“Her room is at the end of the hallway.” The lieutenant kindly accompanied me through the inspection, with several armed guards watching me.
“We have to triple the guards for this meetup, and barely have any spare man for other duties.” He complained tiredly yet still grabbed his rifle tightly in his hand.  “Out of all the psychopaths we got here, you just have to see her.”
“I’m sorry lieutenant, it won’t take too long.” Standing in front of the door, I looked at him and tried to give a professional look.
“You better be.” He signed lightly, entering the password. “I’m sick of this shit.”
He escorted me in the room, avoiding eye contact before leaving. The thick entrance door closed behind me as I looked around. It looked nothing like a cell or ward, but rather a bedroom, belonging to a twelve-year-old girl. She sat on a comfy couch with a pinkish tea table in front of her, as if she was waiting for a doll to arrive at her tea party. The only thing representing the asylum is a steel chair for me to sit on, the cold, metallic feel is the only thing reminding me where I really am.
“Shiori Novella here, at your service.” She said delightfully. “Are you here for my tea party, professor ?”
Her glowing yellow eyes stared at me, swinging her black and white hair while tilting her head. A warm smile on her face welcoming me to her tea party.If it was not for her straight jacket, I would join without a doubt.
“ Morning, Miss Novella. I’m just here to ask some questions.”
“Oh, okay.” She said sadly. “All I want is some friends to come to my tea party.”
“ You had many friends before, didn't you?”
“ They weren’t my friends….” Shiori sank back into the coach, trying to hide from the question.
“They just wanted something from me, they always do.”
“So you killed them?” I asked calmly, took out a news cutout and put it on the table. “32 men found dead when the police arrived, leaving you the only suspect.”
“I didn’t…I didn’t….”She started sobbing, bowing her head down. “ I just wanted them to go away…”
“ They died, Shiori.” The tears were like knives cutting my heart, but I managed to suppress my guilt. “ You killed them.”
“No…no…” She mumbled between her knees, shivering. “ It’s not me…please…”
“ You didn’t shoot them, or any physical harm of course.” I added. “ They died defending you.”
She stopped crying.
“ Although who or what killed them isn't identified yet, but they were clearly fighting an intruder.”
I constructed my sentence carefully, observing her reaction.
“ You were already in the building long before someone broke in, so you aren’t the direct cause of their death.”
She sat still without any response, almost making me question my own theory. Then a sudden giggle scared me out of my own thoughts. Shiori lifted her head with a satisfied look, not a single tear to be seen.
“You are so smart, professor. I’m happy that you did your research.”
She leaned back on the cushion, staring at the ceiling.
“ It’s all because of that girl, and her fudging dog.” She signed softly, gazing at me.
“I guess those Novelknights did their best, it’ll be hard to get new ones now.” She said as if those dead mercenaries and cartels were simply her broken toys. Her childish tone was gone, instead with an academic voice. Her behavior acted like a completely different person from minutes ago.
“So, tell me professor, what do you want to know, as a reward?”

It was hard to get any useful information from Shiori, my notes were filled with tangents without any real progress on my studies. All my efforts were in vain as we always trailed off to different topics. However, she seemed happy that there’s finally someone to talk to, not just other voices in her head.
“What interests me more is your former titles.” She grinned as I spoke, waiting for me to elaborate further.
“Certified doctor, Mycology authority, Professional pianist, Core cult member, Best selling author…” I raised my eyebrows. “…and Princess?”
“Is fulfilling my childhood dream a crime to you, professor?” She argued with an innocent tone, pouting her lips.
“Well is causing a cruel revolution and thousands of casualties also your childhood dream?” I questioned her yet she seemed untouched. Without any response, I continued reading the documents:
“ All royal members went missing as this tax haven crumbled into ashes, years of civil war followed along with billions of dollars worth of treasury…”
“Are you here to accuse me of all that?” She interrupted with a funny tone while relaxing on the coach.It was as if I were merely reading a comedic fiction, or an unrelated piece of news.
“You won’t believe me if I denied, and get nothing new if I admitted.”
Shiori added while leaning forward, staring at me with her breathtaking eyes. She was humming a medley I’m not familiar with, while her gaze made me feel like my soul was scanned thoroughly. At last, she spoke as she layed back on the couch.
“If you truly want to understand me, those reports and files in your hands will only take you so far.”
Suddenly a faint bang from outside and the room shook a bit. I heard footsteps getting louder outside, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“You thought this was the end of my story.” She giggled, pointing at my documents with her boots. “My dear professor, that was merely the end of the beginning.”
Emergency bell started ringing and someone was banging heavily on the door. I was paralyzed in my chair while Shiori gradually stood up and walked to the entrance.
“ I hope you enjoyed your time with me, professor, but I have to end things here.”
Several gunshots can be heard through the door, mixed with desperate screaming. I fell on the floor shaking, unable to reply with a blank mind. Soon complete silence filled the room, no more sound but my own breath can be heard. Shiori stood next to the door, looking down on me with enjoyment.
“I’m writing a new chapter.”She gave me a warm smile, the same as the one she gave me when I entered.
“ If you want to be in my story, feel free to join.”