Min and Keiba got rid of the voodoo doll almost as soon as they’d arrived at the dorm. Keiba looked on Google for how to do it, and though Min didn’t want to play into the whole voodoo thing he knew Keiba had been really shaken by it—hell, who was he kidding? The thing had bothered him too! He couldn't blame Keiba. After all, it never hurt to be a little superstitious when it came to things like this.

Following the instructions online, they’d taken the doll to the forest after putting it into an old, white pillow case the school wouldn’t miss. Min found some sea salt and some fruit in the cafeteria. They sprinkled the salt over the doll and took it and the fruit along with some spare change into the forest below Keiba’s window. The sun was beginning to set as they reached a spot, and it was dreary and a little cold among the trees. They remembered Yun as a chill raced down their spines.

And the forest was made that much creepier.

Keiba mentally asked the spirits of the trees to change the negative karma surrounding the doll to good karma and they buried it under some rocks and placed the fruit and the coins beside it as an offering. When Keiba got home she took a bath with herbs and sea salt and Min lit a “purification candle” that he’d bought from a store in town that was supposed to last 7 days.  Candles weren’t allowed on campus, but it didn’t have much of an odor, and it was in the bathroom, so they doubted anyone would notice it.

Keiba felt weird and uncomfortable the entire time she’d done it. She hoped she’d never have to do something like that ever again. After she’d gotten ready for bed, fighting the urge to hop into the shower and wash off the herby scent, Min held her in his arms and lay with her for the night. They watched action movies on her laptop until they finally fell asleep.

The next day felt like a new start. Min took a shower first and while he was in there, Keiba called her dad like she’d promised. She got his answering machine, so she left a message. It wasn’t anything long, just a good morning and an invitation to call her later. Min got out of the shower as Keiba hung up. He was wearing the pair of boxers he’d taken in the bathroom with him. Keiba stared.

He smirked. “You'll start something if you keep looking at me like that, Keiba, and then we’ll never meet them.” He was reminding her of the fact that Ben had text them a couple of hours ago to meet up and look over Darcie’s diary. He’d been discharged from the hospital earlier that morning, so they decided to get together at a park near the outskirts of town.

Keiba blushed. “Right.” She stood up holding her clothes in one arm. She started to go for the bathroom, but then she altered course and pecked him quickly on the lips, her hand pressed to his chest. Her fingers trailed over his skin as she went into the bathroom with her clothes.

Min-Kyung grinned and finished getting dressed.  After she’d showered and dressed, Keiba opened the bathroom door and started to take down the braids she’d put in last night. Min watched her, thinking about when he should ask about taking the next step in the relationship. He didn’t want to seem like a ert or anything, but he was a man after all, and he did have needs…

Keiba looked at him over her shoulder as she was taking out the last braid. “So, Mini?”

“Hm?”

“When are we going to have ?”

His eyebrows raised in surprise. They were thinking the same things.

“Immediately.”  He replied.

She laughed. “Somehow I knew you were going to say that.” She turned back to the mirror and started fluffing out her hair.

As she finished getting her hair curls where she wanted them, Min stood and went over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He rested his chin on top of her shoulder, watching her reflection. “When do you think we should?” He asked.

“Well,” she blushed, “Maybe when the craziness dies down some. I mean, I don’t want it to be just a stress reliever.” She told him. “Not for my first time.”

Oh, that’s right. He would be her first. He let that sink in for a few moments. “Yeah,” he said finally, “I want your first time to be special too. Though it’s hard for me to believe you’re still a . Not that I’m complaining.”

She smiled. “Love you, Min.”

“Love you too.” He kissed her cheek.

She turned around and touched his lips with her thumb. “Let’s go. Ben and Mrs. Heller are waiting for us.”

“Okay.” Min took her hand. She grabbed the diary on the way out the door. “So what was your first time like?” She asked as they’d reached his truck.

He paused. “Uh, are you sure you want to know?”

She nodded. She wasn’t the type to ask questions without really wanting to know the answer to them.

“My first time… It was… good, I guess.” He was honest but careful with his reply.

“But what was it like?” She insisted. “Was it awkward or scary or—?”

“Oh.” He relaxed once he realized her question wasn’t a test. “Well, yeah, it was awkward. The first couple of times usually are, but it gets better. Much better”

“Oh. Mmkay.” She glanced at him. “Sorry if I’m being nosy.”

“You’re not.” He assured her. “You should be curious.”

She nodded and settled back in the seat. “So, then, was Sun-Hee your first?”

He shook his head. “No. There were a few others before her.”

“So they were girlfriends?”

He shook his head. There was suddenly a red tinge to his cheeks and neck. “I called them that, but they only lasted a couple of months at the most with me. More like hookups really. Sun-Hee was my first serious relationship.”

Keiba gasped in mock shock. “Mini, I’m surprised at you.”

He gave her a cute, sheepish grin. “Sorry, babe.” He reached over the center console to touch her knee. “Promise it won’t happen again?”

She sighed dramatically. “Okay fine. I guess I can let it slide.”

“Good.” His thumb rubbed against her knee absently. He cleared his throat. “So, since we’re asking questions, am I your first boyfriend?”

She laughed a little. “I consider you my first.”

He glanced at her. “What do you mean by that?”

 “Well, after the third grade my love life was nonexistent until now.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You want to explain that a little more?”

“Well, technically… you weren’t my first kiss. Or my first boyfriend. Technically. My first was this guy named Daniel.”

He pouted. "Oh really?"

She poked his cheek. “Don’t make that face, Mini. I don’t really count him as my first for three reasons.” She held up a finger. “It was the third grade.” She held up another finger. “The relationship lasted literally one day.” She held up the final finger. “The kiss was forced on me.”

“Wait. It was forced on you?”

Keiba nodded. “The day after he confessed (which was under the slides at recess, I remember), his friends held me still while he kissed me.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.” She touched . “My poor maiden lips! My very first kiss was taken from me before I even wanted it to be!”

“Baby, that .”

“Yeah.” She shrugged, returning to her regular, less theatrical self. “It is what it is. And like I said, I don’t really consider it my first, although I’ll probably never forget his name. Daniel.”

“I’ll never be able to look at third graders the same way again.”

“Don’t.” She agreed.  “There is evil behind their adorable, dirty faces.”

He chuckled. “I’m a better kisser though, right?”

“Mmm…” She pretended to think about it. “Maybe. You have better form… But yours lacks childish innocence.”

He smirked. “Damn straight it does.”

“Yeah,” she put her hand on top of his on her knee and threaded her fingers between his. “There’s nothing innocent about your kisses.”

He squeezed her knee briefly as he pulled up to the curb of Jordynn Park. He cut the engine.

Keiba pointed at the couple sitting close together on a bench. “There they are.” She said.

Ben recognized Min’s truck and waved. Ruth followed his lead.

“Yep.” Min said, unbuckling himself.

She reached behind his seat to get the diary. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Agreed.”

She and he got out of his car and walked to the bench. Ben and Ruth stood to receive them.

“Looking good, Ben.” Min said, clapping hands with him. “Glad to see you’re out of the hospital.”

“Thanks.” He grinned. “It’s good to be out. Sitting in that room was making me stir crazy.”

Ruth and Keiba embraced quickly. “Good to see you, Keiba.”

“You too, Ruth.” She pulled back and looked at her. “I decided on a piece to play for next Saturday.”

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

“Toccata in D Minor.”

“Ah. That sounds familiar, but I can’t think of the tune. When you have it ready, you’ll have to play it for me.”

“Mmkay.” It wouldn't be too hard to do; she'd learned it before, but it'd been a little while since she'd played it. It was just a matter of her re-learning the notes. 

“We should go somewhere a little more private.” Min said, watching as a soccer ball rolled their way. He stopped it with his foot and kicked it back to a tall, blonde teenager.

Ben nodded. “I got a place in mind; me and Ruth were just waiting for you two to get here.”

“Lead the way.”

Keiba and Min followed them to a virtually empty side of the park. They could still hear the people having fun, but they wouldn’t be noticed this far away. They sat at an old, wooden table that had been built close to the sidewalk.

Keiba set the diary in the middle of the table.

“I read the first few entries,” she said, “And other than the fact that her birthfather is an , I didn’t find anything that was very eventful.”

“Hm. Okay.” Ben said, picking it up.

“Was he abusive?” Ruth asked. Keiba nodded. “Mm. That’s probably why she’s so messed up now.”

Keiba said nothing. She agreed with Ruth, but it wasn’t very relevant; knowing the root of the problem didn’t necessarily mean it was resolved.

Ben looked around. “So are we just reading this aloud?”

Min nodded.

“Okay.” He opened it. “Where did you leave off, Keib?”

“August 15^th I think.”

“Okay.” Ben started to read the next entry, which was set on August 20^th. It was for Keiba to listen to someone verbalize the text than have her read it herself. There was less of a connection between herself and Darcie when someone else read the words aloud.

And, like the first few that she’d read, the next few were just as uneventful. Ruth was actually starting to nod off. It wasn’t just because of the lack of excitement or the soothing sound of Ben’s voice. It was because she’d had three hours of sleep the night before. Barely. It was really more like a little over two and a half hours. She needed to talk to Ben about something important and it was keeping her up every night she didn’t.

But the sound of Min’s voice woke her up.

“Wait.” He said. “Who did she say she’d met?”

“Uh,” Ben scanned for the beginning of the sentence. He reread, “’There’s this girl who seems pretty cool; her name’s Aina’.”

“That’s what I’d thought you’d said.”

“Aina.” Keiba repeated, needing to taste the name for herself. It held no meaning for her. “Do you know her, Min?”

He nodded. “I think I do. The name sounds really familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve heard it. I think Sun-Hee might’ve known a girl with that name. Or something like it.”

“We should ask her about it.” Ruth said. “Does anyone have class with her?”

“I do.” Keiba said.

“You do?” Min demanded, looking at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I would’ve mentioned it if I thought it was important, but it never really came up.” She paused, suddenly feeling guilty. “Would it have made a difference if I’d said something?” She asked.

He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “No. It wouldn’t have made a difference.”

She silently released a relieved sigh and leaned her head against his shoulder. Ruth watched them, smiling a little.

Ben, who’d been skimming ahead, exclaimed suddenly, “Oh !”

They looked at him. “What? What?”

“Darcie and Aina did something really bad. And I mean really bad.” He said. “After they met, they started pulling pranks around campus. It was pretty harmless at first: bucket of water on top of the door, laxatives in the counselor’s coffee—”

“Putting Jell-O in the dean’s fish tank?” Min finished.

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“I went to her boarding school.”

“Oh. Then I guess you’ll know what I’m talking about.” He shook his head grimly. “Anyway, the pranks were pretty harmless until this last one. Listen to this: ‘We did something bad, diary. We did something really, really bad. We didn’t know it would turn out like this. It was just supposed to be a joke. We never meant to kill anyone. We never meant to start that fire’.” 

Min jumped up, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails almost broke the skin. All he could think was: I knew. I knew she’d done it. But he’d prepared for this hadn’t he? He’d prepared for the possibility of finding out who was responsible for the fire. So why were his hands trembling? Why was his heart beating so damned loudly?

Keiba stood too, reaching out to him. “Min?”

He cut his eyes at her the moment her hand touched his shoulder. His gaze was black. An enraged, pained black that seemed to tear right through her and pierce her soul.

She snatched back her hand like he’d burned her—and immediately afterward she wished she hadn’t. Min had seen the fear in her eyes. It was only there for a moment, but it did enough damage. He turned from her and walked quickly away, unable to deal with the situation.

“Min, wait!” She started after him, but Ben grabbed her wrist before she could leave. “What, Ben?” She demanded, watching anxiously as Min got further and further away.

“What happened with the fire? How many people died?”

“I can’t tell you the story. Not without Min’s permission.” She started to say something else, but then she hesitated. “If we’re not back in twenty minutes, you two can leave; we’ll just continue this some other time.”

He slowly let go of her.  “You two keep walking out on us. Literally.”

“I know.” She said, starting after Min. “I’m sorry.”

Ben leaned forward and put his head in his hands with a sigh. He and Ruth watched as Keiba caught up to Min. They had no choice now but to wait.

---

Where I got the information for the disposal of negative voodoo dolls: http://askvoodoomama.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-do-you-get-rid-of-cursed-voodoo.html

Hello, faithful readers!

I'm sorry I've been gone for almost two and a half weeks =(. This chapter was really difficult for me to write (and I really don't like the way it turned out. I'd appreciate some feedback on it, but I'll be doing some editing on it soon) and Thanksgiving was last week, but I don't really have a good, justifiable excuse.

So thank you for not bailing on me! And I'll try extra hard to make sure it doesn't happen again.  

Much love to subscribers new and old!!