[POV: -MOON]
I was damn astonished when there was a red-like substance following all over the floor. It was to go through my shoes when I bent down and touched that liquid. Ew! Not so sticky…
It smells weird. I mean not like blood but different. Wait, do I even know how blood actually smells? No way, how can I not? It smells like a mixture of chilly sauce and H2O. Not at all blood, it doesn't smell metallic.
To confirm it more I gave a touch of my tongue and it must be the worst decision that I ever took! It tastes so piquant! Yuck, what a disgusting thing!
"What the hell?! It's scathy!" I screamed in pain.
Oh God, it's burning on my tongue. Darn it, what even I tasted?!
My shoes' down margin had already turned red because of that liquid. Suddenly, there was a rush of Pim, Chai, Nart and Taeng. Seventeen disappeared at this moment or I should say I was wrong.
"Ew! What's this hell?!"
There was a similar yell behind me. Ah, another victim. I wonder how bad it tasted for Seventeen. His expression is enough for me to describe his experience. It might have tasted like hell for him.
Fuck! Why should I even describe his experience?! Do it yourself, Dude!
"Guys, are you okay?" Chai sounded.
In front of him, it's me standing, holding a bunch of death glares for him. He gave a sheepish smile and walked with low steps near me.
And followed by Nart. I was looking at Seventeen's weird and funny walk. So hard to hide the laughter, Man. But abruptly I was lifted into broad arms. Widely astonished, I only found Chai in front of my frightened eyes.
"You scared me, Idiot!"
I slapped his chest by keeping a full stop to my sentence and he responded with a chuckle. Idiot. I held his neck border slightly and kept on glancing here and there.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna throw you in this water." He whispered.
"You won't be alive the next moment you drop me down, Chai."
Again there was a chuckle not a single but double one. Then I found Pim chuckling too. Oh no, did he hear me?
When I was gradually dropped on the clear floor by Chai. I immediately turned into an angry bird. And held Pim and Chai's ears and stretched them.
"Oh God, it's painful, Moon!!" Pim yelped.
"Ouch, Ouch! Slow down, Moon!!" Followed by Chai.
"What the hell is this? What's with this disgusting red liquid, ha?!"
I shouted at them. And then took off my hands from their ears but it left reddish prints of my thumb on them. While rubbing his ears, Pim said
"It's all done by Nartand Chai, Moon. I don't know anything."
Oh my goodness, that puppy face of yours is the source of my heart, Pim. Darn, you both Chai and P'Nart! You made this palace a mess!
I gave a death glare to both of them standing in front of me. Chai and Nart laughed sheepishly which raised a nerve in my neck. I clenched my fist and
"Dare if you both smile or laugh again!"
Zipped their mouths and stood still. Just the way of statues.
[In The Drawing Room]
"What that liquid is? It's disgusting to see!" Seventeen sounded.
"Ahh…, it all happened when we were bringing up the chilly sauce and strawberry water but my leg slipped and all the chilly sauce bottles broke. Whereas Chai, he even slipped bcuz of chilly sauce on the stairs then strawberry water bottles broke and it mixed up with chilly sauce…"
And "This all mess happened…, guys." Chai finished.
"Then how are you guys gonna clean it?" I added.
"No worries, we called the cleaners service. They must be coming soon."
We all signed and let the cleaners come and do their work. Then later Chai stood up and walked into a room. I was looking at the room until I saw Chai coming outside with a folder in his hand.
"You people know what it is?" He suddenly threw it on my table.
An article dropped down to my foot from the folder. I turned curious when I threw a sight at the picture in that article. My whole body jerked when I got a close look at the picture, it… It was my FATHER'S picture!!
How… How did it come here? Then I focused on the title of the article. 'The Ceronedolie pigment test'. Isn't Ceronedolie a famous brand name? Why is this name here? What kind of test is it? And why there's my father's pic?
"Chai, Isn't Ceronedolie a famous brand?" I raised a question.
"Before it was a cosmetic brand but lately it became a source of all things," Chai said. And then Nart added.
"To test their cosmetics they would perform a test called 'The Ceronedolie pigment test' and in this test, they chose random people. Unfortunately, 4 people died because of this test and they paid the dead people with money."
That means this test was performed illegally. Then how the government still isn't aware of it? 4 people died and the citizens aren't aware of it!
"But to hide their deaths, they confirmed their deaths as a car accident and even changed the postmortem report." Chai finished.
I was dumbfounded and just staring at my Father's picture. My eyes got wet but I pulled them back 'cause none of them knows my surname and the man on this test article is my Dad, Mr. Fowler.
"What are the names of the people, Chai?" Nart asked.
"Let me see. Ya, Lloyd Stewart, Phong Palathai, NaoZhang Chunwang and Kawin Fowler." Chai said.
As Chai ended up with my father's name I couldn't help myself but go silent all of a sudden. My heart was broken into a thousand parts. For a second, I even imagined that I'm dead already.
I recalled the words once my Mom said. 'Mom, you know how Father died, right?' With sorrow, she said, 'Your Father died in a car accident, Baby.'
So even families weren't aware of their husbands' bizarre deaths. I wonder how painfully my Father died. Just because of their stupid test, I lost my Father at such a young age! The age when all the children's fathers would come to pick up their kids from school. I would be the only one to walk home alone, seeing the other students laughing with their fathers.
At the age where I would wish to have a Father who can teach me how to fight against all odds, I just ended up developing skills myself. Though I was having my Mom's full support but still I would feel incomplete.
That incomplete piece of cake on my birthday. That incomplete food at breakfast, mealtime and even at dinner. That incomplete feeling where everyone has the full of it but only I'm the one who couldn't finish it.
I left it incomplete for the rest of my life. I know that an incomplete part can't be completed, it's gonna stay incomplete forever. Forever…!
"Moon? Moon!"
"Huh? What happened, Chai?"
Oh no. I was lost again in my thoughts. But this time it wasn't any useless thought, it was related to someone who holds dear to me. Who is more important than anyone else?
"That question must be asked by me, Moon. You weren't even replying to our calls. What got so deep to think?" Chai asked.
"Just casual thinking, Chai. There's nothing much." I replied.
"Are you sure? I can't just believe you, you know." Chai questioned.
Seriously. Why not, Chai? Am I that untrustworthy? For sure, No!
"Super sure, Chai. Believe me!" I said confidently.
"Okay, we believe you, Moon. Let's focus here then." Nart added on.
I was wondering why the government didn't take any action on this illegal test. I held the article and I couldn't find much but a name really terrified my nerves. At the end of the article, there was a name… Alfie! Fuck!
Why is Alfie's family name here? The questions were rolling in my head. But I got no answers. Cuz I have zero knowledge of it!
"I know your question, Moon."