Desperate to fend them off as long as possible, and still reeling over her otherworldly luck, she marched up the stairs. In her room, she snatched that pesky letter from her desk and tore open the corners. A quick scan of the paper told her what she wanted to know. The word “congratulate” stood out like it was highlighted. Air got caught in Sonoko’s throat. Before letting her celebrate, her brain told her to read the rest of it in case it was somehow congratulating her on the worst application in PsiTech’s history.

  It read:

  “Dear Miss Makino Sonoko,

  We would like to congratulate you on your admittance into PsiTech Academy, Arcadia's most prestigious and celebrated school. Your application has caught our eye and we believe that PsiTech could be the place for you. Your placement into our programs is dependent on a further evaluation to be completed when the next term begins. You need not study for this for it is not that kind of test.

  Below is listed all the important materials and dates required for you to know as a student of PsiTech’s…”

  Sonoko couldn’t keep her brain from glossing over these details as she still coped with the bottomline that she had been accepted to the best school in the country. No, world. A nagging thought reminded her that she needed to worry about the real world implications but she told it to bother her later. For now, she would be happy. More than just happy; proud. The feeling felt like putting on a piece of clothing you would never dare to attempt pulling off, yet finding that you like the way it looks on you. Once again before letting her brain fully explode, her eyes trailed to the bottom of the page.

  “...Do not accept your admittance to PsiTech if you cannot afford to pay for tuition and the proper amenities. If you have any questions regarding this, please visit our Tuition Office located on the third floor of Okagi Center.

  “And lastly, you mustn’t approach your time at PsiTech as comparable to any prior academic experience you may have. By even being selected to attend, you are entering an elite pool of the brightest minds in Arcadia. Be warned: not everyone is cut out for PsiTech Academy. Do not waste the school’s resources if you do not attempt to excel. If you do, we look forward to seeing you next term.

  “Signed, Miss Tajima Mariko (Dean of Students).”

  The warning diminished the excitement slightly. Sonoko carefully folded the letter and returned it to the envelope. She wrote down the dates she remembered into her journal. The next term started in a couple weeks. She cursed herself for not opening it sooner to allow for more preparation. A big decision would have to be made soon. Only her parents couldn’t know yet. Not until she was fully prepared to speak with them. So many thoughts swam around, running into each other, all competing for her attention. The negative ones seemed to be winning. She thought back to her conversation with Kiku on the hill. Kiku had mentioned Sonoko’s desire to leave the farm. Now she could. She held her ticket out in a crinkled envelope. Yet, it wasn’t that simple. She then thought once more of the warning. Was she cut out for this? It was the factor of the grand decision she felt least equipped to deal with.

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  All of a sudden, Mr. Yamada popped into her head. He had attended PsiTech when he was her age. Sonoko decided that she would need to consult him before thinking any more of it on her own. He would know what was best.

  The jar in her pocket made its presence known once again. Excitement had to be set aside for ritual.

  Walking out to the edge of the forest on this same day every year was difficult to say the least. It was a much different feeling than the nightmare however. Sonoko wasn’t scared looking into the dense wild, just reflecting on time when Shin was by her side. She almost preferred the frozen terror of the dream to the lump of regret forming like a tumor in her heart. Each year it grew bigger. So many years. She was just a little girl. Logically, Sonoko knew there was nothing more she could’ve done. Everything was a game back then and she hadn’t known that Shin’s screams were genuine. Even now as the breeze blew, echoes of that scream were carried on the wind. The worst of it all wasn’t returning without him or even telling her parents what had happened, it was the realization that he was gone. That is all wasn’t just part of some game he was playing. The feeling that settled into her mind after searching for an hour was the same one she felt now, eight years later. No body to bring back home. Just gone like he never existed.

  For the first couple years after, Sonoko still half thought she would see Shin reappear out of the woods and explain that it was some elaborate prank. Or that he had gotten lost and finally found his way back. Only the older Sonoko got, the smaller the woods became. It wasn't the grand enchanted forest of her childhood anymore. There was nowhere to go. That was when she began to truly accept that he was gone for good.

  In her hand, the Neon flower began to shine once more as the sun descended. Sonoko laid the jar at the foot of the trees in an annual sign of offering. She unscrewed the lid to let the flower breathe.

  “This hana is for you, Shin,” she spoke aloud. The image of the fox peering out from behind the trees popped into her head again. Perhaps that was Shin’s way of telling her it would all work out. Wherever he was.

  Sonoko climbed up the creaky stairs to sleep. Her eyelids drooped from the emotion of the day. A small rustle came from Shin’s room as she walked by. For a moment, fear seized her like she was back in her nightmare. But then through a crack in the door, she saw her mother basked in candlelight.

  Suzu sat on Shin’s bed holding one of his farming shirts in her hands. It was stained with dirt and Neon yet she held it to her face trying to pull every last bit of his scent from it. Sonoko could see the tears in her eyes and some began to form in her own. PsiTech Academy and Arcadia Military Forces posters sat unadmired on the walls.

  Feeling like comfort would mean nothing coming from her, Sonoko dragged herself to her own bed, stifling her sobs against her pillow.