An Unexpected Reunion

Makoto stepped into the hall, pulling the door closed behind her with deliberate care. The sound of it sliding shut felt unnaturally loud in the stillness of the school. She lingered by the door for a moment, pressing her back into its cool frame, using it for support while she tried to steel herself. Somewhere, she heard the building creak in the distance and froze, her nerves on end. She tried to comfort herself, telling herself it was probably just the wind or the building settling - no one else was here except for her... but in the silence, part of her couldn't help but think that creak sounded far too much like a footstep.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying not to let any unhelpful thoughts take root, trying not to let her imagination fill in what she couldn't see. Sure, it was dark and empty, but the school was still just that. And ghosts didn't exist.

Still clutching the key tight in her hand, she started moving again. Her bare feet made soft, almost imperceptible taps against the floor as she crept along. The A.C. clicked softly from above, and she felt each vent's breeze prickling against her skin. Her arms hugged her chest more tightly. It definitely felt colder. She managed a few more steps before another creak caught her ear. And suddenly she felt like she wasn't as alone as she thought... like something was watching her from the shadows...

"It's just my imagination," Makoto whispered hurriedly. "There's no such thing as ghosts... especially not ones whose sole purpose is to cause humiliation... it was just a movie - no matter what Ann said..." Makoto swallowed hard.

The hallway felt longer than it ever had before. And somehow darker and quieter. She just needed to get down the stairs to the faculty office, grab whatever clothes she could find, and get out.

Makoto rounded the corner to the stairwell, her heart thudding loud enough in her ears that it almost drowned out the very soft, very sudden, very real sound of something shifting in the darkness behind her. Makoto froze, her body turning stiff as a board. Every hair on her body was standing on end. Her breath hitched in throat. She didn't dare turn around.

She heard a quiet, almost imperceptible tap against the floor. Was that a footstep?

Slowly, she managed to **** her body to move, turning her head and glancing back over her shoulder. Only to be greeted by nothingness and shadows. Her nerves screamed at her to move, to run. She turned back towards the stairwell, so close, yet so far, and started to move forward - and then something grabbed her shoulder from behind. Makoto screamed.

She twisted on instinct, trying to wrench away from whatever had her. Her unknown assailant hadn't expected the sudden reaction and didn't even try to hold her in place. The uncontested **** of her twist resulted in her crumpling backwards and falling on her butt. Her breath came in sharp gasps as she scrambled backwards on the floor, trying to put distance between herself and whatever ghost, spirit, phantom, whatever was with her.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, it's me, it's just me," a familiar voice pierced through her fog of panic.

Makoto blinked, once, twice, and then looked into the darkness before her, heart still racing. And there, emerging from the shadows with both hands raised to show she meant no harm was a familiar pigtailed figure.

"Ann?"

Suddenly, a cellphone's flashlight washed over her, shining a spotlight on her. She could make out Ann giving her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you so badly, I swear. Are you okay?" Ann asked. Meanwhile, with another subtle glimmer from her earrings, Ann absentmindedly snapped a few more pictures of her senpai, arms at her side and legs splayed wide open with her bare chest completely unobscured.

Makoto didn't answer right away. Her hands darted to cover herself again, as if she was just now remembering what she was, or rather wasn't, wearing. Her voice cracked as she whispered, "What are you doing in here?"

"Well... you were taking forever, and I got worried," Ann said, stepping closer and turning off the flashlight. "So, I climbed over after you, and..." Ann winced. "I probably should've said something before I grabbed you, huh?"

Makoto, still trembling slightly, nodded. "You think?"

"Sorry," Ann repeated. "Won't happen again," she said, extending a hand to help Makoto up. Once Makoto was on her feet, that's when Ann seemed to realize, really realize, what Makoto's situation was - her eyes drinking in the sight before her. "Wait, where's your dress?"

Makoto wrapped her arms around her chest, hugging herself. "Carried off by the wind," Makoto said flatly, her eyes narrowing to slits as if daring Ann to laugh.

"...Oh."

There was a pause. Then Ann bit her lip.

"Don't." Makoto glared harder.

"I didn't say anything!"

"You were about to."

Ann turned away, barely containing a laugh, holding up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I get it. Serious mode." She took a breath, held it for a moment, but then a tiny snort escaped.

"Still," Ann murmured, her voice low and teasing, "next time you're sneaking through the school in just your panties... maybe workshop a better excuse than 'the wind stole my dress.'" She glanced back with a grin and a wink. "You'll need something that sounds more convincing in case you get caught by someone other than me. Especially if you're going to make a habit of it."

"Ann," Makoto groaned. "I'm not kidding, it's what happened."