APHMAU

"Ah, you're the girl she sent for! Well, here is the letter."

The woman handed me a crisp envelope, and not bothering to read who it was addressed to, I took it.

I glanced up to see the woman inhaling the heavenly scent of strawberry.

"Do enjoy the eclairs." I managed to get out.

She nodded and whispered:

"At least you aren't all like the perky girl on the phone."

I nodded smiling and walked away with sort of a sympathetic scowl. Getting on the bicycle, I pedalled my way down the street towards the neighbourhood.

Is this what Kawaii~Chan was talking about?

***

"It's addressed to Kim." I read aloud.

The shy girl perked up, adjusting her sweater, she walked over and with a shaking hand took the letter.

"M-me?" she asked. "Oh well. A letter is a letter."

Peeling away the flap, a lined piece of paper greeted her, and a smaller document that looked like a slip of paper. It looked old but also a bit official.

Clearing her throat, Kim read the letter aloud:

"My passions,

something I never got to follow until I left my family in Falcon Claw. Being from a wealthy-ish family meant expectations. As someone from the Asian continent, you probably understand what I'm getting to.

Tiger parenting.

I love my parents, but there was a side none of you knew. Being cheerful and anime was my emotional sanctuary, since I could never reach their expectations, that is. It was a way for me to conceal the stress. Sometimes I envied you all, free to do what you want with your lives.

I even envied you Kim."

"That sort of sounds like an insult." Katelyn murmured.

"Oh shush blueberry." Travis answered.

Shaking her head, the girl with blonde highlights read on.

"As a young child, it was said. There were rumours of your artistic talent through Phoenix Drop High. Many teachers called you an artist, which lead to your favouritism throughout the school and what I assume lead to bullying and picking on.

I get how it feels, being alone in those times. After what seemed like years in the dark, Aphmau left that letter on my desk. I felt special until I realized it was a mistake.

That night, or I should say when it was time to leave, I considered it fate.

Fate we should all meet; fate that I would have a purpose in a greater revolution where we would be known worldwide as allies of a monster.

The truth is we all have our inner demons, and perhaps in this case, our inner  talents.

I want to take a moment to recognize your inner talent Kim. Your passion with paper and pencil. Brush and canvas. Design and thought. 

That is your freedom. Your passion; supported by people you love. Find somewhere with love and passion, and there you will find a guide to the next clue.

A strong supporter of your art,

Kawaii~Chan"

We all stood there in silence. It was deafening; with the occasional sniff of Kim. She then went back to the envelope, and pulled out what looked like a receipt.

The costs and parts of it were scribbled out, and it looked something like this:

Sa***a  ***li**s   (* means it was crossed out)

"Somewhere with passion and love." I murmured. "Kim, do you have like a piece of art or something that has passion and love in it?"

"Well, unless you consider the picture I did for my parents on their 30th anniversary then I don't think so. Besides, it is definitely not that picture." she shivered, knowing it was more of a romance love.

"What about that painting you did of the neighbourhood?" Dante commented.

"That's true." Aaron added. "Do you think it is one of the printed ones or the original."

"She did come to my house a few days ago.." Kim murmured.

FLASHBACK

KIM

"Kawaii~Chan! How are you?" I welcomed her into the house. She seemed anxious. I let her slip off her shoes and sit on the couch.

"I'm good! Thank you Kim~Sama." she nodded cheerfully in reply.

I got up to walk to the kitchen.

"Tea or coffee." I asked.

"Coffee please." she replied.

I walked into the kitchen, divided by a room, and started to get the coffee machine running, when I heard a creak and a tap.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked back into the main room. Kawaii~Chan was still sitting there, twiddling with her fingers. She looked up at me, questioning my motives, then I shrugged and went back to making coffee

***

KIM

"It happened about two days ago." she said. "Do you think.."

"..that she hid the clue in your house?" Garroth finished.

"Possibly. I'll check, since I'm kind of claustrophobic with people in my house. If I find it, I'll come back as soon as possible."

They all nodded and I slipped into my sandals running out. Jogging up the road, I finally reached my house. Pale walls with a contrasting roof, as well as vines growing along the wall.

Unlocking the door with my keys, I pushed the green door open. Not bothering to take off my sandals, I looked at the grey couch and the painting that hung above it.

The original..

It had all ten of us together. Zianna took the photo, and it was in the sunset. I luckily got a copy to make large painting.

Going over to it, I lifted away the canvas, which was quite heavy. My cheeks puffing up, I lifted it off the hook, and an envelope fell onto the couch.

I gasped and nearly dropped the painting. Quickly having it back up, exhaling from how heavy it was, I grabbed the envelope and ran out the door, not bothering to lock it.

***

Exams and schoolwork got the best of me. I was thinking on leaving this book and never updating it again, but whenever I checked on WattPad and looked at my book, I realized I lot more people were reading my book than I actually thought. I also got a lot of comments saying for me to update it.

So thank you to everyone who finally motivated me to publish another chapter. If it wasn't for you, this chapter wouldn't have existed, and this book would have never been updated.