Even if she has something of a propensity for lying, Minnie and I need to follow up with Jess. Any lead at this point is better than what we had before, which was nothing. The lacrosse team has left, and is making their way towards the track. Jess is still in the girl's locker room, a forbidden land that I cannot hope to enter. As I approach the door, the sound of choked sobs is apparent.

Well, I’m definitely not going in there.

I look at Minnie.

She looks at me.

There’s a moment of silence, both of us knowing what’s going to be said next. I decide to take the initiative, “So… you wanna go get her?”

“Why don’t you?”

I gesture towards the sign on the door, which says “Girl’s Locker Room.”

There's a moment where she looks like she's going to cry, but instead, she nervously takes a few steps towards the locker room, opening the door and stepping inside. I sit down and lean against the wall beside the door. I can’t make out what’s being said, but Minnie and Jess are talking about something.

It’s a few minutes of muffled speaking before the door opens and out step Minnie and Jess, whose red eyes make it obvious she was crying. Jess looks back at Minnie and asks, “that’s him?”

Minnie nods, then Jess sits down next to me, taking a few moments to choose her words. “... So… you can do magic?”

What the hell has Minnie been talking about with her? I give Minnie a glare, and she freezes in place.

I guess I need to respond, “Something like that.”

“... Invisibility?”

I send another glare Minnie’s way. “That wasn’t something Minnie was supposed to go around telling people, but I guess you know now.”

“Prove it.”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you everything I know about Taylor.”

“Fine, but we need privacy.”

I look around for somewhere a little more secluded, but before I can think, I’m pulled into the girl’s locker room by Jess, with Minnie following behind.

Suddenly, I’m in a place formerly unknown to me. An enigma that has long baffled the minds of men. A girl’s changing room.

It looks exactly like the men’s changing room and has the same pervasive scent of sweat. The only noticeable difference is the lack of urinals.

Damn, that’s disappointing.

Jess says, “Nobody else is in here. Do it.”

I give the locker room another careful glance, looking for cameras or other people, but it looks like we’re good to go.

I activate invisibility, then look down at my body. I’m completely invisible. Both Jess and Minnie gasp.

Jess reaches out to where I was standing, but grabs nothing, as I’m no longer there. I’m already taking steps towards Minnie, ready to exact a little bit of revenge for spilling my secrets so easily.

I poke the tiny girl’s side, and she lets out a little squeal, swatting at the air where my finger was. Before she can defend herself I begin a flurry of pokes at different parts of her body, each one finding a different mark, with Jess watching the goings-on in fascination.

Finally, it’s time for the coup de grace. 

I flick the tip of her nose with just enough force to hurt, but not enough to leave a mark. She cutely stumbles back, cradling her deadly injury.

I haven’t known Minnie for very long, but I’ve found bullying her to be immensely enjoyable. I think there might be something wrong with me.

I drop my invisibility and turn back to Jess. I expected her to be awestruck, but instead, she’s looking at me analytically.

She steps closer to me, then pinches my arm.

“... Ow? What are you doing?”

“You feel like a regular person. So it’s really magic? You can turn invisible?” 

She looks into my eyes. The stare she’s giving me is intense, like more than I could ever know hangs in the balance.

“Something like that. So, about Taylor?”

Her stare softens a little bit. I think she liked that answer. “I have another condition.”

“Seriously?”

“Do you want me to tell you?” 

“... Fuck. Fine. What else do you want?”

“I want to help.”

That’s maybe the worst thing she could have asked for. I’m already babysitting Minnie, I don’t really want to chaperone another kid. This isn’t like a fun field trip, or whatever shit they seem to think is going on here. If we fail, the best thing that can happen is Taylor disappearing forever. If the other player’s particularly malevolent there’s no telling what could happen to anybody searching for her. I shiver when I think of Minnie falling into the hands of another player. I don’t want Jess to be in that same situation.

I’m gonna need to let her down gently, “Sorry, that’s—”

From behind me, Minnie says, “That’s a great idea! The more people we have, the better chance we have of finding her!”

Fuck. Why does she make everything so hard?

I can’t let this get out of hand. “I seriously think—”

This time, it’s Jess interrupting me. “Sam. You just showed me that magic is real. This is the most exciting thing to ever happen to me. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not.”

… I guess that settles that.

Minnie and Jess begin to talk about their theories of what's going on, and I sit on one of the benches listening in.

I think I’m the only one of us who really grasps the gravity of the situation we’re in. I’m also the one with the most information, so it makes some sense. Still, there’s no way these girls shouldn’t have any sense of danger when it comes to this. I mean, someone was kidnapped for christ's sake! They’re both just gleefully chatting away about their theories on what happened, unaware of the grim reality.

Taylor is likely restrained somewhere, being raped as we speak. Maybe it’s better if I just let them think Taylor’s been kidnapped by some old wizard and is being used in his experiments. I’d rather have Minnie naively and hopefully grinning, plotting to get her friend back, than let her know that even if we get her back, there’s no way she’ll be unchanged. In addition, there’s no guarantee that people will ever remember Taylor. If that’s the case, even if we get her back, what are we supposed to do? Try to reintegrate her? Keep her like a pet?

The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I’ve been trying to keep a cool head about things, but the addition of another naive girl putting herself under my care irritates me. They blissfully smile as they spin a fantastical tale of Taylor being teleported to another world, or falling into a magic leyline, or whatever fantasy bullshit they’re spewing. They’re completely unaware of what they're stepping into, and I don't have the strength to break it to them.

I take a deep breath. There's no reason to be angry at them. Sure, they're naive, but it’s not their fault Taylor disappeared. They’re doing their best to get her back in their own way. The real person to blame is the fucking dweeb who actually took her. I’m going to beat his ass when I find him, that’s for sure.