“What took you so long?” Martin was smiling brightly as he sat atop Yusuke licking at an ice cream cone “thought you got lost.”

“Lost in this little town?” I snickered joining them at the table “I don’t think that is possible. And why are you sitting on him?” I pointed at Yusuke who had this look of pure betrayal on his face.

“One of us had to be scarified.” Emily happily said biting into her ice cream “couldn’t be me.”

“So betrayed me!” Yusuke cried “she gave me to him!”

“Quiet slave.” Martin lowered his cone to Yusuke who licked it “you’re now my pet.”

“If I don’t get crushed under your big ass.”

Martin blushed and stood up letting him go “Let it be known” he proclaimed as Emily handed Yusuke a cone “Ichigo the cannibal has shown mercy!”

“Stop it!” I laughed as Martin handed me his cone “no thanks can’t have dairy.”

He looked at me confused “why?”

“It’s Sunday.” Yusuke said with a deep sigh “do you have to?”

I shrugged and rolled my eyes “it gets my dad off my back.”

“What’s going on?” Emily asked. I was starting to notice how Emily had to be in on everything now and how upset it got her not to be in the know.

“It’s a religious thing.” Yusuke took a bite “it happens every month on a Sunday.”

“What does?” Martin now was the one asking “and why can’t you have ice cream?”

“I can’t eat any products.” I laughed “It’s silly but I can only have earthly foods.”

“Earthly foods?” Martin snorted “I don’t get it.”

“She can only eat things that come from the earth.” Yusuke said his mouth “it’s an honor for the Goddess of Earth.”

“Don't animals come from the earth?” Emily asked.

“No. It literally has to come from the dirt.” I sighed “and it has to be bland as hell.” I thought that was funny but Yusuke frowned.

“It’s actually really powerful.” Yusuke said “it’s a high honor for her to be chosen.”

“Or a way for my dad to torture me,” I said under my breath.

“Torture?” Martin heard me.

“No!” Yusuke shouted, “who said anything about that?”

Martin looked at me “must have misheard something.”

“She gets the chance to communicate with the Goddess of Earth.” Yusuke talked with such conviction even I was starting to think I was Goddess-like “she has the chance to learn things we could not even begin to understand.”

“Then how would she understand it?” Martin asked skillfully hiding the edge to that question.

“We don’t question the Gods.” Yusuke snapped “I know you are foreigners and you don't understand our religion but you should respect it.”

“I think it’s beautiful.” Emily was staring at me with wide eyes “do we get to see?”

“No.” I quickly said.

Emily looked at me a little hurt at how quick I responded.

“You’ll get to one day.” Yusuke said patting her head “once the priest blesses you to be able to join.”

“When will that be?”

“You’ll have to ask your mom to talk to the priest. Or ask Mr. Ishii to talk to Mio’s dad! Mr. Shimizu did my entrance into the shine. It was magical. My spirit was transported and I transcended.” I hated how much admiration everyone had for my dad. “And the transcended night you could stay at the shrine with Mio and I’ll ask Mr. Shimizu if I can be there! It’ll be a like a sleepover!”

Martin looked at me with a slight blush “a sleep over?”

“No exactly.” I said looking at Yusuke “stop glamorizing it. You’ll be staying the night and the next day at the shrine with us. But it’ll be anything but fun. You’ll be working for the shine.”

“It’s fun!” Yusuke hissed at me “you’ll learn from Mr. Shimizu and Tora you’ll have the most fun!”

Emily was wide eyed and so excited “why?”

“You’ll join the Miko's in a ceremony! They might even ask you to join them!”

“Yusuke.” I snapped “stop it.”

“They might!”

Emily squealed happily “really? I could be a shrine maiden! Imagine me! I bet dad would be so angry it isn’t at his shrine!” She was referring to her eight-grader syndrome father, not her real “and the magic I could learn. Tora the maiden of Shimizu temple! Master of all the fae secrets!”

Yusuke nodded “wouldn't that be amazing!”

Martin turned to me very concerned at what was going on.

“Don’t worry.” I whispered while Yusuke and Emily lived out delusions together “they won’t ask someone with eight-graders syndrome to join. Why risk Susanoo’s wrath for bringing his daughter in the shine!”

He laughed “but seriously they won’t will they?”

“We haven’t had another Miko join us since....” I paused “my mom left. She was the high priestess of the shrine and was the only person who could request someone join. They are working on training my friend Sakura to lead but she has a long way to go. So the only other person that could request would be a high priestess from another shrine but that never happens.”

“Ok.” He sighed a sigh of relief “and I’m not even sure Mom will go for it. She’s been on this whole agnostic belief system since our dad died. Once he died she left the church and found faith in believing in nothing.” He snickered. “But I don’t think she would be on board with us converting to another religion.”

I smiled “so don’t worry.”

“We should get ready to head back.” Yusuke said interrupting us “it’s getting close to sundown.”

Emily nodded “don’t want to be out late.”

I looked at Yusuke “I won’t be able to go the entire way with you. Can you handle taking them home?”

He nodded “and I’ll be back for the ritual!”

“I thought you couldn’t be out after sundown?” Emily asked.

“Only for rituals.” Yusuke said happily “just stay on the road and between the lanterns.”

“So that’s what they were doing?” Emily was referring to the people who were sitting down paper lanterns on the side of the street. “I was going to ask what they were doing.”

“Illuminating the way to the shrine,” I said softly.

“And protecting us!” Yusuke pointed to the lanterns “see the kanji on it?”

Emily’s eyes widened “I have no idea what that says.”

“Protection. Magic. Love. Life.” Yusuke pointed to each lantern “and that one” he pointed at one an older woman was carrying “isn’t a word but a name. When you have someone who has left the town or left the world of the living you write their name on it so they can be with us in spirit.”

“That’s beautiful!”

“Or weird,” I whispered under my breath.

Martin snickered. I keep forgetting his hearing is inhuman.

“But I’ll have to be heading on. Or my dad will kill us all.” I said rising up from the seat “take a flashlight. Unless Ishii-sensei decided to put out lanterns. But that’s doubtful and better safe than sorry.”

“Already ahead of you!” Yusuke pulled out a small flashlight from his pocket “I knew the street lights won’t be on tonight.”

“But you forgot it was Sunday.”

“Shut up.” He puffed out his chest “now get going.”

I smiled brightly “are you sure you’re going to be ok?”

“I told you’ll we’ll be fine. We’ll even take the road instead of the forest.” Yusuke winked at Emily but I pretended I didn’t see that.

“Wasn’t talking to you.” I looked at Martin snickering “will you ok with him?”

Martin looked at Yusuke who was crossing his arms and sighing like I badly wounded him. “Maybe. If they get out of line.” His voice went quiet “I’ll become a cannibal and use a cannibal magic spell on them.”

Emily hissed.

“Play nice.” I laughed.

“But Yusuke seriously. Get them home before sundown. I don’t know how the town will react if kids were wondering out late at night.” I motioned to him so we could talk privately. “They aren’t going to take kindly to outsiders wondering close to the forest than walking up to the haunted house. Even if they do live there. You might be with them but they are still outsiders to the town. So don’t play around and get them home. Tonight is not the night to be a show-off.” I looked at Emily “regardless of who you’re trying to impress.”

“You worry too much.” He patted me on the back “get going. I’ll get them back home and be back before the start of the ritual.” He looked at me quickly changing his tone “are you sure you’re ready for this? I know you were chosen but still. It’s the first time anyone but a Miko has gone in the earth shrine. Let alone perform the ritual in the name of the Goddess. I just don’t want-“

“Me to pollute the earth?” I sighed “heard it a million times and I’ll tell you the same thing. I may not agree with these stupid beliefs but I am not going to ruin your faith. It would be wrong of me to deny anyone happiness.”

“Then why don’t you take the oath of a Miko.”

“You’ve been talking with your mom again haven’t you?”

“She isn’t wrong. You’ll make a great miko on your birthday but imagine becoming a miko the day of the ritual!”

“You know it doesn’t work like that Yusuke.” I tried to sound cheery and happy like I couldn’t wait to become a miko my next birthday. But the truth was. I had no plans of every becoming a miko – regardless of what others say, want or do. “you’ll just have to wait.”

“Maybe one day you’ll take your place as the high priestess like your mother.”

I cringed “Sakura is going to be the next high priestess and I’m alright with that.”

Yusuke smiled “maybe.”

He went even quieter to avoid Emily’s supersonic hearing when it came to town gossip “people are claiming the projections are coming into town. In the form of a hooded figure. Mom said she saw it wondering around. You know you can’t trust my mom and what she says.” He rolled his eyes “but others have been coming to her about seeing them as well. There is a lot riding on this ritual tonight. I won’t sugar coat it for you because I know you can handle the truth. Even expects you to fail. You’re not a miko and to be chosen after everything that happened makes everyone nervous. But since these appearances all eyes on you.”

I stopped for a moment remembering that figure I saw earlier. The weird person who hid out of reach of the sunlight and the lights of the arcade. “what did your mom say about the figure?”

“You’re not believing that are you?” Yusuke sighed “projections stay within the forest and never wander into town.”

“I know. I just want to understand what they are seeing.”

He sighed again, this time making it even more dramatic “Mom said a figure has been appearing around town sounding a ceremonial bell. She claims it asked her for directions to your shrine before disappearing into the darkness.”

“Did she give it directions?”

“Mio, it’s my mom. Of course, she didn’t. She barraged it with questions. Who are you? Are you new here? Yadda-yadda.” He waved his hand through the air “she never gives anyone information without them answering questions of her.”

I nodded and smiled “did the figure ask her to join her on the mothership?” I had to get that curious look out of Yusuke’s eyes before he started poking around asking if I saw something.

He smiled slightly “if they would take her. They would bring her back in a heartbeat.”

“Well. I should get going. Don’t want to be late. Just be careful alright?”

“I’ve grown up here too. You know I know these streets and woods like the back of my hand.”

I nodded “and please don’t go through the woods. If someone sees you-“

“I only told Emily we would so she would like me.” Yusuke blushed a bit “I’ll make up some story and tell them we have to take the road home.”

“Promise?”

He nodded “by the way make sure you tell Sakura I said hi.” He looked down momentarily.

“You can tell her tonight at the ritual. I’m not going to keep playing carrier pigeon between you two. Your family. And eventually, you’ll get over her becoming a miko and having to leave then you’ll feel stupid for asking me to talk to her for you.” I place my hand on his shoulders “it’s not her fault you know?”

“I know.” He shrugged my hand off “It’s...”

“Hard. I know. But your sister is happy. She’s an amazing priestess and will soon become a high priestess.”

He bit his bottom lip “you really should get going.”

“Stop beating yourself up stupid. It’s not like she moved to a different country.” I smiled and messed up his hair laughing. “See you tonight?”

He nodded.

“And see you guys soon?” I leaned over and waved at Martin and Emily who were arguing about something.

“Tomorrow!” Emily shouted.

I frowned “I can’t tomorrow.”

“She’ll be finishing the ritual.” Yusuke finished “I’ll explain it to them. Before Emily starts making up things again.” He looked at me “good luck.”

“I don’t know if luck will have anything to do with this.”

He shrugged “better luck be with you than something else.” He chuckled “get home quick. Your dad would kill me if you were late because of me.”

I nodded and waved at them all! “Be safe!”

Emily stuck a weird pose “may the blessings of Amaterasu be with you.” She mumbled something about Kushinadahime needing to buzz off because no one needed her blessing.

But Martin just stared at me. He wore a false smile but I tried not to care. He was worried about me. I turned away so he couldn’t see how worried I was myself about this night. And I started walking home.