Chapter 1

“Yuki!”
Yuki turns and smiles at her friends as they come walking towards her.
“Hey you two!”
She waits for her two friends to catch up before they start walking together to school.
“So Yuki, you ready for that test today in Chemistry?”
Yuki looks at her friend in surprise.
“That’s today?”
The brunette, Rika, nods her head.
“Yup, it’s been on the board for a week now.”
Yuki groans and runs her fingers through her dark brown hair.
“Why does it have to be today…”

Her friends lightly laugh and the three enter the school building.
“Well, at least you’ve got some time until then. Third period is still a few hours away.”
Yuki nods her head and waves to another friend by her locker.
“Hey Kano.”
Kano waves back.
“Morning Yuki.”
Kano opens her locker and begins gathering her things together for her class.

“So, are you going to study or just blow it off like you usually do?”
Yuki looks back at her blonde friend, Miu.
“I’ll look it over and see if I think I can manage it.”
Yuki’s two friends lightly laugh, knowing that means she’ll blow it off.
“Well, I’ll see you guys later.”
“All right, see you later Yuki.”
They wave and part ways to their classes.

Yuki takes a seat at her desk and pulls out the list of things that’s going to be covered on the Chemistry test. She groans lightly at the very small amount of concepts she understood well.
“No point in studying. There’s no way I’ll understand enough of them in time.”
She puts the list away and pulls out her stuff for her first class.

After school, she meets up with her two friends and the three walk home together.
“So, were we right?”
Yuki looks at the brunette.
“Right about what, Rika?”
Rika smiles.
“That you just blew off studying for the test.”
Yuki bites her lip.
“Aha, we were right.”
The two friends laugh at Yuki, who starts to pout.
“Will you two stop it?”
Her two friends just laugh more.
“You know we’re just playing with you.”
Yuki sighs and smiles slightly.
“Yeah, but you don’t have to rub it in.”

“Hey Miu, we’re still going shopping Friday night, right?”
The blonde nods.
“Yup. I was thinking that afterwards, we can go someplace for some karaoke.”
Rika smiles brightly.
“That sounds like a great idea!”
Yuki nods.
“Yeah, that would be a lot of fun.”
Miu looks at Yuki.
“Invite Kano will you? You know her best, and I’d like her to come along.”
“Sure, she’d enjoy it. She doesn’t get out all that much, since her mother’s been ill.”
Miu nods in response.

The three stop at a fork in the road.
“Well, see you tomorrow.”
Yuki waves as she goes down the left hand path and the others take the right hand path. As she walks, her thoughts go to what’ll happen on Friday.
“Oh, I just can’t wait for it.”
Walking along the tops of houses is a figure in all black, watching her and studying her. It follows her to her house and watches her go inside. The front door closes behind her and the figure waits a few minutes before continuing on.