Behind the Mask

Chapter 3

I woke up from the warmth I felt on my hand coming from the sunlight that slipped through the curtains on the glass door of the balcony in my room. It was almost summer and the weather’s temperature was getting warmer as the days went by.

I yawned and glanced at the wall clock above the television – it was still seven o'clock in the morning. I was about to go back to sleep when suddenly, I felt something hard hit my back and when I turned to, I saw Kaya’s knee.

I groaned in pain before pushing her knee with a little force and rubbed my back. What is she doing? Sleeping like she was the only one on the bed.

It was Saturday and I did not have any class, so there was no reason for me to wake up early. But how could I sleep beside someone who slept like the hands of a clock?

My bed was spacious enough and could fit two people without squeezing each other, but that did not help in preventing me from getting hit and kicked while Kaya was sleeping.

I reluctantly got out of my room, a little annoyed, and decided to make breakfast – an egg sandwich, before doing some household chores. I thought that I should do it while Kaya was still sleeping or else I would not be able to finish anything if she woke up.

It took me an hour to finish all the chores and when I returned to my bedroom, I saw Kaya sitting up on the bed while yawning. Her hair was a mess because of all that tossing she did while sleeping.

“You’re finally up,” I said, slightly annoyed.

“Yeah. I was about to panic when I found myself in here then I recognized that this is your apartment.” She said then looked around before turning back at me. “What I’m doing here? And how did I get here?” She asked, completely oblivious of what she did last night.

I raised a brow then walked towards her and reached for a pillow. I threw it at her face without any hesitation. “You have the nerve to ask that? Just what did you do last night? How could you get so drunk as early as six o'clock?” I complained, raising my voice.

She caught the pillow then hugged it in front of her while chuckling. “Calm down, okay? I did not mean to drink last night, but I got so tired the whole day because of the project that we are working on. When we succeeded in doing the first stage, we suddenly felt like drinking a little.”

“And you call that a ‘little’? Should I tell Aunty now?”

Her face suddenly turned pale, then she panicked. “Wait, did you tell mom?”

I clicked my tongue in my irritation. “Do you think you would still be here if I told her?”

Her face immediately lit up in relief then a wide smile flashed on her face. “You’re a lifesaver, Annika.”

“Do it again and I’ll really tell her.”

“No, it won’t happen again,” she said while holding her hand in the air as a sign of her promise. “So? How did I get in here?”

I sat on the floor near the center table and opened the television before answering her. “There was a guy who dropped you here. He called my phone using yours and told me that he was dropping you here at my apartment.”

I suddenly heard her gasped. I was facing my back at her so I could not see her expression, but I could tell that she was surprised.

“G-guy? What’s his name?”

“I don’t know. I did not ask his name.” I replied.

She then screamed hysterically while rolling on my bed. “That was so embarrassing. How can I do that?!” she shouted while covering her mouth with my pillow.

“Hey! That’s gross. Don’t cover your mouth with my pillow.”

“Annika,” she called with twinkling eyes. “He’s handsome right? I was embarrassed by what I did but somehow I realized how sweet and gentle he is because of what he did.”

I frowned, “What are you talking about? How could you say that after doing something so embarrassing? Make sure to thank him properly.”

“Of course!” she exclaimed. “But what do you think? Do you think he’s into me?”

“Stop talking like that it makes me cringe,” I said then turned my back at her again to watch the television when suddenly, the news about the progress on the investigation of the missing women flashed.

How many times are they going to flash it on news? I complained inwardly. Kaya noticed it too and it made her silent; the lively atmosphere in my room suddenly became heavy and serious.

I reached for the remote and was about to switch the channel when she spoke.

“Will you…be alright, Annika?” She worriedly asked. The cheerful and energetic vibe surrounding her was now gone.

We had been together since I started living here in Japan and what happened to me in the past was no secret to her.

 “…Yeah. You don’t have to worry about me.” I replied then switched the channel.

“I can keep you company for a few weeks if you want.”

“It’s okay. There’s no need for that.” I said trying to make my voice sounded like the news was not affecting me at all.

I mean, even though Japan isn’t a big country like China or other big countries, there was still a high possibility that I would not get involved in that despite having the same characteristics as those victims… At least that was what I wanted to believe.

“Besides if ever something happened, I could just call the police and asked for help.” I continued, trying to reassure her.

My gaze shifted to the picture that was standing on the small cabinet below the television; it was my last family photo with my mom and dad. I clenched my fist when that nightmare tried to infiltrate my thoughts again.

Then suddenly, Kaya threw a pillow at the back of my head which brought me back to my senses. “Just why are you so stubborn? We’re worried about you, especially mom,” she complained. Her tone was mixed with irritation and worry.

Aunt Claire and Kaya were both against the idea of me living alone, especially now that this news was going around. They wanted me to return to their home and went back here when everything was already okay.

In Japan, it was not unusual for university students to live with their parents, especially if their home was near their university because sometimes, rent fees were a bit expensive as well as the living expenses.

But, I did not want to always depend on them, especially that I was already a university student, and they had already done so much for me. It was about time I stand on my own two feet.

“I told you I’ll be fine,” I said then weakly chuckled to hide the anxiousness that was slowly rising inside me. “We see each other every day at school and you always pay me a visit during weekends, so you don’t really have to worry about me.”

Kaya and I were attending the same university; she was taking a course in Arts while I was taking an Economics course. She was a year ahead of me even though we were of the same age because I had to stop attending school for one year after that incident.

At first, she planned to live in the same apartment with me but I refused because I wanted to be more independent. I was even trying to earn money to pay for the rent by working online as a creative writer.

Kaya was silent for a moment then she finally gave up. “Fine, if that’s what you want. But make sure to tell us if something came up, you hear me?”

“Yeah,” I replied while faking a smile.

I want to believe that everything will be alright, but I knew that things might not go well the way I want it.