GRIEVOUS VENGEANCE

CHAPTER 3

Janine and Jackie went to the faculty to talk to Sir Homer. When they looked at the glass door, they immediately saw their professor but he was talking to someone.

"Let's just come back later, Jackie," Janine said. She suddenly hesitated.

"Wait, that's Mark. He's Mina's older brother who carried you to their house." Jackie pulled Janine going to the faculty. "Good afternoon, Sir Homer. Hi, Mark."

"Oh, Jackie, Janine." Sir Homer smiled at them.

Janine hesitated to look at Sir Homer's nephew, but she still looked at him and their eyes met. "H-Hello. T-thank you for taking me to your house that night." Janine is embarrassed to thank Mina's older brother Mark.

The young man smiled at her. "It's nothing."

"Do you need anything, Jackie, Janine?" Sir Homer asked intently. I think he also felt an awkward situation so he even sneezed to catch our attention.

"W-we would like to say something..." Jackie looked at Mark and the other professors in the faculty before looking back at Sir Homer.

"It's fine, I'm about to take my late lunch. Do you want to come along?" Sir Homer's offer.

"A-all right, Sir. I-I think it's better to talk somewhere." Janine and Jackie's faces lit up.

"Can't I come with you? I haven't had lunch yet." Mark's eyes were pleading.

"Mark, I think these kids have something important to say and don't want to be heard by others." Sir Homer looked into the two students' eyes.

Jackie thought before speaking. "H-he can hear what we have to say." Janine's eyes widened as she looked at Jackie but she was not looking at her.

"Okay, let's go." Sir Homer got up and went to the door then Mark followed.

Hesitantly, the two girls followed, muttering. Janine kicked Jackie on the foot. Jackie also hit her arm then whispered, "that's her brother, let's tell him."

"What if he doesn't believe me and would think I'm crazy?" Janine whispered back. "You do the talking later."

"That's it. I can do that. Let's go." Jackie pulled Janine to catch up with Sir Homer and Mina's sister.

They got into Sir Homer's car, the two of them turned around and Kuya Mark was on the passenger's side. They headed to a Japanese Style Restaurant with a private dining area. All the furniture inside is actually Japanese copies. You have to sit on the floor to eat at the low table with a stove on top.

"Let's order first and then say what you have to say," Sir Homer said while smiling on the two girls. He called the waitress and he ordered for everyone.

"S-Sir, it's embarrassing, It's expensive here," Janine said hesitantly. She looked around the dining room before looking back at Sir Homer.

"I thank you for sympathizing with my niece. You were the only student who went to her wake. Thank you." Sir Homer bowed as if he's a Japanese. Janine waved her hand.

"It's nothing, Sir Homer. My sister is really angry because I didn't bring her with us. She's Mina's big fan."

"Take her with you next time if you will visit again. Her wake is until Saturday. The funeral will be on Sunday," Mark invited them to come back.

"I will bring my sister on Mina's wake," Janine replied shyly. She looked at Jackie and glared at her then signaled to start saying their purpose. Jackie nodded and also signaled that she would be the first to speak.

Mark and Sir Homer noticed what the two were doing. "Do you two have a problem you can't tell, Janine, Jackie?" Sir Homer asked. His forehead frowned.

Jackie answered. "M-maybe you won't believe in what w-we will say." The two bowed down out of shame and nervousness and then looked at each other.

Sir Homer laughed. "You thought of approaching me but you doubt if I will believe you? C'mon, tell me. You both trust me so you approached me, right?"

The two nodded before Jackie spoke. "Sir, promise, I have known Janine since childhood and she never lied. I know her so well." Jackie raised her right palm then slightly hit Janine's arm using her elbow.

Sir Homer and Mark looked at Janine. Waiting for it to say. "D-do you still remember when I fainted that night?" She hesitantly looked at Sir Homer and Mark.

"Yes, what really happened to you?" Mark asked.

"W-well... I-I touched Mina's casket, t-then it suddenly some scenes entered my mind, that s-she appeared in front of a woman, then she choked her." Janine stopped talking, hesitating whether to continue what she had to say.

"Oh, did you faint from fear?" Sir Homer asked.

"S-Sir, I was dizzy when that happened then I fainted. T-then ..." the two looked back and forth before continuing what to say. She closed her eyes before speaking again. "That woman I saw in my mind that she visited last night, was found dead earlier. She was in the news, she was your student, Denise." Janine was waiting for a reaction but she heard nothing from the two so she looked up and glanced at them.

"Are you sure about that, Janine? Didn't you make that up? My niece is dead, it's not right for you to continue to bully her in the afterlife." There was anger in Sir Homer's tone.

"Oh, Sir Homer, Mina and I are not bashers, we have no fandom. As I said, Janine is not a liar." Jackie strongly refused.

They saw that their Professor's face was getting dark. "I treated you well but this is how you will repay us?"

"I-I'm sorry. I guess we made a mistake when we approached you, Sir. I don't think we should have told you." Janine and Jackie got up to leave. They did not wait for the food they ordered and left the dining room.

"I told you not to tell them. You see, we still look like Mina's bashers and we're liars," Janine said tearfully as they walked outside the restaurant.

"How would I know they won't believe us? Let's just leave it like that. Oh, well. So what if Mina's spirit would haunt and kill all her bashers? That's not our souls, anyway. It's up to them if they don't want to help Mina to cross the light. " Jackie even gestured raising both arms and raising her voice.

"Janine, Jackie," A male voice said behind them.

They turned away. "M-Mark." The two were startled at the same time. Janine grabbed Jackie's arm.

"You know it's bad to say bad things to others, don't you? It's not a good manner to say harsh things especially to the deceased. Give my sister a little respect." There was hatred and pain in his voice.

"W-we are not saying anything bad about Mina. We just told you what really happened, it's up to you whether you believe it or not. Denise bullied her on ChitChat, and then she was found dead earlier. Watch the news to see how she died." Janine turned to Jackie. "Come on, Jackie. No one will believe us here."

"Hmp!" Jackie said before turning her back on Mark. The young man was left standing opposite the restaurant, looking at them while they were leaving the place.

-----

They will not attend Sir Homer's class in the afternoon. They turned across the street away from the school, Janine was pulling Jackie. "Where are we going? Why are we skipping classes? We are not guilty so why should we avoid Sir Homer?" Jackie asked in astonishment.

"I want to confirm something. Come with me to Mina's wake." She pulled Jackie by the arm again and then walk towards the jeepney terminal. They arrived at the funeral homes. There were only a few people when they arrived. There were some press people there. Mina's mother was also not pesent at that time. They entered the room and headed for Mina's casket. They peeked at its face.

"She's really beautiful, right? I won't get tired of looking at her face," Janine praised her.

"You know, you really have a resemblance with Mina. It's just your lips are different because hers are pouty, yours are thin, but you both have the same eyes and nose. Even the shape of your faces are both the same, heart-shaped." Jackie exchanged glances at Janine and Mina's faces. Nina noticed that even before.

"Right, then her hair is curly. It looks natural. What a wasted beauty. She's too early to die," Janine said hesitantly, but she continued what she needs to do. She brought her hand to the casket and held it in. Suddenly someone drew something to her senses and she got dizzy. She saw Mina coming out of a teenage girl's laptop, she choked the girl until she gasped. She crouched into the laptop's keyboard and a message was sent to ChitChat saying 'SexyTara: 'Die f**k die! You all die! F**k die!'. Mina fell into a trance with extreme dizziness.

"Mina!" Jackie knelt down, helping her friend stand up. Janine clung to Jackie so she wouldn't fall again.

"Jackie, who is SexyTara?" she whispered to her friend. She needs to get back to her own senses.

Jackie looked at Janine nervously. "One of her bashers on ChitChat. I-Is she the next one?"

Janine nodded softly. "W-What are we going to do?" The two looked at each other, not knowing the answer to their question.