"...Want to come with me, Hana? I can teach you a few things," Vanessa asks me as I hear the school bell ringing. Those things leave the classroom, and some stay behind reading books or playing with stuff they've found.
"Why would I do that?" I ask, fearful that I'm breaking some rule.
"Because... I'm not sure. Maybe I just want to feel like I still have some control over my own life..." she says with an empty look. I glance at Sakura and Kaori, who are quietly weeping, then at Tsubasa and Kaito, who are talking mechanically, their fear obvious.
"O-okay... let's go..." I stand up and start following Vanessa. Outside the classroom is full of those things wandering the halls and chatting in groups as if they were truly normal students.
"..." They look at us briefly and ignore us as we walk down the corridor. I see a rules chart on the wall. There are so many that the chart splits into nine more lined up beside it.
