Episode 5 ~ What He Wants

Calliope returned to the real world with a twist of the knob in the museum. She stepped into her room, her emotions no longer dulled. A heat crept along her skin, as if the encounters of the past few days had finally caught up to her. She walked to the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. A shiver ran down her spine. Her fingers found the amulet around her neck. Her pulse—did it tick, or did it beat faster now?

The real world felt strange, almost foreign. Whatever she was feeling, she couldn’t quite place it. Her thoughts wandered back to breakfast: the biscuit she had eaten, the air of the Pocketlands. Then to him. He had stood there, just before her. In that moment, she had felt... nothing. Only the cold press of the amulet against her chest. It dangled now, searing against her skin.

She changed into her nightclothes and collapsed onto her bed. Reaching for a CD, she played One Wish by Hiroshima. The song was old, but it reminded her of family road trips, listening to music in the car. She thought briefly about calling them in the morning. The large silver sound system moved on to the next track, A Thousand Cranes.

Her gaze fell to an open copy of Vampire Princess Miyu on her nightstand. The page depicted scenes of Larva and Miyu, their bond both haunting and tender. The book, an imported gift from her cousin, felt oddly comforting as her mind began to drift.

His face surfaced in her thoughts again, unsettling her. Did it bother her? The question itself felt like a contradiction. The curve of his wicked smile, the sharp line of his jaw, his striking white hair—she could see him so clearly as she closed her eyes. And then those touches. The ghost of something brushing the hollow of her throat.

She wondered idly if he smelled like Obsession by Calvin Klein, that dangerous mix of allure and mystery. The thought made her heart race. Her skin felt hot, stifling. She sat up, kicking the covers off, the sensation unbearable.

Before she could stop herself, she went to the door, twisting the handle and stepping back into the room at the museum. The moment she crossed the threshold, her senses dulled again. That feverish heat dissipated, leaving her with only distance, only questions.

The clock ticked on the wall.

Her pulse ticked on.

If she didn’t have a heart anymore, then what did he want from her? She had nothing left to give.

Flushed, she slipped back through the door, the night pulling her deeper into its secrets.