"Where did you pick him up from?" Daniel asks glaring at Toshio Ikeda.
"I think he was the one who screamed" Ren answers. I sit beside Ren and eat bread.
"Adira?" Daniel looks at me.
I smile with a mouthful of bread. "What he said."
Daniel snatches the bread out of my hands and bites into it. "Don't steal my food." he grumbles.
"Yah!" I send him the death look but don't move. "I threw his things into the stream."
"Good job!" Daniel and I high five.
"Shouldn't we just shoot him?" Quantum asks.
"Yes but I think Chikara-chan brought him along because it's dangerous to be by yourself." Quasar says what he thinks.
"Not even close" I throw a pinch of snow in his direction. "I brought him so that he can be our shooting target."
"Isn't that too mean?" Ren asks concerned.
"They didn't say how we get the points so this is totally kind." I reply grabbing a paintball gun.
"But he's totally defenseless!" Ren sulks.
"The best time to shoot him" I aim at Toshio's vest.
"But-"
"Fine. If you buy whatever snacks I want when we get back then I won't shoot him."
"Okay." Ren agrees to my request.
"Daniel you go that?"
"Yup loud and clear." He answers fiddling with his silver necklace.
"Good." I put down the gun and grab some left over food. I go and sit by a tree in deep thought.
[Murder suspect] Astrid says lazily.
I make a mini-me inside my head and enter her luxury house. A woman who looks like the older and taller of me is laying on a comfy grey cirlcular loveseat which looks more like bed than a sofa. Astrid has red hair, dark purple eyes and pale white skin which has a grey hue to it.
Astrid eats purple grapes from who knows where. She doesn't even look up when I enter.
'So you suspect it too?'
[Of course. I am smarter than you.] Astird talks lazily through mind link.
'If you're smarter than me then should we kill him?'
[Let's play with him some more. And cheer up it's not everyday that you compete with total strangers]
'Why did I even bother to come to you?' I mutter to myself.
[Because you're stupid]
'Says the one who can't shift into her true form' I cross my arms.
[You!]
'Don't get so worked up Astrid. We'll see Orion in a bit' I smile and turn to leave.
[Good] Astrid says gently.
She has really taken a liking to my brother but it's a good thing it's only like siblings.
Mini-me vanishes and I come back to the real world with my eyes closed. I start to quietly meditate to clear my mind.
. . . . . .
Later in the day around 3 o'clock.
"Are you sure people would come up here?" Aito asks with doubts.
"Yes" Daniel and I answer for the 10th time.
"Okay just asking. You don't have to be grumpy about it." Aito murmurs. "I-."
"Say one more thing and I'll throw you in." I threaten Aito cutting off his sentence.
Aito looks down and gulps seeing the river which is iced over. "I'd rather not." he gulps.
I grab him by the shoulders and shake him.
"Ah! Don't!" He yells in fright. He grips onto me.
"Relax scaredy cat." I laugh patting his back.
"My god Chikara. Don't do that again."
"Okay, okay."
We start walking up the mountain again. Another hour passes and nothing happens until we have a break.
Bang!
A shot is fired.
Out of habit I duck since I wan't prepared. I whip my head around to look at Toshio Ikeda but he's just as shocked we are.
"F*ck!" I curse knowing another student has died. I look at Daniel to see he's looking at Toshio.
"Another one!" Aito whines.
"Who do you think it is this time?" Quasar asks.
"Zuoka." Quantum, Daniel, Aito and I reply.
"Why?" Ren asks.
"Because no one likes boys." I answer.
"What?!"
"Just kidding." I roll my eyes seeing them getting worked up. "Let's start preparing camp for the night."
"Okay."
I grab the pocket knife from my pocket and grab my paintball and go into the forest with Ren behind me.
"Are you going to kill another bear?" Ren asks excited.
"No this time I think I'll just stick to little things."
"Who do you think is the one killing people and how did Ikeda-kun evade him?"
"Who knows but be careful." I warn him.
"Okay." Ren replies.
I catch some small like some small Iizuna which is hokkaido's subspecies of weasals and red squirrels before walking back to camp.
"Are you sure we're allowed to kill the animals?" Ren asks.
"Nope but like I said Daniel will pay for the damages and besides I know somene who has a farm of these little critters." I say holding up the white weasal.
"Really?"
"Yes. Uncle Louie and his wife loved seeing some of Hokkaido's snow animals so they started to look after and breed them like you would dogs but they don't sell any they instead keep them for if the species start to go extinct they can bring it back." I explain.
"Who's uncle Louie?"
"My mothers second eldest brother."
"You have such a big family."
"Yes. It takes a lot of effort to remember everyone's names but other than that it's nice to know that I have a ton of people to beat up and can call it teaching."
"You're evil." Ren shakes his head.
"It runs in the family." I laugh. "No but seriously about a million years ago there was actually an ancestor who was evil and wanted to take over both worlds but then the family and the gargoyles put a stop to them."
"Gargoyles?"
"Stone-like creatures."
"Yes but how can they stop a queen?"
"Don't worry you'll probably never see them in your life." I pat his shoulder. We arrive in camp and I hand the squirrels and weasals to Daniel since I'm too lazy to cook.
Daniel cooks the animals and serves it to us. After we eat everyone except Quasar goes to bed since Quasar's on night watch.
"Remember to wake me first if anything happens." I warn him for the 6th time.
"Chikara-chan don't worry, everything will be fine." Quasar reassures me.
I turn over and go to sleep not knowing that today will be our last day together as a group.