“Why did the bell crack?”

“Because they got someone.” Yusuke was now sounding uncomfortable. “Or it could have been from the weather. Those bells are old you know?”

“I’m not following.” Emily hissed now becoming aggregated.

“My mom.” I softly said “my mom disappeared.”

Emily and Martin turned to me.

“You don’t-“

“You started this Yusuke.” I said softly.

“My mom was claiming she saw these orbs of light in the forest just before sunset.” Emily was looking like she was regretting having pushed so much “they forced her to the temples and forced her to do these rituals to prevent the fae from coming into town. But she wasn’t seeing the fae she was sick. Mentally ill but they continued these rituals daily to chase them away from the town. And the last time I saw my mom was the night she disappeared. She told me that she couldn't fight them anymore. The entire town was forced to wake up when the priest discovered the bell cracked and we woke up to my mom having disappeared.”

“Did the fae take her?” Martin was trying to be caring.

“No.” I hissed “it was those damn rituals. She was running from the townspeople and my father. My mother had a mental illness they said was inflicted by the fae but no one would listen when the doctors said she was suffering from schizophrenia.” I looked at Emily who was horrified “there are no fairies- “

“Faeries.”

“Whatever. Yusuke.” I snapped “just hysteria and a massive case of eight-graders syndrome affecting an entire town. The water is brown must be the fae. Livestock going missing must be the fae. A girl has a miscarriage must be the fae. The only sensible people in the town are the historians and doctors but they are witches according to everyone else. Using modern science and ignoring the Gods. Bullshit. My mother wasn’t the first to be tortured. They tortured a five-year-old boy because the first bell cracked and he was found playing in the woods and talking to himself. What happened to him Yusuke.”

Yusuke was now looking down as he spoke.

“What?”

“He was burned to death!” Yusuke shouted “the town burned him. But that was a long time ago Mio and that’s not what happened to your mom.”

“They used fire.” I ignored Yusuke “cleaning fire from the Gods to cleanse his soul. But guess what? Fire burns. They placed this boy in a metal box and burned him alive. On accident of course. Because our town doesn’t do anything wrong.” I rolled my eyes “every town has secrets and we tell ours in the form of folklore about faeries. The boy who was reborn and the woman who was inflicted with an illness from the fae.” Emily was starting to tear up “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.” Martin said putting his hand on my shoulder “people do evil things when they don’t understand something. America is a country covered in blood and murder even rape. We lived in a town named after a man who slaughtered an entire Native American village and told he was a hero.”

Emily nodded “I didn’t mean to push.”

“You would have heard it anyway. At least you heard it from me before they brainwash you and have you believing in this nonsense.” I smiled softly through a hazy tear-filled gaze “those incidents happened a long time ago. It’s just hard sometimes, you know?” Martin rubbed my shoulder with a smile “and it was an accident. I guess. I’m sorry for ranting like that.”

“She’s always like that.” Yusuke said trying to lighten this dark mood “don’t get her started on modern art?”

“Oh please! That isn’t art.”

They all started to laugh.

“What?” Now I was starting to laugh “so are we going to sit around talking about stupid stuff or going to show them around?”

“Come on guys.” Yusuke stood up “we got a lot of nothing to see!”

“So you’re an artist.” Martin asked helping me up “can I see?”

“Maybe one day.” I winked at him “if you’re nice.”

“Hey! I’m always nice.”

We all started walking and talking lively like we had all been childhood friends. I looked at Martin as he begged to see my artwork and find myself thinking how funny this all is. A foreigner with strawberry blond hair talking to the Priest’s daughter about art becoming best friends while two kids with eight-graders syndrome did the same. This was something out of a comic book or a story and I couldn’t have been happier. Nothing amazing ever happened in my life till I met those two.

“I didn’t want to ask before.” Emily whispered to Yusuke making sure the others couldn’t overhear “but when did the third bell break?”

“I’m glad you didn’t ask.” Yusuke whispered back “it’s a sensitive topic. Even in town.”

“Why?”

“Well.” He sighed “it has to do with Mio. Everyone in town says it’s because of her.”

“What did she do?”

“It’s a really long story.” He shook his head “but the short version is the day after her mom disappeared the town declared it a suicide. I know, it’s stupid. But it was better than then everyone thinking she was spirited away. However, Mio refused to believe this or listen to them talk about it. Her father demanded that she accept this had happened and it was not her fault. That was his first mistake that day. The second was forcing Mio to join in the ritual for a soul that had committed suicide. Mio freaked out in front of the entire town and cursed at the Gods and said she would rather be the faeries than live in the town. Imagine the freak out when a priest’s daughter proclaimed that.”

“I can imagine.”

“Mio took off running from the ritual in the forest. And it was nearing sundown. Her dad ran after her leaving the town people panicking and the ritual unfinished. He returned with her a few hours later ghostly white and demanded everyone leave the shrine at once. That is when the shrine priest from the third temple came and told the town the bell was found cracked. He still demanded that everyone leave while he tended to Mio.”

“So her going into the forest caused the bell to break?”

“No. Something Mio called out into the forest.”

“How do you know that she called to the faeries?”

“I didn't say she called out them.” His voice went softer “everyone whispers that it was something older and scarier than the fae. Because a shrine priest doesn’t fear the fae.”

“Then what was it?”

Yusuke shrugged “I have no idea. Mio won’t tell us what happened and her dad denies the day happened. But we all know something scared the hell of him! And still has him scared to this day. He moved her into the shrine that night and put her up in a sacred room designed to keep the Gods and the fae out. And he locks her in that room at sundown. But that is just town gossip.”

Emily laughed a bit “I don’t think he would lock her up.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him. Shrine priest are a different breed of humans.” Yusuke took a deep breath “they aren’t even supposed to have family.”

“Then how did he?”

“He was chosen after he was married. And no one can deny the call after they hear it. But no one in the town cared that he had a family. Mr. Shimizu is an amazing priest who has transcended to be able to communicate with the Greats. Or so they say.” Yusuke smiled “he really is an amazing man and his family stood with him. Mrs. Shimizu was the first miko chosen by the Kami over the shrine and asked that Mio become one on her fifteenth birthday. Which is supposed to be next year but Mio has already said she won’t be doing it.”

“Because of what happened with her mom?”

“Like I said this story is really long. And it’s not mine to tell to be honest.”

“But-“

“This is only your first day in town. You’ll learn quickly this town has a lot of stories and lot of secrets. Some you will learn and others you won’t. It’s not because you're a foreigner but because some you won’t want to learn. Even if you think you do. Our town was born on the fae and a lot of blood, sweat and tears built the town. Some things I know. I wish I didn’t. So just keep your head above the waters.” He smiled “and if you really want to know you could always talk to Mio about it. She won’t tell you. But if she did that’s her choice.”

Emily turned back “maybe one day.”