The Other Queen

Chapter 3

The door will be opened

When someone will pull or push it.

A smile will be fixed

When a dentist says it so.

An embrace will be given

When the thorns have been removed.

A heart will be pumping

When there's blood existing within.

----

Bethilda

The dream went on and let it pass eventually that awakened me while I'm on the ride back to Tenement.

I can still see the face of the man who strangled me. He has this shoulder-length white golden hair and expressive eyes. His pouted lips were shined red and his skin was pale and lifeless. Authority took over his personality— as though he had never cracked a smile before.

"...My Booksale English books are totally awesome! Marie had to borrow it but I said I'll hand it to you first— hey! Aren't you even listening, Betty?" Oz nudged me while sitting awkwardly beside me on a public jeepney. She must've noticed I jumped a little on my seat as the thoughts disconnected from my last night's dream.

I'm awakened to the sight of the jeep seat on the way to Tenement with tightly closed spaces to other people on the ride. Oz, beside me, gripped by the handle on the low ceiling of the vehicle.

"I-I did...but what is it again?"

"Talk to the hand, Bethilda!" She rolled her eyes while gesturing her hand to my face and then slammed the book she bought yesterday for me.

"I was calculating my fare back to Tagaytay, that's why I was lost," I lied. I've known Oz for fifteen years and she had never believed all the obvious alibis I tried to make.

"You're bad at lying, Betty Boop. Try harder," she reiterated. "Anyways... I told Gina that I'll come to visit you on Saturday after class. The school misses you already!" She dismissed me.

"I'm tired of resting. She's the only one who keeps on chaining me to the unit, and now I'm stuck with a creepy old mansion," I said as I crossed my arms across my chest. Gina and I agreed on making Oz come to Tagaytay for a vacation. My strict aunt wouldn't agree at first but when she witnessed how I was bothered with my dreams, she started to phone my best friend and asked her to come by after I've decided to come back to Tenement.

"Oooooh... I love creepy things! 'Can't wait for you to tour me around!" I saw few people besides us giving speculative looks as Oz jumped a little on her seat, unminding the icky feeling with our arms touching other strangers' elbows and skin. This afternoon ride is making me want to go home abruptly.

****

The day went on as usual while I and Oz finally decided to travel to the bus terminal with a stroller case in hand. She bid me goodbye as I rode on the bus and headed back to Tagaytay.

Oz promised to visit me this Saturday, so I asked Aunt Darling if I could just use the Mila Room instead of cleaning another room for her.

While on the bus, I couldn't help myself but drift into a deep sleep again...

A strong wind suddenly blew towards my direction. Harsh was it that I had to duck down and cry. I was crying while covering both of my ears.

I could see my dirty white long dress and curl to the ground. I could not hear a thing. I was just crying in heavy breaths.

Suddenly, the golden-haired man approached me with his worried eyes. It was the side of him I never had seen since the day I started dreaming about this diverse scenario.

He held my cheeks and opened his mouth to speak but not a sound did I hear from his lips.

His lips... I suddenly wanted to touch those. Slowly, I didn't realize how my hand touched his cheek until my fingers brushed his soft and thin lips.

His face became nearer until he closed the gap between us. Little by little, I anticipated his approach but suddenly his face evaded mine.

My eyes widened when the sound suddenly maxed as he had bitten my shoulder. I could hear my blood oozed from my skin, my bones crushed, and how my sight began to blur.

The bite was painful, it made me stop breathing...

I gasped for air when a hand suddenly shook my arm. I looked up to the guy holding a lot of tickets.

He creased his forehead and pointed at me. "We're at the final bus stop."

"W-what? Where am I?" I asked drowsily.

"Tagaytay. Get out so I could start cleaning here!" he shouted.

I bowed my head in shame and started to hold my things out of the bus.

The trip is exactly 6 hours from the terminal and I nearly slept the whole time. I looked at my wristwatch and saw it was already 8 in the evening.

My phone rang and answered it. It was Gina.

"Where the hell are you?"

****

The dinner is a lot more unusual than my normal routine in my unit before. Aunt Darling was not asking me questions and just silently eating her dinner she prepared for us. Gina was out tonight for a class tutorial she attended. She has a teaching sideline once a month for music students at a private institute, but she's a full-time music teacher in a university.

As I gazed around, I noticed the dining room was the most Filipino-oriented part of this place. The entirety is dark varnished wood. A large painting of a long table full of fruits and vegetables was placed at the center of the room and ornaments and large pots of plants placed at every corner.

"Finish your meal. I'll show you something..." Aunt Darling whispered as she put down her spoon and fork aligned neatly on her plate then drank her pineapple juice. She was not smiling. I felt the heavy ambiance of the room while staring at her serious face. She must've gotten ill or something.

After I washed the dishes, we headed back to the living room next to the grand hall.

I saw the walls full of picture frames colored in black and white and in faded sepia. I could still hear the tick-tack of her shoes and the brushing sound of my fluffy flip-flops.

"I'm sorry if we have to be that quiet earlier. Today is Lady Elizabeth V's 520th birthday," she said afterwards.

I looked at her intently and waited for her to speak again.

"Lady Elizabeth was the most silent among the Santerri sisters. She doesn't speak that much but only with her mother. According to the tales, she was feared the most by the housekeepers."

I sat on the sofa and saw an old red photo album there. In front of it, it says "Santerri Family 1500's reprinted in 1980."

There were all paintings that were developed and preserved. Some paintings are familiar to me since I saw them in the mini hall on the second floor. But what captured my sight most was the girl in the picture.

She looked familiar and somewhat close to me. I just can't remember when I did see her. I'm sure I've never seen her picture on the second-floor paintings. Her painting was different from all the rest. She has angelic and calm eyes. Her iris shows no hostility in her personality yet I felt the loneliness in it. Her hair is jet-black magnificently ponytailed at the back. Her beauty is indeed European.

I called Aunt Darling to look at the photo. "Who's this girl?"

She smiled and caressed my face instead. "You never failed to find the mirror."

I looked at her in confusion. When I was about to ask again, she said something that bothered me throughout the night.

"Don't let her in, Bethilda. Don't let her in," she warned softly, desperation was in her voice.

****

"Weird! She really said that to you?" Oz waved her nail piler to the screen as I watched her from my laptop on Messenger video call. I hurriedly called her as soon as I got to my room. I badly wanted to talk to her now that I felt the creeps.

"Since she announced my ancestor's birthday earlier, she keeps on saying those things. It's creepy." I surfed the internet while letting the conversation go on with curiosity, and when I found what I was looking for, I turned to face the cam again. "Rozella, how about a week-long slumber party?"

****

Oz hurried to pack her things up to Tagaytay on Friday, 11 P.M. She arrived at exactly 3 A.M. on Saturday and welcomed her in the mansion. Aunt Gina met her at the station and gave her a quick ride here.

"I thought I was on a field trip for a museum of centuries-old ornaments and furniture!" Oz gladly uttered as she was scanning the whole of the grand hall in awe.

"You can say that again..." I gestured to her to follow me. We fixed her things inside the Mila Room. I was showing her around when suddenly the lights went out. We were in the living room when the power began to shut off.

"Bad timing! Ugh!" I've seen Oz's silhouette crossing her arms in dismay. She was very excited about touring inside the house even if it's 3 A.M. yet it was halted because of the weekly power shortage. It's actually quite normal for people living near this place.

"Head back to the Mila Room. I'll just grab some candles and flashlights, okay?" When I saw her nodding, I abruptly headed to the kitchen and scanned the drawers for candles and some batteries for flashlights.

I was about to close the drawer when I heard a giggle echoing in the entire room. My hands stopped in midair as I felt the wind touch my nape. I hurriedly turned around and saw nothing.

My heart started to throb abnormally and dug a deep breath. I was gripping tightly the candles, lighter, and flashlight when I heard a loud scream outside the kitchen.

My eyes widened as I recognized the voice. "Rozella... Oz! Oz!"

I ran to the second floor and was about to turn the knob of the Mila Room when the striking sound of thunder shuddered me. I covered both of my ears and shouted Oz's name again.

After some seconds, when the thunder subsided, I hurried to the door and opened it once more. Darkness took over the place and the voice had stopped.

"Oz?" I slowly moved further inside the room until I reached the center where I could see the human-sized mirror facing me. It glistened at the light emitted by the moon outside.

I heard the giggle again.

"Oz? Where are you?" I'm getting frustrated. Oz must've played pranks on me again. She's good at this whenever she wishes to. She shouldn't be joking around since this place is no joke to me. I've never tried playing hide and seek in this place and I will not recommend it to her.

"B-Betty..." A faint voice, almost a whisper, called me.

I gaped at the sight of the mirror, not seeing anything other than my reflection.

Someone's behind me. I felt my heart pumping more blood.

"O-Oz?" I slowly turned around.

"B-Betty..." she called again.

My muscles lost all control and dropped everything I was holding as I saw Oz standing and dripping on her own fresh blood from her neck she kept on holding to prevent it from dripping more, but she failed. She has lost a lot. She's unable to move but her strength is starting to drift away.

My colors flushed in an instant. I started to get numb in my hands and began to tremble.

"W-what's happening? Rozella!" I cried. My deep breaths started to shorten. I couldn't move my feet.

"M-mirror...d-don't...c-come..." she whispered, then fell to the floor.

I flinched. Panic is evident in my eyes. Many questions sprung into my mind: who did this? Is there a killer inside the mansion? Why does it have to be Oz?

A tear fell from my eye. My head felt so light; I wanted to vomit.

As I tried to move backwards, Oz's head turned to me again and the blood from her neck oozed rapidly.

"S-stop..."

I stopped. I stood there watching my best friend die before my eyes.

"R-run..." was her last words before I heard the giggle again near my ear, then I was suddenly dragged violently from the room.

-to-be-continued-