When approached from the front, Bell Lodge did not appear to be a hotel, a lodge, or a building at all. The entryway was a solid barrier of leaves, vines and pastel blossoms. Flowering boughs spilled over the tops of the wall, raining their springtime bounty over the sidewalk like confetti, the road becoming a velvety pink carpet. There were no chimneys or rooftops visible from the outside, and the unhindered view of the sky over the complex was a staggering blue.

Another surge of petals took off overhead.

The gateway to Bell was devoid of an actual gate; there was no door but a wide space in the fencing, with small rings to each side of the opening to tie off a barrier - a chain or a ribbon - when the time came to close, if the impossible were to occur. There was a shed near the opening, but no guards, no cameras, no toll-taker or ridges in the ground for speed traps. With a suspicious squint, Rai opted to park on the sidewalk outside.

“Looks small from out here.”

“Looks can be deceiving. I remember it being very spacious.”

Rai walked along the wall, his hand flicking in and out of the greenery. He walked back, checked the car lock again. “Last chance to duck out. If you want.”

“It’s not that bad. I’ve been here before, remember.” Sao laughed, and was rewarded with a scowl, inexplicably more bitter than the last. But the sky was so bright, the smells so lovely, he found it hard to care.

“I just thought after the thing with Raph, and the last time, maybe you--”

“Hello. You’re Delta’s visitors?”

They turned. A woman had appeared. She had a compact look, especially when framed in the expansive entryway. Unadorned but pretty in a black shirt and shorts (and, naturally, Bell’s signature beige loafers) the most notable part of her person was how jagged her outline appeared. Her dark hair, which she had tried to tame with a high ponytail, was a nest of metallic spines. Sao waved. She was exactly the same as the last time he’d seen her. 

Who was she, again?

Sao cursed his heathen memory. Wonderful; he'd remembered all manner of faceless beings that didn't exist, but he couldn't remember this one very real woman?

Someone Delta had mentioned. Sigma’s wife. No, his partner. 

“Kiria,” he finally breathed, “It’s been so long. How have you been?”

“Wonderful. Sao, we’ve been hoping you’d come by again.” She smiled, though not easily. He remembered this about her as well.

Behind him, Rai stood under the shadow of the overhanging branches. Kiria noticed him, locked on and inched closer, looking him up and down.

“The investigator, right? Have we met before?”

“Probably not.”

“Oh. Okay, I’m Kiria, I’m Sigma’s… Sigma’s partner. And a manager here at Bell.” She twisted the needled tip of her ponytail, tracing some memory. “There’s something about you. I just can’t place my finger on it. Is your family in acting?”

“Yeah.” Rai was now out in the shade, apparently disoriented by the light. “Relatives of mine. How did you know?”

“You look so familiar.” She smiled, securely this time. “I used to work with actors. Maybe I met one of them.”

“The name would be Kir.”

“Ah, yeah! Before my time then, but they were some of the greats. Kir - I’m named after you, you know? My mother was a fan of Lady Rue.”

“That’s my great-grandmother. I’ve never actually met her though. I’m not exactly welcome to family gatherings.”

“Oh, no.” Kiria accepted this without question. Sao wondered how he could have forgotten her. “Well, I hope we can help you feel welcome here at Bell. Please-” this was to both of them “-come in.”

---

After being fitted with their own sets of beige loafers, they walked a short way under the cover of the flower corridor, a wide paved course with a lattice roof covered in greenery, held up by arches of ochre clay. 

This must be in the same path he had walked three years ago, Sao thought, taking in the perfumed air. The saplings and wall planters had filled in magnificently since his last visit. From the roof above them hung chandeliers of lavender and lobelia, and at the sides wove in branches of the everpresent cherry trees, regal in their springtime colors. Though there was plenty of sunlight shining through the gaps in the leaves, it was hard to imagine what lay beyond. An endless plane of light, eons away from Central city and its human noise and bustle.

But somewhere in this sanctuary, a man had died.

They came to a final archway which opened to a wide open-air plaza. Blinking away sunspots, Sao heard the sounds of moving water, and laughter.

“Delta is taking a call at the moment,” Kiria told them. “He said you might want to talk to some of the residents, so go ahead. If Delta says it’s alright, Sigma would say so too. Head to the management house if he doesn’t come to pick you up first. Just follow the signs.” She pointed at a wooden panel set in the leafy wall behind them. “I think just about all of the residents are here today, in the lagoon. We’re having a photoshoot, some travel magazine reporters are visiting, and we’ll get some new pictures for the website while we’re at it. Unfortunately, it’s kind of a mess. Sorry.”

The so-called mess of Bell Lodge’s lagoon spread before them was a vision close to paradise.

They were at the center of the resort area, where the grand fountain was set, flanked by the bar and several deck chairs. The fountain itself was a sculpture made of huge circular pieces of stone, each tall as a man. The orbs were stacked stacked in two columns, one much taller, spiraling toward the sun. Water came from unseen nozzles at the top and spilled around the spheres in curtains so smooth they resembled panes of glittering glass.

The fountain rose higher than Sao remembered due to an unfamiliar addition near the bottom. The bowl around the spherical statues was raised and poured into several lower pools, which poured down another level into wide oblongs with the bottoms lined in turquoise tile. Dancing through the water like nymphs in their element were the residents of Bell Lodge. They seemed to be soaking up all the light around them, hair, limbs and bare skin gilded by sun and sweat. Seeing their smiles, he could not help but smile himself. This was something else Sao was surprised he had forgotten.

The residents were all, by no flimsy definition, beautiful people.

Kiria had walked off.

“So,” Rai said. “This is what a Bell party looks like.”

“The wading pool is new.” Sao glanced at the side where a handful of non-residents - fully clothed photographers - were making a desperate attempt to capture the magic. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“Take your time, then.” With an uncharacteristically docile smirk, Rai headed for the throes of springtime.

---

Whether or not the dinner three years ago had meant anything, Bell really was a house of miracles, Sao thought. There was Rai, red-eyed in his favorite grimy coat, yanking his leather gloves off to shake the dewey hands of the fountain’s revelers. A sight one did not see every day. Sao thought he recognized one or two of those perfect faces from television ads or billboards by his bus stop; honest-to-goodness models. The visiting photographers swaddled in their blacks and blues, wandering bruises against Bell's ivory-tiled poolside, looked moments away from throwing fists with Rai, who was blocking their shots like it was his job.

Sao beamed at nobody in particular. A group of dark-haired women caught him though, and smiled back. The sensation was electric. He fell back, slightly, to the outskirts of the scene.

Rai was speaking to a familiar young man in silky shorts. One of the ‘recruits’ who had attended the dinner with Sao, years ago. They turned to face him, then turned back, at Rai’s urging it seemed.

Absently, Sao began to pick at his face. His body felt light, but just short of perfect enough to join the fold. If only he didn’t have this tacky layer of makeup...

“Honey, everything okay?”

In the shadow of the cherry trees sat a couple, perfectly realized under dappled sunlight. The woman was the one who had spoken. In the man’s arms was a baby, who eyed the shifting leaves above, dreamily. The child’s eyes seemed to shimmer with understanding; they were more than alright, if anything they embodied the perfection of both parents with such ease it was hard to imagine they could ever be troubled. Yes mother, everything is wonderful.

“Honey?”

Sao realized she was talking to him, not the child. He whipped his hands away from his face. “Oh, yes. I’m fine. It’s just been a while...”

“Oh? Sao - is that you?”

“Ms. Indigo.” Her voice was unmistakable, the slight warble that had set the record companies scrambling was still alive and well. Sao beamed. “What a surprise - it really has been a while! You’re looking lovely. I heard you were married now-” perfect smiles all around - “and this must be the baby. I only heard briefly from Delta, but - ah - belated congratulations.”

“Thank you. Oh, this is so nostalgic! Looking at you, that dinner feels like just yesterday. How time really flies.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing yesterday.”

“Are you here for the photoshoot?”

Sao held his hands up. “I’ve never been a good photographer.”

“How about getting your picture taken, then?”

“I’m not dressed for the occasion.” Sao tugged his collar and Indigo laughed. Sao did too. Despite the warmth, he was not sweating in the least. “I’m also not a resident.”

“I’m sure nobody would mind. Unless that’s a small hint that you’re considering joining? Of course, nobody would mind that either.”

“I’m… uh, somewhat stuck in my current rental agreement in the city.”

“Perhaps Sigma can help you work something out. No pressure, of course.” She smiled out at the fountain, waved. “We’re having a fine time just sitting to the side ourselves - Sigma agreed it might be too young an age for the baby to be splashing around the pools.”

“What’s the little one’s name?”

She let her husband answer. His teeth were so white they might have outshone Rai’s hands. “Him. Destiny. We were thinking Des - something after hearing it in a dream. Sounds crazy, but it's true: one morning we woke up, faced each other and found we'd heard the sound in our dreams... the same beat, the inkling of a name. So it just made sense.”

“Destiny,” Sao echoed. Tired as he was of admitting perfection, it was a flawless fit to the child he saw before him.

“Would you like to hold him?” Indigo offered.

Smile rigid, Sao turned to her husband, hoping for a polite retraction of his wife’s offer. But the man was practically holding the child in outstretched arms. And the child in turn had its little hands extended out.

“No, thank you,” Sao said.

“Okay, but if you change your mind…” Baby went back to the bench. “Little Des. He’s the first Lodge baby, you know,” Indigo sang.

“Aside from Arden,” quipped her husband.

“Oh, please.” She rapped her knuckles on his arm lightly. “Arden’s 17 years old. Don’t call him a baby.”

Tension melted from Sao’s bones. “Arden?”

“New resident as of last year - late last summer. He came with his mother, having just lost their home. They were the recipients of Sigma’s last lifeline, if I recall.”

A lot of ‘lasts’ floating around.

“Last year.”

“Yes. Arden had adjusted wonderfully. Although...”

“He’s not here right now.” She shook her head. “In his room, most likely. After finding Mr. Racer the way he did, I don’t blame him for wanting time alone. It was terrible. But he knows we’re all here for him.”

“Mr. Racer. Delta mentioned that incident to me, too. I’m so sorry.” Some small pin of tension remained at the back of Sao’s mind. “An army man too, what a terrible way for things to go. You really never know...”

“Know?”

“What someone may be feeling below the surface.”

Two pairs of eyes set on him. No, three - the baby, as if synchronized with his parents, was also boring twin holes into him. The baby also lost interest first. His mother followed. “You’re absolutely right. Racer never looked troubled, in fact joining Bell seemed to be a weight off his soul. He loved to walk the paths, he got along well with residents half his age, and younger. Always smiling at us, at himself. But as you said… perhaps that was all to mask some darkness deeper down in his soul.”

A shroud of petals rained around them.

Indigo shook her head. “Let’s not wallow. It’s not our place to theorize. We should live what lives we have to the fullest, and we certainly have good lives here. We want to give the Bells the best possible impression for their revival. Impression of humans, that is.”

She was again, watching him, analyzing him harder than ever with her face screwed in concentration. Then she burst out laughing. “As Sigma would say.”

“Of course.”

“Love the man, but he’s had a lot on his plate in the last month or so, it's been hard to find time to catch up with him.” she shrugged. “A new project, perhaps. The fountain revamp was quite a surprise itself, remember?”

They stopped to observe the sound of wet feet slapping the stone paving. Rai had come up to join them, sparkling with sweat, his ragged jacket soaked at the edges. “There you are. Hey, is that the new baby?”

“Yes, he is,” Indigo said.

“Cool. Can I--” One gloved hand swept vaguely in the direction of the baby, who shrank into its cocoon of blanket as if repelled by magnetism. Rai did not finish his request.

“Ms. Indigo,” Sao said, with a small bow to each member of the family. “It’s been a pleasure.”

---

Rai’s wet soles clapping the pavestones announced their arrival in the western floral corridor, yet another rustling passage of color and fragrance.

“That was a trip. Felt like I was in a bikini commercial. Everyone here is a little crazy, but they seem happy. Your old pal from floor 3, Mard or however you pronounce his name, was Racer’s neighbor in the second wing. Over there.”

Sao raised his head. Morning glory vines coiled overhead. Though there was a fringe of the everpresent cherry trees to the left and right, the foliage above the west section was lighter than around the tunnel near the entrance. A good amount of sunlight filtered in over the path, illuminating a garden lamp, and a rectangular stone bench - a familiar scene. 

His chest tightened. This was a place he’d seen not in person, but in case photos. The walkway from the dining area to the lodge rooms, or vice versa. The place Racer had been found.

Rai was not so easily daunted. “Racer was a chill guy. Outgoing, kind of a ladykiller, though I suspect that definition fits 90% of the guys who live here. He was single until the end, so good for him. Apparently, he came to Bell shortly after hearing about it from a friend. He was living in that military retirement community where Sigma was raised and caught wind of their old protege. He stayed a few days before deciding to become a resident, and contributed a huge chunk of his retirement fund as a down payment. He said he was planning to live the rest of his life here, so why not make it the best it could be ASAP?”

“Admirable. Helps himself, but also others. I wonder if that fit Sigma’s plan to impress and revive the Bells.”

Rai knelt, inspecting the fresh mulch. “Well, Sigma let him move in.”

“True. Do you see anything new?”

“Nothing. But this is where the footprints would have been.” Rai crawled through the hedge and vanished for a moment before materializing from some distance away, waist-deep in bushes. He sank his glove into the wall of vines and shrubs before him and beat on something metallic. “Here’s the fence that goes to an alley outside. It’s overgrown with plants and stuff, but not too tall. Someone could have gotten in or out this way mostly unseen, especially if it was dark, with rain to hide the noise.”

“That matches the police theory.” Sao gazed again at the flowers hanging overhead and thought of the reports. The bright hearts of the morning glory blossoms did somewhat resemble stars dotting a dark green sky. “Rai. Did you get the impression that the residents believe in Bell revival story?”

“Hard to say. I was used to reading editorials of people joking about the whole Bell philosophy. Like it was some story Sigma made up while stoned and blew the whole advertising budget before he could rewrite it. Hearing actual people talk about its role in their lives in earnest was… weird.”

“It is an odd idea to base your life around.”

“They definitely used ‘gotta make a good impression for the Bells’ as an excuse to cut off unpleasant topics. I guess if that helps keep the peace, even as a side effect, it’s a fine enough philosophy. For a cult.” Rai stood. “But I will say this: they made it sound like Sigma’s genuinely into it.”

“I should have helped ask around.”

“You don’t seem like a sunglasses and swimwear kind of guy.” 

As if Rai in his sodden jacket were poolside perfection. But he was right enough in his assessment. Sao smiled. “Thanks.”

“It looked like you did get a shot at that couple.”

“That was Ms. Indigo and her family. She’s the singer that the police came looking for, the night of the raid.” Sao headed for the bench, thought for a while, then stood against the pillar beside it. “She met and married her husband while living here. Her baby is the first to be born to the Group. She mentioned a teenager living here, though, named Arden. He was one of the first to find Racer’s body.”

“Some of the reports did say a kid was hanging around at the scene.”

“When you were speaking to the residents by the lagoon, did they mention any other children?”

“No...” Rai frowned. “From what you said, the Indigo baby is the first.”

“I did. Right.” Sao closed his eyes, knowing when he opened them, Rai would be staring into him as if he were the alien. “This place looks so different in the daylight. And three years later, of course, I barely recognize anything. But there’s somewhere I want to check out.”

“The talk of kids reminded you of something?”

“I’m not sure.” Sao felt a breeze ruffle overhead. “How about you? You looked awfully happy to meet the baby. Never took you to be so doting…”

A stronger wind sailed through the corridor before Rai could respond, carrying with it a glittery tinkling. Sao could almost believe the shards of light had taken form, were clinking against each other, echoing down the overgrown path, flickering in and out of the shade.

Sao opened his eyes to see Rai circle and pounce at one of the swaying vines. A small silver cluster was hanging from a ribbon. “Bells?” Rai’s nose was nearly touching its surface. “Is this…?”

“It’s not one of Sigma’s sleeping Bells.” Looking up again, Sao saw, nestled between the leaves, several other bells tied with ribbons. “Tributes? They do fit the name of the place.”

“Kinda creepy. Some people put these out when listening for ghosts. Also common in poorer areas as a kind of makeshift burglar alarm. They should be hanging a little lower to catch anyone, though.” Rai dropped the knot of bells in his hand. “The residents were giggly and cagey on the topic of aliens, but a lot of them did seriously say the place has been quiet lately. When I asked what noise they were used to, I just got hand-waving, ‘It’s only a feeling.’ Some said they were having migraines.”

“Delta said something like that too.”

“Maybe Sigma heard and put these in for QOL. Or maybe the residents did it themselves.”

“Maybe. It’s a nice touch.”

But the wind had died, and the bells were still. 

Rai batted the cluster beside him. His musical finesse did not quite match the wind’s. “Where was it that you wanted to look?”

“It’s on the way to the management building.”

“Good. What are we looking for?”

Sao thought. “I’m... just retracing some steps.”

---

The Northeast corner was helpfully labeled by another wooden sign. The floral corridor turned and widened to a lawn. At the center of a lawn, backed by small hills, the red and white cottage that housed Management was soaking up sun.

Slightly further down the corridor, there was another exit to the opposite side, a dirt-lined passage running between two rows of flowering trees. The trees were more diminutive than their cherry-blossom cousins, but also covered in pink blooms, albeit of a slightly hotter shade.

“Camellias,” Sao commented. “Their leaves are already out when the rest of the place is just starting to flower. I hear they live through the winter.” He took a tentative step onto the path. The ground was so soft with petals that he could not help wondering if it was stable, or if he’d fall through the floor and snap awake in his apartment, realizing the whole day, Bell and the fountain and baby, were nothing more than a dream. He tread on carefully. “This whole space was bare just three years ago.”

“This is what you wanted to see?”

Rai’s irreverence could be grating at times. “I also wanted to take a look further down this road. Something else that was in progress the last time I came here.”

The camellia colonnade ended at what Sao knew to be the carriage house. Sao had never owned a carriage house himself, but was not expecting what he saw before him: a trailer, hastily painted, with a cracked canopy leering precariously over the door. The body of the trailer stood on bricks. Beside it was a van with an unusually round windshield and a dazzling bronze paint job. The corner of its sliding door was adorned with a gold medallion shaped like a ferris wheel. The van was clearly the more opulent of the two fixtures in the clearing.

While Sao stood rooted in place, Rai descended on the van. “A TPP Honor?”

“Sounds impressive.”

“An old special-edition they made to commemorate some military achievement around 30 years ago. Whoever owns this place has some crazy taste. And money. This one looks like it’s in perfect condition. Gotta be counterfeit, right? If it isn’t…” Rai shuffled along the sides, giving the bronze siding a wide berth. “These go for several mil at auctions. They were supposed to be recalled, but the ones left in circulation are hot items for collectors. I wonder if this one’s functional...”

“Recalled for what?”

“The company invited a famous product designer to do the concept, then shoehorned the functional parts in around it. It ended up with a ton of issues, from brake failures, to fuel leaks, to magnetic interference with the stereo...”

“What a waste.” Sao inspected the TPP in a new light. “It is beautiful, though.”

“Form over function. I guess beauty has a place, but not like this.”

Almost guiltily, they both turned to face the trailer. It seemed cruel to voice comparison, so they just stared. Then, in the crusted back window, Sao saw a light shift. Curtains? No, a person - it was definitely moving, headed for the front door. “Someone’s in there.”

The door croaked like a frog when it opened. There Delta stood, a vision in grey, and more grey, eyes like fishbowls. “Oh. Sao.”

“So it was you in there. Gave us a fright.” Sao ran forward to help steady the canopy which was making good on its threat to collapse. “Thank you so much for organizing a visit for us. I was just revisiting this path, admiring the trees.”

“Is that so? They did turn out impressive.” Delta blinked, orienting himself. “They’re not cherry trees, I forget...”

“Camellias,” Rai said.

“Yes. You’re a perceptive one, investigator.”

Sao didn’t bother to try to reclaim credit. “We were also admiring this TPP van of yours.”

“It’s Sigma’s. It cost him quite a bit, all the earnings from Faeries of Winter and then some. But I remember, even before the Lodge opened, he made it clear that if he was going to put down a fortune on something purely for himself, it would be this particular item. It’s the same model his childhood babysitter drove before, uh - before he vanished. The Greys got him.” Without looking at the van in question, Delta headed for the main path. “I’ll explain that story if there’s time. I have something serious to discuss with you two.”

Rai intercepted Delta as he hurried away from the trailer. “You found something.”

Grimly, Delta raised his hand, which gripped the laces of two running shoes, brown with old mud. “These were under the table in the kitchen, hidden I think. There was mud, but it was dry. They must have been there for a while. I shouldn’t have been in there, but I...” He pressed them into Rai’s hands. “Sigma has been staying in the carriage house alone for the last few months. He had to know they were there.”

“And probably put them there.” Rai inspected the shoes much like he had the hanging bells in the tunnel. Nose almost grazing the rubber.

Delta continued stiffly down the path that led back toward the management building. “These don’t look like his size, not like anything I’ve seen him wear. I’m not sure how they got in there...”

“Delta…” Sao murmured.

“But what does this mean? It looks like Sigma’s done something...”

“Delta, we’ll figure this out.”

“Delta,” another voice joined in.

Delta stopped dead, just moments before running into Kiria who was standing at the end of the path, between the final set of camellia trees. The sunlight falling between pink branches flickered over her hair, but unlike the residents dancing in the pool, Kiria did not glitter. She bristled.

“Delta, what were you doing?” She turned to Rai. Despite her jagged silhouette, her expression was bland, unsure of its own aggression. “What’s that?”

“Kiria...” Delta began.

As if some bizarre round robin were continuing, there came another echo. “Kiria?”

All eyes flew to the shape approaching from the direction of the management house.

“Sigma,” Delta said, completing the circle. “Did you - when - how was your appointment?”

Though the man was clad in the plainest of slacks and button-ups, and sporting a scrappy dye job as if he’d rushed out of the barber’s before finishing, there was no mistaking the famous face. Sharp, catlike eyes over a hard lip and jaw, there was a force to the actor Sigma that (many critics agreed) overwhelmed the movies in which he featured, magnified by his tendency to be cast as unhinged aristocrats and intellectuals. But here in his element, a world of his own making, the piercing aspect was scattered as if run through soft focus. Arms loose and shoulders speckled with leaves that he did not seem to notice, there was a disarming aura about him. Nearly magnetic.

The effect certainly had Kiria in a bind. She seemed unsure of where to look. Sigma patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s Delta, I’m sure he had his reasons.”

Sigma walked up to Rai, Sao, and the hanging shoes. His eyes appeared somewhat distant, as if he were observing them from miles away, but his smile was warm. “Sao. So good to see your face here again, it’s been a long time.”

“Three years.”

“The residents still talk about you from time to time.” He turned again to the shoes, to Rai. “I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Sigma. I’m the founder of Bell.”

“Rai. I’m an investigator.” The ID was already out.

Delta looked like he wanted to die on the spot. Sigma only tilted the ID into the light and nodded. “Of course. I see you found the shoes... I owe you all an explanation. You most of all, Delta. I’m really sorry.”

Despite the confession, nobody stopped Sigma as he made his way to the trailer house and opened the door.

“I need to retrieve a few things. Would you like to come in, keep an eye on proceedings?”

Rai wedged the door open with his elbow, the sneakers beating dirt against the aluminum surface. “We’ll watch you from here.”

From over Rai’s shoulder, Sao peered inside. It was a kitchen area, which led directly to a small bedroom enclosure, a mattress and unmade covers on a platform made of wood. The entire scene was, to his eyes, soaked in longing. The makeshift home was not dirty, nor was anything aside from the canopy outside in a state of disrepair. The kitchen was well-furnished and of course, there was the million-dollar van adorning the lawn. No, the home itself wasn’t a bad place, what it begged was to be elsewhere. To be seen anywhere but the Bell grounds. To be able to move off the bricks in place of wheels and live among people, not golden nymphs and clouds of petals. Bell was beautiful, but beauty was for the breaks between acts of living. The trailer was really lived-in, real in a way that didn’t mesh with the lurid scenery.

You wouldn’t like it here.

Sao was beginning to recall why he hadn’t stayed.

The place also reminded him of Kiria, in that longing way.

Rai’s hairs were on end as Sigma disappeared into a gap behind the bedroom. He returned with a case made of dark wood, with a glassy pane over the top. Sigma muttered something (Rai’s hairs were nearly popping from his skin now) and then stood at the table, smiling faintly. He dug through his pockets and fished out a key, along with another item just barely hidden by a clenched fist. Still murmuring.

“What’s that?” Rai asked, failing to sound casual.

The box opened. Rai jerked back and the canopy collapsed over his head. He squawked like a parrot.

Without batting an eye, Sigma placed the item in his hand into the box. Over Delta cries of caution and Kiria’s advice to just ‘throw the canopy to the side’, he thought he heard Sigma apologize to the contents of the box, fingers stroking the contents.

“I’ve got it!”

“Careful, it’s sharp!”

The canopy was dragged to the ground. The trailer door slammed shut, forgotten. Metal supports sliced the air.

“Watch the van!”

A warm wind swept through the grove. The chimes of dozens of tiny bells enveloped them, an announcement of the end.

Sigma emerged from the trailer with a smile fit for the silver screen. “Now, what were we discussing?” Around his neck was a ribbon looped with leather holders for four rocklike ornaments. The Bells.

---

“So these things are from space?”

The Racer case was effectively on hold for Rai’s extraterrestrial study. The shoes continued to swing from his hands as he padded around Sigma, examining the makeshift necklace. They were in the sitting room of the management house, but Rai seemed determined to stop Sigma from actually taking a seat.

“Why do you call them Bells?” Rai asked.

“What else would I? That’s how they introduced themselves to me,” Sigma said. He did not seem to mind Rai’s prowling.

“You took one with you to your appointment today?”

“I often take one out with me, for reassurance and so they can see the town. Although I don’t feel safe taking all of them out at once, they’re a bit bulky and if something were to happen, I’m not sure how I’d live with myself... So it’s a balancing act for comfort and safety. They are my oldest friends, after all. Not a slight on you, Delta. It’s just, these little guys can’t move on their own.”

Sao couldn’t resist taking a closer look as well. The sleeping Bells had a texture more elegant than he had remembered. While they did look like mottled stones from afar, he saw between layers of dull grey were crystallized streaks ranging in tone from sapphire blue to silvery white, iridescent when hit by the sunlight streaming in through the copious windows.

The management house meshed perfectly with the rest of Bell (save for the trailer): an eclectic mix of abstract statues and practical shelving, heavy-pillared walls painted a striking coral, framing a sitting room filled with rattan furniture and a plethora of flora. Sao settled amongst a bed of jewel toned cushions. The sitting room was warm, but breezy, both tropical and temperate.

The place was as disarming as its owner. Despite the weariness eating into him, Sigma was still entertaining Rai.

“Tea?” Delta offered.

“No thanks,” Sao said.

“Coffee? I’ll see what we have in the patry too-”

The mention of coffee dragged Rai from his alien predilections. “I’ll have a coffee.”

Sigma smiled. “Another for me, please. Thank you, Delta. Any for you, Kiri…?”

Kiria had not spoken since Sigma made his appearance, and did not seem too pleased with any of them. She only nodded.

Once refreshments had been prepared and his guests were seated, Sigma collapsed into the remaining chair. “Are you sure we can’t get you anything, Sao?”

“I’m fine. Had a big breakfast before we came.”

Rai raised a ragged brow at this and, with some anguish, lowered his mug of coffee only half finished. “So, Sigma. Glad you could spare some time to talk to us.”

“Investigator. If I’d known you were coming, I would have made better preparations.” Sigma’s courtesy was, Sao thought, a bit strained. Whatever his prior appointment was, it had taken a lot out of him.

“We came in with some photographers, had a look at the pool in front. I’ve been interested for a while in seeing the place. Read about some cases in the past. And I was lucky enough to get some stories firsthand from Sao.”

“The improvements you’ve made to the grounds caught me completely off guard,” Sao said. “The fountain, and how the corridors have filled in. It’s quite amazing.”

“Thank you. You like the camellias turned out?”

“They’re beautiful.”

A tired smile. “You’re too kind. So, you’re working with an investigator now. I expect you didn’t come here only to sightsee.”

“That was half of it, but we also came to have a second look into the death of Captain Racer.” Rai raised the shoes, thankfully stopping himself before dumping them on the table beside the sandwiches. “These turned up. Are they yours?”

Sigma sipped his coffee. “No. But I was hiding them. I did say I owed you an explanation. Just… give me a moment.”

“You’ve had two weeks.”

“This involves a resident. I’m prepared to answer any questions, but I first want to make clear: there is no murderer on the grounds. It was an awful event, but I don’t want anybody to bear the blame...”

“Does this relate to rumor that it was a suicide?” Sao asked, softly.

“I- Where did you hear that?”

Rai clicked his tongue. “Rumors made it out. You don’t exactly keep a tight handle on your residents. Things made it all the way to the police’s ears.”

“The police.” Sigma’s face dropped. “I knew the residents were troubled by the event, but I didn’t think it had gotten so bad...”

“Sigma.” Delta pitched forward, as if he were going to throw himself to the carpet. “It was me. I went to the police with the doubts. The rumors that Racer shot himself that night. I should have just let it go, but it was stifling. There’s this horrible agreement in the air that the Group is a place where a person would take their own life. I know, it’s ridiculous-”

Sigma rose, helping Delta back to his seat. “No, no. I think I understand now. But why didn’t you tell me first?”

“I tried. But you were out every evening last week. The day after Racer died, I wasn’t even able to talk to you privately. I’ve tried to bring it up over dinner, but I couldn’t say it all there, and it’s been hard to catch you before bed. You’ve been away so much lately, I didn’t know what to do anymore.”

Sigma sank back into his seat, gripping one of the bells. “I see. And Sao is an old friend.”

“I also looked through the billing records. There are unlabelled transactions going on since the new year. I’m concerned, Sigma. You’re my friend. If you’re in trouble, if this is what’s taking you away from Bell, please tell me… though I don’t know if you’d trust me now, I--”

With Delta doubled over, convulsing without tears, Sao felt an agonizing hyperextension of time. He’d never seen his old friend so broken up. It was the kind of suffering one would give up consciousness to push past. But of course, dropping off to sleep here was out of the question. “Sigma, we’re not particularly concerned with your financial situation. We’re here to look into the Indigo case because there were a few things on the records that didn’t match up. Locations and times. We just happened onto the shoes.”

There was quiet. Nothing but wind and bells. Sao filed through the noises of the city in his head, comparing them, and realized that despite the abundance of nature on Bell’s grounds, he hadn’t heard a single bird.

After a few minutes of stroking the smallest bell around his neck while staring at the ceiling with the same distant look, Sigma finally spoke. “This was all due to my poor judgment. I owe you an apology, Delta. And you, Kiri. Again.”

Kiria, who had been maintaining ramrod posture on a rattan chair, eased down.

“Sao. I’m happy that Delta went to you, of all people. You’re still a friend of ours. The Bells know you’re a good person. And you, investigator. Knowing you’re a friend of Sao’s, I think we can work this out.” Sigma sat back on his chair, eyes lowered to his chest, where the Bells lay. “Okay, the absences, the mysterious payment. I suppose I was going to tell you eventually, Delta. I have… a problem I’ve been trying to work out. So just before the new year, I started seeing a therapist.”

If Delta had been crushed by regret before, this had him on the verge of total disintegration.

“It started on Tuesdays only, if I remember. After that, I committed to two days a week, flexibly, because I wanted to be on the Grounds while the second wing was being built. After Racer died, I started going almost daily, though that’s planned to return to the old schedule soon. I’ve got receipts from the counseling office somewhere, I’ll put them into the files.”

“No,” said Delta, more to himself than to anyone else.

“Del,” Sigma said. “I was going to tell you eventually. It’s actually a relief that you’re following the bank statements that closely. It’s one of the many reasons why I wanted you with us. God knows I’m not good at that stuff.”

“I don’t care about the money.” Delta shook his head. “You, in therapy, I never suspected - no, I should have known. Of course. You were with Kiria half the time, I should have - god, you have enough on your plate. I’ve just made things worse. I’m so sorry.”

“This is the least of our problems,” Kiria added, a bit too quickly. Her face reddened. “But Sig’s right. We should have told you sooner, since the Group card was being used. I guess that’s partially my fault. It was my - I mean, partially my idea to go. To go to counseling, I mean. Because...”

She went silent, and nobody picked up for her. Time stretched and yawned.

“Uh, let’s talk about Racer and the shoes,” Rai said with a cough. Sao had been passing the time by watching him Inexplicably, Rai had reached for, then snapped away from his coffee cup at least five times during the conversation. The coffee itself had remained untouched. “To confirm the basics: I’m guessing it wasn’t any of you who shot him?”

Kiria’s gratitude could have lit a small town.

“Investigator, nobody on the grounds is a killer. What happened to Racer is tragic, but simple. But the ensuing confusion is again, down to my poor judgment.” Sigma sighed, and stood. His grip on the Bells finally loosened. He crossed the carpet to a wooden sideboard, lifting a phone from its cradle. “I thought I was protecting a resident, but now I realize how suspicious this must all look. I know I can’t ask you to keep everything a secret, but please, do not be too harsh.”

“We can talk it over once this is cleared up.”

“It will be.” Sigma dialed in a number.

---

Arden opted to sit on the porch behind the management house, overlooking a small hill that sank into a valley filled with Bell’s ubiquitous cherry trees.

“Cops took my dad, you know,” Arden said.

“I’m sorry,” Sao said.

“What happened?” Rai asked.

Arden continued staring down the hill. “Something stupid.” He took out his phone, began tapping absently. “But they still took him.”

“Sigma has already assured us that Racer wasn’t harmed by anyone from the Group,” Sao said. “Frankly, I believe him. I don’t think there’s anything here that would call for an arrest.”

“People get arrested for things that aren’t killing.”

“That’s true. But guys our rank can’t even make arrests,” Rai said.

Arden raised an eyebrow without taking his eyes off his phone. Arden was seventeen and somehow looked exactly that. He was handsome (as were all residents at Bell) and was trying to hide it with surliness and downturned eyes, but it was all without malice. He had an artful hairstyle that Sao imagined was like Charmion’s before growing hers out - the sides were shaved, and running across the top were several cinnamon colored tufts sculpted like scythes.

“Do you guys like Sigma?” Arden asked.

Sao thought about this seriously. “I’ve only known him a while. I’m a friend of a friend.”

“The way he put it, you’re all friends.” Arden frowned. “Do you believe in the Bell alien stuff? Playing nice and sticking together for the sake of making humanity look good, so we can team up with the right side of space, or whatever, when the Bells wake up?”

“I’m not a resident here. Do you think it’s true?”

“Not really.” Arden sighed. “It doesn’t matter, but my mom’s really into it. Aside from school, I don’t get to go out much since we moved here. She thinks I’m making a bad impression.”

“To the Bells,” Rai said.

“Yeah. She’s just clingy after what happened to dad, but...” Arden gave a weightless shrug.

Sao envied his youthful flair. He also envied the ability to talk so casually about ‘mom and dad’, despite what happened to ‘dad’.

“I know it’s a shitty excuse.”

“Excuse for what?”

“Those were my shoes. That night… the night Racer… you know, I went out to see some friends. They came all the way to see me.” Arden set his phone on his lap. “I don’t hate it here, it’s like living at a hotel, compared to where we were before. But people say stuff about this place, like it’s a cult or full of sex freaks. I thought going out would help show that the place was pretty normal.”

“But you jumped the wall,” Rai said.

“I knew I’d get back a little after dinner, so everyone would be walking around, and whoever was coming back from work would also be coming through the front. Mom would hear about it or see me, and I’d get an earful. So earlier that day I said I would be in my room finishing some homework, and I went over the wall that afternoon and came back over it too. I’ve done it before but, yeah. That night was different.” Arden’s cavalier tone faded as the fatal moment loomed. “I saw something. I don’t really want to see it again but I kept this in case...”

He passed them the phone.

“In case.”

A video had been queued up. Rai drew out a thumb from his gloves (setting Arden’s eyes alight at the sight of his glowing hands) and tapped the screen.

The speakers burst to life, with rainfall that sounded like shattering glass. The camera took a while to adjust to the dark. Arden had taken the video while ducked behind some hedges in the western flower corridor. Even in the grainy video, Sao could make out the bright hearts of the morning glory flowers that dotted the tunnel roof. In the video, a man was pacing, feet encased in a pair of Bell loafers. His face was hidden by shadow, but the pistol in his hand left little to doubt that this was Racer.

Arden’s camera tracked the man’s trudge from one end of the path to the other. At one point, Racer passed by the lamp which threw a blade of shadow in Arden’s direction and Arden ducked, panting and swearing under his breath.

When he raised the camera again, Racer’s back was turned. The man was looking out into the shadows beyond the tunnel, beyond the rain. His shoulders were limp and for a moment, despite the thunder, the scene was calm. Then the gun was whipped up and there was a crack that blew out the audio. Behind the camera, Arden swore openly and leapt to his feet.

Back in present day, the Arden before them did the same.

“Sorry,” Sao said. “We can take this elsewhere-”

“No!” Arden cried. “You’re going to miss it.”

The footage swung wildly before coming, shakily, to a stop. Arden had run up to Racer, who was crumpled to the ground facedown, with a halo of blood forming around his head. There was a clatter; in one swooping motion the camera showed Arden pick up the gun and toss it on the bench before swiveling back to Racer. The limp frame was raised slightly and Arden swore again, weakly, before letting it fall.

The camera forgotten, all that remained in the video was a blurry view of the ground and Arden’s rasping breath, before cutting to black.

Rai handed the phone back.

“He wasn’t breathing,” Arden said. “I didn’t kill him. Nobody here did.”

“It’s true,” was all Sao could say. “Thank you, Arden.”

“I knew I had to show the video to the police eventually,” Arden said, once again absorbed by the rippling cherry trees of the valley. “I told Sigma that night, I went to the carriage house at midnight, and he said he'd handle it. To take my time. But I guess time just got away from me. I kept thinking I'd be in trouble. I just saw the gun and freaked. I should have tried CPR or said something instead of taking a stupid video--”

“Arden,” Sigma said, emerging from the sliding doors. “You had a lot of foresight to start filming when you suspected something was wrong. Foresight I wish I had. Racer must have been troubled - and since he was a resident here, it’s my fault.”

“Nah,” Arden murmured. “I don’t think it was something at Bell that made him lose it. The guy was from the army. He probably… saw things.”

“Even so...”

A fresh froth of cherry blossoms took off from the grove below.

“And Arden, your mother and I agreed, there should be no trouble at all if you want to go meet your friends from now on.” Sigma stepped aside. “Gentlemen, shall we head back inside?”

---

“How is Raph doing?”

Rai and Sao were being seen off, having changed back into their shoes at the entrance. Both nearly choked at Sigma’s question.

“You know him?” Rai rasped.

“Personally? I wouldn’t say that. I only met him in person once for a very short time, the evening that the police paid a surprise visit two years ago.” Sigma laughed. “But he made sure I remembered him. In the weeks after, I would get aggressive calls and questions from him all the time, I sort of miss that now. I understand he’s a survivor from a notorious sect from the South; he has every right to be suspicious.”

“Sounds like you know him pretty well.”

“He made his history quite clear to me one day over the phone. I was surprised. Though in the next breath he wanted to know how many times I’d been married and to whom. I’ve never been married, by the way. Not yet.”

Sao had to wonder what that meant. Kiria had not joined them, though she (and Arden) had happily shaken Rai’s hand before they departed the management house. Smiling, Sao lamented just how vulnerable he was to nostalgia. The entrance seemed incomplete without her.

“Raph’s been busy,” Rai said. “He’s a detective now.”

“Ah. So he’s moved on. Congratulate him for me.”

Sao could not exactly picture how Raph might respond to such a thing, but the outcome was unlikely to be pretty.

“I’ll be honest, I half expected him to leap from the shadows when you announced yourselves, but I suppose his preoccupation with Bell wouldn’t be a good thing to encourage.” Sigma rolled one of the Bells across his palm. “A terrible rumor turned out to be truth. The Group realized what had happened and couldn’t bring themselves to lie to each other and Delta, but at the same time banded together to protect Arden. The incident itself was painful, but I’m proud of them.”

Sigma spotted Rai’s car, slumped halfway on the sidewalk.

“The next time you visit, you can use the parking lot and back door. Just pass through the gate and take a right turn. It’s a nice drive. It’s not normally open to guests, but consider yourselves welcome. Oh!” He grinned. “Rai, Kiria tells me your family are in the movies. Some of her favorites. We should really find time to talk about that.”

“I dunno,” Rai said, with a youthful candor reminiscent of Arden. “That’s my dad’s side of the family, and I’ve been more or less banned from that house since I was a baby.”

The look on Sigma’s face was priceless. Sao laughed. It helped stave off the hunger beginning to grind at his bones. Behind Sigma, Delta hung like a shadow, still staring at his loafers in shame.

“Delta,” Sao said. “It’s been an adventure, hasn’t it? If there’s ever any trouble, please do reach out. Actually, reach out regardless. We can arrange a get-together with whoever’s still working nearby. I’d appreciate it, at least.”

Sigma glowed. “That sounds good. Delta does work too much.”

A phone buzzed. Rai snapped into action. “It’s already four. Sao, we gotta go.”

Rai was at the car in an instant, tossing in the plastic bag containing Arden’s shoes, evidence to be shipped to HQ. But Sao remained in place, wondering. He held out a hand. Automatically, Delta reached for it, then drew back as if electrocuted.

“I forgot. God, how could I. You don’t like this.”

Sigma rubbed his chin, then snapped his fingers. “The touch aversion, was it?”

Sao nodded. “Yes. But we go way back. Don’t make me regret that mandatory teambuilding exercise. Practically everyone who participated doesn’t work at HQ anymore.” He tilted his head. “Time gets away from us all, huh?”

Delta took his hand. His palms were warm. “Goodbye, Sao. And thanks. Come back anytime.”

Sigma watched the two of them shake, and release, beaming the whole time. “Little steps. That’s what my counselor told me. But everyone at their own pace.” He bowed his head. “I won’t force you into a handshake with me. But it’s been fantastic seeing you again.”

Sao bowed back, smiled, and finally turned away from Bell Lodge.

The car doors slammed shut - twice on Rai’s side as it failed to close the first time - and the engine wheezed to life. The incessant buzzing of his phone was finally attended to. 

“Afternoon Raph,” Rai chirped. “You’re just in time. Yep, we made it out with our brains intact. Sigma said hi.”

Talk erupted from the other end of the line.

“No secret terminals leading to Central HQ, but we did find out what happened to Racer. There was a witness who taped the whole thing.”

The chatter continued.

“I think you’re going to be disappointed. I’ll get it all down in a report tonight. Thanks for helping out.” Rai hung up and wrenched the car off the sidewalk, the tyres groaning in pain.

Sao’s seatbelt clicked into place. "I feel bad getting Raph involved, only to make a phone call and be told we found nothing."

"We found a little more than nothing. Anyway, the moment we poked our noses in the Bell cases, he was guaranteed to be chasing us down. Better have him in the loop from the start." Wipers flipped on briefly to sweep back a curtain of petals that had fallen on the windshield. "Plus, if something had happened to us, there's no better guy to follow up on it. He wouldn't let a single person in the office sleep until we were found. Charmion was also a safety measure."

"How so?"

"One person Raph can't pick on is the chief. That's where she would come in." Rai took a moment to readjust his gloves. "So in a way, we wasted her time too. Why don't you invite her out to coffee with Delta one day, to patch everything up?"

"That's not a bad plan." Sao sighed and slouched into the car seat. It wasn't too comfortable, but it was something familiar. He always felt that it slouched right along with him. "Did you really suspect Bell would have done something to us?"

"I don't know. You?"

"Backup plans didn't occur to me."

Rai bit his lip, came to the end of the road and turned the car around.

Sao wriggled up to the window. "Is there something you read, some file, something you know that you aren't telling me?"

"No."

His answer was firm. A bit too firm. 

"Sigma is very different from how he is on screen, isn't he?" Sao commented as they passed the gates, for the last time.

"Yeah. You were right. I got used to seeing him flipping out in movies like Wings, but he's weirdly personable. Spacey, even. It's like seeing a wild animal put himself on a leash. At the same time, don’t you think it makes it hard to get a grip on who he really is?"

"What do you mean?"

Rai opened his mouth but paused, mid thought. Sao barely noticed, because he too was watching the gates. Sigma was the only person remaining, the upper half of his face cloaked in shade like a theater mask. He had drawn the bells up to his face and his mouth, what they could see of it, was moving at a desperate clip. It was impossible to hear what he was saying. It may have been the constantly shifting shadows, or the force of his rambling, but he appeared to be shivering. It was then that Sao realized Sigma was not alone. Further behind in the shade, there was a person, a short one, reaching out to him.

Sigma's head snapped upright. His eyes were wreathed in red. He stared directly at, into, and through the car, the road, the universe before him. Rai instinctively jerked back. Sao knew he should have felt stricken, but there was something so futile in Sigma at the moment that he felt nothing but sadness.

The moment dissipated. Sigma blinked, and seemed to finally notice the car and its gawkers.

"Let's pick up this discussion later," Rai muttered. He gunned the engine past the gates, leaving Sigma blinking in the dust of petals and exhaust, alone.