In the morning the fear began.

  Stranger danger! Stranger danger!

  Did I really let a complete stranger touch me while opening forbidden boxes for her and muttering a weird chant? I’d never seen that woman on campus before, and she hadn’t been carrying an ID badge either.

  If I get possessed today I deserve it. I cocooned myself in my blanket, gaze fastened on my left arm.

  Plus I’d let Vi into the house while she’d been working under a suspicious business. That heightened the alarm in me a tad more. Maybe I don’t know Vi as much as I think I do.

  Should I report Frog-Eater? I don’t even know her name.

  What if I do and she finds out?

  I groped for a can of coffee to smooth my nerves. My hand only grasped air. Goshdarnit, Vi.

  My drinks were lined up in a row. Not properly scattered on the floor like mere days ago. “This is too efficient.”

  The doorbell rang.

  I bundled my covers closer, finding it hard to breathe. Who’s that? What do I do, what do I do?

  The silence felt deafening. I need a weapon. House key? Kitchen knife? Construction tool? I yanked myself out of bed, put on slippers, and dashed to the garage. I fumbled until I found my dad’s toolbox.

  Slab of steel on a wood stick. Hammer. It would have to do. With my luck I figured I might stab myself with a knife, also I’d never stabbed anyone before, and a house key didn’t exactly have reach.

  Creeping across carpet and tile, I hefted the weapon with one hand while unlocking the door with the other. My heart thumped. Gotta get in a few swings. Bust a kneecap. The door swung wide.

  It was my dad.

  “Dad!” The hammer clunked to the floor, forgotten. I tackled him and flung my arms around him. “Where you been? You almost gave me cardiac arrest, sheesh!”

  “Hey. Cece.” My dad ruffled my hair as I grinned up at him.

  He had lines on his tanned face and bags under his eyes. He still had on his navy blue shirt and pants. Most telling, Dad combed as a habit, but his dark crew cut was messy like he’d been sleeping on his side.

  I grabbed his service hat under his arm and the star he’d clipped to his belt. “Big case huh? It’s been, what, three days?”

  I awkwardly fetched the hammer and he raised an eyebrow.

  “Yup. Multiple missing people.” He sighed. “Were you building something?”

  “Oh yeah. I—ah—” I fumbled. I should explain. “Tried to. Threw it away,” I finished lamely.

  He stepped in and smiled, but it was an exhausted one. “As long as you do your best and have fun, it doesn’t matter, right?”

  Doing my best never paid any bills, I thought, hunching my shoulders. I nodded though.

  “Come on, let’s find Mom. Did you have breakfast?” He strode forwards, big steps, and I had no choice but to run to keep up.

  “I was gonna. We can eat together. Can I ask you some things?” My insides twisted at loading more problems on my dad’s plate. It’s important though.

  My dad approached the white walls of my mom’s and my room. “Sure, what’s going on—Cecelia!”

  I jumped at the surprise in his voice. His eyes had locked onto an open entrance. My door stood ajar.

  He rubbed his eyes and walked closer. “Is this for real? Did you clean your room?”

  “Uh…”

  A big, warm smile spread across his face. He draped an arm over me. “That’s my girl! You’re growing up. Finally started listening to me, did you?”

  My cheeks warmed. I waved a hand. “Aw, y’know me, it’ll be back to normal in a week.”

  He shook his head and chuckled. “I always tell you, small steps make big habits. What counts is that you’re making progress.”

  “You said that like once. When I was twelve.”

  He steered me to my mom’s room—not that I could do anything with his big arm around me. He rubbed Mom’s shoulder while I gave her her meds. “Hey, kitty-cat, you won’t believe this! Cecelia cleaned her room!”

  We both jerked back as Mom, with great effort, pulled herself up the bed and opened her eyes, yawning. “That’s great. I think I can make it to breakfast today.”

  Since Mom could join us, the mood was a holiday party. Our table was laid very basic— corn flakes for me, scrambled eggs, toast—but it was nice. For a minute. Queasiness set in as I grappled with how to approach sharing the whole slew of recent goings-ons.

  Mom was asking Dad. “How’s work?”

  “Terrible. Leads going nowhere. We’ve done interviews and combed the streets. I agree with the other inspectors. Those kids must’ve gone hiking in the woods.”

  I piped in. “Which one? Golden Gate? Muir Woods?”

  Head shake from Dad. “Don’t know. We sent two rangers but it’s been radio silence for days.” He ran a hand through his hair, continuing to Mom. “The students might as well have dropped off the face of the earth. I can’t imagine how their parents are feeling. You know—they’re Cecelia’s age. High schoolers.”

  The toaster dinged. While Dad went to fetch his bread, I butt in. “Speaking of strange. Have you seen anyone acting weird lately? You know Vi from the cafe? I saw her dressed as a maid.”

  Mom kept shoveling eggs as if I had been discussing the weather. “Neh. She works part-time for a cleaning company. Clients from old Japanese and European families. They’re very traditional.”

  “Oh.” I had read about aristocrats but, like unicorns, they didn’t exist in my mind. “Uber-rich guys.” This made me mad for some reason. Go hire someone else. Stop taking my maid from me!

  Dad chuckled once, but that was about it.

  “What about a woman in a white fur?” I prodded hesitantly. “Blond with blue eyes?”

  At the kitchen counter, Dad raised an eyebrow. But not about that. He had opened up the dishwasher and held up a badly bent bronze spoon. “Did you buy this?”

  I nearly choked on my cereal. “I—found it in J-Town. Limited edition.” Technically the truth.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Try not to jam up the washer.” Dad scratched his chin. “Blond woman in white? Nope, sorry kiddo. I’ll keep an eye out. Why?”

  “I saw her at school. You know the police explorers program?”

  He cocked an eyebrow again. “Slow down. Did you change your mind? You want to apply now?”

  “I wouldn’t make it. Fitness test.” I flexed my arm to show my biceps, or lack thereof.

  Dad was focusing very hard like he had another case to crack. “You know, I heard Officer Irwin is the new head of that program. We work together sometimes. I could put in a good word—”

  “My friend Sven—Never mind,” I said quickly. I’m going to put way too much on Dad’s mind now.

  Mom furrowed her eyebrows as she spotted the spoon. She looked from it, to my room, to me, and her eyes widened as if coming to a realization. “Cecelia, I need to tell you something important. You’re going through an important stage in your life.”

  My dad’s face grew serious. Game-face serious. He settled in his seat and crossed his arms. “Is it time for The Talk?”

  That doesn’t sound good. I leaned back in my chair, palms sweaty.

  Mom made a small yawn. She patted my shoulder. “Have you ever thought anything strange was happening to you?”

  “Oh yeah. Loads. You wouldn’t believe it.”

  She nodded. Hesitated. Delicately, as if I was a brittle piece of chinaware, she said, “You’re becoming an adult. Your brain chemistry and body are going through big changes. You won’t be the same. You’re going to have new experiences, new feelings, and have to—live differently.”

  Not this again. First Vi, now Mom and Dad? Is there a grown-ups playbook for this? I’m not like other kids! I don’t follow no stinking script! I folded my arms.

  “Do you know those manga you love to read?” Mom hesitated, apparently noticing my peeved expression. “Have you ever thought about if they were real?”

  I stared. “No. What am I, an idiot?”

  “Of course not, honey.” She gave a bigger yawn and blinked several times, resting her chin on her hands to not go kaput. I took her utensils on her plate so she wouldn’t poke herself. She shot Dad a look, who nodded, egging her on. “I know I did when I was your age. Kami, historical myths, and monsters—”

  “Oh no no no.” I put up my hands in a double stop-sign. My eyes darted towards Kojiki and the mounds of books near my tidy laundry basket. “This is about responsibility, isn’t it?” The R-word was metallic on my tongue. “Look, I get it. I daydream a lot. I need to get a life. Get a date. Go adulting.”

  “Um, no.” Her lips pursed and she rubbed her temple. “I mean, yes. We do want you to be safe. You see, you and I, we’re not like others. There are certain things about us that many won’t understand. We are not people, exactly. Not in their eyes.”

  I wrinkled my face like I was having a real bad time in the toilet. “What’s that mean? I’m not a normal person?”

  She sighed. Her forehead creased. “Where can I start? I’m afraid this will be too much for you. I remember everything came as a big shock for me back then.”

  “What do you mean we’re not people?” Heat was rising in me. I balled my fists and speared scrambled eggs. “Just because I can’t talk how people want, or think how they do, or be exactly like everyone else in my age group, doesn’t make me less of a person!”

  Mom swerved to Dad with a quizzical expression, and he gave a helpless shrug. He muttered, “Let’s be direct about it?”

  I snapped to my mom, “Yes, let’s be direct. This is about comparing me to your miko days, isn’t it? You’ve told me already. You went from Shinto shrine maiden, to meeting dad, to working as a waitress, and then at the office, and then settling down. And now I have to fit in a box too.”

  Mom shook her head. She was closing her eyes, head nodding off like her plate was a pillow. “You’re overthinking everything, sweetie. You’re a yo—”

  My phone rang.

  I was startled into silence. The caller ID showed Sven. Without thinking my thumb hit the call button. “Yo? What’s up?”

  Sven’s voice was tense. “We need to talk.”

  “Sure man, meet you at the usual—”

  “I’ll pick you up. No time to explain.” He hung up.

  I scratched my head. “It’s Sven. He’s picking me up.” I left my chair and moved to Mom’s side. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” After a moment, I added, “I’m sorry. For getting mad.”

  She leaned against me as I braced every ounce of my weight to support her. She mumbled a word in Japanese but I couldn’t quite hear her as I bonked my shin against the table and yelped at the sting. “Flipping lemon cakes.”

  Dad rose to help but of course his own phone rang. He picked up and listened intently. “Uh-huh. I’ll be right there.”

  He hurriedly put on his hat and helped me set Mom away. “I’ve got to go. They need me for a long while.” He patted me on the back. “Go get ‘em, tiger. Don’t worry about the competition.”

  “Dad!” I groaned. “You’re getting everything wrong. I literally don’t care—”

  “Have a good time at school!” He strode off, lips twitching as he held back a smile.

  ***

  “Uh, where are we going?” I watched glass skyscrapers whiz by from the window in Sven’s car.

  This wasn’t the way to campus.

  “Apartment,” Sven grunted.

  “You forget something?”

  He was peeling turns fast, tearing down narrow, zigzag streets and past company billboards. He hadn’t spoken since I’d strapped on my seatbelt. “You could say that. I’m missing an important piece for my school project.”

  “Aw man. Don’t worry. It’s cool as long as we make it.” A light sprinkle pattered against glass. Alicia twisted in the seat beside Sven and fixed me with what I swear was a withering gaze of disapproval.

  Sven squeezed the car into a hulking public garage. We had to wind down to a floor until he reversed into a free spot. “Hate finding parking.”

  When an army brat complains, you know he’s in the rice cooker. A trickle of unease ran down my back. I struggled to follow Sven and Alicia up stairs—they fast-walked—and through a door Sven clicked open with a key.

  “Whew! Haven’t been here in a while.” I heaved and leaned an arm against the nearest wall to catch my breath. The lights were dim. Shutters were closed. He’s been studying?

  “Sit.” Sven indicated with a finger to his left.

  There was only one table in that direction so I knew what he meant. Bro had a model home with nothing extra. I padded on white carpet in my socks, then slid on wood tile to a kitchen which held cabinets and a fridge. “Ali had her food yet?”

  Sven had placed a blue bowl for Alicia in the middle of the floor. I had to navigate around it to sit at the dining table. Empty. Dang, he hasn’t even had time to feed Ali?

  Sven opened a cabinet. I was hit with the pungent odor of tuna. I raised a hand. “Can I give her milk?”

  His lips tightened. “If you want. Doesn’t matter.” His tone had venom in it. He adjusted his black jacket front. I heard metal clinking in the coat as he bent down and poured cat food for Alicia. She meowed and ate, eyeing me with suspicion as I watched her.

  I skittered to the fridge and poured her a little saucer of milk before hopping back in my seat. To my delight Alicia licked a few drops. “Where’s your project—”

  “Cecelia!” Sven slammed his fist onto the table as he sat facing me. I whipped my head over. His eyes were dark and flashing.

  “‘Sup?”

  He uttered the most terrifying three words in my life.

  “Where’s the book?”

  My heart thudded wildly. I opened and closed my mouth. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  Idiot, I immediately thought to myself.

  He crossed his arms. His voice was a low growl, calm but hiding violence. “Seriously?”

  “Okay, okay!” My throat was tight. My mind blanked. Sven’s glare was like lasers searing into me. I blurted, “I admit it! I took Kojiki! I was at Kinokuniya! I saw it! I didn’t mean to do anything bad, I swear!”

  Sven raised an eyebrow. The fury in his eyes faded a little as he looked to the side, thinking. “That’s a confession. What do you think, Ali?”

  “I think she’s an idiot.”

  A second female voice had come out of nowhere, behind me. Scratchy and rough.

  I jumped in my seat and screamed. “Fuuudge! What was that?” Hurriedly, I twisted in my chair and my jaw dropped.

  A girl I’d never seen in my life had appeared. Short, almost as much as me, with black hair in a ponytail, and fierce, emerald green eyes. She stood covered fully in a black outfit that reminded me of a bodysuit. Dressed for action.

  Sven didn’t have a sister. He didn’t even live with parents.

  My heart pounded as I realized something else. Sven’s cat was gone. Straight-up, gone. Where’s Alicia? Did she run off? Why didn’t she warn Sven?

  “Who are you? What is happening?” I shrieked.

  The girl stalked forwards and reached to her side. “We’ll need more answers.”

  Sven reached out a hand. “Wait—”

  Something hard and metal collided against my head. Then everything went black.