(Listen to the music while reading. I'll be putting more instrumentals into the story.)
Music: "Tokyo Rain" by Marcus Warner
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I looked at Jaemin, who had red eyes from crying so much. I had slightly swollen eyes myself. I couldn't stop thinking about Jaemin's scars and his horrible past. Just the thought of it made me want to cry again.
"Jaemin, we should stop crying now," I laughed and dried my tears with a tissue. I handed Jaemin another tissue. "There's a case to solve."
Jaemin nodded with a smile, a smile that seemed as rare as a jewel. "Let's get to it. Chief Rosewood probably wants you in his study. He's going to give you some advice on case cracking and all of the safety regulations and things like that."
I nodded and went to the washroom, where I washed my face, to disguise the fact that I have been unleashing the waterworks for half an hour.
When I looked into the mirror, though, I saw a ghostly face. Its eyeballs were missing; there were only eye sockets, but the sockets were as dark as a black hole. Its skin was a sickening white, and it had sharp teeth and black lips.
I screamed. The face didn't move. It just stayed there. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Ouch, I thought as I pinched my skin. This was definitely happening.
Then, it started talking. I felt like I became a 200-pound dumbbell.
"B-beeee...warned...innocent human...for this h-house...will be...torn down in...a matter of days..." Only its mouth moved. The rest of the face stayed frozen.
"W-what are you talking about...you-you...stone face...!" I sputtered.
"The 1:27...have found out...there's another one...another eligible one...one that will be able...to destroy innocent...blood...his friends...are also there...in the forest...doesn't he want his friends...?" The face continued talking.
My blood ran cold. "Are you talking about Jaemin?" I asked, my voice my barely audible. "You can't take him! He's going...to destroy the 1:27 alongside me! I'm going to make sure you don't take him away!"
The face smirked. "His friends...have a deadline...two are now terrorists...regretting their choices and desperately...trying to escape...while four are...trapped in the d-dungeons...awaiting rescue...while witnessing innocent others being k-killed...right in front...of their eyes..."
I couldn't believe it. "Jaemin's friends? Are you talking about his friends?"
The face smiled a creepy smile that I wanted to wipe right off. "Y-yes...y-you have...a week...before their...execution...the four prisoners...will be executed by hanging off a pole while being shot...with poison-tipped arrows..." The face dropped the horrid news. "...As for the two that are part...of the 1:27...they...will be brainwashed...and have all memories of their friends...erased...and evil will corrupt them...and they will start killing...with no mercy..."
I couldn't believe my ears. "No! You can't do that to them! They're still young! We're still young! How could you do that to Jaemin's friends?!"
The face didn't flinch. "That's why...we gave you a week...to try and find...our hideout...and defeat the 1:27 and free...that human's...friends..."
I was suddenly extremely confused. "Wait, what are you? How come you're giving Jaemin and me a chance to rescue prisoners?"
The face smiled a creepy smile again. "I'm...the S-spirited...we the Spirited...float around...after being killed by the 1:27...we have some mercy for...the other humans...so we try to help in the...minimum ways...possible..." The Spirited spoke slower and slower. "So...if you don't rescue Jaemin's friends...within a week...his friends...will become one of us...h-hurry..." The voice faded away and soon I was standing face to face with a same, normal bathroom mirror.
One week, six friends, seven lives, actually eight lives, because including me, right? I thought. How hard can it be to find the hideout and rescue Jaemin's friends? I mean, I have Jaemin with me!
