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Snipes Trail St.

September 8th X288

Florian caught a glimpse of it as it scrambled into an alleyway.

The spirit took the form of a lizard waddling on its hind legs. It had a leathery mane that bowled around its neck and collected its overflowing drool dripping from its salivating tongue.

Florian was worried. The spirit’s owner was nowhere in sight, and it was following the three of them.

Florian has never seen a soul without an owner before. But she didn’t have a spirit of her own, so a soul without an owner might be plausible.

“Can we eat here?”

The restaurant was almost empty. Florian felt it would be safer to eat some place more crowded.

“Let’s try somewhere else.”

The three girls continued. Florian kept an eye on the drooling lizard spirit going in and out of hiding. She couldn’t spot the owner.

She thought it was some wandering spirit haunting them.

The spirit swept its tail on the ground like a broom. It was as if it was wiping away its tracks.

Florian led the girls to an open plaza to get a better look at this spirit. The drooling lizard spirit just sat at a corner staring at the girls.

Hope was teaching Blythe the hand sign for the fountain but looked up at her sister’s strange behavior. Before Hope could even hand sign anything to Florian, she reassured her sister that everything was okay.

She could tell just by looking that her sister was starting to worry. Hope’s seashell dove spirit would stick its head out of the seashell and in the air whenever Hope was concerned about something.

“Everything is all right,” Florian signed.

Blythe and Hope followed Florian. The drooling lizard wheezed and gargled as it tailed the group. Its movements got more agile. It sank itself lower on all fours and slithered. When it stood up, it was almost three feet tall. When on all fours, from snout to tail, it appeared about seven feet long.

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Florian’s observations confirmed her suspicion. It wasn’t a solitary spirit; a person was stalking them. The soul displayed a process of warming up.

Florian had observed the same process before. Dr. Ronaldo suggested she find some outlet for her stress, recommending a sport or a hobby. Florian chose martial arts since a classmate wouldn’t stop bugging her about joining. When stretching and warming up, she noticed the individual spirits would follow suit. It resulted in the souls becoming quicker, confident, and more intimidating.

Florian turned a corner with the group and immediately ran into a store. Hope and Blythe followed, not far behind as if thinking this was a game.

Florian remained near the entrance and waited as the other two browsed the store.

Florian waited, yet the lizard didn’t pass by the front of the store.

Did we lose it?

Florian crept below the display window and peeked through it. She couldn’t see it.

“Florian, I got to use the bathroom,” Blythe said.

Her bubble dog spirit whimpered. Not a single bubble floated away from its tail, so Blythe was telling the truth.

Florian didn’t want to split up the group. “Let’s all go together.”

“I can go by myself,” Blythe said.

“I don’t need to go,” Hope signed.

“We are all going together!”

Florian waited outside the restroom, keeping an eye on the front door. She saw no sign of the drooling lizard or their stalker.

Florian suspected either the stalker had lost them or her eyes were playing tricks on her. The bubbles from Blythe’s spirit animal were still bothering Florian. Thinking back, she still had no idea why Blythe had lied about telling her parents where she was.

Florian knew they would have to leave the store.

When they did, the drooling lizard reappeared behind them. Florian shivered at the sight.

When the girls entered a densely populated shopping district, countless spirits were roaming about with their owners. The sheer number of souls would usually distract Florian. She took a deep breath and composed herself.

“It doesn’t matter why. At this moment, I have to protect Hope and her friend!” Florian knew they were safer in a crowded place.

“Concentrate, Florian! Concentrate!” She pushed herself to drown out the overwhelming crowd of people with their unique souls.

She ignored the tusks, the gills, the appendages, the eyes, and parasites.

She disregarded the furs, the feathers, the giants, and the scales.

Florian focused her sights on the drooling lizard, Hope, and Blythe.

When they entered the crowd, their stalker would have three options.

The first option would be to give up and leave them alone.

The second would be to wait until they were out of the crowd and pursue them once again.

The third would be to continue to follow them in the crowd, revealing their identity.

Your move, creep. Make your move! What are you going to do?