Even though nobody really liked Age Kiyazaki, he was still invited to the gathering of the officially commended Alveron High School juniors at the end of the semester. People didn’t like him, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t anything to be liked; he was smart, and witty, and spoke and moved with a transcendental gentleness that no one could quite describe. He was kind when he meant to be, and helped people when they really needed help. But he wouldn’t help someone just because they asked, and he never instigated conversation, and he never opened up to let anyone be his friend.

His name wasn’t actually Age. It was Eiji (Eiji? No, Eiji. Eiji? Still wrong.), but since no one seemed to ever pronounce his name right, he was quickly renamed Age. Though he transferred at the end of sophomore year, people still picked up on his presence quickly. People talked to (at) him a lot, and tried to bully him, but no one ever really got through. The one time anyone tried to get physical (it started quite civil, he was politely asked to go to the gym supply room and he politely accepted), the attackers escorted him back to the classroom and offered a public apology and commendation for his character.

It was just too shady. No one tried to beat him up ever again.

So, when the event organizers convened to plan the gathering, they decided it best to at least invite him. It wasn’t as though he was social, and it was a social event, so he probably wouldn’t even come, right?

Just in case, an extra seat and gift bag were prepared.

Eiji did, in fact, come to the event. It was fairly small, composed of only twenty or so of the juniors best in behavior and academics. All the same, he spent the first half of the event in the darkest corner (which was still bright, why were these things always so brightly lit?) with a cup of juice that never emptied, trying his hardest to be ignored, and succeeding for the most part. Aria LeRouge tried to strike up a friendly conversation, but after he (physically) cringed at her attempt, she decided it best to leave him alone.

The second half of the event was meant for “bonding.” This meant games (and if Age didn’t want to be a part of it, it would be rude to insist, right?), gift exchanging (and if Age hadn’t bought a gift, there were odd numbers anyway, so it would be fine, right?), and storytelling.

Ghost-story-telling.

When he heard this, Eiji’s pale, quiet face gained some color, and spread into a wide, delighted smile.

“…and that, the stories say, is the sound that students hear when the lights go out at the end of the day. The end.”

Half of the circle shifted uncomfortably and tugged their jackets closer and scooted closer to their friends, while the other half snickered and threw elbows into sides and exchanged knowing smiles.

“Wow! That was really great.” Kevin Morace, director of event activities, clapped his hands and smiled. “So, going to your left… Age? Do you have a story?”

All eyes immediately turned to the quiet boy. “Hmm.” He looked down at his lap, brow furrowed. He had been slightly disappointed when he heard they were only telling ghost stories about the school, but had quickly brightened up again. “Yes. I have one.”

Everyone leaned forward, each feeling the rush of anticipation. He was such a (creepy) quiet person, and he was so pale and mysterious—in short, the perfect type to have a really scary ghost story. Not some spooky play on the sounds the boiler room made after hours. A real ghost story.

Eiji took a breath. “It was a dark and stormy night…”

Everyone slouched back down, restraining moans (what did we expect?) and disappointed sighs (here comes another one.)

He grinned, honest and open and amused. “Just kidding. This is the story of Claire Risean.”

Eyes widened (wasn’t she…?) and breaths caught (how did he know…?) as he shifted, tucking his legs underneath him, settling in to tell his story.

“Claire was a quiet girl. She was slight, and dark-haired and pale-eyed. She had glasses, and she needed them to see, but she never wore them because her bullies always broke them when they caught up to her.

“That’s right, bullies. Claire was bullied all the time, and quite horribly. She was beaten and hurt and left alone to fix herself. She never quite did, but she tried all the same. She wore long sleeves to hide the marks during the summer, and people thought her all the stranger for it. She kept her head down and didn’t answer other’s questions about it. She never spoke to anyone, afraid that it would just get worse if she did.” He paused, then waved a hand slightly. “That’s just a bit of background. This is the story of one particular day in the life of Claire.”

~*~

On August eighteenth, two years ago, Claire woke up in the morning to go through her daily routines. She showered and dressed, brushed her teeth and hair, and spent a few minutes pondering over what to do with her hair. She finally decided to tie it up and braid the small lock that always fell loose. It was hard to do, since her fingers were stiff with the pain of being shut in a door three days prior. She did it all the same, since it was the gathering of the freshman honors students, and she was hoping to make friends for her sophomore year.

She hadn’t had a single friend before. She was too afraid to approach anyone, and everyone was too wary to approach her. Today, though, she would be brave. Just one day. Just one hour would be enough, she decided. Just one person.

Claire was careful with what she chose to wear; most of her clothes were dark and stiff, but today she dug out an old green sundress. It was bright, bright enough to make her eyes hurt. It was patterned with small blue summer flowers, and she was sure that it was the nicest piece of clothing she owned. Perfect for making-a-friend day. Underneath she wore a white shirt with long sleeves; she had hoped to have no marks this week, but it couldn’t be avoided. She convinced herself that she looked nice all the same. She looked into the mirror and said aloud, “I look nice today.” She ground her teeth. It sounded like a lie. There was nothing nice about herself. Her eyes wandered to the ground, but she forced them back to the mirror. “You look nice.” Well. It was a bit better, at least.

Claire checked the clock. Seven thirty. The gathering was at one. If she left now, she could get to the library right at opening time, and wait there until it was twelve thirty, then walk to the meeting place. She nodded to herself. That would work. She could make it work. She grabbed her bag, which contained a water bottle and some snacks, as well as a change of clothes and a hairbrush. Then, as quietly as possible, she slipped out of her room, and descended the stairs. She stopped on the last step, and listened for a moment. Hearing nothing, she tucked her feet into her shoes and made her way to the door.

“What are you doing?”

She stopped. It wasn’t a freeze, a surprised jerk into inertness, the stiff snapshot of a person caught at something; it was a casual stop, as if she had stopped to look at something in a store window; as if she wasn’t expecting to be stopped, but there wasn’t anything particularly unusual about it. She thought about replying. ‘I have to do something for school,’ or something like that. But it was summer, and if she mentioned school she would definitely be called a liar, regardless of the truth. She could say, ‘I’m going to the library,’ but then she wouldn’t be allowed through the door. She repressed a sigh. She would have to wait it out, then depart quickly in the aftermath.

“I said,” a strong hand gripped her shoulder, curling into the hollow of collarbone, “what are you doing?”

Claire was turned around roughly, and she struggled not to resist. Stiffness would only make things more difficult.

“Were you going to leave me?” The snarled demand was accompanied by a rough shake. “Did you think you were going to leave me?”

Her shoulder was released, and Claire quickly unclenched her jaw. The blow came quicker than usual, designed for speed more than force. It knocked her to the ground anyway, and she gasped as the door handle snagged her back. There was no breath in her when the foot connected with her hip, and she made no sound.

Closing her eyes, she began to recite mentally, I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe; I told it not, my wrath will grow.

It never lasted longer than it took to recite. Not if it was recited as it should. And I watered it in fears, night and morning with my tears; and I sunned it with smiles…

It was over. There was a growl, and a mutter of ‘stupid headache,’ and the scraping footsteps of someone who doesn’t want to pull their full weight. She opened her eyes. She didn’t try to open just one, or to peek. She opened them fully and, seeing no one there, pulled herself up to sitting. Her eyes wandered over to the mirror on the wall. Tears welled up in her eyes.

The dress was torn down the shoulder. Blood from her temple had matted the braid, and there were bruises on the side of her neck. One finger had begun to swell again. She pushed herself to standing, and stood for a moment, swaying slightly. Then she turned, opened the door, and left.

It was time for her second daily routine.

Clean the cuts first. Wrap them up. Wash the blood from her hair, quickly, before it dried and clumped into an incorrigible mess. Brush it again. Change clothes. She looked at the mirror. Frowning, she untied her hair, letting it fall loose and sickly about her shoulders. The bruises were covered. She examined herself for a moment. Nothing was visible, but the clothes were drab, a dark green shirt under a black jacket and a pair of brown corduroys. She winced. She hadn’t been very careful the last time she packed.

She left the gas station bathroom and walked slowly to the library. Once she arrived, she glanced at the clock above the librarian’s desk. Eight twenty.

After browsing the shelves for a few minutes, Claire selected a tall book on myths and traditions. She settled on a small burgundy couch and opened the book.

“Claire?”

She looked up. The librarian (It’s Ms. Heikjwore. Heikjwore? No, Heikjwore. Heikjwore? You can call me Agatha, dear.) was looking at her, a smile on her lips but a furrow in her brow. She suspects, Claire thought, trying not to curl up. I have to be careful around her. “Yes, Miss Agatha?”

“Well…” she shifted, shuffling the books in her arms to be better supported. “Sweetheart, you just look so down. Is everything all right?”

Claire nodded mutely.

Miss Agatha’s worried smile pinched slightly, as if she wanted to frown. “Well. You can talk to me about anything, okay? And I’m sure that whatever is wrong will work out.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Claire replied quietly.

Miss Agatha stood quietly for a moment, her lips dropping, then quickly offered a small smile. “All right, dear. Put on a smile, sweet. Everything will fall into place eventually.”

She turned and left.

Claire sat, watching the tall woman leave, waiting for her to be out of sight before looking back to the book. It only took a few seconds of flipping through the book’s pages for Claire to find something that caught her interest. Her fingers touched the words at the top of the page.

One Thousand Paper Cranes.

“I’ll do it,” she whispered to someone far, far away. Then, to herself, I’ll start as soon as I get home after the event today. I’ll make a thousand paper cranes. Again, to the person, “Anything to make you better.”

Standing in the corner of the event, Claire rediscovered that making a resolution to do something is very, very different from actually doing it. People milled about, only twenty or so, mostly staying in groups with those they knew but branching out to introduce themselves to others. Claire curled her hands a few times, her fingers throbbing. Just one person.

“Would you like some juice?”

Claire looked up in surprise at the man who spoke. He was old, old in the way that almost anyone could look at him and simply feel young. His smile crinkled the corners of his eyes, and he held out a plastic cup. Claire took the cup, shyly muttering something gratuitous. The man tucked his hand into his pocket, then addressed her again. “Are you going to hide here the whole time?”

She looked at him with confusion, as though she didn’t know exactly what he was asking about.

“Come now. I’ve worked here for forty-six years. I’ve seen all sorts of events, and all sorts of quiet folk. It only takes one word. People love to talk. Just go to someone, anyone, and say hi. They’ll pull you into talking about themselves quicker than you can introduce yourself.”

Seeing the stricken look on her face, he added softly, “And try for a smile. It’ll do wonders.”

In the next moment, he was gone.

Hand weakly gripping the cup of juice, she took a tentative step forward. She inwardly scolded herself for her cowardice. She approached the nearest cluster of people, four girls and a boy, and said softly, “Hi.”

They turned to look at her, all of them, and she resisted the urge to step back. The smiles froze on her faces, and one returned weakly, “Hi.”

There was quiet, and Claire was certain she was going to cry. But before she could excuse herself and make her escape, one of the girls said, “It’s Claire, right?”

Too afraid to speak, Claire simply nodded.

The girl smiled oddly, as if unsure of herself. “We had a… Chemistry, I think, together.” She frowned at her own sentence, then smiled again, still with its strange twist. “I think you were Kerry’s lab partner. Remember, Marie? You were in it, too.” She glanced at another girl in the circle, who nodded.

“Yeah. With Mr. Kim. Honors.”

Claire nodded again, and scolded herself again. “Yes. I remember. Holly?”

The first girl nodded, relaxing a bit. “That’s me! I wasn’t sure you…” she hesitated, and, seeing Claire’s confusion, rushed to continue, “well, no one was really sure you cared for other people.”

Claire was even more confused, and Marie hurried to explain further. “Well, you always wore those dark clothes and long sleeves, and you never smiled at anyone, so we figured you were a loner.”

Claire opened her mouth automatically, knowing a reply was needed, but she could think of nothing. She was suddenly so very angry. “You…” she swallowed, “No one ever tried to talk to me.”

“Come on,” a third girl said, annoyed. “That’s impossible. I’ll bet you just didn’t talk back and no one else bothered trying.”

“Kyra!” Holly hissed.

“What? I’m probably right, and you know it. I’ll bet someone at least tried to tell her to smile, and got blown off. Right, Kevin?”

The boy froze, then said quickly, “I don’t think so.” He turned to Claire and said apologetically, “Sorry, but I do believe you. I think people were too afraid to talk to you.”

Claire laughed incredulously. Others? Afraid to talk to me? She shuddered at the irony.

Marie offered hesitantly, “I think that maybe people would talk to you more if you smiled a bit. You know, just a little? Otherwise it seems like you don’t want people to—”

“Everyone!” Claire cried suddenly, hot tears blurring her vision. “Everyone tells me to smile! Why should I? Why does everyone else smile? When they’re angry or sad or tired they smile anyway! Why? Why? Why?” She realized that her voice had increased to the point that she was nearly screaming. She looked about, tears spilling over and clearing her vision, to see everyone staring at her. After a moment of silence, whispers started up, and people shifted closer to talk behind hands.

Claire stepped back without thinking. “You—” she choked on her words and stopped to gather herself. “You’re all cruel,” she finally said deliberately, “and horrid.”

Someone said something in the back, and the cluster started laughing. As the comment was whispered around, the laughter swelled until nearly everyone in the room was laughing. The one girl in the group who hadn’t spoken, Aria LeRouge, looked stricken at those laughing. Claire spared her a brief glance before her anger seized her tongue again and spoke for her. Spoke in place of her heart, which sobbed in agony.

“Why are you laughing? You don’t know anything about me! At least I know you’re all liars. I know that you all tell lies and smile when you’re not happy. I know that you’re all liars!”

The next time she was aware of herself, and her anger had settled to flickering coals in her stomach, she was on her street. I will make paper cranes, she told herself, and shall have one thousand paper birds as my friends. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she entered her house without stopping, without listening, without thinking.

She was so upset that when she was spoken to, she snapped back. The coals of anger flared, and her own self was lost behind the flames.

She was in such shock that she never tried to move when the knife searched for her skin.

She was so far from herself after the pushing of her classmates that she never thought to calm herself with poetry as she lay dying.

She was so strange in the eyes of her classmates, the ones who didn’t know that they were the ones who drove her to anger, that all accepted it when they were told she had committed suicide.

~*~

Eiji’s eyes searched those of the circle, flickering from person to person. He smiled brightly, and he looked absolutely mad. “Well, that’s strange! The freshman honors group is nearly the same as the juniors’, isn’t it? Marie, Kevin, Holly, Kyra, and Jaquile. Kelly and Kerry, Tyrone and Michelle, Sarah and Christopher. Irene, Jordan, Wendy, DeAnn, Blake, Blair, Andrew, Jamie, Searra. Lee and Tori.” His eyes found each as he spoke their names. His eyes settled on the last, “Aria,” and his smile tightened. “In fact, I believe that the only difference is my presence instead of Claire’s.

“Now, I know you may be disappointed in this ‘ghost story’, for where’s the ghost? But fear not! This is a ghost story in two ways.” He held up two fingers to the frozen group. “One, it is a story about a girl who is now a ghost, and second,” his eyes went cold, “it was a story told to me by a ghost.

“You see, when someone is killed, meaning that they died by a method not machinated by their own body, things remain with them. Memories, pains, angers. Desires, wishes, regrets. Ghosts can share these with some people. Some people can talk to them, see them, help them. These people can channel the presence and powers of ghosts to complete actions. Like, oh, I don’t know,” he tapped a finger against his temple, “make people understand how painful one’s life was. Not the pain of being beaten, or the pain of dying slowly. Oh no. The pain of living.”

Eiji looked about the circle and smiled, eyes brittle. “I can’t share the emotions I receive, though. I can only help ghosts physically interact with our world.

“So, shall Claire help you understand her?”

There was a moment of frozen silence, cold anticipation as pent up fear twisted through people’s chests. After five seconds, ten, fifteen of nothing, the fear began to melt, leaving people in hollow nervousness. All except Kyra.

“That was awful,” she scoffed, voice just barely trembling. “Making up stories about someone who’s dead. You’re just trying to make people feel sorry for you because you’re quiet like she was.”

Eiji looked at her calmly, his gaze steady and clear. “You’re not smiling.”

“What?”

“You should smile,” he tilted his head, “so that people will like you. That’s how it works, isn’t it?”

“You—”

Her words cut off abruptly, and she stiffened. She began to laugh, weakly, then hysterically. She clutched her chest with one hand and her face with another as she looked around the circle. Her eyes were wide with shock and fear. They were so utterly different from the rest of her face that Holly actually reached over to touch her shoulder, to ask if she was all right.

“It hurts.”

Hand freezing midair, Holly looked up. Standing over her, dark hair falling over one shoulder, was Claire.

“It hurts,” she repeated carefully. She pointed at her face, at the crudely carved smile, and repeated, “It hurts.”

Kyra fell back, smile frozen on her face.

Holly let out half a scream before she, too, felt her breath catch in her chest and heave out forcefully, each breath forcing more and more air from her lungs until she felt she had none left, and even then, she couldn’t stop laughing. Her laugh seemed less from the present and more from the past as her gaze fell on Claire. Then her laugh, too, froze into a smile as her heart gasped and stopped. One by one, the members of the circle laughed, writhing until their hearts stopped and their smiles were stuck into place. All the while, Claire’s soft voice repeated in the background, “it hurts, it hurts,” as if reminding them that what they felt matched her own pain.

When the group was silent, unmoving in a circle, Eiji’s eyes moved to fall on Aria LeRouge, who found herself unable to move from sheer terror. He smiled gently at her and gestured to Claire. Aria dumbly looked over at the mutilated face, which suddenly seemed gentle as Claire said, “Thank you. First day.”

It took a moment for Aria to recall the first day of school, when she had approached the strange girl in the back row and asked her name. She had not received an answer.

Aria blinked slowly, and when her eyes opened again, Claire was gone. Aria looked straight ahead, her dead classmates in her peripheral vision, and stared at Eiji.

He smiled brightly and clapped his hands together. “Oh, right. The end!”