ESP Escapades
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Chapter 1: School Rumors And Shadows
I
Minami, a pink-haired girl with spiky pigtails that ended in yellow tips, followed Hotaru, a short-cropped brunette girl carrying a stack of books to the library. She lingered just out of sight, and she hated herself for being sneaky about this, though something about Hotaru was troubling her, and Minami wanted to find out what it was. Hotaru returned the books to the librarian, who greeted Hotaru with a gracious smile, to which Hotaru beamed ear to ear and bowed.

“Thank you so much for the books, they were super enlightening!” Hotaru said while she gave a salute. “I will come back and not stop until I’ve read all the books, wall to wall!’

“That is admirable,” the librarian said, stocking the thick tomes back in their indexed spaces in the school library. “Reading nourishes the mind and helps you grow to be your best self. It leads to empowerment and growth. The seeds of tomorrow are sown by this year’s young generation.”

“I like how you think,” Hotaru said with a wink, her tongue sticking out, and Minami’s lips quirked into a bit of a smile at that. Hotaru’s larger-than-life presence involved her befriending people around the school and helping others—which was a good quality. Minami had nothing but respect for that.

Though there was something that was itching at the edge of Minami’s mind, and…

“Well, I gotta go!” Hotaru said, her voice echoing toward Minami’s ears in the hallway, who lingered just outside, back pressed to the wall and her heart thudding in her chest. “Got places to go, people to see, that kind of thing! Have a good day, Ma’am, and hopefully, I’ll write something that will be a household name!”

The librarian waved goodbye to Hotaru, to which Minami ducked out of sight as Hotaru rushed out of the library and made her way to the school rooftop, where a group of giggling girls followed her. Minami sensed trouble and followed them as she heard them whispering.

“Hey, did you hear about that brunette girl up ahead?” one girl said. “The Legendary Sucker?”

“Yeah, yeah,” another girl said as she popped and chewed gum. “She thinks she’s so smart! Smarter than us!”

Another girl cracked her knuckles together. “Well just have to persuade her to give us a donation to a good cause…which will pay for our cosmetics and other things.”

Minami frowned as she decided to step up. "You really should leave," she said, she was loud enough that Hotaru looked up and saw her back.

"Oh? And why should we do that?" one of the bully girls asked. "Because I will not allow you to talk about my friend that way," Minami said as she stretched her arms apart to take up more space to stop the bullies from passing her.

"We just want to ask Hotaru for some money for our sick family member," the second bully said, as she looked over Minami’s shoulder at Hotaru.

"Oh please... You don't have any sick family members. You just want to take her money to buy something for yourself," Minami sneered as she got angry at the bullies.

"So what? She is stupid enough to give it to us. Why shouldn't we take it? She doesn't need the money either way" the last of the trio sneered, disgust lacing her voice.

Hotaru listened with shock. She had been aware that the 'sick family member' was just an excuse but she hadn't yet realized that her actions had encouraged the three girls even more. The light in her eyes dimmed as she thought for a moment.

"Sorry, but I don't have any money to give to you..." Hotaru said as she walked to Minami.

Everyone looked at her in surprise. It had been the first time she declined to help after all.

"What do you mean?" the leader of the bullies asked as he balled her fists.

"I mean that I don't want to be bullied by you anymore. I don't mind to skip a meal if that means I can help someone. But giving it to you would not be helping anyone. I fear it might encourage you even further and who knows of what you would do in the future" Hotaru said as she gripped the back of Minami’s shirt tightly.

“Hotaru gave you the money because she is honest to God an innocent young girl and believes that bullies like you can be reformed through kindness. Kill ‘em through kindness, or something like that, is the saying?” Minami frowned at the bullies. “I, however, am not as nice as Hotaru. Leave. Or else I will make you. Your choice.”

The leader laughed. “So what are you gonna do? Beat us to death? Three against two—there’s a clear winner here honey. Can you math?”

“Between the shared brain cells of you three, I would be more than a match for you,” Minami said with a frown. “I wanted to talk things out, maybe resolve things peacefully, but I dunno, I guess I don’t go Hotaru’s route of all that love and tolerate BS when it comes to you bullies. You guys are rotten to the core.”

There was a stare-down before the leader of the bullies looked away first and huffed.

“Whatever, it’s so not worth it. Take your stupid money bag, Hotaru. It’s not our fault that we can take your money like taking candy from a baby.”

“Ah,” Minami said, knuckling her hands into fists. “You’re pissing me off. I can only have so much love and tolerance in my body before I beat the shit out of you assholes!”

“Minami-chan!” Hotaru said, running toward her best friend and reaching out toward her with a cry. “No violence, remember?”

“Trust me, Hotaru, I’m doing this for your sake,” Minami said before she pounded the two girls that bum-rushed her on the ground with her fists before she went to the leader, who was trembling in her overpriced boots. “Now if you don’t want your face to look like yesterday’s hamburger meat, I suggest you leave Hotaru alone and never. Bother her. Again.”

“Minami-chan, stop!” Hotaru said as she shook her head. “They can’t help that they come from a poor upbringing where their parents didn’t teach them a proper moral code to treat others with respect and kindness and not to exploit people for their agenda! There’s probably a sad backstory somewhere…”

Minami groaned while the bullying leader girl looked confused. “Pardon?”

“This girl grew up with a really privileged life and had all the money in the world, but she felt empty on the inside because no one wanted her for her friendship, they wanted her for her money, I guess, or something, and she found two friends that stuck by her side though really she wanted people to boss around because her mom would boss her around and her dad was never home because he was busy making money—“

“How is that a sad backstory?” Minami roared. “That’s as tame as it gets!”

“And then one day,” Hotaru continued on her spiel, getting absorbed in her backstory creation. “The leader of the girls formed a posse and picked on people at school because she was lashing out because…yes! She has Daddy issues!”

“It’s nothing like that!” the bully girl said, though her cheeks became flushed in anger.

“She has Daddy issues,” Hotaru said in a dramatic whisper. “Because he gave her a spanking for not eating her vegetables. ‘Eat your vegetables,’ he said. ‘No!’ she said. ‘Then fine’ her Daddy said. ‘I will force-feed you vegetables whether you like them or not, no steak for you!’.”

“Whatever, I’m going, I’m going,” the leader of the bullies said, the whole schoolyard watching as she dragged her two besties with her as they lay unconscious.

Minami cracked her knuckles again before she turned to look toward Hotaru with a gentler look.

“Hotaru…”

Hotaru bowed her head in shame.

“That was stupid of me, huh?”

Minami placed her hand on Hotaru’s shoulders.

“Listen, Hotaru. You are a good girl. You are a kind girl. You are a smart girl. But giving in to the bullies like that, giving them what they want—that’s not right. That only encourages their behavior, and they would only take and take and take until you had nothing left.”

Hotaru nodded, tears coming to her eyes. “I know. I just…wanted to do some good…without fighting…without causing trouble. I just wanted to make friends, you know?”

Minami nodded, before saying. “You have a friend in me, Hotaru-chan. I will always be your friend, no matter what.”

Hotar looked up, saying, “What were you doing there, anyway?”

“I thought something was up,” Minami said with a frown as she looked off toward the distance where the trio of bullies retreated. “I didn’t want it to escalate further. Seriously, those girls would do more than just take your money. They would only get worse the route you were going. I mean, as much as I like the idea that everyone is a good, kind, noble person…not everyone is like that…you see?”

Hotaru bit her lip and said nothing.

“I know that…not everyone is good. That there could potentially be some bad eggs out there,” Hotaru whispered. “But…I thought that…anyone could be reformed…if someone took some time to truly understand them…”

Minami gazed deeply into Hotaru’s eyes, putting her hands on her shoulders. “Hotaru, you don’t have to go the extra mile for those prissy bitches. Look, I know that…everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, even those assholes, but I won’t abide them picking on my best friend!”

“Minami, you’re so fierce,” Hotaru said with a grin as she squeezed out happy tears from her eyes. “You’re my hero! I wish I could be strong like you. Sometimes I don’t have it in me to say no, even if I know it’s against my betterment. I was always taught to be kind, you know?”

“This is a tough love lesson,” Minami said as she cracked her knuckles again as her eyes darted back toward where the trio of bullies had long retreated away from, probably going to send more of their groupies after them or yes-men. “Just remember…kindness is a virtue. It’s a nice attribute and I wish I had the heart that you have, Hotaru. Sometimes, you gotta be tough, and not give in to bullies. Sometimes a peaceful resolution can be found, but sometimes it can’t. But really, the choice is down to you…but I’m letting you know…I’m prepared to throw down hands on those girls.”

Hotaru giggled.

“Oh Minami-chan, you don’t have to. I think I can take care of myself from now on. I mean, those girls, did you see those expressions on their faces? They didn’t expect that, I bet!”

Minami smiled and rubbed a hand on Hotaru’s crown of her head. “You did a fantastic job standing up for yourself and I couldn’t be prouder. Though maybe we should go before the hordes of mindless sycophants get to us.”

Hotaru nodded, and Minami guided Hotaru toward a secluded spot in the school lot where they could be safe from prying eyes. There was a tree there that said that people would confess their love to one another, and usually people left this spot alone. It was an unspoken rule among the student body that they left this place alone, and Minami thought that this was where they could go if they wanted to avoid those assholes.

“Um, Minami-chan,” Hotaru said as a slight blush tinged her cheeks. “You do know where we’re at, right?”

“I know,” Minami said. “Hopefully we’ll be left alone here, people don’t usually bother other students in this place. We might not be using it for the right purposes, but it’s our hiding place for now to help keep those pricks off of you.”

“R-Right,” Hotaru said, laughing nervously before she fidgeted with the ends of her school skirt. “Of course.”

Minami looked toward Hotaru carefully, before she cleared her throat. She might’ve put them in an awkward situation, or maybe she made an accidental confession to Hotaru. She wanted to think of a way to respect Hotaru’s feelings while not putting in the idea that she was making an actual confession, though before she could do that, they heard a loud shriek across the school grounds.

Upon going out to investigate, they saw the school bully running out terrified of her mind before she eventually collapsed in the middle of the school grounds with her hair in disarray. Though Minami sensed something unusual—a shadow seemed to be hovering over the school bully, before it detached itself and jumped and leaped off to God knows where. Her eyes widened at the sight.

“Hotaru…” Minami said with a trembling edge in her voice. “Did you…”

“I saw,” Hotaru said with the same widened eyes before she swallowed. “Do you think…?”

“I knew there were legends in the school,” Minami whispered, looking at the fallen bully who was foaming at the mouth. Even though Minami found distaste for the bully for bullying her best friend, she had to check whether she was all right out of moral obligation. She would not sink to the bully’s level by leaving her to be done in by…whatever that thing was. “But some people say there is a shadow that can move by itself and jump from person to person.”

“Do you think it possesses people?” Hotaru said, biting her lip. “Maybe the bullies were not acting on their own, but…”

Minami shook her head.

“I don’t believe those bullies had your best interests at heart, Hotaru. It’s better to be cautious of them, remember? I know you want to think the best of people, but we can’t blame everything on supernatural phenomena for other people’s bad behavior.”

“But we both saw it, right?” Hotaru said. “We stood witness to something really important. I say that we investigate it further. There might be something in the school library that could give us answers to it.”

“Well, as much as I would love to leave this bully to hang to dry in the sun and make her manicured skin crack, I think we should take her to the nurse’s office first,” Minami said thoughtfully. “Looks like she’ll be out cold for a while.”

Minami hefted the girl over her shoulder fireman style, not caring if she jostled or jolted the girl along the way to the Infirmary. Hotaru lingered behind Minami, looking cautiously for any of the sycophants that followed the groupies around, and saw that the coast was clear. Once they made their way to the Infirmary, they explained the situation to the school nurse (keeping out the supernatural aspect), especially with Hotaru’s trouble with a group of three girls who bullied her and took her money. The school nurse nodded, before telling them that they had a welcome refuge in the Infirmary if they needed a place to stay or rest or have someone to talk to if anyone started to act up around them.

Once this situation was cleared up, Minami and Hotaru immediately rushed to the library, also clarifying the bully situation with the Librarian about Hotaru’s situation. The Librarian said that she would look out for the bullies and keep an extra careful eye on them if she ever saw them, and Minami and Hotaru were extra grateful for the adult’s assistance in matters. Then they wandered the library, hoping to find information on the mysterious phenomena that they just witnessed.

“Well, let’s see, there is a ghost stories section and an urban folklore section in the library,” Hotaru whispered to Minami. “Maybe we should check there first.”

“Right,” Minami said, going to the section that Hotaru just described and scanning the shelves. “Do you think we should look up something about spirit possession, if, in fact, that is the case between the shadow that we saw that was overcoming the bully?”

“I think spiritual possession would be a good place to start,” Hotaru said with a smile, slipping out a book and holding it out to her chest. “Why don’t we read this one first?”

Minami checked the title, which was Spooky Possessions And Hauntings in Tokyo, by the author Takara Yukimura. She clucked her tongue as she glanced at the author’s bio page, which showed a handsome blond-haired man with longish golden hair, pretty violet eyes, and a slender face with a sharp defined jaw. He wore a crisp violet blue suit in his portrait, and his eyes seemed to twinkle with mischief in his author portraiture.

“He’s only sixteen years old and he’s got something published?” Minami murmured, feeling rather impressed. “Though I feel that name is familiar somehow…”

“You’re right,” Hotaru said as she leaned forward and whispered excitedly to Minami. “He’s the leader of an organization known as PsiCo, who deal with paranormal problems and investigations, whether large or small.”

Minami pursed her lips, not liking the idea of a paranormal bent in things, though after what she witnessed, it was far too surreal and unusual to be disregarded. But before contacting this paranormal team to investigate the school, maybe they should stake out and hunt for the mysterious shadow after school while researching possible lore on where it came from and what it does.

There was a constant prickle at the back of her neck, as though she felt someone were watching her. Minami cast her eyes across the library and found their particular area empty. Minami shivered. She couldn’t help but feel on edge, especially after seeing that shadow. What was it, and what was the meaning of it?

“So that shadow we saw,” Minami whispered in a low undertone so that they wouldn’t be overheard by prying ears. “Do you think it’s a ghost or a demon or…”

“That’s what we’re going to be finding out,” Hotaru said cheerfully, flipping open a page in the book and going to index that she seemed well familiar with. “Aha! I thought he’d have it. He wrote about one of the Seven Wonders of the school that we’re in, and he noted that there was a shadow that could detach itself and wander from place to place without anything holding it in place like normal shadows.”

“Is there any more stories about that shadow, besides it being an unusual shadow that wanders off on its own?”

“It seems to feed off of people’s emotional energy,” Hotaru said as she noted more from Takara Yukimura’s book on the paranormal. Let me think…I believe that there’s something more that we can research in this one Index of Forbidden Tomes…but that’s not something that you acquire through normal means.”

Minami blinked, before she gazed at Hotaru.

“As a proud bibliophile, there’s a book that you haven’t read?”

Hotaru laughed a bit. “It’s supposed to be Books On Magic apparently, but I wasn’t sure if they were real or not. They were sort of an Urban Legend on the Internet forums and stuff, and well, you know, we as a human species are pretty much in denial about a lot of stuff. Even if magic did exist, or psychic powers, or ghosts, or whatever…would anyone ever really believe us that we saw a weird shadow that came darting off of someone?”

Minami pounded a hand into her fist, before saying, “Well, even if no one believes us, we must help the student body out. Even if the first victim was your bully…we can’t let her or anyone else get hurt. We have a moral obligation to help out and protect the student body, from things like this, though I’m not sure if the adults would believe us. But it might be safe to discuss it with someone we can confide to, like the nurse and the Librarian. I’m sure they’re our allies in matters.”

“What a crazy day,” Hotaru murmured as she continued looking through the book by Takara Yukimura. “But you know what, it reminds me of a ghost story from a long time ago that we used to tell one another as kids.”

Minami’s lips quirked a bit at that. “The one about the poltergeist?”

“Yeah, it was a story about things flying around in the room, and things intensified. The people living in the apartment tried to stay things through, though the poltergeist activity only got worse and more intense as time went on. Finally, they sent an exorcist to send final rites to the ghost haunting the place, and it turns out that the poltergeist was not a ghost but the developing psychic powers of a young teenage girl.”

“If things like this exist,” Minami whispered in awe. “Why don’t more people believe in them, seriously? I know that humanity as a species can be a little dense at times, but when provided with evidence of something unusual or something that contraposes their original beliefs, don’t you think they should adjust their worldview accordingly?”

“We’ve always been a species in denial,” Hotaru said sadly. “Even if there is convincing evidence of something existing or a dire need for a paradigm shift, humanity would rather cover their ears and shout to block out whatever their minds don’t want to hear or see. I know that you love ghost stories as much as I do, Minami…and we have a special bond over them as kids.”

“I remember,” Minami said. “Though we should tell the librarian about our findings.”

“Okay, I think that is sensible,” Hotaru said in a low voice. “She is quite busy though and has other students to tend to…so we might have to investigate this ourselves. However I think having an adult supervisor overlooking the project would give us the help we need to help us catch this ‘shadow’.”

“All right,” Minami said. “We’re going to be catching some shadows.”