'Master Karne sir, for what purpose is the disguise for?' Bobby, the makeup expert of ES asked while adding more makeup on my face.
'I wouldn't be doing this if Miss Decade isn't so very elusive of people, who have an affiliation with her,' I complained and coughed from the powder.
'And you have decided that she will likely listen to a girl?'
'As frustrating as it is, she might.'
I put on the wig and some casual everyday girl clothing but not a dress. She might freak out of girls wearing dresses like my sister was because of social class. I hurried to a corner waiting for her to make an appearance and just before I decided to take a break, her door opened.
'Holy Sunday! Is that really her? That's super handsome!'
Why did she decide to disguise as a guy all of a sudden? My mission will prove hard after all. I carefully pulled my phone out and took a few pictures just because I was jealous that she can pull off such a look, though I have a vague idea on who might be the one responsible for it. It was slovenly, a total Miss Decade fashion but certainly 15 levels ahead of me in total hotness.
'Karne, what are you doing?' A voice called me from behind.
'And what's with that look?'
I was red from embarrassment before I know it. It was Rev and he looked like he wants to talk to me about something so I ran for the elevator before he could even start.
'That was close,' close enough. A hand stopped the elevator before it can close fully and my breath got caught midway as well.
Miss Delu entered and I remembered that I need to breath. The transformed Miss Decade wore the assigned dress code but she wore the lighter one. I just can't believe that she cut her hair just for a disguise. Most girls would kill you if ever you suggest them to.
'May I ask who you are, miss.' Miss Decade asked me in a totally convincing male voice, trying to make a female friend in the 0th floor.
This feels so awkward and I'm the one feeling so vulnerable and red from all the disguise that my voice came out more like a squeak, 'Ka, Kar…'
She moved closer to try and hear what I was saying, my voice dropped to a whisper. 'Karnet.'
'Come again?' she moved closer. I distanced myself from her and tried not to whisper, covering my mouth with my clothes so she can't distinguish my real gender. 'My name is Karnet.'
She must have realized that she is in a disguise so she stopped talking and is out of the elevator the minute it reached floor one. I on the other hand made myself scarce and tailed her.
All the ladies tried to have a conversation with her but she just made excuses like, 'Sorry, I have to visit a relative so I have to go.'
'That's too bad,' they replied almost disappointed.
While walking past the group of girls, I can still hear their hushed whispers.
' Hey look, isn't he wearing the clothes exclusive to floor zero?'
' You're right, he must be a big shot!'
' No wonder he's so aloof, people who can get access to that floor is not someone we can offend.'
Across a sea of people, past the glamorous designs, Miss Decade behaved exceptionally well like a fish in the sea.
While walking unhurriedly, she picked up a bit sized snack for a while, accepted a glass of wine for a while and out of nowhere, twirled a lady from tripping.
I can still hear the lady's shy whisper, 'thank you, sir.'
[ Well, just look at that reluctant look. ]
Miss Decade on the other hand said, ' nothing'
[ What a girl that never looks back. ]
She probably doesn't even remember what the person she helped looked like.
As everybody knows, the first floor of ES serves as a reception hall. It is where guests are received and where they wait for their companions before going to the floor they have chosen.
To relieve boredom, there are free snacks and drinks being served. Much like a never ending banquet amid a soothing music played by renowned musicians all over the world.
And much to my chagrin, these pesky men kept on pestering me for a dance despite seeing me wearing the dress code of floor zero.
I mean, look at this guy. He's probably some male star from somewhere or a business upstart in a certain City.
[ Hmph! Look at that arrogant look. ]
He must've thought about caoxing me to take him to floor zero. Things like this happen all the time.
See! Here it goes.
'Excuse me miss. May I dance with you?'
I looked at him for a while and then escaped his grasp to chase after Miss Decade.
'Sorry dude, I'm busy now.'
[ I have memorized that face. Wait for me, how dare you ask me for a dance.]
I looked for a trace of Miss Decade and she's already outside.
She walked for a while then she increased her pace and then she sprinted. Good thing I'm on my bike because I thought I was busted but I wasn't.
She kept running for a total of 20 minutes in the forest which everyone has to pass before reaching the city area. Still, there would be a total of another 20 minutes of running ahead. 'Is she planning to keep on running like that? The rain will come before she reaches the city!'
I made quick work with my disguises and hid it under a tree before speeding up. I caught up with her and blocked her way, 'The rain's going to pour soon, and I'll get you to your chosen destination.'
She checked the sky and surely, it won't be waiting for her to get to wherever she wanted to go. Miss Decade nodded before taking her place behind me, her back facing mine.
Looking at her like this, I really don't know whether to ask or remind her.
'You are a 0th floorer, right? You didn't have to run you know, Miss Decade.'
A trace of panic escaped her face before adjusting her mood coldly.
'Who is Miss Decade?'
Noticing the ever so gloomy afternoon, I pedalled faster along the road.
'Miss Decade, surely by now you know of my affiliation with ES. I saw you talking with Rev in the eatery earlier.'
Perhaps irked by how smug my tone was or how sure I was about who she is, her temper exploded.
'I am not that Decade person you speak of!' She jumped off the bike, running ahead but I caught up. She revealed her real voice in that outburst though, so it's futile to refute again.
'Okay then if you're not Miss Decade, who are you?' I asked her and the rain poured heavily over us.
Just then, a lightning struck the nearby tree and it fell, covering the road.
Miss Decade jumped before she got struck in the process, the thunder echoing up in the sky.
'Im not lying anymore, I dare not!'
She was so scared that her whole body was shaking. Even that sturdy tree was split open, much less our human scum.
I got my bike over the tree, 'Come on.'
'Don't regret later,' she warned me. 'If ES is this far, my house is at the opposite side.'
'No problem as long as you don't pull another stunt like that ever again since the road is very slippery. I don't want to end up in the hospital before reaching your house.'
'I won't because I forgot to bring my cash.' Honestly, nobody forgets to bring their cash.
We reached the city and are on our way to Miss Decade's house, 'What I was trying to say earlier is that 0 floorers have access to several ES transportations. Were you not informed?'
'Right, I forgot. I'll remember that when I come out again'
The city is as always, congested with vans, buses, tricycle's, jeeps and several more at any time of the day. It was a heavy traffic but it took us faster by the sidewalks since the people chose to wait the rain out. There were some who used their umbrellas but gave up when they realized that the rains can penetrate horizontally.
The street vendors packed up and went home while some establishments temporarily closed the entrance. The more we reached the edge of the city, the less urbanized areas came to view. The roads became narrower, bumpy and more plants decorated the surrounding areas.
Of course, it was a very familiar route to me because it was where I passed every day. At the very edge is a 2 floored house occupying 2800 square meters of earth space.
'Let's go,' she invited.
'Are you sure?' I mean, I'm a guy after all. And there seems to be no one inside the house.
'I don't want my father to haunt me in my sleep just because I was rude to you, that's all.' She didn't wait for me before going to the front door.
'He was very strict about visitors if you must know.' She opened the door before shouting, 'Hello? Mother, are you home?'
There was no answer; there was only the sound of tick, tick, tock from the clock indicating it was 12: 45 pm.
I followed her to the living room and there are packages here and there. when I took a closer look, it was all from ES.
We dried ourselves with a towel and Miss Decade handed me clothes which I deduce to have belonged to her father. She wrote a message and put it on the table.
I secretly looked at it and it was a short line of words without any explanation saying: I was here. Don't worry about me.
I must say that it was very concise yet frustratingly rude.
Before I knew it, she tore two pancit cantons and dropped it on boiling water. I was so scared thinking that I was discovered peeping.
'You lied to me Karne,' she accused me. She brought the cooked pasta to the table and handed me the flavours, 'You told me that Vylemor is not in the mansion but your super computer says otherwise.'
I dropped my fork from confusion, 'what?' 'Like you don't know. Stop pretending, will you.'
'I am not,' I informed her with emphasis.
'Why don't you call and confirm with doctor Dechat?' I dialled the doctor and then passed the phone to her.
The doctor answered, 'Karne! Yve is awake. She's awake!'
Holy matrimony! I nearly jumped out of my seat, 'Vylemor! Is he there?'
I heard him sigh on the other line, 'No, sorry Karne.' I gave Miss Decade the look and she sighed too but then another voice interrupted, 'Come on, big bro Karne. The doctor's obviously lying because I'm here.'
That voice gave me the shivers and I suddenly didn't want to go back.
'Who is that?' Miss Decade is equally confused. Then she said, 'his voice sounds like Vylemor but I know he doesn't speak that way.'
[ I know right!?]
It's just a spectre from a weird looking book and it's weird that the Doctor seems to have seen nothing like it was a normal phenomenon.
I really don't know what to do but just to be sure that it's not a figment of my own imagination, I made a suggestion to Miss Decade.
'Why don't you come with me and ask the Doctor and Vylemor about it?'
Hearing my suggestion, she was even more confused. 'You and the doctor said he's not there?'
[ Well, I'd but...]
'I have a feeling that they are hiding something from me. I also located him there with a transmitter and you located him there, there's no other explanation.'
'What do you mean?'
I'm already at the door when she finished washing our plates. she hurriedly washed her hands, locked the door of the house and then we rode the bike up the mountain while discussing our plan.
'Vylemor is Yvelmor, it's a play pretend, I think.'
0000000000000000000000000000000000
I can't believe this, when I thought I'd uncover something really big and now I find Vylemor totally preening over Yvelmor. I very quickly did a stem to stern search of the house for anyone in particular but it came out clean. I even did a full body check to see if they are just in disguise or that kind of bluff and I came out totally disbelieving.
'Wow, what a big revelation,' Miss Decade said in a not so sincere tone. Her eyes were not that honest though, because as I see it: she and Yve sat there, facing each other like a couple on a blind date, appraising each other with critical eyes.
'Vylemor just came back', the doctor confirmed with a weird tone of what meaning I could not discern.
'Big bro Karne, there's nil to stress yourself about. If you'll excuse us, sister and I have somewhere else to be.'
Wait, I recognize that call. Vylemor had never called me big bro Karne before. It was the kid, yes, and the kid who came from the book. They walked out of the mansion as I sat, totally confused from rationalizing the facts.
Miss Decade seemed to ponder about what happened and then seemed to have made a conclusion. She sighed wearily before looking at me sympathetically.
'I'll borrow your bike to get down the mountain, Karne. I think you need rest from all the work and tournaments. Now you know how it feels like...you know what I mean? It I'd be best not to confine with others though, they will label you crazy.'
She saw that embarrassing fight! And now I'm going to be in the same situation as she is. I don't think even the Doctor would believe such fictitious sounding story. Am I really just hallucinating everything so far?
Seeing that she was getting ready to leave, I asked her one last time.
' What do you think?'
Looking at her right now, she doesn't seem so desperate anymore. She looks even more thrilled. Why is that?
She stood there, shrouded in the light of daybreak, exuding youthful vigor, stepping on mysterious footsteps like a different person.
She said, ' I am waiting.'