Chapter 6

Third Person's POV

It was already 8 in the morning, maraming estudyante ang nagsimulang magdatingan. Kaitlyn Ortega, Linette's bestfriend, walked down the hallway. Her mind is in chaos and she may not admit it, but she is definitely troubled.

Dumiretso siya sa locker niya upang kunin ang librong gagamitin niya para sa unang klase niya sa umaga, pagkabukas niya sa locker ay bumulaga sa kanya ang larawan nila ni Linette habang may nakasulat na "bestfriends forever" nanginig ang kamay niya nang mapagtantong dugo ang ginamit bilang tinta.

Behind that photo, there is a voice recorder that suddenly played.

"Kaitlyn, why didn't you help me?" She trembled even more when she heard a familiar sob, "Why didn't you help your bestfriend?"

"N-No..."

"I thought we're bestfriends for life, we’re still best buddies right? If so, would that mean..." Kaitlyn heard a giggle, "...if I die, you die too?" Then, the recording stopped.

Kaitlyn dropped her books on the floor, she closed her locker and continue walking like nothing happen. Deep inside her, she knows whose voice it.

It's Linette's voice.

During the whole class, she was out of space. She's thinking about that recording and that picture that was on her locker. The bell rang and it's time for their science class, the whole class proceeded on the laboratory for their chemistry lessons.

While on their way there, they saw another class outside the lab, they are probably gonna share the same lesson.

Hindi sinasadyang magtagpo ang mata ni Kaitlyn at Ayashi, the sly girl smiled at her but that smile didn't reach her eyes. Her whole being turned cold when she saw a familiar figure behind Ayashi, Kaitlyn saw the figure of Linette.

Linette's eyes were all white, her hair is kinda messy, her uniform is being ripped into shreds, she opened her mouth and says...

"Kaitlyn, h-help m-me..." as she said those words, bigla na lang lumabas ang isang gallon ng dugo mula sa bibig niya.

"Kaitlyn, ayos ka lang ba?" Tila nag-aalalang tanong ni Rhea na naging dahilan upang bumalik siya sa ulirat.

"Y-Yeah, I'm f-fine.." Kaitlyn cleared her throat, "Why?"

"Para ka kasing nakakita ng multo." Natatawang usal ni Rhea bago siya pumasok sa laboratory, tumingin muli si Kaitlyn sa gawi kung saan niya nakita ang mukha ni Linette pero wala na siya doon.

She heaved a sigh amd shrugged her shoulders, she went inside the laboratory. She figured that she must have been hallucinating. 

"Good morning class, so today napag-isipan namin ni ma'am Anne na ipagsabay na lang ang pagtuturo namin sainyo ng chemistry since same subject and same lesson lang din naman kayo." Paliwanag ni ma'am Cassandra na agad naman sinang-ayunan ng mga estudyante.

The class started and the students were advised to find a partner from the different class, Kaitlyn was about to find a partner when Ayashi suddenly waved at her.

"Hi, you must be Kaitlyn." Malumanay ang pagkakasabi ni Ayashi, "I'm Ayashi, I'm new here."

Nakipagkamay si Ayashi kay Kaitlyn, habang nakikipag-kamay ay napansin naman niya ang band-aid na nasa daliri ni Ayashi.

"Nagkasugat ka ba?" Pagtutukoy nito sa band-aid na nasa daliri niya.

"Ah yes, hindi ko kasi sinasadyang mahiwa ang daliri ko." Ayashi chuckled, "Alam mo namang may mga bagay na hindi maiiwasan. We make reasons to avoid bad circumstances to happen but the more reasons we make, the more it pulls us to that bad circumstances we wanted to avoid."

Natigilan si Kaitlyn pero nginitian lang siya ng matamis ni Ayashi.

"Y-Yeah, you're right."

"Can you explain to me what kind of substance is this? I heard that you have access in the school laboratory." May pinakita si Ayashi na isang maliit na container na may lamang isang liquid na kulay bughaw.

"Oh, that's—" Kaitlyn immediately shushed herself upon realizing something.

No one knows that she has access on the school laboratory except for Rhea and Linette.

Unti-unting tinitigan ni Kaitlyn si Ayashi sa mata, Ayashi continue smiling at her.

"Y-You..."

"I'm what?" Nakangising baling ni Ayashi sa kanya habang pinapanatili pa rin ang inosenteng ekspresyon sa mukha niya, "I'm just curious about what this substance can be. Do you know anything about it?" She emphasize the word it.

"You know something."

"Am I too sudden? My bad." Umayos ng upo ang dalaga, "Why didn't you help Linette that day? You ran, right? Was that the right way to ditch a friend?" Pinaglaruan niya ang liquid sa loob ng maliit na container.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Oh, I know particularly everything." She looked at Kaitlyn, "I even know what this substance do if you drink it."

Nanginginig si Kaitlyn habang nakatingin sa hawak niya.

"To be honest with you," Ayashi made this cute face like an innocent little girl, "I want you dead."

That made her breathings heavy.

"I want to stab you in the neck and just throw your body in the dumpster until your body rot." Kaitlyn gulped, "I want to drown your body in a barrel full of acid, it would be a lovely sight to see you in pain."

"Y-You're crazy..."

"I know."

Kaitlyn quickly turned her back and went outside the laboratory, she started walking to make her heart calm down. It's still a mystery for her why Ayashi knew everything.

"Did Linette told her about it?" Hindi mapakaling usal niya habang patuloy pa rin sa paglalakad.

"Kaitlyn, this is me being kind to you." Kaitlyn was frozen into place when she heard Ayashi's voice and so as her footsteps.

"S-Stop..." lumingon siya sa gawi nito, “...stop following me!!"

Ayashi smirked.

"I'll give you two easy choices."

Kaitlyn's breathings became heavy again.

"It's either you justify..." there is no smile in Ayashi's lips, "...or die."

Ayashi patted her shoulder.

"Think wisely." She then started walking into another direction.

Out of the blue, Kaitlyn started crying nonstop. Her heart throbbed in pain as she remembered her memories together with her best friend, Linette.

Sa isang tabi ay may babaeng nakatago  habang nakikinig sa usapan ni Ayashi at Kaitlyn, she took out her phone and dialed someone's number.

"Hello boss."

"Yes, Rhea?"

"Ayashi knows something."

"Ayashi what?"

"Ayashi Vixen Yamamoto." The other line went silent before it was followed by a loud evil laughter.

"My, my, Yamamoto's never learn their lesson. It seems like his daughter is walking on the same path just like him, she'll definitely die the same way too."

"What should we do about her? She will surely sabotage the research that took 10 years for the whole team to make."

"Let me take care of that pest."