Uninvited Guests

"Henry, never mind! We came to see the condition of Ruby's house, right?" Said Jacob, who was trying to calm Henry, who quickly became emotional.

Henry stepped in past Ruby, who had not yet invited him to enter. His eyes glanced at the condition of the house, which was clearly quite old and unkempt.

"Will I be cursed if I enter this house?" Henry said in a mocking tone. Ruby just kept quiet and tried to be patient listening to his taunts and insults like before.

She didn't want anything more to do with Henry, who she knew would do anything to avenge him, no matter how small. He was not a man who could be easily conquered.

Aiden, who hated tense atmospheres like this, tried to lighten the mood. He looked at Ruby who looked very beautiful in her simple spring dress. She has always been very beautiful.

"You let Damian stay over at your house, while you looked scared when I kissed you at the party." Aiden said with a chuckle. He looked at Ruby intensely and his gaze made Ruby feel nervous.

"Where's Damian?" Jacob asked.

"He's still in the bedroom and-"

"Good morning all?" Just before Ruby finished her words, Damian walked down from the second floor in a clean and tidy condition.

"Damn, you stole the start!" Aiden said. Damian just smiled at Aiden's statement because in fact this was not planned at all.

"Ruby asked me to stay overnight because she was afraid of staying alone in this house."

"Because you told her that your mother was found dead in the basement?" Henry said. It seems very easy to guess the reason why someone might be afraid to stay in their own home, unless a terrible tragedy has occurred in that house.

"S-so you all know?" Ruby asked, not expecting that Aiden, Henry and Jacob knew what happened to Damian's mother because it seemed like she was the only person who didn't know anything.

"You're the only one who never returned to this city. The news was very shocking two years ago."

"So where have you been living all this time?" Jacob asked. He was still curious about where Ruby went after their high school graduation ceremony.

Aiden, Damian and Henry looked at her. Even though she looks hateful and indifferent, Ruby knows that Henry actually cares about her.

She was confused about what she should actually say to them. They have been friends for four years even though their friendship began with Henry's bullying during the first five months they met and involved Aiden, Damian and Jacob, which ultimately became an action that they strongly opposed after what happened to Ruby.

"I just moved from one city to another. My mother forced me to come with her because she said that I wouldn't survive if she wasn't by my side. I don't understand what that means, but now I'm at the point where I can't continue to live my life under my mother's control."

"I told you from the start that there was something strange about your mother, but you didn't realize it and instead went against everyone to protect your mother!"

"Henry, never mind!"

"No, Jake! This fool must know that there is something wrong with her and her mother. I'm sure you still remember that her mother raised her from the dead when she was swept away by the river 10 years ago."

"Henry, shut up!" Damian, who panicked when he heard Henry's statement, immediately tried to stop him. Meanwhile, Aiden and Jacob were silent and not too shocked to react.

Realizing that his words made Ruby look surprised, Henry grew even more excited. He didn't care if what he was going to say was contradicted by Damian, Henry and Jacob.

"W-what did you say? Who rose from the dead?" Ruby's eyes widened at Henry's statement. Dead? Has she died and been raised from the dead? She couldn't believe this and hoped that what Henry said was just a lie.

Henry grinned after successfully finding his prey's weakness. Ruby's eyes were shining, she stared at him until she barely blinked. Seeing something strange about Ruby made them remember what they used to think about this mysterious girl.

"Ruby? Ruby...!" Aiden called her repeatedly and managed to make her wake up and blink her eyes again.

Her chest felt tight as if she had just stopped breathing. She touched her chest which for some reason felt painful. Jacob walked over to her and held her shaking hand.

"Calm down, everything is fine! What Henry said means absolutely nothing. So you don't need to think about it!"

"B-but, I-"

Jacob grabbed her body and hugged her. Ruby was stunned, Jacob's warm embrace made the tightness in her chest grow stronger and even though she didn't want to cry, her tears flowed freely.

"What really happened to me? Please tell me what really happened to me?"

"Nothing happened to you! This bastard was just telling a joke. So you don't need to listen to his nonsense." Aiden firmly criticized Henry for always saying and doing things without considering other people's feelings. He was too arrogant to judge that he was wrong.

"Who are you calling a bastard?"

***