x
It was 7 PM and the assassin was hiding behind the rocks, watching his target dressed in a white floral dress walk towards him. As soon as she sits down, he smirks and brandished the knife in his hand.
Suddenly someone closes his mouth from behind, muffling his sound of shock.
“It is a beautiful night isn’t it?” the culprit says. “Why don’t you get some sleep? And get a new kidney while you are at it.”
The man drops the knife and his eyes widen in shock as he feels something cold plunge deep into his back and yanked out.
Pain shot through his body forcing him to scream but he can’t scream.
He isn’t allowed to scream.
It would attract his target.
Blood flows from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground and loses consciousness, he crawls towards his target and grabs the hem of her dress.
His target feels the tug and yelps the minute she sees him but he refuses the let go because of the unbearable pain.
Only she can save him.
The pain!
The pain is unbearable!
He croaks again and the last thing he sees is his target dialing a number on her phone.
A few hours earlier…
“I call dibs!” Brianna yelled as she ran towards the sea.
“I hope you have something to keep you afloat!” Ralph called out as he watched his sister dive into the water. “I don’t want you to be swept by the undertow.”
“Relax! I can swim!” she yelled.
I giggle at the scene while holding on to the towel that covered me. You see, Brianna kept her promise by sneaking in to steal my swimsuits so I am wearing a bikini. Although it is not a revealing one, I am ashamed because I did not want to draw unwanted attention to myself.
'Come on. There is nothing wrong with it.' my inner voice coaxed.
I take a deep breath and undo my towel. Just as I suspected, all eyes were on me. Charlie whistled while Ralph stared. Brutes on the other hand adjusted his glasses while Jake's face turned red.
"Y...you l…look l…like a…a god…goddess Emma." he finally said
“Umm thank you.” my reply was nonchalant because of the way he looked at me. Then he wrapped his arms around me and sent a cold stare to an onlooker who ran off.
‘Remind me to scold Brianna after this.’ I thought.
“Wow, girl you look hot!” Charlie said as approached us.
Jake tightened his grip on me and he backed off.
“Easy tiger. I was just going to ask her if she wants me to teach her how to swim.” He said raising his hands in defense.
“No thank you. She is fine.” He replied.
Charlie rose an eyebrow and smirked. “Are you sure? You look like some pretty boy who the first thing of swimming and you don’t look like you want to get wet.”
He was right. Jake was wearing a shirt on top of his swimming trunks and seeing him naked before, I knew it was to hide the scars on his body.
I was running out of air and my boobs were starting to hurt because of the way he squeezed me to him. Squirming, I tap him on the shoulder and he lets me go.
After panting for a moment, I smile at Charlie. “Don’t worry. I will be fine.”
He tsked and walked off. “Your funeral sweet cakes.”
“Too bad he's is just round the corner,” Jake muttered but I pretend not to hear it and grab my floaty.
“Beloved. Don’t you want me to teach you how to swim?” he asks.
I shake my head but he hugs me.
“Please my love?” he begged.
‘Why do I get a feeling that he thinks this is a competition?’ I look back at him, see his begging eyes, and nod.
He carries my bridal style and takes me to the water. It was cold and I was a bit scared because he took me to the deep end. This made me hold tightly to him and bury my face in his neck.
“Don’t worry my love, I am here.” He whispered into my sensitive ears.
Then he taught me some basic skills in swimming and who knew it could be so exhausting?
‘Guess my body isn’t built for this kind of activity.’ I thought holding on to the floaty. ‘Come to think about it, this is the first time I have been to the beach.’
“Beloved do you like Charlie?”
I felt something fade away replaced with a sense of dread. “No, I don’t like Charlie.”
“Gee, I wonder why? He does look more handsome than me and he has the charm.”
‘Was he degrading himself now?’
“But he looks like a womanizer. I have seen him flirt with three girls at once today.” He added.
“Well, now you see why I don’t like him,” I say.
Then an amused expression came on his face. “It looks like you have accepted me Beloved.”
‘Yeah. I have.’ I thought ruefully to myself. I guess I was still sore about what he did to Gwen.
Then we heard what seemed to be a giggle at a distance and see Ayano and Taro Yamada walking along the water but when they saw me, Ayano grabbed her husband’s arm and picked up the pace.
‘Wow. What’s her problem?’
“Did you know the Taro Yamada works for an Insurance Company downtown as an accountant but they are involved with some shady dealings?” Jake asked.
That got my attention. “What shady dealings?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Wait, how did you know this?”
His face turned pale and he smiled. “What flavor of ice cream do you like?”
“You have stalked me long enough to know that my favorite flavor is cherries.”
We hear some girls giggle at a distance and see Charlie twirling her around while others cheered.
“Quite the womanizer isn’t he?” he remarked.
“Do not change the subject, Jake.”
“What do you mean?” he asked feigning innocence.
“How did you know where Taro Yamada worked?” I ask narrowing my eyes at him.
“I guessed it out.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
“You stalked him.”
He scoffed. “Why would I stalk a guy like him?”
“Jake.”
“Beloved I mean it I just…” then he paused and smiled. “Wait a minute, we are arguing.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “So?”
“This is great! This means we are a normal couple now! Although I don’t like the fact that we are arguing about a guy and…”
A sour look was pasted on my face as I watched him jabber nonsense to himself then we swim back to the beach and bask in the sun until the afternoon. Hungry, the seven of us went to a hut that serves sushi for a bite to eat. Jake insisted on feeding me and when I told him ‘No’ because it was embarrassing, he begged until I gave in. The owner took a picture of us and Jake paid for the picture. Something tells me he is going to frame it.
After lunch, we went back to the beach and I engage myself in building sandcastles. I look up and watch Brianna begging one of the surfers to teach her how to surf while Ralph was giving signals to the man to refuse. It did not take long for them to argue. Brutes joined a group of people exploring the beach with a metal detector while Andrew took a nap on a long chair under the umbrella. Charlie was giving the girls his phone number and inviting them to come to his beach party.
Jake helped me in my childish activity until he decided out of the blue to get me ice cream. I agreed to seize the opportunity to have some time to myself.
‘It is clear he was stalking Taro Yamada.’ I said scooping some sand to create the body. ‘I would have done something about it but the man is married! Surely a married man like him won’t be infatuated with me.’
“Do you mind if I join you?”
I look up and see Taro Yamada in person looking down at me and my creation. ‘Talk about the devil.’
“Uh no thank you. I am good.” I quickly reply.
“Aww, come on. I insist.” He said crouching down.
“No, really you shouldn’t,” I say covering up my initial reply which was, ‘Please leave before Jake slices your throat with a knife.’ Or ‘Please leave before your wife and mother-in-law get the wrong idea.’
He ignored me and completed helped building the sandcastle. While he was having fun while I was a nervous wreck hoping he would leave before Jake came back.
“Is everything alright?” Taro asked.
I shake the edgy feeling off me. “No everything is fine.”
He smiled and put the last sea shell on the body of the castle. I hear something and turn to see someone running away.
‘Someone was watching us.’
“Tada!” Taro stood up, took out his phone, and took a picture of the castle. “It looks nice.”
I give a weak smile. “Yeah, it does.”
“Oh, would you look at the time,” Taro said looking at the sunset. “I should probably get going. My wife would be looking for me right now.”
“Yeah. Y…you do that.” I replied.
He looked at me oddly before walking away. I suddenly felt a blush of embarrassment flow through me as I watched him. ‘Was I being rude?’
“Emma.” Jake’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Jake where were you?” I asked standing up.
“I…I was busy.”
“Busy with…” I turn to face him but stop in my tracks. He had this wild look in his eyes and was squirming hard to stop himself from smiling.
‘Oh no! What did he do?’
“Did…did I miss anything?” he asked.
‘Whatever you do. Do not tell him about Taro.’
‘Easier said than done. He hates it when I lie to him.’
‘Trust me.’
“Nothing except I had to finish the sandcastle without you,” I said. “Where have you been? You said you were going to get ice cream.”
His face turned to normal and he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “I am sorry my love. I got…distracted.”
I say no more of the incident and start packing up to go to the Hot Spring Hotel. Yeah. I gave it that name. We took a bath and Jake was drying my hair when Brianna called on the phone asking us if we wanted to explore the town.
“Andrew said there was a Karaoke Club in town. Wanna check it out?”
‘Brianna and Karaoke.’ I chuckle before telling her we were up to it. We quickly get dressed and go straight to the Karaoke Club.
“Wow! This place looks bumping tonight.” Brianna said as the neon lights which spelled the word Karaoke in cursive glowed in the dark.
Charlie scoffed. “What are we doing here?”
“If you don’t like it then leave.” Jake spat.
“I agree,” Andrew said.
Charlie rolled his eyes, took one look at me, and sighed, “Okay, I will stay.”
Walking into the club, we were hit with the stuffy air and the smell of alcohol. Adults and teenagers alike were cheering as one of the patrons sang her heart out on stage.
Brianna bobbed her head to the music. “Yep, this is my jam!”
“I have to agree with you.” a voice said startling us.
It was Taro’s mother-in-law with the rest of the family. “Hello, I hope we are not intruding.”
“No…no you are not,” I reply covering up the uncomfortable feeling she and Ayano were giving me because they were glaring at me hard.
The place was crowded so finding a place to sit was a doozy but thanks to Taro’s mother-in-law, we were sitting at a table too close to the stage.
“Hello everyone! Who is ready to make some music?”
Everyone cheered as the red-haired host flipped his hair and smiled. “Well guess what, we are organizing a karaoke contest and tonight is a special night for all you anime lovers because we have anime songs on the list! So if you got what it takes to blow us away with your talent or challenges come up the stage and make a sound!”
The crowd cheered even louder and Brianna was fidgeting in her seat.
“So who is going to come up to launch the stage and the competition for us? Anyone?”
“Me! Me!” Brianna squealed.
The MC spotted her. “Well, what do we have here? A newcomer wants to take the stage. Let’s welcome her folks.”
We applauded her as she walked up to the stage with confidence.
“Welcome. What’s your name?”
“Brianna.” She replied with a lot of enthusiasm.
“Well nice to meet you Doll. What song do you want to sing and who is your competitor?”
We watched as she grabbed the microphone from him, twirled around, and pointed to the crowd. “I want to challenge your champion and the song is MyMy by Apink!”
The whole hall gasped and so did the MC who quickly took the microphone from her.
“Wow! You got guts to challenge our karaoke queen like that but you got it! Oh, Stacy!” he yelled and the curtain behind them opened. The crowd cheered as a blond-haired girl wearing nude makeup dressed like a rock star. She grinned, flicked her hair, and walked forward.
“Looks like you are ready to rumble with that outfit!” the crowd cheered again. “And remember folks, the judging system is based on your reaction. You ready? DJ! Turn up the music!”
Once the MC got off the stage, the song played with the words appearing on the screen. It was one of those songs with cheesy love lyrics where a girl tells a boy he is always in her heart and both competitors sang it will but Champion outshined Brianna by adding her bits to the choreography.
“Sorry, you lose.” The MC said to the dejected Brianna once it ended. “But look at the bright side, you are the runner-up!”
The crowd cheered as Brianna walked back to her seat.
“Nice job Brianna,” I say.
“I embarrassed myself.” She moaned.
“Na. You did great.” said, Ralph.
“She just has more experience than you.” Brutes added.
“Alright! We have a young lady here having a secret challenger in mind.” The MC announced and we were all shocked to see Ayano Yamada on stage.
“How did she get up there?” Taro asked.
“Magic.” his father-in-law replied with disinterest.
“And the secret challenger is…” a drumroll played as he looked at the piece of paper in his hand. “Jake Othello Brandon!”
“What?” his mother-in-law and the rest of us looked at him in shock. He gave her a smirk and walked up to the stage to meet with an equally shocked Ayano.
“Looks like we are gonna have a duet right guys?” the MC said and the crowd cheered. “Okay! What song do you want to sing ma’am?”
“Kalafina’s ‘Magia’.” Ayano stammered.
“Too bad that song is my favorite.” Jake gloated.
“Wow! Looks like we are going to have a competition after all! And we all know how haunting the song is.”
The crowd ‘oohed’ with some whispering among themselves while Ayano took a quick glance at me.
“Kalafina’s ‘Magia’ from ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica’. Stick to the tunes, no faking it, and don’t mess it up! Okay, DJ. Turn it up!”
The lights on the stage flickered as the music began and both contenders started singing flawlessly. I decide to pay attention to the lyrics and shivered at how haunting it was especially the part about being a fool for believing in fairy tales because it was true.
So true.
And I was one of the fools.
“Okay, guys! Let’s see who got it!” the host said and the screen began to compile the scores. “And the winner is…Jake Othello Brandon!”
The crowd cheered as his face appeared on the screen while Ayano’s had ‘better luck next time’ on it. She gave him a cold glare and quickly walked down the stage and out of the club.
Taro’s mother-in-law and the rest followed her.
“Looks like some is being a sore loser.” MC jeered as the crowd booed. “Congrats on winning the challenge, sir.”
“Thank you.” He bowed and left the stage.
“Oranges and lemons sold for a penny,”
‘What the..’ I sit up and look around.
“All the school girls are so many.”
The noise in the background faded as I looked around but no one seemed to see or hear anything. With everything blurring away and having a slight pain in my head, it sang again.
“The grass is green and the roses are red,
Remember me when I am dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.”
Then I saw her. Standing near the entrance of the club was a girl wearing a white uniform with four bushy tails protruding from her skirt and she sang the song again swaying from side to side. All I could do was stare until someone tapped my shoulder snapping me out of it.
“Emma, are you alright?”
It was Ralph. I shook my head rapidly and sigh. “Not really.”
The night wore on with more singers and more entertainment. Then, Charlie challenged Jake to a drinking contest which ended up with them being wasted on the floor.
‘Of all the times to drink it is now?’ I mutter swinging Jake’s hand over my shoulder to help him up.
Andrew was having a hard time with his drunk cousin despite Ralph’s assistance. “Charlie I swear if you throw up…”
It was too late. He threw up on the floor and we had to leave. What made things worse was during our trip back he started to sing in a high-pitched voice causing passer’s to stare at us. I was already ahead of them with Jake stumbling thrice on the way. Fortunately, we get to our room safely and I proceed to take off his clothes because they reeked of alcohol.
“Beloved what are you doing?” he asked as I unbuttoned his trousers. “Don’t you think it is a little early for this? You said we should…”
He burped filling the room with a nasty smell and I cringed. Finally getting him in his underwear, I lay him on the futon, put a blanket on him, and take a shower.
‘Gosh, the room stinks!’ I think stepping out of the bathroom. ‘And it’s giving me a headache!’
Kicking myself for not telling them to stop that time, I change into a white floral gown and leave the hotel. The sea air along with the sound of the waves soothed eased my throbbing head. Tired, I decided to sit by the rocks and look at the horizon.
‘Wow, the sea looks so calm tonight.’ I say looking around. ‘I wonder if…’
Then someone grabbed the hem of my dress. It was a hand covered in blood! I yelp and try to wrench my dress away but whoever it was held on revealing himself to be the man who I saw with the Yamadas at the airport. He coughed out blood and gasped as his face paled up. Luckily, I had my phone with me and quickly call for help.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
