Haru had to go back to the theater several times to make sure she wasn't losing it. She didn't want to seem like she truly suspected anything odd, so she just walked in on Friday under the guise of picking up more props for Twelfth Night. It was as abandoned as it had been when she first walked in. She explored the theater a little more every day. She found an office for someone who would presumably have been the head of the theater department. A pipe had burst at some point, but summer upon summer had dried all the mold, leaving the entire room encased in black dust.

Either Ms. Cho and the Student Council had lied about meeting the head of the theater department, or the building itself was warping people's perception, and somehow, by sheer luck, Haru was the only person who noticed. Haru suspected that the answer was somewhere in between.

Haru did find some props for her version of Twelfth Night - ink quills, fake letters, some old-timey furniture - in the prop room, and in good condition no less. She even took photos to show the Student Council President, both to show what they had to work with and to see her reaction to the photos of the inside.

Yeonghui, as an archetypal Student Council President, did not have much of a reaction. "Those look fantastic!" Yeonghui beamed. It was only now that she was up close that Haru realized Yeonghui had eyelash extensions - they were subtle, almost negligible, but they were there. Haru wondered what the point of that was. Why would you have fake lashes if most people wouldn't notice a change? She didn't ask.

"I did speak to the head of the theater department," Yeonghui continued. "We should have it cleaned up in about a week, and then we will be able to host auditions!"

So someone was running the theater program?! WHO?! "Sounds great," Haru said, smiling. "I'm excited to host them finally."

"We've already been distributing fliers. Everyone is buzzing. This was a fantastic idea, Haru."

"Thank you, seonbaenim."

"Please, we're friends now! You can call me Yeonghui."

Haru blinked. Were they friends? Sure, they were working on a massive project together, and Yeonghui had defended her from Donghyeok's harassment before he fell off the deep end...but was that enough to be a friend? Sure, it was good, but Haru didn't feel like she could trust Yeonghui with the details of her home life. She had Rosie for that. Rosie was an actual friend who had confided stories about his life in America, losing his family in various horrible ways. They didn't know each other's actual names, but that didn't matter, because they knew each other.

That said, Haru just smiled and said simply, "I am very grateful to have you as a friend, Yeonghui-ssi."

Yeonghui beamed even harder, her smile radiating off her face. It was a genuine, considerate smile, one that Haru was seeing more and more often now.

Perhaps, Haru should audition to be Viola in Twelfth Night, after all. She was realizing that she had a penchant for lying.

"Do you want to talk about them?" Rosie asked her. The boy's voice was clear and calm, coming through speakers like a warm breeze. They were calling about the things Haru had found and some research Rosie had offered to do for her with his university resources. The subject of the Student Council had sidetracked them.

"Yeah..." Haru said softly. She was thankful that her spoken English was reasonably good. "I don't know how I feel...being a part of a group. Like, I'm not part of the Student Council, but I think Yeonghui is going to ask me to run at some point. And...I feel weird. On the one hand, I love being looked at like I actually matter. On the other...I feel like I'm just a project for her. And what does that mean for me? When she's done with me, where do I go?"

"I don't know," Rosie said. Haru could tell he was being honest. "I don't think I can answer that for you. Only you can answer that."

Haru nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her. "You're right. I'll be honest with you...I think I just want to see what happens. Friends or not, I feel like I need to know what happens."

"Can't say I blame you, Daylight. Sometimes we do have to take things one day at a time."

"Yeah..." Haru glanced at her black bracelet. It sat on her wrist, blocking out the world from her. "You know how I have a bracelet made with volcanic glass?"

"Yeah?"

"When volcanic glass melts, it usually can't be remelted," Haru explained. "It breaks down, the more you melt it and reform it. Eventually, it just becomes...nothing." She sighed. "It reminds me not to break bonds, but not to trust people who break my trust. And I think...I think I'm just waiting for the Student Council to break my trust somehow. To give me a reason to back away. Because I'm safer when I'm alone."

There was a long pause. Haru could hear the squeak of Rosie's swivel chair as he leaned back.

"I used to think that being alone was inevitable for me too," Rosie said finally. "I mean...when you're aroace, that thought crosses your mind often. In my case, it nearly broke me. But..." he paused, trying to articulate himself better. "But then I realized I had family and friends. I wasn't alone. Even in my loneliest moments, I've had community."

"Yeah, but...your family actually cares about you."

"They care about me, yes. But they didn't understand me. Sometimes they still don't. But the point is, even when they weren't there or couldn't understand me, I realized they still cared. And...I think that's the perspective your sister would want you to have."

"What, that my parents throw things at me out of love?"

*"No. She'd want you to know that she's with you, even when she isn't. That I am with you, even when I'm not."

Haru sat with that for a minute. That was oddly nice to think about. "...okay, cool, but what does that have to do with the Student Council and the fact that there's no theater?"

*"It means that you don't have to be in their project to feel like you have friends. You don't lose your lifeline the moment you walk into a new situation. And that every time you go into the theater, I am giving you my strength. Because I know that what you're going through is absolutely insane, and you're in my thoughts."

"You say that as though thoughts have power."

*"No. Thoughts are just thoughts. Intention has power. Actions have power. Connections have power."

"That sounds like some motivational speaker bullshit."

"Hey, don't insult me!" Rosie chided.

Haru laughed. "Well, the point is taken, Rosie. Thank you."

"Stop calling me Rosie!"

"Okay, I'm not going to call you stone-underscore-cold-underscore-rose every time I want to address you."

"How dare you." Rosie had a smile in his voice. "I did do that thing you asked for, you ungrateful harlot."

Haru gasped playfully. "You wound me, sir."

"Oh, so it's working!" Rosie chuckled a bit, but a shadow crossed over his sunny voice. "I found Ms. Cho's employment history. You were right."

"What do you mean?"

"Something in that school is messing with her head."