Supernatural Investigation 101: Chronicles Of Nakashima Wakana

The store boy yawns as he scans the packet of biscuits. It's quite late at night. If this customer wasn't here, he would have closed the store early. Why won't they come earlier? His sleepy gaze falls on the…

His hand freezes. He blinks his eyes slowly. Who is this psychopath?

The person must be around one-sixty-centimetres. The faded grey coat with round black buttons is a little large on the petite figure. A beige muffler is wrapped around her neck, hiding half of her black mouth mask on her face. The tiny reflection of the store boy in the large sunglasses blinks his eyes. 

"Your…," The store boy raises his hand, "hat is moving…"

She slams her gloved hand on her cowboy hat. "Pack my stuff."

The girl's voice is cold but urgent. The store boy packs the biscuits in a hurry, not daring to look at her. Just who would dress like that? Even her strand of her hair isn't visible. The girl tosses the money on the table and grabs the bag. She rushes out of the store. She can't wait to go back to her apartment and lock herself inside.

The night is cold. The streets are empty. The moon is on a vacation tonight. She tightens her fingers around the handle of the bag and turns around, walking in the opposite direction. After taking a few turns, she arrives in the city square.

On this planet, there are eight billion humans; around fifty million humans are in this country alone. Hybrids like her aren't counted in the fae world or human world. She doesn't have any valid identity. But that's the least of her problems.

Tsk! Humans only know how to reproduce like rabbits, and then, they will cry about population. She couldn't care less if thousands of meteors strike the planet and wipe out the entire human population. Oh, the so-called zombie apocalypse can happen anytime! She wouldn't mind if the aliens come and shoot everyone. 

Her body becomes stiff when someone bumps into her. The middle-aged man mumbles an apology before he gives her a glance. His heart jumps, causing him to blink his eyes. There's no one in front of him. He rubs his eyes. Did he see wrong? It looked like a snake.

She quickens her steps. Her arms are folded, shielding herself from the passing people. Why? Just why? Why does she have to go through this torment each time she wants to see her therapist? 

Dierre Virevo takes a deep breath when she sees the building in front of her. She has managed to come here without causing an accident. Instead of going to the front entrance of the tall building, the girl walks toward the alley. She knocks on the metallic door next to the garbage bin. After a few seconds, several locks click at the same time. The door is opened. 

"You are here again." The boy furrows his brows when he sees the most unwanted client. He has no idea why would Miss Dolly want to see a penniless patient. They can barely afford the rent of this god-forsaken place. Last week, someone even dumped a dead cat in that garbage bin. 

"Is she free?" Dierre Virevo's voice is low and meek. 

"If I say no, would you leave?" He taunts her with gleaming eyes. It's the night of no moon. Most Faes are usually active on this night. But the creature in front of her is not exactly a Fae. It's a hybrid monster.

Lowering her head, she outstretches her arm toward the boy in human disguise, handing him the bag full of biscuits. "I brought this."

Biscuits? The boy's dark eyes shine. He opens the bag. Gifts from the human world are always welcome. He can't go out because he hasn't passed the test and earned his license from the council. "She was getting ready to leave. Maybe she will take a look --"

Dierre Virevo scurries past him. She blurs by the tiny reception area and pushes open the door to the office. The woman raises her head, curving her brows. "Dierre, why are you here today? Our session wasn't…"

Dierre closes the door and walks to the chair in front of the table. She sits down and takes off her muffler and gloves. Being a hybrid, the cold doesn't bother her as much as the other things do. Hidden behind the dark glasses, her slanted purple pupils with elongated white irises focus on the woman with short hair and olive skin. "Can't you change your office location? I nearly died on my way here."

"Did you now?" The woman leans forward and rests her elbows on the table, smiling at her stalker who won't stop coming to her. 

"Someone bumped into me." Dierre takes off her cowboy hat and rubs the little snake's head with her index finger. "My little June touched that man's skin accidentally."

Mrs Phaendry, a therapist in the hidden world, glances at the snakes on her head, wiggling in all the direction, hissing and biting each other. A small mossy green snake with a huge red pimple on its head is not joining the fun. Little June looks at the therapist. His thin tongue comes out and moves weakly. Then, he closes his eyes.

The therapist sighs. "Did you take your medicines?"

"I took them on the way here, but Little June is still depressed." Dierre leans back and slumps her shoulders. "Is there no cure for my allergy?"

She's probably the only monster in this world who is allergic to humans. This freaking world is full of humans. Death exists for her everywhere. 

Mrs Phaendry tilts her head. "The Council opened up a branch that works with modern medicines with humans. Maybe you should contact them."

Dierre Virevo clicks her tongue. She's a hybrid. To make it worse, she's part gorgon. Surely, the gorgon blood came from her father's bloodline. But it was inactive for a long time. It's still unclear why it was activated inside her.

When she came to the human world, she accidentally killed a few humans in confusion. Now, who knew that she was allergic to humans? It was never heard of. The Council caught her and threw her into prison. Mrs Phaendry was a counsellor in the prison back then. That's how they met. 

"I am serious, Dierre." Dierre Virevo narrows her dark eyes. The allergy is a side-effect of her hybrid blood. But the girl received a trauma after turning a few humans into stones accidentally. It's natural to be afraid of something that gives you rashes; however, her fear of humans is interfering with her life. "I am sure that--"

"I came here to talk about my problems -- not the council." Dierre crosses her arms. "Mrs Phaendry, can I turn my landlord into stone?"

Some people don't want to see the solutions. The therapist asks her with a straight face, "Why do you want to do that, Dierre?" 

"He keeps asking me for rent," Dierre Virevo replies with a flat voice. "He said that he would break into my apartment if I didn't pay."

"In human worlds, it's important to pay your rent," Mrs Phaendry tells her slowly.  "You can't avoid it."

"I don't have money." Dierre Virevo c.o.c.ks her head. The snakes on her head bend down their heads. In the past, she had stayed in the forests, abandoned houses, caves, ruins and whatnot. However, she can't find any free place anymore. Prison seems to be free, but she doesn't want to go back there. Everything is costly… even food. It's hard to walk on the streets because of humans. Getting a job is impossible. Who would hire someone with snakes on their head? She also doesn't want to work with humans. "Mrs Phaendry, can't you help me leave this world?"