Malefis: Her Thoughts are Silent

My name is Adam Graves, high school second year gofer to a first year brat....for now, at least.

Going off of the information I've obtained so far, she takes a break once every month whenever the 18th is close. I did ask her what she does during that week but all I got from her thoughts were "solving cases".

That statement by itself wasn't weird with her status as a detective. However, from what I 'heard' from others, she still solves cases outside that timeframe so why does she take that break for the exact same reason? and why every month without fail?

Something stinks and it's not the vanilla ice cheesecake she ordered for today. While I might be able to get a vague answer if I probe any deeper, I run the risk of her catching on and raising her guard— she's no Sara O'Neil but she's still formidable in her own right.

My only option was to stalk her. Ofcourse, to do that, I needed a clear picture of her movement patterns ahead of time to effectively plan my pursuit..... hence, my chatting with Ms Milligan right now.

I fed her the BS of how I was worried about my underclassman and how she doesn't fit in with her peers, managing to get her home address and other personal information out of this teacher— A crucial starting point.

Shortly after, I received a message from Liz.

"I need your help"

It was a message that could be misinterpreted in several ways so I replied with caution.

"With what exactly?"

"Come quickly, I'm in the teachers staffroom"

She had no intention of telling me what it was about and had no way to refuse. I headed to the staffroom to meet up with this bratty Holmes.

"What took you?"

"Quit nagging me, what is it?"

"The teacher asked me to help carry these books to class but they're quite heavy"

"How the hell's that my problem?"

"Carry them for me"

"Huh?! I already got you a cheesecake today, you selfish little brat!"

"..."

She was back to ignoring me as usual and her thoughts eager to leak my 'secret'. I reluctantly carried the books for her.

"Just how did you get into this situation in the first place? Did you offend the teacher or something?"

After all, it should've been obvious that she couldn't carry this much by herself. She remained silent as always but her mind had a whole lot more to say.

Apparently, the teacher asked four girls including her to do it but the others bailed to assert dominance— whatever that means.

Apparently, they believe she's too stuck up just because she's famous hence why she's alone.

Children love ganging up on those better than them no matter the environment, what a pain!. Either way, that wasn't really any of my business since I could also tell from her thoughts that she intended to work me even harder indefinitely to vent her frustrations.

There's no guarantee solving her current class dynamic will make her see me in a new light. Infact, I'm not even sure if she wants to fix her relationship with her classmates. The best I could do to help myself was ask her a few more questions to properly plan out my stalking.... No, stakeout.

"So, aside from sweets, do you like anything else? What are your hobbies?"

"..."

"Where do you like to go on your days off?"

"..."

"Why do your classmates hate you so much?"

"..."

"At least answer something! I'm talking to myself over here"

She stopped moving.

"We're here. Drop the books inside and beat it"

She said with a hint of sharpness in her voice. This was the first time I got a response that wasn't entirely emotionless like a robot.

"Yeah, yeah..."

I dropped the books and left.

"Hobbies... Playing video games, shopping and cosplay. Places she frequents..... crime scenes and the shopping district— sometimes for accessories and others for anime merch, noted."

I was muttering the information I had collected so as not to forget easily. One part of the one-sided conversation stuck out to me— it was the answer to the final question.

There was a lot of noise in her thoughts for that final question so I only managed to catch a glimpse of her true answer..... However, I'm sure I didn't mishear.

"I don't want any of them to get hurt, huh?"

Is the path of detective more dangerous than I thought? Well, all will be clear to me soon enough.

I spent the rest of the day thinking up way to effectively tail her.

"Her spatial awareness is no joke so I'll have to tail her from a distance if I don't want her to notice me... I guess I'll keep my distance and track her movements with her thoughts"

I muttered to myself while scribbling on the back of my notebook. I wanted to get at least two test runs in before the D-Day to work out her actual movement patterns rather than just relying on third party data. Preferably one to track her movements after leaving school grounds and another to track her movements from home.

But it's easier said than done. My odds of getting caught goes up each time I tail her so I'll have to be very careful. I also needed to research her favorite spots for places that provide cover—good hiding spots while tailing the target, I can't just follow blindly.

"The shopping district, huh?"

I muttered those words unconsciously and couldn't take them back. The girl walking behind me seems to have heard me so she turned her direction to me. What a pain! I never knew bees had such sharp ears.

"You're going to the shopping district? I actually wanted to get some shopping done myself so maybe we can go together after school?"

"I have club so I can't go"

"You joined a club? Which one?!"

"....."

I stood up from my seat and headed to the restroom. Michelle almost pulled me into a full on conversation but I managed to get out just in time. That said, she helped give me a little perspective.

It might seem suspicious going for reconnaissance alone. After all, there are places in the shopping district that'll be weird for a sole male to enter. However, if I was with someone it could provide the illusion of a date and make things go smoothly.

I sent a text to that person and got a positive reply.

"Guess I'm going on a date".

*********

*Ding dong ping pong

The moment the bell rang, I bolted out of class before Adrian could notice—Having to explain that I wouldn't be going to club today's a pain.

I headed to the school courtyard to wait for my date. She showed up less than 3 minutes after.

"Your text was rather unexpected. Ready to get your butt kicked? haha"

"Don't count me out just yet, I might pull off a win"

"Someone's cocky today"

"I guess you could say I've been practicing, so how about a wager. If I lose, I'll take you shopping, on me ofcourse"

"Hope you've got enough cash, your wallet'll be empty once I'm done with you"

I invited Rachel to the arcade over at the shopping district. Sara would've been the optimal choice because of the 'noise' at that place, however, she was the last person I wanted to find out— after all, my objective was to get out of Lizbeth's heel while making sure Sara doesn't get a hold of that information.

I lost gracefully to Rachel at multiple games and took her out on that date, exactly as planned. She dragged me to several places and bought a lot of different things— accessories, shoes, clothes and even anime merch— she seemed to be getting more and more into anime these days.

We also went to a restaurant, a batting cage and maid cafe— Is her stamina limitless or what? I felt like I was going to collapse over here and she was still running strong. I guess mountaineering'll do that to you.

On the bright side, my reconnaissance was a success— I've got a proper lay of the land now. The payoff was I was carrying multiple bags and my spine was killing me.

"Hey, hey, let's go into that store next"

"You're still not done?!"

"This is the last one, promise. Besides, for someone who was bragging about how much he practiced, you sure went down like a wimp, pfft"

"Yeah, yeah, I overestimated my abilities, but still have some dignity as an uppeclassman, you're killing me here"

"Ohh, Sorry about that"

She was showing true remorse. I guess she was having so much fun that and assumed I was as well that she didn't notice how tired I was. Well, I did have a lot of fun though.

"*Sigh— This is the last one, got it?"

"Thanks"

She said with a rather cute smile on her face. I was starting to feel bad for asking her out as camouflage, I really am no better than Sara, am I?.

"Buy as much as you want, you don't have to worry about me"

"You mean it?"

"Yeah"

I owe her that much at least.

We headed into the store where she tried on a number of clothes. I stood by the corner reading a newspaper I had picked up so as not to let my eyes wonder. Aside from clothes, there were also..... undergarments in the store as well.

Convicted Serial Killer Escapes!

An intriguing headline which almost felt like the start of detective novel. I wonder if Lizbeth will be getting involved with this case.

"Probably not. There's no guarantee he'll come to Stone Valley anyway"

I closed the newspaper to focus on complimenting Rachel's outfit since she was almost done dressing. I was the one who asked her to come with me so I have to try making this date memorable even this late in the game.

We concluded our shopping shortly after and I walked her home. We chatted about a number of different topics on the way and from an outsider's perspective, you could say we looked like a couple.

"Thanks for taking me out today, I had a lot of fun"

"I'm happy to hear that. I enjoyed myself as well"

I handed her the bags

"Well, see you tomorrow"

"Bye"

I managed to satisfy Rachel and I was also able to gather valuable data.

"Guess today was kinda productive, all that's left is to select the day for my stakeout"

After mulling it over for a while, I decided on Friday and Saturday— the 13th and 14th to test my skills.

*******

As soon as classes let out on friday, I psyched myself up for my first stakeout. That said, odds are she'll just head straight home after club activities.

Still though, it'll help me gauge just how much distance I should keep from her during the actual stakeout.

I headed to the clubroom by myself as Adrian had extra practice today only to see four people I didn't recognize— a girl about two inches taller than Liz hiding behind her female companion with long black twintails, tanned skin, a mean looking face and flat as a board.

Well, maybe she only looked mean because she was arguing with the third person I didn't recognize and the only other male in the room. He was about my height with blue hair, blue eyes and dressed in a white shirt and jeans. The final person who didn't seem to care about the situation in the room was a girl with blue hair, blue eyes and twintails sitting on my usual chair fiddling with her phone.

From the resemblance between the two I concluded the blue haired strangers were the siblings who were on leave for a funeral.

"Just what is going on in here?!"

"Kya—"

The loud voice from behind me gave me a fright. And here I thought I'd gotten used to Sara sneaking up on me. Lucky for me, no one paid attention to my reaction as the tanned twintailed girl turned to address Sara.

"The ice queen finally graces us with her presence. What kind of club president keeps her guests waiting? And to make matters worse I had to waste my time with you arrogant little dog over there. It's no wonder the president—"

"— Dumb little secretaries should learn their place. Although, I guess it's expected since you had no one to teach you proper manners. If your parents saw you now, they'll be so disappointed"

"LEAVE MY PARENTS OUT OF THIS!

Sara forced the tanned girl on the defensive by bringing up a sensitive topic for her. Apparently the girl lost her parents when she was little and has been passed around from relative to relative because no one wanted to care for her.

The girl's companion was struggling to hold her down as she was trying to attack Sara.

"YOU ARROGANT BI*CH! JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT GUYS FALLING FOR THOSE SACKS OF MEAT YOU THINK YOU'RE HOT STUFF?! I'M GOING TO RIP THEM OFF AND RUIN THAT FACE, NO ONE'LL EVER THINK YOU'RE PRETTY AGAIN!"

The girl was lashing out and I couldn't exactly blame her. That said, I'll say the effort wasn't a wasted one as some part of her statement somehow ticked Sara off.

Her eyes turned cold, colder than I've ever seen them before. Upon seeing this, the whole room fell silent. If there was one word to explain the emotion running through everyone's mind, it was—

Fear.

Every single person in that room knew just how crazy and unpredictable Sara O'Neil could be. I guess all four strangers were afraid of becoming her next victim.

"The report's on my desk over there. Take it and get out"

The warm, accommodating tone of her voice didn't match the look on her face and that sent a chill down everyone's spine. The tanned girl knew better than to poke the bear so she quietly complied and left the room.

Her companion quietly followed then stopped. For the first time throughout this whole ordeal, she opened her mouth.

"Uhm...I apologize for Sasha's behavior... I-It was u-uncalled for. I'm sorry."

She said, timidly bowing her head. The cold aura around Sara disappeared like magic as she jumped on the timid girl, hugging her tightly.

"You know I can't stay mad at you when you're this cute. Ohhh Lia, I want to take you home with me, you're too good for that four eyed freak"

"I-I can't breathe, your boobs are....."

She didn't get to finish her sentence as she was buried where every man wished to be at least once in their lives. The cold ice queen prepared to murder someone a second ago vanished without a trace leaving behind a scene I burned into my memory.

Sara stopped after a bit.

"*Sigh— I feel refreshed now"

"A-Also, this w-was in the suggestion b-box"

She handed a note to Sara.

"Thanks, I'll look into it."

The girl, Lia bowed her head one more time then took her leave.

"Who were they?"

"Who are they? Who are you?"

My curiosity was met with a sharp reply from the other twintailed girl. Her brother had already figured out my identity so he tried to remedy the situation.

"You must be the new member I've heard so much about. I'm Rick Kastle and that's my twin sister, Rio. It's a pleasure to meet you"

"I'm Adam, Adam Graves"

He shook my hand with a smile. This first year seemed like a really nice guy but I could tell. He was a similar breed of crazy as Sara.

His sister was looking at me with a disgusted face, one that hid her embarrassment for questioning me so sharply.

A real life tsundere, never thought I'd see one of those.

"The two earlier were the student council vice president and secretary. Our club has to write a report on our activities every month or we'll get shut down"

From the conversation earlier, I know the girl named Sasha was the secretary so that means....

That pipsqueak scared of her own shadow's the VP?!

"I didn't know clubs required that much paperwork"

"No, it's just ours. The student council president hates us, you see"

"Why?"

"You can thank our VP for that! That idiot"

Sara replied before Rick had a chance to, her eyes fixed on the note she received from Lia while she was seated on her desk.

So the club's vice president was the one on suspension, what exactly did he do?— As much as I wanted to know the answer to that as well as the contents of that note, there was a more pressing matter.

Liz was late. She's never been this late before and I didn't do anything this time. Could she have left school already?

"I forgot something back in class so I'll be going to get it"

"Yeah, sure"

Sara said, far too distracted by the note to care. I made my way to the first year classes where my hunch was proven correct— Liz left school a few minutes ago.

The thought of giving up on tracking her today crossed my mind. However, I still wanted to try— I ran out of the school to see if I can still find her through her thoughts. After all, she just left a few minutes ago so I should still be able to find her.

After running down a few blocks, I managed to get a read on her location, she appeared to be heading to the shopping district.

The game is afoot my boys.

I maintained a safe distance from Liz while making sure not to lose her by tracking her thoughts. She was just strolling around aimlessly without a clear destination in mind. Sometimes, she'll stop to look at the newspaper stands and other times in front of sweetshops.

She did stop in front a jewelry store once. However, she didn't just stop for the scenery, she turned to check her surroundings because she suspected that she was being followed.

"Did I get too close? No way, there's no way she noticed me. It must just be a habit of hers as a detective, right?"

Wrong.

About three minutes later she stopped at an ice cream stand, I could tell from her thoughts that she'd realized I was following her and I wasn't able to get out of there before her text came in.

Since you're here, you might as well buy me ice cream. Don't even think about running away you perverted stalker, I can get photo evidence faster than you can run.

I was busted, no doubt about it. I silently resigned to my fate and bought her a double scooped chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

We started walking together with her happily enjoying her ice cream and me silently trailing behind her. We exited the shopping district and kept walking to her actual destination. It took about 7 minutes of awkward silence but we finally reached our destination.

It was a huge mansion with some rather distinct scenery—Yellow tape, police cars with their sirens blaring and multiple investigators, each carrying out their assigned tasks.

The scene before me coupled with Liz's thoughts clued me in on what was going on.

A murder had occured and Lizbeth Andrews was called in to solve it. The high school detective turned to me with a little glimpse of fire in those emotionless eyes.

"As thanks for the ice cream, you can be my Watson for this case."