Chapter 1: Where it all started

I WOKE UP because of my headache and looked around. My hand was still holding my head and trying to remember what happened.

I was in a very dark room.

And because I saw a small light bulb, I opened the switch and that’s when the appearance of the surroundings opened up to me.

It's early today.

I covered my mouth when I saw that I had no top and bottom dress for cover.

My tears started to flow when I saw the clothes scattered around the bed I was lying on earlier.

‘Don’t be…

“T-This can’t be…” I sat on the floor when I saw some men’s clothes there. It still smelled like alcohol when I smelled it. “P-please, no… This can’t happen…” I said over and over and hugged my knee. I was filled with fear and regret as I thought about what I should do.

I tried to remember what happened last night. Wondering who could possibly do this to me.

‘It was Sunny’s birthday… I said something so they left me alone there… I got drunk. Then I didn’t have a ride and suddenly a man whose face I can’t remember came up to me. Then we searched for something and in the middle of the search, suddenly someone covered my nose.

Then I woke up here and left me here after he doing this.

I pulled out my hair as my tears continued to fall. I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m going to give up any second now.

How could they do this to me?

“Rackhie, are you really okay? You’re always dumbfounded.” Sunny asked me worriedly. We are now sitting on the stairs while we eat for recess.

I tried to smile at her, “I’m fine. I’m just thinking. Sorry. Are you saying something?”

She sighed and one of her hands grabbed my two hands that were placed on my lap earlier. Meanwhile, she put one of her hands on my cheek.

“Do you have a problem? Tell me,”

I held her hand on my cheek and looked into her eyes. “I’m fine, Sunny. Don’t worry,” I said and touched her cheek too.

“Gosh. You tend to hide problems from us.” Renzo said that he just came from the canteen. He almost rolled his eyes at me. “What’s the use of us if we can’t help you?” He asked while eating chips.

“Dumbass, it’s really okay.” I said then I rolled my eyes at him. “But if there is and I can, of course I’ll take care of it first because I can, right? I will tell when I really can’t.”

Our other friends came one after the other. Celine, Aia and Farrah. They were still laughing when they got in front of us. They eat fries and drinks.

“Where’s Wendy?” I asked noticing that one of our friends was not there.

“I don’t know,” replied Celine and shrugged.

Aia looked around, “Well, that was just with us earlier. Why did she suddenly left?” She asked the two people next to her because she can’t find Wendy.

“Yes. Where did that bitch go?” Farrah asked her back.

Her gaze shifted to me so I raised an eyebrow at her to ask why she was looking like that. “Haven’t you been made up yet? It’s been a month that you’re not paying attention to each other.”

“I’m not sure.” I said and just sighed. “I would like to apologize in case but I couldn’t find the timing. I’m nervous because after all, she doesn’t go with you when she knows you’re going to see me.”

Wendy is my girlfriend. We were just friends at first, but I felt very comfortable with her, so I confessed my feelings to her.

She never took me seriously because she thought I was just joking.

But even so, she still teases and flirts with me. I’m not sure if that’s a joke or not but I don’t care.

We were all silent after I spoke. Neither of us tried to speak. We were sighing together when our bell rang.

We entered our room and listened to our lesson today.

Time also passed and it was time for us students to go home. We can’t go together because our friends’ houses are separate on the way home.

When I got out, not far from the school, I saw Wendy walking in an unfamiliar direction. She was still looking around, then she went a different way so I followed her.

Where is she going?

I kept my distance from her to know where she was going secretly. I also hide behind every tree or wall in case she looks back to make sure no one is following her.

I saw her enter an old house. I was just wondering because before when she was with us, she always told us that--- that house was haunted and nobody lived there. But why is she going inside now?

She took something from her bag. That’s a key.

“Fuck this I’m about to shit my pants right now,” I whispered and touched my stomach and looked for a place to pee but only that house was standing here.

I just now noticed that I walked a long way! I don’t know where we are now but I know we used to pass by this every time Wendy and I went home together. There she tells the scary stories about the haunted house she is entering now.

Even though I was peeing I was still looking at her. It took a while before the gate opened. I even saw her fiddling with her cellphone for a few minutes before that gate finally opened.

Before she finally entered she looked around again. When she looked in the direction near where I was hiding, I saw the change in the color of her eyes. From being black it became light brown.

I can clearly see how brown it is even though there is no sun hitting his eyes.

“What in the hell,” I whispered weakly when her eyes went in the exact direction of where I was hiding. I turned my back suddenly so that she wouldn’t see that I was there.

My heart was beating so fast for some reason that I don’t know. I’m just really nervous. Maybe because it’s illegal for me to follow her? Or because the color of his eyes is different?

She had entered the house so I quietly followed her to the gate because it wasn’t closed. Of course, I’m still careful, right, I might get caught.

I waited a few minutes before looking at her place again, I saw that she had gone inside. She even removed the tie from her hair that was previously in a ponytail.

I looked around first because someone might see me. When I was sure that no one was looking because of the distance we walked, I quietly went to that house.

I’m not afraid.

“What are you doing here?”

Quite a bit. Maybe just a little, just slightly.

I looked inside the house to see who spoke. But there was no one there. I looked around because it was so clear when it was said. In other words, the person who spoke was close to me.

“W-Who is that?” I asked while trying to hide my nervousness. “Wendy babes, is that you? I’m not afraid huh. I know you just deepened your voice to pretend to be a man! Y-you really thought I wouldn’t recognize you,” I added, then looked around again.

My voice is still a whisper even though I’m nervous. You know it wasn’t someone inside the house who called me and I answered loudly.

If I make a mistake, Wendy would know that I’m gossipy and follow her? That will made her even more angry. There is no hope then. You should think before you act.

“Are you blind? I’m here,”

I mumbled again while looking around like a fool. “Please, whoever you are, don’t fool me. I will slap your face when I see you.” I threatened when I couldn’t really see anything.

“Look down.”

I followed that and looked down. There I saw a black cat. The cat is still looking at me! And not only that, the cat is very big! Is this normal for the average cat? That cat is so big! It looks imported! It looks like a lion at first sight because it is so big! It almost reached my waist but I hadn’t seen it before.

“Don’t fuck with me, stranger. I’m looking for someone so please don’t fuck with me right now. I’m fucking pissed right now,” I said, then slightly peeked out the window when I saw someone moving there.

“What are you doing here? How did you know this place?” The man’s voice asked again. I can’t see him but I know he’s close.

“It’s none of your business. Shut up and fuck off or I’ll slap your face?”

I frowned because I couldn’t even do that to the man because I couldn’t see his face. “Don’t make any noise, maybe someone will hear us. My girlfriend will be angry with me.” I added more.

“Huh?”

I stopped looking inside when the door of the house suddenly opened so I quickly ran back to where I was hiding earlier.

I saw Wendy go out with a very white girl. I mean, even whiter than Wendy even though she is the whitest girl in our school. Based on what I can see, it looks like they are very close because they are both laughing with my girlfriend. The woman is also older than her.

Wendy does not laugh. It’s been years since I last saw her laugh.

What are they talking about?

The woman beckoned her. I didn’t know what to say then but Wendy immediately went inside while still waving at her. She was still smiling while the woman with her became serious.

The woman with her was left outside. She even sniffed the air as if he had inhaled a delicious meal. The woman’s serious face gradually took on a scary grin.

She suddenly looked at my place!

My eyes widened when her black eyes changed color. It turned red! It’s really scary to look at!

“You need help?”

It was the man’s voice again. That’s familiar to me but I don’t know where I’ve heard that.

“Don’t be noisy, I’ll find a place to hide. ‘Don’t go out wherever you are now. I’ll kill you! I’m telling you,”

“Wherever you go, she can find you. So if I were you, I wouldn’t act anymore and I would just go with me.”

I frowned. “How can I follow you when I can’t see you? I don’t even know if the person I’m talking to is still alive or a ghost.”

“Would you believe me if I told you I’m a cat?”

“What?” I asked while still looking at the woman but she suddenly disappeared from her place earlier. Just now he was coming close to me but she suddenly stopped and disappeared.

“Well, she’s gone!” I feel a little relieved. I just hope she did not see me because my girlfriend will definitely hate me even more. Tch!

“Hey, I’m asking you,”

“What---” my eyes widened when the cat suddenly hugged my leg. “Wait, shit. What the hell is this cute cat.”

“Of course I am cute.”

“What the fuck how the hell did you spoke?!” My eyes were still wide as I said that. I don’t know what this man’s doing is but I will go with the flow with him. He really thought I’ll go with his foolishness!?

“Follow me. I’ll help you get out of here.”

I shook my head in the air. “I don’t want to. I’ll look into something else. I need to confirm something. You can leave if you want.” I said, then peeped through the gate again, but the woman who was with Wendy earlier suddenly appeared.

My eyes got bigger.

“Alright, I’ll follow you, where will I go?” I hurriedly asked the cat even though I knew it wouldn’t speak.

“On one condition.”

My eyebrows meet. “What? I will not sell my body to you,”

“As long as there are conditions. I can’t think of anything yet so I’ll just visit you at your house later and then I’ll tell you there.”

“You know our house?”

“Probably. What, deal?”

I clicked my tongue. “Deal.”

The cat started walking towards a tree and then he hid behind it and lay down there. His tail was still wagging while lying down and his blue eyes were looking at me.

“That’s where I’m going to hide?” I asked the cat in frustration. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“For your information, I’m not a fool and I’m not fooling you. I’m just helping you. If you don’t want to come here, don’t. As long as you still do my condition.”

I rolled my eyes, “If I get caught here I’ll cut off your tail.” I threatened.

The cat glared at me before standing up and hiding its tail on its butt. “You try.” Then he left and went somewhere.

I heard a sound. When I looked where it came from, I saw that my girlfriend’s companion went there to my place earlier. She smelled it before looking around. She even looked in my direction but he immediately passed me as if she didn’t see anything suspicious there.

I slightly backed away when she saw my handkerchief there that I left behind. She looks angry based on the expression I can see now. She was angry because she didn’t see me.

I was just following her as she went to Wendy’s house but my gaze stopped at a familiar man. I will never forget that face because I saw him before the very day I was kicked out.

‘The man with the black handkerchief.

My place was not far from them so I could hear what they were talking about when they got close.

The woman approached him who was angry earlier but her expression suddenly changed when she saw him. “Ameer, son, it’s you. Have you eaten?”

“Have you seen Weylin?” Instead of answering, he asked while looking around.

“Your cat?” Asked back to him by the woman.

“Yes.” He answered.

“I do not know. I didn’t see it. Do you want me to find it?”

“Where’s my sister?” He questioned again without answering.

“Wendy is in her room. She’s doing her homework. Why did you ask? Go inside. Maybe someone will see you here.”

Ameer glared at him. “Stop acting like you care. It creeps me out.” He said with a mixture of disgust before he left the woman Wendy was talking to earlier who I think was her mother.

Or the mother of both of them and my girlfriend.

“I never asked to be a monster, son. Do not treat me like this. I’m still your mother.” The woman said even though Ameer, her son, was a little far away.

“But you made Wendy and I a monster. We never wanted to be like you, too.” He turned to the woman. “My cat is missing so someone already knew about us, again. I don’t want to hide anymore like you. I’ll let them know.” He angrily slammed back.

When the woman was alone, she sighed and said something before entering their house.

“I’ll find you wherever you are, Rackhie.”

**