Milton Tamashiro was a reluctant principal of Waipahu Intermediate school, the DOE begged for him to come out of retirement and take the job.
The school itself was troubled with gang factions who fought in the middle of class or where ever they felt like it. It was a classic clash between the locals and the immigrants which in itself is strange because the local kids are descendants of Filipino immigrants from the early plantation era. The immigrants themselves are fresh from the Philippines as well but they are a new kind of group without the conservative plantation values that everyone else was raised on. They were cavalier and callous and seemed to have no respect for the authority of the teachers or anyone else. Therein lay the conflict, to compound the problem there was also the recent deaths of one student named Tama Chun, and one teacher named Patricia Chun. The two were entirely unrelated but the circumstances surrounding their demise was too close for comfort. The school and the community were up in arms as it seemed that both sides were locked in a grip of fear.
Principal Tamashiro called a brief meeting of his faculty and staff during the lunch hour, that was a hundred and forty-five people altogether who sat where they could while others chose to stand. The only person missing was Myrna Lum Hoy, which was strange because Myrna was always punctual. Time, however, was of the essence and Milton had no choice but to begin the proceedings.
"If you haven't heard already heard Pat Chun was found dead in her classroom by her fourth-period students just recently. I'm not going to discuss the details so if you want to know you'll have to ask someone else or come to my office when you have a second. Now, these kids are already messed up over Tama Chun's suicide as it is so we have a ticking time bomb on our hands. So, I'm going to come to your classes in the next few days so that I can talk to your students, maybe for an hour," Milton had a load of things on his shoulders, but mainly it was complaints from the community. Rumors were already beginning to circulate that the school was haunted and that only fed into the fear that was spreading throughout the campus, he had to nip it in the bud. Just then, Myrna Lum Hoy peaked in the door of his office and waved him over.
"Sorry Milton," Myrna smiled nervously. "The police are in the health room, they wanted to have a word with you."
"Oh," Milton seemed confused because he had already talked to the police two days ago. "Okay, thanks everybody, you can go."
............
FIFTH PERIOD CLASS LAST CLASS OF THE DAY
Life science covers the characteristics of plant and animal cells structures, multicellular life, genetics, and a classification of organisms. George understood it all too well because he was a part of something which combined human and animal tissue but to an otherworldly degree. For every soul that the Yaoguai form took, it could also assume its memories, it's personality quirks and its finite idiosyncrasies. After all, the Yaoguai demonic form used its victim's temptations, fears, and deepest desires against it. It was the apex supernatural predator. George felt that teaching life science to a room filled with pre-teen children who were mere puppies for the picking was like Einstein teaching basic math. It was beneath him, he'd spent most of his time eyeing students with contempt rather than teaching them. In those moments there was always a little voice somewhere asking him, "Is this why we fight to survive? For hate and contempt? It's not their fault, we are not even a true human body, we are a soul that wants to live."
The voice was interrupted by principal Tamashiro and two police officers walking into the classroom. Trailing behind them was Myrna Lum Hoy, "George, we have an emergency situation in the office and these officers need your help. Myrna will take care of your class for you, just come with us please."
Ten minutes later George Luke was sitting in the principal's office where one police officer remained silent while the other talked. Milton sat in for moral support in case George got nervous. The shorter more bulky officer was named Sato, the taller more lean officer was named Bellinger. "George, we have some bad news about a family member of yours in China whose body was found in a very unusual place." Bellinger offered no tone of sympathy in his voice, it sounded more like a report from the six 'o clock news.
"A family member?" George asked, his eyes squinted through his thick glasses as if he didn't understand the statement.
"Yes," Bellinger confirmed. "In a place called Yangmei cemetery, does that sound familiar to you?"
"No, I can't say that it does," It was one big haze, George couldn't recall anything past getting off the plane.
"Weren't you in China over the summer?" Bellinger's statement was more of a demand than a question. "Can you tell us what you were there for?"
"I uh......really...I....to see family and honor my ancestors," George shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"That's it?" Bellinger squealed.
"I've just been under a lot of stress since Tama's murder and then my colleague's death, my memory isn't what it should be," George apologized but really his long-term memory failed him miserably because he really wasn't the whole George.
"Tama Chun wasn't murdered, that was ruled a suicide," Bellinger's alarms were going off and he gave Sato a side glance. "Do you know something we don't know George?"
"No," George's voice was meek and soft. "I don't."
"Getting back to your family member, his body was found in Yangmei cemetery and when the authorities retrieved his effects, they found his ID in his wallet. Turns out he's from Hawai'i, in fact, he's from right here in Waipahu. He lives on Pupukahi street directly behind Leeward Drive-In, isn't that crazy?" Bellinger smiled but it wasn't a smile of happiness, really it was a shit-eating grin.
"That's where I live," George was genuinely confused now, no one from Foshan lived in Waipahu except for one person.
" I know," Bellinger agreed. "If we showed you a picture of the deceased, would you be able to identify that person as your possible family member or not?" George nodded and Bellinger removed his cell phone from his pocket and swiped it a couple of times. He took a second and showed George the photograph. It was George's own body dead on a slab at the morgue in Foshan.
...........to be continued hurricane pending
Good grief!
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