Jillian always had her head down, afraid to make eye contact with anyone.
Underneath the table, her wringing hands were folded tightly as she clenched on her skirt.
She lifted her head up with courage and tried to speak, "I-"
But was unintentionally disrupted by Lyn.
No one even noticed Jillian let out a word.
"We can't jump into conclusions with that little information. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty—we can't accuse Leo just because he's a loner." Lyn said.
That's very mean, she straight up assumed that I'm a loner even if I just happened to be on a flight where I don't have any classmates.
"Yeah?" Ella grouched in a raised tone. "So what do you have in mind? Maybe you're the imposter," she fumed.
Lyn slammed the table in rage and stood up from her seat.
"Now you're inculpating me! Maybe you're the real imposter because you're putting the blame into everyone against you." Lyn thundered.
Are they squabbling because of me? I'm not handsome so I mustn't assume.
They just exchanged two dialogues and the argument escalated quickly.
~Are girls that sensitive, or these two are just warfreaks?
Defending her pride, Ella also slammed the table, but louder than Lyn's.
Ella was about to stand as well, when the girl sitting next to her held her back.
"Why don't we cool down for a moment," she said as she softly caressed Ella's thigh.
Ella's boiling head was assuaged by her friend's gentle touch.
"Whatever…" Ella sighed.
Ella then folded her arms and crossed her hips.
Audrey also grabbed Lyn by her hand and pulled her down back to her seat.
Lyn controlled her temper and sat down with a flump, also crossing her arms with an irritated look on her face.
"Since we're stuck in this predicament, why don't we sit back, relax and take this in a traditional way." Ella's friend said.
Ella's friend halted the impending war by her calm and pleasing tone. Unlike the other students, she was quite unique as she's wearing a red bowtie instead of the regular necktie. The ribbon wrapped around her collar appeared stands out in a way that it's her trademark.
"Remember, we have until 2 to seek the imposter—with that being said, we should use our meeting time appropriately and learn about each other by communicating well rather than intensifying our disputes." The girl wearing a bowtie said.
"Since Stephanie suggested it, then it's fine with me. However, if we are unable to find the imposter by then, we will vote Leo out." Ella said.
"Does everyone agree with that?" Stephanie asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Leo?" Stephanie added.
"Fine by me." I answered.
"And you?" Stephanie asked with a friendly smile as she looked at Lyn.
"The majority has spoken. I'm fine with that approach, Steph." Lyn answered, uncrossing her arms.
Stephanie's lips curled up, forming an enigmatic smile after Lyn uncrossed her arms.
"~Steph—I like that shortened name." Stephanie said, beaming.
"Well, in that case, would you mind me calling you Steph too?" Audrey asked.
"Really? I'd be glad if you do." Stephanie replied.
~What's wrong with these girls?
They were like a volcano on the verge of eruption moments ago, but now they're acting cute, friendly, and fucking cute.
~Girls really are unpredictable.
The disgruntled Ella clicked her tongue.
"Cut the babble. We only have 30 minutes in every meeting; we can't afford wasting time." Ella whined.
"Okay, so listen, here's what we're gonna do," Stephanie said. "Let's introduce ourselves one-by-one to get to know each other. The most important thing that should be mentioned was name, age, and what are you afraid of. In that way, we might identify the imposter."
Stephanie has a great suggestion, the most crucial part of the introduction was the age.
The imposter was a Heart student, which simply means that she's a third-year student, therefore, the imposter was two years older than us.
We can already judge each other's age based on their appearance alone. If someone were to lie about their age, then she's the imposter.
Stephanie stood up from her seat and confidently looked at each of us. "So, allow me to take the lead. First off, my name is Stephanie, you could call me Steph for short… only if you wish that is. I'm 16 years-old and I'm afraid of spiders."
Arachnophobia I see. That's a pretty common phobia.
I should also think of an answer to what I am afraid of before my turn comes. I'm not particularly afraid of anything, but I have to at least put up a lie to not look suspicious—it needs to be a lie that's neither commonplace nor overcomplex phobia.
Stephanie sat back down, "You're next, Ella." she said.
Ella had her eyes closed as she spoke. "Ella, 17 years-old, not afraid of anything." she said impertinently.
I can't identify if Ella was being honest or it's her self-conceit. At any rate, she seemed to be a self-absorbed narcissist.
The average age for a Clubs student was 16 to 17 year-old; anything below or above that would be questionable.
"Uh… I guess it's my turn." the girl sitting next to Ella said in a minimum audible voice. "Uhm… I'm Ann, 16 years-old and I-uh… I'm scared of boys."
The sound of her voice fainted at the end of her introduction.
Then, the next girl continued.
"I'm Ritch and I'm 18. To cut the story short, I'm afraid of roosters since I had a frightening experience with it when I was a child."
~Maybe she was attacked by one and developed a phobia from that experience.
Ritch exceeded the average age, but that's just a year of difference—It's acceptable.
"My name is Aira Bell, you can call me either or both. I'm 17 years-old and I'm afraid of dolls." The next girl introduced herself.
Ella, Stephanie, Ritch, Aira, and Ann were the ones who sat close to each other. The five of them are classmates from class-C, and they're close friends.
Moving forward, Audrey and Lyn introduced themselves next. Then the rest followed.
All of them have typical phobias and are around 16 to 17 year-old.
Putting the useless information aside, I noticed a crucial detail at the sitting arrangement of the students.
Most of the students from the same class are sitting next to one another. For instance, Audrey and Lyn are both in class-D, hence they're sitting together; likewise, Ella's group of friends are all from class-C and they're sitting altogether.
Then the same theory applies to all of them—the 4 students from class-B are sitting altogether, the same as the class-A students.
However, there are 7 class-C students in total. 5 of them are Ella and her friends, but the two others are sitting separately away from them.
~Maybe they aren't close friends? Or perhaps, there's something more to it.
At any rate, the last two who still haven't introduced themselves were me and Jillian.
Based on the order, Jillian was next.
This would be the first time I get to hear her voice. Come to think of it, this is also the first time I got a closer look at her face—she's looks adorkable.
Jillian was still uncomfortable. She's continuously brushing her hands against each other as she kept her head looking down.
This is getting awkward—everyone was staring at her. At this rate, she might remain stiff and suffer anxiety attacks.
If this goes on, she'll probably lose herself from her incredibly low self-esteem.
"Wait… You're Jillian right? From class-A?" Ella asked, cracking the awkward silence.
~How did she know Jillian? Are they friends?
Jillian looked up to see Ella.
Jillian has a perplexed and confused reaction, she seemed to be unfamiliar with Ella.
"Y-yes." Jillian stammered.
"I knew it, you're the girl I've heard from the rumors." Ella said in a strident tone. "So… How does it feel that you're going to be a mother?"
Jillian gasped.
~A mother?
Some students let out a subtle laughter.
"A-anyways," Stephanie cut off the laughter. "We only have 5 minutes left in this meeting, we should hurry before we can return to our rooms."
What's happening, have I missed a page? What did they mean about mother? But most importantly, what's so funny about it?
Embarrassed, Jillian looked down again, avoiding to look at any one as she sweated vigorously.
Realizing the situation Jillian is currently suffering in, Audrey adapted and provided her with proper comfort.
Audrey swivelled her chair closer to Jillian and took her wringing hands under the table. Audrey held her soaking-wet hand, saying, "It's okay Jil, just introduce yourself, I promise you'll be fine."
Jillian looked at Audrey, and by the moment their eyes met, Audrey expressed a consoling smile.
Stephanie stood up from her seat and went over to Jillian's side. She gave Jillian a quick hug and said, "That's true, we're rooting for you."
Stephanie stood beside Jillian while she held Jillian's other hand and shoulder.
Sense of touch is an unbearable comfort, and with that, Jillian builds up the courage to finally introduce herself.
"M-my name is J-Ji…"
Jillian tries her best to let out a refined voice she wants us to hear, but she's scared that her voice might crack which caused her to stutter.
"You can do it~" Audrey whispered.
Jillian reset her hazy head and started again. With all the encouragement she received, all the insecurities that were tightening her chest got swept away as Stephanie and Audrey brought her to solace.
Jillian took a deep, calming breath. Every cold air she inhaled cooled up her overheating body temperature. Once again, she said, "My name is Ji-Jillian… I am 17 years-old… And I'm terrified of dying."
Though there's many pauses that occurred as she expressed herself, she still executed it well.
~She's improving.
"Perfect! You did great, Jil." Stephanie exclaimed.
Stephanie patted Jillian's shoulder, then went back to her seat.
"It's now your turn, Leo." Stephanie said after she sat in her seat.
I suppose it's my turn. I've prepared the correct words I'm going to use beforehand.
This is my unremarkable, boring, and lifeless speech… here goes nothing.
"My name is Leo, 17 years-old, and I'm afraid of losing my parents." I said in an impassive tone.
"You're afraid of losing your parents?" Stephanie repeated, shocked. "All of us are probably afraid to lose our parents, but I was just taken aback 'cause I didn't see that coming."
"Yea, I can't even imagine how my life would be without my mom." Audrey said. "Anyways, what do your parents do, Leo?"
"For work?"
"Yea, what else."
I thought I was just going to introduce myself, but now it became an interview. Although, I suppose I have to answer.
"They're outside the country… Doing business." I said.
"What kind of business—Entrepreneur? Corporation? Partnership?"
Audrey became chatty; was she interested that much about me?
"Corporation." I answered.
"Mmm... I see." Audrey murmured.
"Then, Leo, does that mean you live alone?" Stephanie asked.
"Yea."
"In that case, do you have a girlfriend?"
The entire population of girls in the cabin were aghast. Even Jillian let out a shocked gasp.
"What? How could you ask something so subjective like that, Stephanie?" Ella uttered.
"It's just a question, there's nothing wrong with that, right?" Stephanie said.
"But you're too blunt, shouldn't you take it slow and not blurt it out abruptly."
"It doesn't matter however it came out, Leo didn't mind it, look… you didn't mind it, right, Leo?"
I don't really know what to say as I was actually caught off guard, so I just said "Yea."
"Of course he wouldn't mind, he's apathetic, he won't care about anything." Ella fumed.
"But the question is already asked, and I can't take it back now..." Stephanie giggled, "So, Leo… do you have a girlfriend?"
The other girls were gawking at me, they're curious about my relationship status.
~Fuck, I hate harem.
Jillian was also gazing at me with an eager expression on her face. I've never seen her look contemplated.
How could her hazel eyes be overflowing with dedication and determination as it gazes at me?
~Her social anxiety seemed to have gone.
They're waiting for an answer. But how should I? Should I lie just like I always did? Or maybe I should say the truth.
At any rate, this isn't a dilemma, so I shouldn't get my brain cells to work on a useless topic. But, I must at least take some repercussions over my answer.
"No." I answered.
Bewildered "awe" sounded from them.
"Wow… you didn't look like you're single, though." Audrey said.
"Maybe he's just too apathetic that he's difficult to read," Stephanie said. "It's nice to know that you don't have a girlfriend, Leo. I'll keep that in mind."
Stephanie sounds like she's up to something—maybe saying the truth that I'm single was a mistake.
"Anyways, it's past 10:30, the meeting time is long over. Let's get back to our rooms for now and meet back here at 12—is that alright with everyone?" Stephanie concluded the meeting.
Everyone then agreed.
Some of them went out first while some were slow and still talking with their friends on their way out.
I also stood up from my seat and walked behind Audrey and Lyn.
On their way out, the two of them are having a conversation.
"Hey Audrey, I wanna stay in your room." Lyn said.
"Err… Maybe next time."
Lyn pouted, "Eh~ you're acting not like yourself, Audrey."
"Have I? Sorry, I promise I'll make it up to you."
As I was walking on my way out, someone grabbed me by my wrist. I looked behind and it was Stephanie.
Audrey and Lyn had already exited the cabin.
The other students had gone back to their rooms, even Ella and her friends were gone, so why is she still here?
"Hey, Leo, I have a favor to ask of you." she said.
Jillian was on her way out the cabin, but when she heard Stephanie, she paused.
I looked at Stephanie, then she continued.
"Uhm, are you free right now?"
"Why?" I asked.
"There's a bar inside this plane, I'm was wondering if you wanna go."
Was she asking me for a date?
But I've nothing to do for the remainder of my time, so I suppose I'm free.
"So… Do you wanna go?"
"Sure." I answered.
I was side-eyeing at Jillian as I answered. She was turned around so I didn't see the reaction she made on her face, but her body posture changed after I answered.
Jillian then resumed trudging out the cabin with quick little steps.
When I return my gaze back to Stephanie, she beamed.
"That's great! ~you can come out now." she called out.
Someone then came in the door.
Stephanie went towards her and led her to me.
"So, Leo, this is Ann." Stephanie said.
What's this? Did I get scammed?
At any rate, she's one of Ella and Stephanie's friends.
She's quite taller than Jillian by a few inches and she seemed quite shy.
Recalling her introduction from earlier, I'm certain that she's the one with androphobia.
"Uhm… hi." Ann said softly.
"So, Leo, could you go with her?" Stephanie asked.
"I don't mind."
"Awesome, I'll get going now, have fun, you two." Stephanie went on her way, leaving me and Ann behind at the empty cabin.
Now that it's only me and Ann, this has gotten much awkward.
"Shall we go?" I asked.
"Y-yes." She stammered.
We then headed over to the bar. We walked together in the walkway, but she kept her distance from me.
We eventually reached the bar and sat down in the lounge.
There's a bartender on the counter and he's busy wiping a wine glass.
We're sitting on either side of the table and she's acting flustered.
"Aren't you ordering a drink?" I asked.
"No." she hesitated before continuing, "Uhm… I was thinking if I… May I have your number?" she asked with a squeal.
"Sure."
Her face lit up in delight. Her eyes twinkled as her mouth formed an enthusiastic smile.
Since we're forbidden to use our phones inside the plane. I wrote down my number on a sheet of paper and passed it to her.
"Thank you."
"Are you sure that's all you want? The drinks here are complimentary." I said.
"Yes, this is enough for me." she said.
After that, we head back to our room in separate ways.
~That ended quickly.
I walked down through the quiet hallway and I could see my room not far in the distance, and before I could even reach my room, I immediately knew something was off.
The door was wide open.
I rushed inside my room and was astounded to see a folded PE uniform lying atop the pullable table.
Where does this come from?
Despite the incomprehensible situation, I kept a level-head and acted rationally.
I went inside my room and locked the door shut behind me.
I grabbed the shirt and spread it with a plop.
And on the sleeve of the PE uniform was an imprinted symbol of red heart.
A Heart student's PE uniform?