It was nightime, and I was supposed to go home late because I want to check if the sound of the dragged chains where still in the storage room. But Shiro didn't want me to do any overtime at the moment.

"You'll end up getting sick if you still work late at night when you're pale like this!" he scolded in which I could only listen to as my head was low.

Despite being my boss, he was acting more as my older brother at this rate and I was okay with that. Well, he knew I was an orphan and we were once living in a same town before he moved to the city when he was in high school. As for me, I moved when I was in college. He recognized me after all this time and introduced me to his proudly owned bookstore. Right there and then, I decided that I should help him in thanks for taking care of me when I was young.

So that was about my life. Or at least part of it.

But even at the moment that I was outside the store and just staring at the crowd, that weird sound was replaying in my mind. Then again, hearing something that weird was enough to make me remember it.

I faced an antique shop just across the street and I could see a stand-in mirror even from my position. But my eyes soon widened after a frown when I saw something from my reflection on that mirror.

"Chains..." I could only utter that much.

Does this mean...

"Elvia~!"

"Wah!"

I was startled at that voice, followed by someone glomping me from behind that nearly made me scream. When I looked behind me to know who it was, I grunted at the sight of my cousin Tomiko Kisara grinning at me.

"You could've killed me from heart attack with that!" I couldn't help almost screaming to Miko's face but she just let me go and grinned once again before showing me a V sign.

Seriously, this girl wasn't making it all easy for me to put things in her mind with this nature of hers.

"You were about about to have a heart attack when you were looking on the other side of the street, you know." Though my cousin was smiling, her voice was laced with seriousness and concern.

That alone made me remember the reason for me to be like that again. As inconspicuous as I could, I faced the shop on the other side of the street. The figure I saw from the mirror wasn't there anymore. I sighed in relief soon after.

"Are you okay, Ellie?"

I nodded just for me to appease my cousin's worries for me. "Don't worry," I said, even though I knew it won't be enough to make her stop worrying about me. "Let's go."

xxxxxx

When I got home, I immediately headed to my room and threw myself on my bed. Great! Why was I feeling so tired all of a sudden?

But I tried shaking that off from my system as I recalled something. I sat up and took the mail that was on my mailbox earlier. The only written word on the envelop was the name of the sender.

Or should I say a pseudonym?

"This is the fourth month now, huh?" I muttered and found myself smiling as I ran a finger on the penname written on the envelop.

'Mr. Paper Plane'

Despite all the weird happenings in my life since that incident when I was in elementary, for some mysterious reasons, the letters coming from Mr. Paper Plane were giving me reasons to smile at the end of the day. I wasn't sure why was he doing this to me.

But for now, I couldn't thank him enough for helping me clear my mind with those letters coming from him. The words written in those letters somehow held wonders that I couldn't think of knowing how or why it could do those things to me. And with the life I've been trying to live since my parents' deaths, Mr. Paper Plane's letters were the gift to me so that I could overcome those life challenges I've been facing day by day.

I sighed as I opened the letter and prepared myself to read it, knowing that I would never be able to sit still after reading that.

However, the letter only contained ten words that made me frown, though. And definitely enough to make my heart beat fast once again.

'Don't allow the chains to haunt you like this forever.'

What was that supposed to mean? And why...

Why would he talk about the chains? Chains of what?

Seconds later, I instinctively raised my head upon hearing that sound again.

The sound of chains dragged on the floor. And the sound--it was coming... from inside the house.

But as soon as I raised my head, I froze at the sight that greeted me that was followed by words that were seemed to be hissed.

"Help... me..."