|DOC 18: THE STORY|
|Note: Hi! About the game's last chapter, I just came up with it. There's no such thing as that. Haha. It's just for props or something and yea, about Naraka, I guess some of you had hints and expected that it's her because I just gave you 'Laviente' as a hint but then it's a woman so it's obviously pointed at Naraka because she's the only girl between her brothers, Uno and Loco. I'll stop here so, let's proceed? I hope you still can take it, haha.|
~×~×~×~
|AQUA LAVERDA|
"How are you?"
I ask him over the phone. I know it's hard for him but I'm glad that he did the right thing.
Still, I feel sorry for him.
"I'm okay, don't worry. Just worry about yourself, Aqua. I'm fine here," I exhale as I move my swivel chair right and left.
I am facing the huge chessboard on the wall. Head resting at the edge of the chair while I'm carrying my phone using my right hand. My left-hand stays on the armrest of my chair.
"Still, it's a hard decision for you 'Loco',"
I immediately bit my lower lip and shut my eyes close when I hear someone gasps behind me. I didn't even notice that someone had already entered my office.
"It's fine, Aqua. Deal with her first. I'll hang up?"
"Hm,"
As soon as I put down my phone, Morri shouts at me.
"What the hell was that Aqua?!"
The first thing she greets me as I face her. I just watch her chasing her rag breathings. I sigh and put my phone on my table as I get up from my chair.
I take a seat on the sofa on the left side while Morri just watches me. She's still standing near the door so, I look at her and shake my head.
"What?" I ask which makes her more furious at me.
I know she's mad. I expected it.
"Since when are you close with Loco freaking Laviente, Aqua? Why do I feel like you still have many things that you're hiding from me, huh? Am I not your friend?"
Something painful thugs my heart. I will accept her anger but her, questioning my friendship with her, it's kind of painful for me.
Well, it's my fault.
"Calm down first, Morri, and let's talk," I tell her, bitterness drapes in my voice.
"I can't calm down in this situation, Aqua Laverda!" I sigh and close my eyes.
I let my head rest on the edge of the sofa as I am trying to look for words to soothe her. I don't know how to calm her at this kind of time.
But one thing is for sure, I think I know someone who can do that for me.
"Calm down or I'll freaking call Hagen Cole Thorne. What do you think?"
As I open my eyes, Morri is looking at me with disbelief in her eyes.
"Well?"
I shrug my shoulders and gestured for her to take a seat in front of me. I roll my eyes when she follows me after a second. He really can shut her down, huh?
Just merely his name. Tsk, whatever.
"How come you're talking with Loco when you two don't even interact with each other? And what about Clove? What do you mean? Do you know something I don't know? Can you talk, Aqua Laverda?!"
I can't help but heave a sigh while looking at her. She has too many questions that I don't know what to start.
Can she just ask questions one at a time? Is someone chasing her? Perhaps, a ghost of the past?
"I told you to calm down, Morri. I didn't say that you'll rain questions on me. I just want you to listen to me first, okay?" I calmly say that to her as I'm already thinking about what to say first.
Can I just let her ask me? Kiddin'.
"What do you want to know?"
"Really Aqua?!"
I laugh at her when she looks like she'll kill me anytime now.
Tsk. I just want to lighten up the tension between us. I can't talk if we're somewhat away from each other even though we're face to face.
"I want to know how related Naraka is to Clove's case. You can start with that," she tells me as she crosses her arms over her chest.
I nod my head thrice as my mind travels from what happened in the past.
___×××××___
I was pushing the swing that I'm sitting up while looking at the blank space in front of me.
The Lascovas already left to take their daughter off to her last destination.
Cemetery.
As usual, I can't go with them as they prevented me to do so. That was why I decided to just let myself walk around the village until I unconsciously stopped at the park where I and my friends usually play when bored.
I wiped my tears as can't stop reminiscing our memories of this place.
I was sad every time Clove's face appears inside my head. It just made me remember that she was not here with us anymore. It was too tragic that she died young. I feel really bad.
As her friend, I just want her to live longer but fate didn't allow her.
"Why are you here?"
I immediately stopped when a cold voice rang in my ears. I looked up and couldn't believe that he was in front of me because as far as I can remember, he doesn't want to talk with us.
"Why? Am I prohibited to go here as well?" I asked him while sniffing.
Wrong timing.
Why does he need to see me like this? A freaking cry baby.
I was about to use my right arm to wipe my tears as well as my nose when a handkerchief blocked my vision.
"Use this," I looked at him before reaching for his handkerchief.
"T-Thank you,"
I didn't hear him say anything and it just made me feel cry even more. Why does he even need to watch me without saying anything?
It was easy to cry for things because of course, I was still a kid.
"Are you going to blame me too?" I asked him after some time.
I was already half calm.
I watched him walk towards the other swing beside me. He then took a seat and sway it slowly just like what I was doing.
I was just watching him, waiting for him to say anything.
"Why would I?"
I pouted. Why wouldn't he? He has a right to do so. He's also a friend.
"Because Clove died," and I cried again as if someone was continuously bullying me for no reason.
"Hey, stop it. You're ugly,"
When I heard what he said, I sharply looked at him.
"I'm pretty! You! You're the ugly one," and I cried again.
I looked crazy, I know but that's who I was as a kid.
"It's not my fault," after a while, I told him.
"Hm?" He just replied but I didn't mind it and tried to remember what I saw that day before the incident.
"I saw it! Someone pushed us using a bicycle and before she can escape, I saw it! The hoodie!" I was already hysterical, trying hard to remember what happened.
"She?" I stopped and looked at Loco.
"I don't know...," I whispered.
All I know was that he or she has the hoodie that was too familiar to me.
"Come on, what did you see Aqua?" He probed as if he wanted to know what I know too.
I tilted my head as I crossed my arms.
"That day, I saw a girl. She was looking at my friends. I can't pinpoint which of the two she was staring at
but her stare really looked creepy! She was scary! I even greeted her but she only ignored me! She was scary! And- And she- she was wearing the same hoodie that I saw with the one who pushed us! She-"
My hands were trembling but I felt his warm hands, pacifying my cold.
"It's okay, Aqua. It's okay," my tears fell from my eyes as I can hear his sweet and gentle voice.
"She was scary...," I whispered and cried in front of him.
I didn't know he was already in front of me. I was trembling too much, crying for my poor friend.
Clove, I'm sorry.
"Can you tell me if you will see that girl?" He gently asked me.
I nodded at him in approval.
"Okay. But why?" I asked him, innocently staring at his deep eyes.
Now that I was looking at him, he was wearing his usual white cap with chains around it and his glasses.
"Just tell me, Aqua. Maybe I can tell who she is if I can see her myself," even if I was confused by his words, I nodded.
Somehow, he made me feel like he can be trusted.
That I can trust him.
Loco Sniper Laviente, I didn't know you'll be my friend.
"Okay," I agreed with a small voice.
I unconsciously looked at his back and to my horror, the girl that I was talking about was far away from us.
"Ah! That's her! Loco, there!"
I don't know how many times I tapped his shoulder to get his attention and looked at the girl who started to run away from us.
I didn't wait for Loco and get up from the swing. I ran after her.
"Aqua, be careful!" I can hear Loco shouting my name but I was too focused on chasing the girl.
She was wearing the same hoodie that I saw! Now, it was surely her that pushed us to the cliff!
"Aqua!"
"Loco, run faster! She's running away!" I shouted back while running.
It was weird that I can't feel tired but maybe it was because of the adrenaline rush.
"Where is she?!" I looked around when I couldn't see her anymore.
I felt hot liquids flow down my face. I cried in frustration.
I lost her!
"Aqua!" Loco made me face him and when he saw me crying, he didn't waste any time and pulled for a hug.
"I'm sorry...," he suddenly whispered into my ears while he was hugging me, crying.
Why was he sorry? That's when I knew, he knows.
He knew what his sister did.
___×××××___
"That's the story,"
I looked at Morri and I look away when I can't take watching her cry in pain again.
For Clove, our poor friend.
"Why?" I blink away the tears that are forming in my eyes when she starts to question me.
My heart feels suffocated, I can't breathe.
This. This is what I don't want to happen because she'll be in pain again that's why I couldn't tell her that piece of information.
Can she blame me?
She was so much in pain. She was the one who suffered more than I did. I couldn't just tell her that, can I? I was just trying to protect her from pain.
She can't handle that.
"You were too broken that time, Morri. I can't just watch you fall into the depths of hell. I'm your friend, I care for y-you,"
I bit my lower lip when my voice broke. Tears continuously fall from my eyes. The lump started to block my throat.
I clench my shirt on my chest part as I feel my heart slowly turning back to what it is before.
Broken pieces.
"Still, why?"
My heart hurt as I feel her coldness toward me.
I'm afraid, she'll leave me soon.
"I don't want you to suffer more, Morri...,"
I wipe my tears as I remember what she has been through for the past years. It breaks me apart for even trying to remember the old days.
Fidgeting with my fingers on my lap, I breathe hard.
"PTSD was already too much,"