“M-Marco? What are you doing here?” I stammered.
I scrutinized his eyes. He wasn’t out of breath at all. If he were the one chasing me, he should’ve been just as winded as I was after I’d dragged him so far.
“I should be the one asking that! What are you doing here? Alone in a dark alley like this? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?” he snapped irritably. I only flashed him my stiff smile. If it wasn’t Marco, then who was it? Was it just a coincidence?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I heard footsteps behind me. “I told you, I was coming!”
That voice made my body tremble. I forced my legs to stand; I didn’t want to meet him. Whether it was Shy_Ko or anyone else, I didn’t care. If we’d met somewhere a little more romantic, maybe I wouldn’t have minded. But this? In a dark alley? I shook my head hard.
“Don’t run! I told you I hate it when people leave me, didn’t I?”
His voice sounded closer and closer. Trembling, I quickly grabbed Marco’s hand and hid behind his back. His hand was actually pretty big; I’d never noticed that before.
“HELLO!”
The figure appeared out of nowhere. A creepy grin stretched across his lips. He stood right in front of us, but I couldn’t see his face clearly because he was wearing a black face covering.
I swallowed. With my body shaking, I tugged on Marco’s shirt to pull him away. But he didn’t budge. I glanced at Marco’s face; he was frozen. I thought he was paralyzed with fear, but instead he stepped forward, approaching the hooded man. Marco’s signature grin appeared on his face.
“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” Marco barked.
Marco, who usually looked as gentle as a prince, had now turned into a cold-faced man. He looked so terrifying that I began to wonder who the “good guy” actually was here. Even so, I buried my face in Marco’s arm.
“Hahaha!” His laughter echoed, making the alley feel even more ominous. “I’m not interested in guys. The girl! I only need the girl!”
He pointed his index finger straight at me. I knew I was pretty attractive, but this was incredibly rude. I gathered my courage and spoke. “If you need me, why don’t you introduce yourself properly?”
“Hahaha!” He laughed again. I didn’t find anything funny.
“Aora! Don’t pay attention to him!” Marco yelled, making me fall silent. I wondered why Marco loved yelling at me so much.
The man’s grin grew wider. He stepped forward, and… Bam! His fist slammed into Marco’s stomach, sending him crumpling to the ground. My grip on his arm came loose.
“Marco! Marco!” I screamed in panic. I ran toward him, but… Bam! Something struck me from behind. My vision began to blur. I could still faintly hear Marco’s voice, but then everything went dark.
“Aora! Aora! Wake up! It’s morning already, you’re going to be late!”
I faintly heard Mom’s voice. Was I dreaming? Wasn’t I in that alley last night? Could it be that he’d kidnapped Mom too?
“You lazy bum! Wake up!” Mom shook me until my back began to ache.
“Ow!” I groaned in pain.
When I opened my eyes, I frowned in confusion. I was lying on a mattress, a blanket wrapped around my body. Had everything that happened yesterday just been a dream?
“Get up! It’s already seven, and you’re late again. You have to go to school, period!” Mom ordered. I only nodded slowly. Lazily, I got ready to shower.
It was after ten by the time I finally arrived at school. I’d forgotten to wear my watch, so all I could do was accept my fate. Marco was definitely going to lecture me again later. Sure enough, when I entered the classroom, everyone’s eyes turned toward me. As if they were captivated by my beauty.
Awkwardly, I waved. “Sorry I’m late. Something urgent came up,” I said, only to be greeted by laughter from the entire class. I gaped at them. Did they think I was a comedian?
“Hah! You again? Whatever, go sit down over there!” said Mr. Bondan, the history teacher. How strange that he was being nice. Usually, Mr. Bondan would make me salute the flagpole.
“Go ahead and introduce yourself again,” Mr. Bondan said to a boy standing at the front. I only just realized there was someone else there.
“My name is Haijima Yoko. I transferred to this school because of my father’s job,” he said briefly before lowering his head.
Haijima Yoko? So he was Japanese too. Kampung Bambu was dominated by Japanese immigrants; native-born people were becoming rare around here. Still, Haijima Yoko was far from what I’d expected. Japanese boys usually looked cute, but he looked nerdy and gloomy. His thick glasses and bangs covering his eyes made him look… well, I don’t know.
But why did he feel familiar? I felt like I’d met him before, but where? When our eyes accidentally met, I reflexively grabbed the back of my neck and looked down awkwardly. He stared at me for a few moments, then gave me a friendly smile.
My heart nearly leaped out of my chest from the shock. I turned my gaze toward the front and caught sight of Marco, who was busy writing. What happened last night had felt so real. My back still hurt, but how could I have suddenly ended up on a mattress in perfect health? And Mom hadn’t looked worried at all.
“Here,” Sophia said, placing my bag on the desk. I stared at it. I’d only just realized I’d come to school without bringing a bag at all.
“Must be nice, just running off yesterday,” she said sarcastically.
“What do you mean?” I asked in confusion.
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb, sweetie. You ditched our study group, remember? You even used buying chocolate as an excuse.”
So I really had gone to the mini-mart yesterday. But what happened afterward? I had to ask Marco. As soon as the dismissal bell rang, I immediately chased after Marco, who hurried out of the classroom. It wasn’t like him to leave this quickly.
“Marco! Wait!” I shouted, but he only quickened his pace.
“Marco!” I managed to grab his hand. He wouldn’t even dare look me in the face. “What’s wrong with you? I’m trying to talk to you, so why are you ignoring me?”
I spread my arms to block his path. Marco let out a harsh sigh. “Idiot! You think you can stop me?” he asked. Then he easily walked past me.
My curiosity forced me to follow him. Marco led me through a dark alley—maybe the same one as yesterday. I couldn’t remember.
“Isn’t there another way?” I asked fearfully, tugging at the edge of his shirt.
“Why are you following me?” Marco asked coldly. It was the first time he’d spoken after we’d been walking for so long.
We arrived at a beautiful, classical-style house. However, right in front of the door, I saw red stains. I swallowed. I looked at Marco fearfully, but he only gave me a small grin.
“Big Bro! Where’s the food?” a child’s voice called from behind the door.
The door opened, revealing three children under the age of seven. When they saw me, they stared sharply. “Is she the one who’s been giving you trouble, Big Bro?” one of them asked.
The child approached while pointing a pair of scissors at me. I held my breath. I only just realized that each of them was carrying something sharp: a kitchen knife, a screwdriver, and scissors. I shuffled backward. My heart pounded wildly as I watched Marco stand there, silently grinning. There was something seriously wrong with this house!
“Why are you so scared, Big Sis? We’re just KIDDING,” one of the children said, emphasizing the word “kidding.”
As if I could believe them. Their grins were incredibly strange. I had to run! On the count of three… one… two…
Suddenly, Marco’s hand touched my shoulder, making me jump.
“Why don’t you come inside first?” Marco offered, gripping my hand tightly. His three siblings did the same. Marco pulled on my right hand while his younger siblings tugged on my left.
With cold sweat soaking my back, I tried to struggle free. But Marco pulled me with incredible strength. He grinned viciously right in front of my face.
“You’re the one who wanted to come here, Aora, right?”