turn a pink hue.
"Shut up! Besides, I know how much she means to you too... So we are all good. I'll let you keep the title of big brother, for now. Hurry up and join the party."
Stomping off toward the door, Lyra scowled as she tried to leave the situation. Yet, Ken's voice stopped her once again.
"Mind if I walk with you?"
Now hiding her own smile, Lyra rolled her eyes and nonchalantly replied.
"If you want, but this train is leaving the station! Byeee!"
Ken scrambled to put his jacket back on when he noticed the pile of snack wrappers and soda cans on his table. With a sigh, he quickly cleaned up the mess and turned off his television before running out of the room to catch up with his sister.