"These hips won't fit into this stupid jeans." Pollux heard Tehani mumble under her breath. A chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop it and it earned him a slap to the back of his head. He could hear her wriggle and stumble to make them go past her hips and again he could not help but laugh, imagining her stumble and fall into the puddle of rain water in the abandoned building, the whole place stank of what Pollux dared not to mention, but somehow sleeping in it for hours had numbed his nose to it's putrid smell.

"This is a fashion crime," He heard Yurika mutter aloud, he could imagine the look of disdain on her face, lips pouted like she had tasted something bitter. Contrary to what everyone thought of him, Pollux was a great observer, he noticed the little details that no one else noticed, he had mastered the skill over years of playing sports and it was perhaps one of the few things he was better at than Castor.

"God help me, playboy Duhaime, if you dare turn your head even a little bit, I'll cut you up into tiny pieces and mail them to your grandmother." Yurika spluttered. She was self conscious about changing in the same room with the boys despite the fact that it was the reasonable thing to do, it was best they got changed and left together.

"He won't look," Castor sounded offended on behalf of his twin, like Pollux, he had his hands over his eyes and his posture radiated awkwardness. Pollux wondered for the millionth time if his brother would combust into flames if he let himself relax instead of being so awkward.

"Okay, you can look now." Tehani said.

Pollux turned and burst into laughter, even Castor looked like he was holding back a laugh. Tehani looked ridiculous and in jeans that were supposed to be baggy, they clung snugly to her laps, her top was sleeveless with high collars. She still wore her all star converse.

Yurika wasn't any better, wearing a dress with small puff sleeves and a billowy skirt that swallowed her small frame. Her face was fresh and cleaned of makeup, she looked like a child without it.

Tehani was smiling even while she looked uncomfortable in her clothes and Yurika was scowling, Pollux noticed she took every joke seriously and every word about her stiffly like she was being judged. It made her appear uptight.

"We definitely look better," Pollux said. He and Castor were dressed in similar clothing, knee length shorts topped with knee high socks and billowy plaid shirts that were two sizes too big. Pollux kept his sneakers while Castor had his favourite crocs on. Pollux refrained from telling him that he looked like a mad man on crack.

"I don't see how." Yurika sniffed. "God, the oldies are a nightmare and we've only been here for a day. We have a mysterious monster killing people and somehow it concerns us, Eden town looks even more awful, and I don't have my phone." She shot her best friend a blaming look.

Pollux found it ironic that all of them had left their phones back in their timeline, Castor had dropped his while they were running, Yurika and Tehani had left theirs back home and Castor didn't even own a phone.

"You have poor stealing skills, wouldn't it have been better if you had stolen black clothes, no one goes to a funeral in colour." Yurika rolled her eyes, fiddling with her braids.

"Listen, it goes well with the plan." Castor said sternly, clearly fun time was over. "We are tourists, new to Eden and taking a gap year after graduating from Wulan high school." Wulan was the capital city of Ewreburg, Eden was tucked in the nook of the city.

"Then why are we attending the funeral of someone we don't know?" Tehani asked, Pollux looked at her and felt the urge to laugh again despite the gravity of the situation. Where was the fear? Why weren't they all afraid? Somehow if felt like they were all looking forward to the adventure, they still thought they were living in a movie.

"I mean, we don't even know who the victim is." Yurika finished.

"We'll find out when we get there, everyone will pretty much be saying their name." Castor said. "Let me do the talking, I'm a friend of the victim, we were pen pals and they showed the interest of applying for Ewreburg University. We met once, when I was in town and you guys are my friends, you've never met the victim before."

Everyone was nodding, so Pollux nodded too.

"I think it's pretty solid for an impromptu plan." He said.

"What about me? People will notice I look like the recent victim they just discovered." Tehani asked, they all noticed the way he avoided referring to the victim as her grandmother. Pollux wondered if she was merely trying to stay detached or if she was really certain that this version of 1949 was merely an alternate timeline.

"I have something in here," Pollux muttered, pulling out the last item from the old backpack, a long straw hat. He placed it on her head with a flourish then he pulled back to stare.

"Just bend it over your eye and speak as little as possible, make no mistake, people will be looking at us." Pollux warned, he winced, thinking he was sounding too much like Castor and shot her a little grin. She still didn't look at ease.

"What do you think, Castor?" Yurika asked.

His twin nodded.

"It'll have to do." They all heard the prayer in his tone.

***

If Yurika had thought the crowd at the funeral might cover them from the prying eyes then she had been casting without a hook, immediately they stepped foot into the grand church, all eyes turned to then despite the fact that the ceremony was still ongoing, the priest at the alter went on and on about death, eternity and damnation. It felt like a lecture.

The four of them took their seats at the back pews and tried to look as solemn as possible. Yurika hated Eden town and everything it stood for, but most of all because of the way its people managed to be hostile to outsiders on a united front. Now, she felt prickly, like all the eyes in the church were judging her. She averted her gaze, staring at the glass stained windows and wondering why so much money had gone to constructing a magnificent building for a church and yet the town itself looked in tatters, most of the suburb homes were old and crumbling, white paint chipping off and roofs looking like they could use some work on.

For a community that consisted most of blacks and preached acceptance, they were mostly a bunch of hypocrites. Yurika bunched her fists and thought of how they still isolated her and her family, whispering behind their backs because they looked nothing like them.

Tehani nudged her gently, in indication that the ceremony was over. The victim's family stood by the open casket, weeping profusely. A woman, who Yurika assumed to be the victim's mother looked like she wanted nothing more than to be buried along with her child, it was too far to tell if the victim was male of female, a tall girl held the woman back with a solemn look on her face.

It wasn't until the casket had been carried out and some people had gathered around the family to offer condolences, did people start to surround Yurika and her friends.

"Remember, let me do the talking." Castor murmured. The four of them stood just as a short black girl in cornrows and a black dress that flared at the knees began to approach them. She wore suede shoes beneath them. Yurika thought she was vaguely familiar.

"Are you friends of the family?" She asked bluntly through narrowed eyes, Yurika felt recognition slip through her fingers, this girl was very familiar.

"I'm Castor, I was pen pals with . . ." He began unsurely. "Him." He finished lamely.

The sharp eyed girl looked away from Castor briefly to stare at the others, her gaze stopping at Yurika's then her lips stretched into a sneer as if she was judging her.

"I never knew Evan had pen pals, he loathed the idea of writing." She said. People were stopping to watch the exchange now. "I think he would have mentioned it, especially since we were together up until his death."

Yurika drew in a sharp breath. This cold girl had been the girlfriend of the victim? And why the hell did she look so calm, like she hadn't lost her boyfriend. Yuri couldn't stop the scoff that escaped her lips. All eyes turned to her and she could feel Castor's burning disapproval.

"Yes?" The girl said.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you'd be with Evan's family, instead of harassing the guests who have come to pay their respects. My friend is very cross about the death of Evan, please don't make his grief seem inferior to yours." Yurika said, adopting an air of superiority.

The cornrow girl looked suddenly ashamed, people were whispering now, agreeing with Yurika. Castor didn't look pleased still, attracting attention was obviously the last thing he wanted.

"You're right." Yuri had the feeling that it pained this girl to admit it out loud. "My apologies, we are hosting a thing later in celebration of Evan's life, short but well lived. It's a bonfire on the high school campus, I'd like it if you shared your memories about Evan with the rest of us." She said, nose high in the air pretending to blink away tears. Yuri could tell by the way her eyes narrowed further that she was far from believing their story.

"It's sad, don't you think?" Castor began. "All these murders claiming lives mysteriously and the murderer is getting away with everything."

The girl cocked her head to the side, she looked like she knew something they didn't know.

"Perhaps, but these incidents have become somewhat of a normal occurrence in Eden, in fact the new body discovered today wasn't much of a shock. Look around, Castor, nobody looks surprised." She said and without another word, began to walk away from them.

"Okay, what did she mean by that?" Pollux said, sounding afraid.

"I don't know, but it's our job to find out." Castor said, he chewed worriedly on his bottom lip.

"I'm afraid you must forgive Bathsheba," A new voice said, Yurika's eyes widened at the new person, it was almost easy to miss, the way this new stranger looked like the Duhaime twins, tall, gangly and that mop of curly brown hair. He wore a wry grin on his face and even the twins looked shocked at the sight of him.

"She has no tact and she sees herself as the queen of Eden." He continued saying, oblivious to the gaping stares of his descendants. "I'm Gustavo Perez, welcome to Eden."

"Nice to meet you," It was Tehani that managed to splutter a greeting. She was firmly holding on to her hat, bending it so it covered her face.

"The reception of the funeral take place at our family restaurant, La' Suntuoso, you're welcome to attend. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation asking Bathsheba Kane. . ." Gustavo was cut off by Yurika's sudden noise of exclamation.

"Bathsheba Kane?" She spluttered. Bathsheba Kane was the diva grandmother of Shanna Kane, Yuri's worst enemy. Bitchiness ran thick in the blood apparently. She shared a glance with Tehani who looked like she was thinking the same thing.

"Yes." Gustavo sounded puzzled. "I heard your conversation, especially when you asked her about the murders, I'd advice you against going around town asking that. It's a touchy thing here."

"Why?" Castor seemed to have gotten over being starstruck. Pollux was trying too hard to feign nonchalance and Yurika was starting to notice the weird glances Gustavo was shooting them.

Gustavo rubbed his shoulder sheepishly. "Well, most of Eden thinks the town is cursed. Just don't go digging around." He looked like he wanted to place a hand on Castor's shoulder but seemed to think better of it and just let his arms hang by his side.

"I will see you at the reception, do stay out of trouble. Eden doesn't treat newcomers well."

After he left, disappearing outside the grand doors, the four of them stood still, chewing over the information they just heard and wondering how valuable it was.

"We won't be staying out of trouble, will we?" Pollux asked.

For the first time, a smile tugged at Castor's lips.

"Unless we want to end up dead, then no. We are definitely attending that reception and then after, the tribute thing at the high school."

What could go wrong?  Yuri asked herself as power tingled at her fingertips from being suppressed for so long, a lot of things. A curse didn't sound so ridiculous after all.

She thought of her father's scarred fingers and wondered if she was as much a danger to her friends as whatever might be chasing them.