“How can they say, ‘Jenny could you come back home?’ ‘Cause everybody knows you don’t, ever wanna come back let me be the one to save you!

Gravity, don’t mean too much to me. I’m who I’ve got to be, these pigs are after me, after you. Run away, like…”

“You’re already learning the lyrics to those songs? I’m pretty impressed,” Ashley comments.

“Wha- oh, was I singing?” I ask, blushing. I had no idea I was doing that…

“Yes. Honestly, you have quite a nice voice,” she compliments with a faint smile.

I feel a rush in my stomach and my face turns red at the compliment… I look around us. We’re back at the picnic tables by the Methodist Church, waiting there for Anja and Nova to arrive. Apparently, they have something very important to tell us… Luckily, it looks like nobody else is still hanging around the church this time, so I don’t think anyone else heard me singing.

“Th- thank you, Ashley,” I tell her meekly. I unlock my screen and press the pause button. I had my fifteenth birthday a couple weeks ago, and as a gift Anja gave me an old music player that was loaded with songs she listens to, which she said I would like as well.

Then, Ted comes out of the woods. “I thought I heard y’all’s voices,” he tells us. “You kids wanting to train more today?” For the past couple of months, we’ve tried to go back into that other world at least once a week, so that we’re ready the next time a local villain pops up.

“Yes, as well as some interesting new intel,” Ashley explains to him. I bend down and scoop him up, setting him down on the table like usual.

“Hmm? And what is this new intel?” Ted inquires.

“Well, we’ll have to wait for Anja and Nova to get here for that. But it apparently involves a strong suspect for the owner of the jungle palace.”

“That is good to hear,” Ted remarks. “The longer someone dangerous like that is on the loose, the greater the risk to you and your classmates… If I’d have met someone like that at a school my children went to, I’d string ‘em up.”

“Wow Ted, you have children?” I ask, overcome with curiosity. Ted has gotten less high-strung recently, so maybe he’ll finally be willing to share something about his past…

“Aye, I did. Two daughters… they’re with the Lord now, along with my wife. Never got a chance to finish growing into adults…”

Awwh. I feel immense sadness… I feel like hugging him, but as he’s so small I instead pat his head.

“I worked a dangerous job… In a town near the southern border, I was a cop. I met lots of people who came over looking for a better life… and sometimes, thugs with crooked intentions. I found out about a group who was trying to round up some of our children, to take them back across the border and sell as slaves. I busted the whole operation. My community saw me as a hero… but that group was bigger than I imagined, and those who remained wanted revenge.”

Ashley and I watch him intently, fascinated… Ted has never told us stories like this before. But I have a bad feeling this one’s not gonna end in a nice way…

“One day, I had a dream… I saw my own home burning down, and a loud voice told me to not go into work that day, to call in sick… when I awoke, I wrote it off as just being a dream, and I went in anyway. But I should’ve listened… that day, my dream came true, and my house and family were gone…”

“Oh no! That’s horrible!” I croon to him, tears already starting to well up in my eyes.

“That’s interesting. Do you think that the dream you had was a sort of prophecy?” Ashley asks. “I had a pretty weird one this morning myself…”

“Aye, I know it was, thanks to what happened next… I went into a fit of rage, and decided to go hunt down the bastards who did it by myself… of course, I didn’t get too far before I got a bullet in my head for it… but I took down as many of them as I could before I went.”

I’m sniffling and sobbing by now. Ashley stares blankly at the table for a while, as if remembering something. Then, she says, “So I guess you really do know how it feels… much more than I ever could. You have my most sincere apology.”

I’m not sure what she’s talking about… Ted nods, and then continues his story. “I woke up on the other side, and I saw the archangel, Michael. He told me that I had been foolish, and that I was no good to anyone dead… I simply begged and pleaded to be reunited with my family. But He told me I had been weak in faith, and that I must atone…”

“Did He really?” Ashley asks. “I thought that the whole purgatory thing that Catholics believe in was bullcrap…”

“No, He didn’t mean that,” Ted explains. “He said that at the same time I had died, a new baby was born, a heroine who would walk strong in the faith, and that the hidden evils of our land would fear her. And then I saw… her,” he finishes dramatically, pointing at Ashley.

“No you didn’t,” Ashley replies reflexively. “Stop that.”

“I know what I saw, lassie!” Ted insists. “He said that someday, I would cross paths with this heroine, and that were I to help her destroy a great evil, I would see my family again…”

“When was it that you died?” Ashley asks him pointedly.

“I think it was… the winter of… 1975,” he says.

“There, you see? Not me. That would’ve been way before I was born. Hell, I think that was close to when my mom was born. And I haven’t exactly walked too strongly in the faith. It’s a miracle I haven’t fucking killed myself already.”

Ashley sighs heavily. The atmosphere has changed, feeling oppressive and hopeless…

“Well, that’s a cool inspirational story, but I’m a bit hurt that you think you can bullshit us about stuff like that. Especially given how serious the stuff with your family is, why would you think that’s okay?”

“I was serious about all of it!” Ted growls. “I would not lie to you… this is my mission!”

“Ashley… come on, let’s not fight about this,” I interrupt, feeling very uncomfortable at the raised tempers. I get up from the table and join Ashley on her side, feeling her hand.

“I get it, Ashley… it does sounds like one of those stupid prophecy stories from a children’s movie,” I console. “But I think that what Ted is really trying to say is… he’s dead set on helping us. He really cares about what we’re doing.”

I turn back to Ted. “It totally makes sense now why you’re so concerned about this creep at our school… in your life, you fought against people just like that, and then they took everything from you. We all have the same wish… the same goal. I’m glad to have Ted on our side…”

“I do appreciate that,” Ted tells me, nodding respectfully.

“Alright. Of course we’re still gonna work together, Zoe,” Ashley gripes, sounding defensive. “But this heroine stuff just doesn’t make any sense… are you sure you’re not embellishing the ending of that?”

“It was a dream… the last thing I remember, before waking up as an armadillo,” Ted explains. “I didn’t know what it meant, until I escaped into the Metaverse and saw you, along with the form of the angel who sent me… that’s where my memory becomes clear again. Like I started a second life.”

“Hmm. Okay,” Ashley relents, seeming satisfied by this for some reason. “I guess that’s fair enough…”

“Oh, is that them at last?” I say, recognizing Anja’s car pulling into the church’s driveway.

“It sure is, Zoe,” Ashley confirms. “Fucking finally… let’s get down to business already.”

“So. Let’s review what we know about this teacher,” I tell the group, as we pace a street in Zoe’s neighborhood, now cleared of all enemies. “A male, who was popular back in his own high school days as a sports star… so possibly one of the athletic coaches. Has some secret way of teaching a particular student ‘special lessons’ which can be reasonably assumed to be sexual in nature based on other rhetoric cues. The talk of ‘real freedom’ and the phallic imagery implied by that ‘jump on it’ bit. Indeed, the fixation on the idea of being ‘free’ does align with a theory I had about the jungle palace’s owner when we went there.”

“Oh god, I didn’t think about the ‘jump on it’ thing like that!” Nova cries out, looking very flustered and meek. “I don’t like that…”

“He’s targeting one particular student, who is described as a brunette girl who is in athletics and has no luck with boys. Can we think of anyone who matches that description?”

Zoe gasps, putting her hands over her mouth. “What if… the girl he’s talking about is Anja?”

“What? No! Don’t say that!” Anja replies, looking panicked. “Oh my god… but that would explain why the vines went after me when we were in there! Oh fuck, oh shit, oh…”

“I think that is unlikely,” I interrupt. “I would hardly consider marching band to truly be an ‘athletic’ in the traditional sense. And the vines went for me too, I was just able to escape them easily due to already having an awakened Persona.”

“Oh… yeah, I guess that’s true,” Anja admits, breathing deeply.

“The description of the girl is so fucking vague, there’s no way we’re gonna just figure it out,” Nova reasons. “There have to be dozens of girls at our school with brown hair who are in a sport!”

“Very true,” I agree. “And the predator would have no reason to reveal the identity of his victim if he wanted to keep a low profile.”

“I mean, if he wanted to keep a low profile, why say anything about this at all?” Nova questions. “Just to brag to the MAP people on Tumblr? After we tell everyone tomorrow, they’re going to be on high alert looking out for someone acting like a creeper.”

“Yes, it seems as if he had no idea this posting would be identified as coming from someone at our school so quickly, so he would’ve…”

“Um… Ashley?” Zoe interrupts me. “To your left.”

I look left and see there’s a couple of more of those fucking wasps. We must have killed like a thousand of them by now. I sigh and slash one of them in half with my sword, killing it instantly. Anja shoots down the other. She’s wincing at it, but we’ve seen so many of these that she’s mostly gotten used to them.

“Damn, you guys didn’t even let me do anything!” Nova complains. “These monsters are fucking weak sauce. Is there anywhere else we can do some real training?”

“Hmm. Good question,” I say. “Let me call up Lucy. We need to update her on the predator situation anyway.”

I call her. “Hello again, Ashley!” Lucy greets me. “How is your training going?”

“It’s boring as shit,” I protest. “We wanted to ask if there is anywhere we could find some more formidable shadows to fight. I think we’re too advanced for the standard coyotes now.”

“Oh yes, that’s excellent to hear!” Lucy responds, sounding positively ecstatic. “Well, I think I know how you can attract some stronger foes… go ahead and go to the nearest house of worship in your area that isn’t the First Baptist one.”

“Okay, sure,” I agree. “While we walk there, I need to fill you in on something we’ve recently learned about.”

“Fill away!” Lucy says.

A few minutes later, we arrive at a tiny Church of Christ in the neighborhood. I finish giving Lucy the rundown about the blog while we stand around outside the building for a while.

“So. Naturally, we are planning on heading into that palace with haste. We don’t know exactly what this man is planning, but he seems to be ready to do it soon.”

“That would be wise,” Lucy advises me. “Keep your eyes peeled throughout this next week. The poster of this blog is clearly not very competent. I would not be surprised if the police caught him quickly. However, I would also not count on that, given how shit the police system is in many areas.”

“Well said,” I agree. “And in the meantime… we have arrived at a nearby church.”

“Oh, that quickly? Well, I guess it is Texas, so I shouldn’t be surprised. Go inside the church and into the sanctuary.”

Hmm. I think I have an idea as to where this is going.

We go inside the church. This one is much more humble than the churches I’m used to. The sanctuary looks like it could be a city hall meeting room, with metal chairs set up all facing the front podium. And in the back, sure enough, there’s an oil-like substance on the back wall. While this church is clearly not well-funded enough to get its own stained glass, it does look like the wall space could normally be used for a mural.

“Ah, this makes me nostalgic,” I remark. “So, you think that breaking a second seal will attract more powerful monsters to roam the area?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it,” Lucy confirms. “Think of it like the hull of a ship. If a hole opens in the hull, water will rush inside due to the difference in pressure. However, if a second hole opens, the water will start to rush in even faster.”

“What? That’s a terrible metaphor!” Anja complains. “That didn’t explain anything!”

“Quit your whining,” I joke. “It’s better than the big mac one, so I’m not going to protest.”

“Oh, you kids give me a break!” Lucy shouts. “I never claimed to be good at writing. Anyways, you clearly already know what to do, so good luck.” She hangs up.

“Jeez Anja, she’s not gonna help us out anymore if that’s how we’re going to treat her,” I lecture Anja, although she must know that I’m teasing.

“Well, that means a lot coming from you, Ms. Meanie,” she teases back.

We walk towards the seal, but before we get too close, I stop everyone.

“Fair warning to everyone here… last time I broke one of these seals, I was attacked immediately,” I warn them.

“Aye,” Ted agrees. “And we should be prepared to deal with something a little more troublesome than a pack of coyotes.”

“That’s fine, there’s five of us now, isn’t there?” Nova comments. “Just get it over with already.”

I nod, and then touch the seal with my hand. As before, there is a bright light, and the loud sound of breaking glass.

“AAAHHHH!!!” Nova yells, covering his ears. “YOU COULDA WARNED US ABOUT THAT, YOU BITCH!”

“Forgot to mention it. Sorry,” I admit.

Then, I hear it. Coming from across the sanctuary is a repeating thumping sound accompanied by the sound of crackling electricity.

“Wow, it really is immediate!” Zoe says, looking nervous. “What kind of thing is this going to be…?”

Everyone in the party draws their weapon. Creeping up the aisle towards us is a massive cat-like creature. It stands quite tall even on all fours, and resembles a large jaguar, except with a wider face, and two long, sharp fangs. Its fur is a darker shade of orange closer to red, but still with the same black spots. Most distinctively, arcs of electricity come from its paws every time it takes a step.

“Hey Nova,” I ask. “What’s the name of the Pokémon who’s an electric type and looks like a saber tooth tiger?”

“Oh, you mean Raikou?” Nova responds.

“Yes, that’s the one. Thank you.”

Without any further ado, the jaguar roars and pounces at us. Anja wastes no time in blowing the tiger backwards, which seems to be particularly effective. With these regular animals that roam the Metaverse, there is usually not much to do strategy wise other than wail on them with our attacks. Nova and I bludgeon it with our weapons, Zoe uses nuclear attacks, you get the drill. However, this enemy certainly has much thicker skin than many of the ones we’ve been dealing with, and it takes a few rounds of this for it to go down.

After a while, however, I notice that it seems to be charging up for something. It then turns towards Zoe, and out of instinct I leap in front of her to take what ends up being a quite potent electric attack…

I must have passed out, because next thing I know Zoe is sitting on top of me, glaring at me intensely.

“Are you awake?” she asks me sternly.

“Zoe. I hardly think that this is the time for this,” I say jokingly. I glance around to see if the others are watching, but it looks like we’re actually in here alone…

“Ashley, why did you do that?” Zoe asks me, with a sort of motherly tone in her voice that she hasn’t used on me before.

“What do you mean?” I deflect. “Isn’t it pretty self-explanatory? Did you want to be hit by the lightning strike?”

“No, of course not, but…” she chews on her lip agitatedly, and climbs off of me. “Ashley… you didn’t have to do that just for me.”

“I don’t understand what the problem here is,” I tell her bluntly, pushing myself up to a sitting position.

“Ashley… you said openly earlier that ‘it’s a miracle I haven’t effing killed myself yet.’ And then you go and do something like that?”

Oh. “Well, Zoe, it’s… not…” I trail off, feeling frustrated.

“Do you know how scary that is to me?” Zoe presses me. “Ashley, if you’re… hurting in any way, you need to tell me! Remember what we talked about, by the creek?”

“Yes, I remember,” I admit begrudgingly.

Zoe sighs. “I just… sometimes get the feeling that you don’t really respect me. You love me, but you see me as someone who always needs to be saved.”

“What are you talking about?” I counter. “Of course I respect you!”

“Then why do you always follow me around at school? Even if I’m just talking to another friend you feel like you need to stick right next to me.”

“I’m not jealous, if that’s what you’re getting at,” I say defensively.

“I know you’re not jealous. But… you seem like you’re afraid of me doing anything on my own. But I need to learn how to do some things on my own… you can’t be around to protect me all the time.”

I don’t say anything to that. I feel a confusing battle of emotions inside me…

“Well, let’s go join the others,” Zoe states. “I just… had to get that off my chest. I’m not mad at you, I promise.”

“Alright,” I say simply. I get to my feet, and we both exit the church.

The others are all uncomfortably standing around outside, and I realize suddenly that Zoe must have asked them to leave us alone.

“Welp, seems like we’ll have much better prey to train with now,” Ted remarks casually, seemingly oblivious. “Y’all want to do some more wrangling?”

“No, let’s just go home,” I say, feeling detached from my body.

Ted nods respectfully, and we all start walking back towards our entry point.

I feel partially like I should be angry… so she’s gonna get mad at me for trying to protect her? Well, if that’s the gratitude I’m going to get, maybe I’ll just leave her alone and see how well she does…

But no… that’s not right. Gratitude shouldn’t be the point anyway. I mean, it shouldn’t be. Have I been subconsciously doing this to get praise from her? Hmm…

Then, I feel partially like I should be ashamed, when I think about the suicidal thoughts thing. I was so eager to deny Ted’s bullshitting that I let that slip out. She must have felt so afraid and upset hearing that out of the blue like that… she really does care for me, and I hurt her…

The shameful half eventually wins out, and I leave the Metaverse feeling worse about myself than I have in quite some time.

I’m in the process of sneaking cookies, when I faintly start to hear voices coming from the front porch… probably the Mormons again. Hmm, how many of these have I eaten today? Five? Ten? I should probably stop here.

I go to the front door, taking a path that doesn’t pass by any front-facing windows, and then look out the peep hole… oh, it’s actually Ashley and Zoe coming home from hanging out with their friends. But what are they doing just standing there?

I open the door and see something quite surprising. Ashley and Zoe are holding each other very closely, and Ashley is crying. Actually crying. I haven’t seen her do that in many years.

“Hey, everything alright, kiddos?” I ask, approaching them.

“Yeah… it’s alright,” Ashley answers, nodding at me. “We were just having a serious conversation.”

I look at Zoe, who is smiling in a sad way. “We must look silly standing around out here… let’s go back in,” she suggests.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Ashley agrees. “I wanna show Mom that thing first, though.”

“Oh, hmm?” I question her, curious. “What thing?”

“I’ll show you in the living room,” she replies. She’s already fully regained her composure, the only remaining sign of her show of emotion being the redness around her eyes. And with that, Ashley and I go to the living room, while Zoe returns to her own room.

Ashley gets her phone out and shows me a picture on it. It’s a picture taken of a printed photo, and I’m shocked to see that it’s Ellen and I from back in high school, holding each other closely…

“Anja found this in a photo album at a family member’s house,” Ashley explains. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

“It is indeed,” I confirm. Seeing the image makes me feel a sharp pang of mixed emotions; mostly sorrow, but also some nostalgia and guilt.

Ashley nods and turns the screen off. “Hmm… do you miss her?” Ashley asks.

“More than I can say,” I tell her. “All I will say is this… I am glad that you and Zoe are… able to have those serious conversations together. You never know what could happen in the future, and there’s nothing worse than having someone leave your life without you telling them everything on your mind."

“Hmm… okay,” Ashley says blankly. “I will think that over.”

I force a smile. “It’s cool that she found that, thank you for sharing it,” I tell her. “You may go rejoin Zoe now.”

“Okay,” she agrees. She leaves, and I go into our master bedroom.