Chronicles of the Paranormal
Chapter 1: Nothing More Than A Hallucination
I
It’s nothing more than a hallucination. If you don’t acknowledge its existence, it’s like it’s not even there in the first place.

This was the thought of Takada Kotone as she vigorously brushed her teeth that Wednesday morning while glaring at something in the mirror. Her own reflection stared back at her, of course, revealing a tall teenager with an oval face, a short straight nose, a well trained physique, and lovely tresses of long brunette hair. Her sharp brown eyes invoked a challenge towards the mirror, or rather something in the mirror. A pallid reflection in the upper corner of the mirror floated wistfully towards the ceiling, watching Kotone perform her morning duties.

Kotone closed her eyes. It was obviously a hallucination, a byproduct of her half-dreaming musings as she slowly woke up. Not real. She was tired from last night, that had to be it.

Nevertheless, that blurred image – a lithe pale girl with owlish cerulean eyes, two long black braids that dangled to her shoulder, and slightly large ears – remained in her peripheral vision.

Kotone let out a laugh, then put a hand upon her brow and shook her head. Her heart beat in a steady rhythm, her hand felt no heat upon her brow, and her blood pressure and vitals seemed normal. It had to be a product of her imagination. It was a bright and sunny day with the sakura blossoms in bloom, with nothing strange occurring otherwise. No one else in the household had acknowledged this spirit.

“You’re not so easily spooked by this, are you?” Kotone directed at her reflection. “Let’s be rational. There’s no such thing as spirits or ghosts. I thought you were a tougher girl than this, Takada Kotone. You gotta shape up and confront your problems head on. This hallucination isn’t your real problem. It’s you overworking yourself to the point of exhaustion and insisting you don’t need any sleep whatsoever, despite the fact that every functional human being needs at least eight hours a sleep a day.”

Kotone spit into the sink and washed it down the drain. Then she meticulously combed sections of her hair into sleek perfection with a perfectly symmetrical part in the middle. Her straight part through the middle was her trademark feature.

Yet when she stared at her reflection in the mirror, the ghost was still there. Wait, was it making faces at her? She frowned, twisted around, and hurled her hairbrush at the lingering specter. The hairbrush clattered against the wall then banged down to the floor. Kotone winced then let out a heavy sigh. Of course it would phase through.

“Oh sure, since I’m dead, it’s alright to throw things at me,” the ghost said. “Twenty points if you throw it through my stomach. Fifty points if you throw it through my head. Who am I, Moaning Myrtle? Just because I’m dead doesn’t mean that I don’t have feelings!”

“You’re not real,” Kotone muttered before washing her face. The cold water upon her face was a welcome relief, though that relief dissipated when the spirit hovered next to and touched her. Kotone’s skin tightened.

Just a temperature shift in the room, nothing more, she told herself. There wasn’t a ghost floating next to her or talking to her. That was just silly. Irrational.

Kotone exited the bathroom and went to grab a quick breakfast before she left for school. She was punctual, as usual, as punctuality was a feature she admired. When she went downstairs to the kitchen, her father was sitting at the table reading the newspaper. He glanced up from the news and crinkled his eyes in affection towards her. “Good morning, Kotone. How are you doing today?”

“Just fine. I’m getting a quick breakfast before I head towards school. I’ll also be walking Megumi to school today.”

“You go do that,” her father said before returning to his newspaper. He furrowed his brow as a cold draft coursed through the room. “Chilly, isn’t it? The weather does say that we should be expecting rain soon.”

“Yeah,” she said before popping a piece of toast into her mouth. Once she finished it, she bowed towards her father. “Goodbye, Father. I’m heading off.”

He nodded farewell and she made her way towards Megumi’s house.

The neighborhood had cozy square homes with street walls surrounding their perimeters. Kotone followed the corridors of the stone walls that went towards Megumi’s house, passing by persimmon, orange, and pear trees with low-hanging boughs ripe with fermented citrus and fruit along the way. To a foreigner all the street walls hovering above would have been disorienting, though Kotone found them comforting and enjoyed the maze-like structure. It brought a sense of order and privacy into the neighborhood.

Megumi waited for her just outside her modest home. She waved happily towards Kotone as she approached.

Megumi was far shorter in stature than Kotone. Her large eyes were emerald green and they bore babydoll lashes. A cute button nose was at the center of her face, which other people often commented on and how it lent her an adorable appearance, along with her heart-shaped face that was cherubic in quality and in demeanor. Her hair was dyed fox gold orange and pulled into pigtails which swayed with each movement of her head as she chattered on about the latest horoscope she gleaned from the most recent magazine that she followed.

“Today’s horoscope is very promising today,” Megumi said as she read the astrology paper that she had clenched in her hands. “A Gemini like me will have influence over other people today, talking about my ideas and persuading others to see my point of view. As for you, it says that you, as an Aries, are subject to an eclipse. The eclipse is to bring your attention to important matters that you’ve ignored in your life, or things you’ve known about but haven’t acknowledged. Make sure to take advantage of this opportunity for self-realization.”

“What a bunch of crap,” Kotone said. “Astrology is nothing more than a hoax full of generalized statements to make people believe that what they’re saying is true, that their predictions are right, and that your life is dictated by the stars. I, for one, am in charge of my own life, and I won’t let some silly astrology paper tell me what I’m supposed to do with my life.”

“Oh, Kotone-chan.” Megumi clenched tighter onto the papers. “But what if the astrology paper is telling the truth? You dismiss it as something trivial, but I think there are greater powers at work here. I mean, the universe is receptive to your wants and needs, so you should open up to it and live the life that you want.”

Kotone rolled her eyes hard. “Oh come on. I don’t believe in asinine astrology or New Age nonsense that you do. If the universe really did deliver on its promises, I would be rich and a well-respected young woman known throughout the world, but as you can see, that hasn’t happened. No, I won’t wait on the universe to grant my wishes. It’s up to me to grant my wishes.”

“Well, why don’t I tell you this.” Megumi folded her hands behind her back and walked in front of Kotone, keeping her gaze level to Kotone’s. “There was another part to that horoscope as well. It said that you will meet someone very important, and the person in question will become a huge part of your life. Sounds like romance, no?”

“I have no interest in romance. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I have other priorities in my life.”

“Think on it.”

Kotone let out a sigh. “What complete and utter crap.”

They both arrived at school without incident. The weird hallucination that haunted Kotone’s mind started to fade away from her consciousness as she made her way into the classroom. Now this was more her element, as an industrious worker and class president. There was work that needed to be done, and Kotone would fulfill her duties.

The teacher cleared his throat before making an announcement. “Class, we have a new student transferring into our school today. I would like for you all to welcome her and make her feel comfortable at this school. So, let me introduce you to our new transfer student.”

A petite girl who was shorter in stature than even Megumi entered through the door. She had large rounded eyes that were silvery blue in coloration and appeared lethargic in their apathetic gaze. Her short-cropped white hair framed a slightly rounded face, and the nose was rather pointed, though it didn’t seem to ruin the aesthetics of her face, which was generally pleasing to the eye. However, there seemed to be a lack of emotion upon the girl’s face, lending her a doll-like appearance. Coupled with her lithe build, it made Kotone think of the Faye that populated European literature.

She stood in front of the blackboard, where their teacher wrote her name in kanji. The kanji on the board read Natsume Ayano.

“Good morning, my name is Natsume Ayano,” the transfer student said, her voice curiously flat. “It’s nice to meet you all. I hope that we can get along.”

The other students murmured amongst themselves about how cute the transfer student was. However, some of the students whispered that there was something odd about Ayano, that they couldn’t quite put their finger on it. They also noted Ayano’s white hair, which some students seemed to like the aesthetics of and others seemed to be creeped out by it.

“Takada-san, can I entrust you with the duties of showing Ayano around the school and introducing her to everybody?” their teacher asked.

“That I can do,” Kotone said with a nod of her head. Business as usual.

The teacher instructed Ayano towards the empty seat next to Kotone, where she was to sit. As she closed in, Kotone squinted her eyes. There was a white aura emanating off of her. Didn’t anybody else see what Kotone could? None of the other students commented on it. It had to be another hallucination. She really needed to get more rest.

Kotone put on a pleasant smile and extended a hand towards the transfer student. “I am Takada Kotone. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ayano fixed her silvery blues on Kotone and took in as much as she could. Kotone meanwhile averted her gaze for once, unable to stare any longer at her.

“Nice to meet you, Takada-san,” Ayano finally said. “Please treat me well.”

After that, class went into session. Kotone took out her notes and pencils. She glanced towards Ayano, and saw the white aura still emanating from her being. Kotone blinked, yet it was still there. Then she surveyed the classroom. Ayano was the only one with an aura. And glancing at her was like peering into the sun. Something about it made her whirl. Kotone put a hand to her head, shook it off, and returned back to her notes.

She tried her best to remain focused on the lesson, but something about Ayano was bothering her. Why was she seeing this aura, and the other students weren’t? Why was it focused only on Ayano? Everyone else appeared normal. Whatever it was, it piqued Kotone’s curiosity despite of herself, and she stole a peek at Ayano one final time.

The aura seemed to grow even brighter and Kotone’s cranium pounded harder than before. She Kotone then focused on her notes again, and the headache disappeared. Strangely, she got headaches when she stared at Ayano--or the aura, or whatever it was. Or maybe it was just because she didn’t get enough rest, though a lingering doubt settled in the back of her mind. Wouldn’t the rest of the students have ‘auras’ around them if she were hallucinating things, and wouldn’t the headaches continue to be prolonged even after she glanced away from someone?

When the bell finally rang and signified lunch time, Kotone let out a sigh of relief. Kotone gestured for Ayano to follow her, and she did so. They made their way towards the school roof, where Megumi and Kotone usually ate their lunches together. Megumi waited for the two of them at the school roof, having prepared two bento boxes--one for herself, and one for Kotone. Kotone accepted hers gratefully. Inside Kotone’ bento were hot dogs shaped like octopuses, apples shaped like rabbits, some sushi rolls, and omelette rice. Kotone smiled a little at Megumi before saying, “You out did yourself this time, Megumi.”

“I’m so glad that you like my lunches!” Megumi said with a smile as she opened up her own bento, which mirrored Kotone’s. “I put extra love in them! Though let’s see, Ayano-chan, what do you have in your bento?”

Ayano lifted the lid of her bento box to reveal a bunch of white rice with an umeboshi dead in the center. It was definitely not like the elaborate lunches that Megumi made, though Kotone supposed she couldn’t blame Ayano for making such a simple lunch. The only extent of Kotone’s cooking ability was onigiri, and she sometimes salted them way too much for other people’s liking.

“Only white rice and an umeboshi?” Megumi said while she peered into Ayano’s lunch. “Are you sure you don’t want to share some of mine, Ayano-chan? You’re welcome to it, if you’d like!”

“I prefer simple foods.” Ayano plucked the umeboshi from the center with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. “I prefer white rice and eggs. That’s it.”

“Oh, I see,” Megumi said, her smile unfazed. “Well if you ever want me to make you lunch, then I would be happy to do it.”

“No thanks,” Ayano said. Megumi nodded and they continued to eat their lunches.

During this time, Kotone remained silent, as her headache from earlier only grew and expanded into a pulsing nightmare. Kotone put a hand to her forehead, before putting it down again. She couldn't waver and show any signs of weakness in front of the new student. She needed to make a good impression, headache or no.

“So Kotone-chan,” Megumi said after she finished chewing a hot dog, “was there anything you were ignoring so far today?”

Kotone sighed. Megumi was still going on about the horoscope. “I haven’t had any major revelations, so there’s nothing to report.”

“Oh? That’s a shame. I was hoping that I would be able to persuade you, because my own horoscope hasn’t come up yet today. I’m not giving up yet, though! The day is still young!”

“How very interesting,” Ayano said. “What else did the horoscope say, Megumi-san?”

Megumi’s eyes flickered. “You’re interested in the supernatural as well, Ayano-chan?!”

“You could say I’m a specialist.” Ayano glanced towards Kotone, who averted her gaze once more.

Kotone continued to struggle against the pounding that afflicted her. The most she could muster in relation to the conversation was the rolling of her eyes. It seemed Megumi and Ayano would get along just fine with one another, since they both were paranormal nuts.

‘However, I don’t believe that horoscopes are really reliable,” Ayano went on.

“Oh really?” Megumi took an apple rabbit and bit into it. “Most people don’t believe in horoscopes and predetermined destinies, but I find the entire idea romantic. The universe has everything planned out for each individual, and that also means there are some people that are destined to be lovers with one another, and then they continually reincarnate in several lifetimes and always find themselves with one another again. Why is that? The red string of fate, of course. Don’t you just find that kind of stuff so amazing? A soulmate. Someone who is a part of you and completes you.”

“There is no such thing as a soulmate,” Ayano said. “There are souls that you feel a connection to, yes, though there are some souls that are connected to a wide variety of other souls, and different souls could be one’s ‘soulmate’ in one lifetime and there might be another soul in the next. That’s just how the cycle goes. The idea of soulmates is just a romantic’s idea.”

“Ooh, you seem to have a lot of thoughts on the matter, Ayano-chan,” Megumi said with a smile. “So what kinds of things are you into?”

“I do fortune-telling for a living,” Ayano said.

“Fortune-telling? That’s so cool! Can you tell me my fortune, please?”

While Megumi and Ayano conversed with one another, Kotone’s head thickened more and more. The white aura from Ayano only made it pulsate even worse. She couldn’t even look directly at Ayano anymore.

Kotone closed her eyes.

I can overcome this. Impossible becomes ‘I’m possible’ if you put an apostrophe in there. I can make this stupid headache go away!

When she opened her eyes, the aura was gone and the throbbing stopped.

Ayano directed a wry smile towards Kotone, who shivered in response. What did that smile possibly mean? Why did Ayano smirk at her like that? Whatever it was, she must’ve made some kind of impression on Ayano, as Ayano gave a subtle nod towards Kotone’s direction before finishing off the rest of her rice.

After lunch, with the headache gone, Kotone could concentrate more on her studies. She went through her classes dutifully, from Math to Science and English class. She wrote down theorems and equations and vocabulary words in separate notebooks that she categorized neatly into sections, and she even wrote down some extra notes and her own commentary on the notes themselves to help her better understand the material. She gave Ayano a tour of the school afterward. She showed her the various classrooms, the library, computer lab room, the art room, and various after. Ayano’s expression remained stoic the entire time, and Kotone had to wonder if Ayano was even impressed at all.

Still, the day proceeded as normally after that, and when it came time to go home, Kotone packed her notebooks and material into her backpack and started to head back home. She escorted Megumi back home and waved goodbye towards her friend, before heading towards her house. When she entered inside, she took off her shoes and greeted her parents while she entered through. Then she made her way into the room, where she was prepared to study, though something unexpected that threw her off.

The hallucination from earlier was still there.

Why was she still seeing this silly hallucination? It wasn’t real. She really needed to make sure she got proper sleep tonight instead of pulling another all-nighter.

“C-Could...could you help me please?” the ghost said, her eyes fixated on the ground.

So now it was talking to her. Great. She really needed to do something about this.

“You’re not real,” Kotone muttered as she went to her desk and pulled out her notebooks for English. She looked up the vocabulary words then wrote down the words that she needed to know along with their definitions on a sheet of paper. Then she transferred these notes onto notecards, with the English word on one side and the Japanese definition on the other side.

“Please!” a voice said right in her ear. “I need your help! Only you can possibly help me with this. Help me, please, I’m begging you!”

“You’re not real!” Kotone said before swatting at the ghost. Her hand struck against a chill spot in the air and sent the spirit soaring through the wall.

Kotone held her breath for a few moments. She only let out a pent up sigh of relief when the hallucination didn’t return.

“Kotone-chan? Are you alright?” her mother called up from downstairs.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Kotone said, flushing a little. She must’ve been louder than she thought. At any rate, enough was enough. She needed proper sleep to regulate her biorhythms and hopefully get rid of the hallucinations permanently. Yes, sleep sounded good right now; and by tomorrow, she would be free of all hallucinations. Or at least that’s what she believed.