Sunday, April 16th, Afternoon

When I realized what I’d done, the Chess Club’s table, as well as several folding chairs, had been knocked over. Fliers and chess pieces littered the ground. I was grabbing onto Mintaka’s Go Green Foundation hoodie.

“Do you know what you’re saying?” These words came out of my mouth, over, and over. “Do you?”

“L-Lyra,” she whispered, “Let go of me.”

I froze. Then, I did. All the eyes in the plaza were on me.

“Lyra… this is for a book, right?”

My chest was heaving. My eyes flickering, blinking rapidly. “Yes.”

She looked incredibly hurt. Her fingers balled into fists. She flicked her ponytail and stared directly into my eyes. “Bullshit.”

“Mint-”

“What’s this really about?”

I could feel the stares of all those passing burning against my skin. “S-Sorry…” I said. “I can’t tell you right now.”

She did not drop her gaze, as if to try to keep me paralyzed with her stare, Medusa and Perseus-style.

“You have a lot of explaining to do.” Mintaka dropped down and set the table right side up. “Later. Grab those pieces, help me set up to board. Queen goes on its own color.”

“R-Right…”

Sunday, April 16th, Afternoon

“Just let the mark die,” she had said. “So that you can see who it is, and then reset time again.”

With Mintaka’s words echoing in my mind, I decided the best course of action would be to follow Anna and Sirius around. I don’t have enough information.

Anna, where are you right now? [ Lyra]

It took almost ten minutes to get a reply. On the one hand, it’s good for my sister not to constantly be on her phone during a date. On the other hand, it was a very anxious ten minutes.

[Anna] @north side

North side? Why? I thought-

[Anna] 2 many ppl @south side

fans n stuff

That made too much sense. Some Ireilas fans were… rabid, to say the least. A chill ran down my spine. What if the killer was some rabid fan? And… what if they were following them right now?

I made a break for it. It was an uphill sprint from the main plaza. On the way there, I’d snagged a pair of promotional sunglasses and a copy of the school newspaper. I’m ready to be a stalker.

Finding them wasn’t the hard part. The two of them had settled onto a bench overlooking the grass patch in front of Springer Gateway. A couple people were flinging frisbees, or lying in the grass. Those frisbee folks could be seen well into finals season, too. Some have theorized that they’re actors, planted there by the university.

The two of them seemed to be talking. I took my place behind a tree as I monitored them, and the surrounding area. I didn’t see any suspicious characters… not yet, anyways.

After sitting there for a while, they were in motion again. I stowed the newspaper and followed.

As I trailed them, I kept glancing behind and around me. Hm… there was someone in a green cap, with its brim pulled low. As Sirius and Anna turned the corner, I did too. The two of them seemed to be heading towards the ice cream place, about a block or two from campus. They turned a few more corners.

I looked back.

There she was. The girl with the green cap. That must be her. A stalker, following Sirius and Anna.

The killer.

I stopped as the two of them turned again, and waited. The green cap girl passed me. I placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey.”

“Wha!” She jolted, and batted my hand away. The girl ducked down, and ran off.

“Wait! You!” I bolted after her. I didn’t get a good look at her face, but she was definitely someone I knew.

The girl was running faster than I was. I was going to lose her--

She sprinted across a street, through pedestrian red light. The cars screeched to a halt around her, horns blaring, and started speeding up again, in my face. She ducked around a corner and disappeared.

I gritted my teeth. It must be a stalker. There’s no other explanation. I’ll need to keep a closer eye on those two.

I spent the rest of the day tailing them from place to place. Green cap girl either picked a new disguise, quit while she was ahead, or got better at hiding. I wasn’t sure.

Less than two hours. The two of them strolled into Cafe Tristan for dinner. I found a seat a couple booths over, unfurled the newspaper, and ordered something light. Moments later, though, I regretted it. I had assumed I wasn’t hungry, but in sitting down for thirty seconds, the day-long rush of adrenaline finally cooled.

A moment to recollect my thoughts. That girl… was it Mintaka? But why would Mint kill Sirius? No… I couldn’t bring myself to think of Mint that way, either. Mint wouldn’t kill Sirius. And neither would Rigel.

I could at least breathe a sigh of relief. That stalker definitely wasn’t Rigel. I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t Mintaka, either.

But then… who? I had an hour to figure it out.

After eating, the two were on the move, again. This time, they walked past the Astronomy building, skirted around the main plaza, and started heading southeast, stopping at the fountain in front of the Art building.

In the light of the rising moon, the water shimmered a pale silver. An umbrella of liquid, cascading around interlocking steel rings. Shining droplets ran down its sides, and others filled the air, sparkling.

Had I not already been panting heavily from keeping an eye on the time, it would’ve taken my breath away. It was zero hour. The sun had set, and the moon had risen, and the stars had come out.

My fingers were shaking. It was cold outside; I logically knew that to be true, but I couldn’t feel it. A maw of anxiety gnashed at my limbs. I turned back to them.

Against the backdrop of the fountain, Sirius planted his feet, balled his fists, and straightened, and looked directly at her. “I’m in love with you, Anna. You are my muse.”

This wasn’t my first time hearing it. But it hurt, even so. It hurt… My quivering fingers clawed at my shirt.

Anna was smiling. Radiant. Just the way she was last time.

“I… I feel the same way. I love you… I love you too!” She pulled him into a hug.

I could feel my heart bashing against my ribcage as my eyes darted around. Is… is it going to happen? I changed the location. Are they safe?

As if to answer my question, a figure jumped from the shadows. In less than an instant, she had tackled my sister. Anna screamed.

I couldn’t even react.

The figure pulled back. In her hands, a stained, sharp shape, dripping red. Oh god. Oh, god! She lunged again, but Sirius grabbed Anna, and shielded her. The figure froze, still pointing the knife, warily.

“Anna!” I yelled, jumping from my hiding spot. “Oh my god!”

“Lyra?” Sirius said. “What--”

“Call an ambulance!” I yelled, as I sprinted across the path to the fountain. Anna’s fists were clenched. She was in pain, but she was alive. “Do something to stop the bleeding!”

The figure turned, pointing the knife at me, then back at Sirius, then turned tail and ran.

“Stop!” I ran up to Sirius, and was about to jump into pursuit-

“Lyra, wait. It’s too dangerous!” His spoke as he pulled off his shirt as a makeshift bandage for Anna’s stab wound. It looked a lot less serious than last time.

I slowed my pace. “Sirius. She stabbed my sister. So you take care of her, and I’ll take care of her.”

I didn’t want for his response.

Sunday, April 16th, Night

I caught sight of her running into an alleyway. She was slower than she had been this afternoon, and no longer wearing the green cap. As I ran, Mintaka’s words flashed back into my head. “Just let the mark die,” she had said. “So that you can see who it is, and then reset time again.”

I’ll stop you in this loop. And if not, I’ll stop you in the next one. You won’t get away from me, you murderer!

She turned into an alleyway, slowing substantially in the process. I took the time to speed up, and grabbed her by the back of her collar. She picked up speed; her neck yanked against her jacket. She hacked.

The figure turned, and slashed. A massive gash appeared on my right forearm. I cried out.

I finally got a good look at her. It was… not someone that I knew. A girl with her hair braided into a side-plait. Eyes full of hatred.

“Did… was it the wrong one?”

“What do you--”

“No… you have the mole. You’re the twin.” Her eye twitched. “You don’t need to die.”

It was like floodgates opening. “I don’t need to die? Then why did Anna?” Screaming, screaming, screaming at the top of my lungs.

“She’s a thief.”

“What the hell do you mean?” My vision was slightly clouded at the edges. I’m seeing red. This is what that means.

“She stole him… from me…” She nibbled at her blood stained nails. “No.. I was wrong. You do need to die… because you’re the twin.” The girl raised her hand, with the knife. “He might go to you. Because you look just like her.”

“Y-You!”

The girl lunged, slashing wildly. I backed away from one swing, but her next stab grazed me.

Pain flared through my body. I gritted my teeth and suppressed a scream. Bite the bullet, Lyra! I threw her off me and slammed her into the alley wall. As I grappled for the knife, she drove it through my hand.

“G-gyaah!” My whole body was on fire. My right hand fell, limp and useless, by my side. My body was on fire, but I couldn’t feel my arm.

With my left hand, I threw the first punch I’ve ever thrown in my life. It connected with her cheek. I thought I heard something crack. Not sure what it was, though.

Reeling for a moment, she regained footing and glared. I’m sure animals don’t kill out of hate or spite, but to survive. In that sense, I could only describe her as very, very much human.

Time seemed to slow as she came at me again. She gripped the knife with both hands, one foot in front of the other. I couldn’t move.

And then, she went flying.

“Lyra!” Where she had been standing, a girl in a Go Green Foundation hoodie. Mintaka! “Holy crap. You--”

“I’m fine!”

“No. The hell you’re not. Get away from here!”

“But-” I gasped. “Mint, behind you!”

The attacker charged. Mint sidestepped, and flipped the girl over her shoulder, and slammed her into the ground. Right! She did judo!

“Lyra, just go!” Mintaka looked down at the girl with the knife. “Hey… aren’t you- Aa-aieee!” She recoiled, the knife sticking out of her shoulder. The attacker grabbed it, and came at me.

In an instant, she was before me. The knife was inside me. She pinned me to the wall with her forearm, and drove the knife through my abdomen, again. And again.

My mind went blank, like the pain receptors had simply decided to stop functioning. My body was dripping. My wounds were cold, but my blood was warm.

Again, and again, and again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And

Sunday, April 16th, Early Morning

My eyes opened. No longer seeing red. Just the clubroom. Just the faint yellow glow of the clubroom. The same instruments that had been there, all along.

Is this how it’s going to be? Until the number runs out, and the numbers run out, and I die for good?

“Guten Morgen!” The door opened.

Did I do something to deserve this hell?