Marie Part 4

Time went by. I tried to forget the incident in the cafeteria earlier by diverting my mind to the lesson. I'm studying for tomorrow's test, but remembering Sean and Leyna, who are studying together in the library right now, makes my heart ache again. Even though I pretended to smile in front of Muggie, who had been accompanying me to study in my room, and even though Muggie had been comforting me since earlier, I still couldn't lie to my heart. Sean and Leyna's closeness bothered me a lot. I tried to close my eyes when the night came, but it still didn't work. I glanced at Muggie and Leyna. They were sound asleep in their respective beds. I turned my gaze to the clock on the wall. The time showed 23:14. I finally decided to get out of the room, hoping that other students still hadn't slept. But my hopes were empty when I saw this dormitory looking empty and deserted. I decided to go out onto the balcony. The night breeze could calm my mind a little. I looked around me when I was on the balcony of the dormitory. The scenery around the campus, illuminated by the lights, looks beautiful. I raised my head to look at the sky, the moon and stars shining brightly as if they were accompanying me who was feeling this down. Going out for fresh night air was the right decision. If I look at the stars, a memory comes to mind. Could he remember the promise we made a long time ago? The promise to see the meteor shower, does Sean still remember it? I still need to understand the changes before this second—the reasons why he changed, I do not understand at all. Huff, I exhaled roughly and returned my gaze to my surroundings when a white shadow caught my eye. The figure of a woman standing under a tree. Behind the girls' dormitory were indeed several trees, and a figure of a woman wearing a white dress was standing under one of them. I strained my eyes to recognize the figure. My eyes widened when I realized that figure. There was no way I could recognize it wrong. I'm sure she was Marie's ghost. She crouched down and looked at the ground under the tree. What was she doing? Then, not long after, her figure floated towards the dormitory. Suddenly, I immediately ran from the balcony. I was about to go to the tree. I was curious about what was on the ground that made Marie's ghost look at her for a long time. There is a possibility related to the reason for being a haunting ghost. Yes, that's what I'm thinking right now. Arriving at the back of the dormitory, I didn't see Marie's ghostly figure anywhere. I walked closer to the tree and checked the state of the ground under the tree. An oddity caught me: a part of the land looked like it had just been dug up. I looked around me, looking for anything to dig into the ground. Luck was on my side because I found a piece of wood not far from the tree. I used the wood to dig up the soft soil, indicating someone frequently dug and covered it. Thanks to the lights installed not too far from this tree, I can see the situation around this tree. I kept digging in the ground. I stopped digging when I felt something hard from the ground. Using my hand, I picked up the buried hard object. A rectangular box is now in my hands after I pulled the box from the ground forcibly. I need to find out what's in this box. My curiosity finally made me work up the courage to open it. I was surprised when I managed to open the lid of the box and see the objects inside. This box has many things, such as several cell phones, novels, and even comics. Then, there are various accessories and other objects. I was wide-eyed when I saw one of the accessories, a necklace, in the box. That necklace I know her very well, of course, because this necklace is mine, which was lost a few months ago. Angie gave me the necklace when I first met her after being accepted at this campus. This necklace is very precious to me, but I lost it. I've looked for it everywhere but have yet to find it. I even gave it up. I didn't expect to find this necklace in this box. Besides, another thing I realized after looking at the things inside the box was. The light pink cell phone in my hand, I'm sure it belongs to Leyna. I can be sure of this because I remember the colour quite striking. I also remember when Leyna got angry when she said she had lost her cell phone. She even accused me and Muggie of taking it until she ransacked our things. Then, I also began to be suspicious of the other objects in the box. I checked the objects and found something that led me to believe that these objects were stolen. In one of the novels, inside is written the owner's name. These objects are none other than the belongings of the female dormitory residents who disappeared some time ago. So, who stole these objects? My memory returns to the ghost of Marie, who has been in this place for a long time. My heart tells me that Marie stole and hid these things. I don't want to accuse her because Marie is a lovely girl, and she can't steal. But still, the scene I saw a few minutes ago made my suspicions point to her. I decided to return these objects to their owners. The next day, the atmosphere in the women's dormitory was vibrant, and the cause was me. Yes, early in the morning, before everyone goes to class. I gathered them together and showed them the box I found last night. Some people who owned the items in the box immediately returned their belongings, which they initially believed were lost. I was very relieved when I saw my friends' cheerful faces and happy looks because they had found their favourite things that had been lost. "Leslie, as I thought, you're the one who stole my cell phone. It seems you also stole the other's belongings. You're a thief. I'm so embarrassed to have a roommate like you." I cringed when I heard Leyna's words. How could she accuse me of stealing all those things? "That's impossible, Leyna. Leslie can't steal," said Muggie in my defence. "Then why did she return these things if she didn't steal them?" The atmosphere became increasingly crowded. I even saw the gazes of my friends, who started to suspect me, too. "I didn't steal it. I just accidentally found this box buried in the ground." I'm trying to defend myself. Of course, I don't want my good intentions to make me accused of being a thief. "Only the thief knows where this box is buried. You are Leslie's thief. Admit it! You think by returning your stolen things, we'll just forgive you, Haah? Pretend as if nothing ever happened. Don't dream Leslie, I can read your plans." Leyna again spoke at length, trying to convince my other friends that I stole it. "No. I didn't steal it." "Who is it, then? Tell us who stole it?" Leyna spoke again. Instantly, I panicked. I never thought it would turn out like this. I never thought I would be accused of being the thief. Even though I only had good intentions. "True to say, Leyna. If you didn't steal it, tell me who the thief was?" Now my other friends are starting to come rushing me. I know it was Marie who stole it, but she's dead. My friends may believe me if I say that I saw Marie's ghost standing and staring at the ground under the tree last night, which made me suspicious and check it out, which made me even more confused. Should I tell them about my ability? I can't guarantee they will still want to be my friend after knowing I can see and communicate with ghosts. I've been keeping this ability a secret from my friends so far. And that is my biggest question: will they believe my story?