“I am sorry to have surprised you. But my mother was concerned, so I came to check on your welfare.”
Shirley floated to Katrina.
“I had intended to merely observe. But since you are in immediate distress, I must act now. Please put the violin down.”
“What?” Katrina held the violin to her and backed away.
“So, you’ve already begun to identify with that object. I am sorry. This is most likely due to the control of Shizuka Satomi. She has done this to others before. But once we alter your memory, you should be fine.”
“Miss Satomi!”
Katrina tried to run to the door, but Shirley floated in front of her.
“My mother said not to perform any procedures without your consent. However, you do not appear to be thinking correctly.”
“You’re not the first one to say that.”
Shirley extended her hand. It began to glow.
“Don’t worry, this will only hurt momentari—”
Suddenly the doorway exploded in flames.
“Miss Satomi!”
“Katrina! Get behind me.”
“I’ll be back,” Shirley said flatly. Shirley’s image blinked and was gone.
And then it returned. Shirley looked around her, confused.
“No. You can’t leave. I don’t care where you or your family comes from. This is my house.”
Whatever this being was, the Queen of Hell possessed a type of jamming ability. Without a deflector or cloak, Shirley was trapped. But no matter. She needed to focus on Katrina. Shirley had to save her now.
“Katrina, there’s no record of this woman’s music.”
“Yes, I know. It’s because of the music industry or something.”
“No, you don’t understand. There is literally no record of your teacher playing violin. No video, no tape. Not a single recording.”
Shizuka bristled. “I could have told you that.”
“However, you are quite a heated topic in another group of forums.”
Shirley projected a screen in front of them.
“Some of the data isn’t readily accessible by your search engines. Fortunately, I can search your Internet directly. And I found mention of you here. And here. And here, on sites that discuss serial killings, demonology, and the dealings of your Hell.
“As a scientist, I tend to discount the metaphysical, but a quick search revealed that many of their assertions were undeniable. And, Shizuka Satomi, they were not comforting.”
The screen shifted to a group of images.
“Katrina, these are your teacher’s former students.”
Katrina stared at the images. They were … police reports? Obituaries? Morihei Sanada, suicide by gunshot. Claire Burke, unsolved, multiple stab wounds. Lilia Tourischeva, missing, possibly murdered. Sabrina Eisen, drug overdose, possible suicide. Kiana Choi, found dead while institutionalized. Yifeng Zheng, unsolved, possible suicide by self-immolation.
Each had been a talented, yet unheralded musician. Then each spectacularly rose to win major competitions. Each had gone on tour, gained recording contracts, played for presidents, royalty.
But then?
“Katrina, this is why Shizuka Satomi is called the Queen of Hell.”
Shirley shifted to another screen.
“The prevailing theory is that Shizuka makes a deal with each student. Fame for souls. The hypothesis is there is a cursed object involved. Each of these musicians had a favorite instrument, so it is not a violin. However, in these pictures, each seemed to be using the same light-colored violin bow before they died.”
Katrina squinted. Some of the older pictures were a bit fuzzy, but it was possible …
“But I’ve never been given such a bow.”
“They’ve noticed.”
Shirley highlighted a thread called “Queen of Hell, New Student?”
“Stop. Just stop.”
“Do you now understand the danger that you’re in?” Shirley said.
Shizuka took a deep breath. She’d enjoyed teaching Katrina much more than she’d expected. Watching old videos, playing, then following … At times, it had seemed as if the curse had never been.
How wonderful it must be, to be normal. But that was not her life.
She’d been careless. She’d not secured Katrina’s soul. She’d let her guard down with Lan. And now Shirley would have to be stopped, and all this technology would have to be destroyed.
As for Katrina?
Shizuka closed her eyes, preparing herself for what she had to do.
But then she felt Katrina’s hand grab on to her own.