Chapter 23 TRUTH OR DARE: BUT TRUTH ONLY
\[OUTHOUSE\]
Ixora got to the house and, as expected, she saw the place shrouded in total darkness. She immediately got drowned in fear. Her heart thudded so loudly against her ribcage that she could hear it.
“Hello!” she called out, but only her voice answered, bouncing endlessly through the dark.
Her phone chimed. Without bothering to check her phone, she knew it was Drexton’s seek me message. She began finding her way through the dark.
Trying to find Drexton was like trying to hunt down a ghost, because no matter the amount of effort she put in, she couldn’t find him.
“Urgh!” she groaned angrily.
“Just stop this already,” she mumbled.
“Try harder,” Drexton’s voice rang out, reverberating through the wall like a dark warning.
Ixora gasped, her heartbeat increasing rapidly, each thud louder than the first.
An idea suddenly struck her. She could find him by tracing his voice. All she needed was for him to speak again.
She gathered some courage. “Where are you?” she asked.
“It’s a game pet. You. Have. To. Seek.” He said, as if being tempted to spell it out.
Ixora gulped, shakingly. How could she, when his voice kept bouncing back on the walls?
She took a step forward.
“Almost there,” his voice echoed again, but this time in the opposite direction.
She halted in her step and made to take the other direction, but...
“Take your time. Pet.”
She stopped again, her breath came in short, sharp gasps. Each gasps, tasting like defeat.
“Seek.... Ixora,” he said, his voice coming out deeper.
Ixora began seeking. In the dark, where there was no light, she was looking for a man. Someone she wasn’t even sure if he was human.
He was weird in every possible way, and the thin line between finding him wasn’t there.
Then she realized it, he wasn’t trying to scare her...he wanted to torment her. He wanted to break her. But she won’t let him. If finding him will keep him out of her life, then she must find him no matter what.
But what happens if she doesn’t? Will he really destroy her?
“No, no, no. I have to find him. I have to find him,” she said shallowly with rapid breaths. Moving backwards, she bumped into something.
“Ahh,” she let out a cry of frustration, pushing the table she bumped into away with full force, imagining it as Drexton. The table shattered since it was made of glass.
“I love seeing you this way, pet. Weak. Helpless. All alone,” Drexton’s voice echoed again. Darker.
But Ixora didn’t bother to stop. She wasn’t the type to give up easily, and that alone made her break things that were in her way.
She finally stopped, grabbing a handful of her hair.
“Ahh!!!” Her painful voice broke out, tearing through the walls.
“Why!! Why are you doing this to me?! What have I done to you to deserve this?! Just stop it already! Stop it!!!” she screamed helplessly.
Ixora shut her eyes tightly, wishing everything could just become some sort of stupid nightmare, one she could just wake up from.
She opened her eyes only to be welcomed by the same darkness.
She exhaled.
Who was she kidding? Not like she could just close her eyes and wish for him to be out of her life. She’s stuck with him...she’s ruined...forever.
The place suddenly became quiet, even the sounds of her breathing couldn’t be heard. The silence was too creepy for her to bear.
“Time’s up,” Drexton said, and the red lights came on, revealing the devil standing before her very own eyes.
“Time’s up. You lost. My price”.
Before she could respond, the lights went out again.
“Ahh!” she yelled when she felt a hand pull her deeper into the darkness.
“Drexton,” she called, but got no reply.
Not like she was expecting his reply. She just wanted to know why he pulled her, then left her all alone in the dark.
She sighed again upon realizing the possibility of her being pulled by another person.
There was no one else other than Drexton and her. She covered her ears with her palms. She was beginning to act crazy. Think crazy. Drexton was driving her nuts.
She removed her hand from her ears. “What’s the price?” she asked.
She wanted to speak again, but was cut short when the door opened and a cold step walked in. She couldn’t see who the person was because of the darkness she was trapped in.
“I’m here,” the person said.
Ixora’s eyes grew extremely wide. Though she couldn’t see the person’s face, she’d surely recognize that voice anywhere, anytime, even in her dreams.
“Hazel,” she muttered shockingly.
What was Hazel doing here? Did she come here willingly, or was she lured by Drexton?
Her eyes grew wider when the realization dawned on her. When he said ‘price’, he was referring to her friend. She gulped hard.
The only thought right now was the possible danger her friend was in. She needed to somehow get her out of here.
She wanted to speak, but another voice beat her to it.
Drexton’s.
“Welcome, Hazel Bretford,” Drexton’s voice said, but the lights were still turned off.
“Who...who are you? And why have you called me here?” Hazel asked, her voice barely audible.
She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t scared. She was terrified, and the darkness was freaking her out.
“Who are you...and what do you want?” Hazel asked again.
“What I want isn’t important. Worry about what you’ll get,” Drexton replied.
“I am ready to do anything as long as you keep your promise,” Hazel said with determination in her eyes.
“What promise is she talking about? What’s going on here?” Ixora wondered but decided not to say anything.
“Just tell me what you want me to do, and I promise I’ll do anything,” Hazel said, the desperation in her voice growing in each word.
“Good. It’s not hard...just a little game,” Drexton said.
“What game?” Hazel asked, furrowing her brows together.
“Truth or Dare...but Truth only.”
“What sort of prank is this? So you called me here just to play your silly game,” Hazel frowned.
“Do you want the price or not?” Drexton’s voice came out rather coldly this time.
“Price? What price is he talking about? What is he planning to do this time around?” Ixora wondered.
“No, no. I’m sorry. I’m ready, I’ll play your game,” Hazel quickly said.
She couldn’t afford to anger him, else she’d lose a valuable amount of money.
And it’s not her business if this man in the dark had decided to waste a huge amount of his money on a useless game. He must be stinking rich to think of something like that.
“First question. Your mother’s name?” Drexton asked.
“Maria Bretford,” Hazel replied.
“Best friend?”
The room became quiet after the second question was thrown.
“Waiting... Hazel.”
Hazel breathed out before replying, “Ixora Castellan.”
“Last question. What truth have you hidden from your best friend? Ixora Castellan?” Drexton’s voice came out as if being measured. Slow and steady.
“Do I have to tell you that?”
“You’re wasting time, Hazel.”
“Okay, I’m sorry, but you can’t let Ixora find out about this,” Hazel said.
“Time.....Hazel.”
“Sorry.”
“The truth is,” she started. “I don’t consider Ixora Castellan a friend. To me, she’s nothing more than a stupid creature who is supposed to be my ticket to riches, but too bad she’s not what I expected. She was supposed to help me get out of the disgraceful, poverty-stinking life I’m living, but no, she just wants to be a good daughter,” she paused, hardening her bones.
She had a lot to let out, and today was the opportunity. She had no idea what the stranger wanted to do with the answer, but she’d gladly pour out all her hatred for Ixora today.
“I mean, why can’t she just do what her parents want her to do? They only want to get her married, not like they asked her for her life. Instead, she always wants to act so stupid, and she thinks she’s smart. And when I faked my mother’s illness and asked her to steal from her boss, she couldn’t even get it done right,” she tightened her jaw while folding her fist. Her words came out in a venomous voice.
“I only befriended her because her parents are damn rich. I thought she’d help me become rich, too, but that didn’t happen. She’s useless,” Hazel concluded, her eyes extremely dark. She was letting out the buried burden of having to pretend to be Ixora’s friend.
She didn’t know why, but it felt so good.