As we ambled down the corridor, Jillian had her index-finger and thumb shaped like a crab pincer, pinching the cuff of my sleeve.
~It's as if she were a child in a mall who lost her mom.
"We're just going on a straight path. It's impossible for you to get lost." I said.
"I know," she mumbled. "B-but," in a shaky tone, she added, "I'm really scared. I've seen this exact scenario in a horror movie; there's a couple walking along the corridor, and in the middle of their walk, a tentacle that looks like a gummy-worm pierced through a door, and squished, and dragged the girl inside a room… And then, the juicy tentacle was from a minotaur and he gobble-gobble the girl."
I get it now—so her reason for wanting to stay in my room was because she was getting paranoid.
But, I'm still confused. If that's her true reason, then wouldn't it be logical for her to ask of the other girls like Audrey or Stephanie instead? After all, opposite gender together in a room is dangerous to some extent.
~At any rate, Jillian and I were roommates for a week or so. Even if she avoided me back then, she still might have developed comfort with me.
"Well, that's unlikely to happen because we're not in a movie. And plus, minotaurs don't have tentacles." I said.
I paused from walking and turned to her.
We made eye-contact in a brief fleeting moment, then she averted her eyes.
"Monsters aren't real, you can let go of me now." I added.
She shook her head. Then, in a timid manner, she said, "Mm-mm, No can do~"
Even tightening her grip on my sleeve.
"I suppose I'm powerless." I mused to myself.
If she won't obey me, then I shall play along.
"Do you think two fingers would be enough to prevent monsters from snatching you?" I asked.
I then outstretched my hand and offered it to her.
"This way you can have a better grip if ever a monster attacks you."
She stared into my open palm, contemplating with hesitations.
"Monsters…" she thought to herself.
She's having second thoughts, but eventually, she took my hand.
She removed her fingers from pinching my sleeve, and then slowly laid her hand on mine.
Our palms hit together and her little paw is as soft as a marshmallow.
I turned my head to the front and led her across the walkway as we held hands.
Her short steps caused her to fall behind as we walked. I tried to slow down so we could amble side-by-side. However, she went even slower as if she was purposely trying to stay walking behind me.
Perhaps, she's too shy to walk with our shoulders touching.
~Or maybe, she's trying to slow me down so she could hold my hands for an extended period of time.
At any rate, I didn't offer to hold hands with her because I'm trying to be a gentleman or to reassure her that I can shield her from monsters.
To be frank, I perceive myself as an inveterate monster.
Being attached to me may lead her to unravel.
~I must avoid the same mistakes I've made before on Selene.
~~~~~
After a couple steps, we now stood right in front of my room.
I proceed to reach for the door handle and when I applied pressure to it, the door won't slide.
I let go of Jillian's hand and she did too.
The door can only be locked when there's a person inside; which means someone is currently inside my room.
Whoever is behind this locked door must be the imposter.
I presumed this was the imposter's plan from the beginning. First, she planted that PE uniform in my room, then next, she waited for the perfect time to sneak into my room and probably look for the PE uniform—and when she got a hold of the false evidence, she would divulge it and since I'm currently a primary suspect in everyone's eyes, I'll be eliminated without having a chance to defend myself.
Too bad for her I already dispatched that PE uniform and she will find nothing inside my room.
And fortunately, I could catch the culprit red-handed.
I kneeled down closer to the door handle and observed it thoroughly.
There's a keyhole right beside the door handle.
Asking Charles for the key is difficult since the only way to contact him was through the airfone that was inside my room.
I suppose I have no other option.
"Jillian, may I have your hairpin?" I asked.
She's always wearing her beret which made it difficult to notice that she has a hairpin on; but my sharp eyes never failed me.
Perplexed, Jillian unclipped the hairpin attached to her hair and reluctantly handed it to me.
"S-sure."
"I'll get you a new one when we reach the ground."
I bent the edge of the hairpin and inserted it in the keyhole.
Picking a lock is a fundamental on burglary, and I'm capable of doing it on my caliber.
After a few push and pull in over a minute, a weak click sounded.
Then with a final twist by the hairpin, the door got unlocked.
~At last, you're now exposed… Rat!
I opened the door with a bang.
And there I saw Audrey and Lyn cuddling on the slanted seat.
Lyn was groping Audrey's chest from behind, saying, "Wow… Audrey, you're huge."
What the heck on lesbian pornography is going on here?
"Stop, Lyn. I'm ticklish." Audrey giggled.
How could these girls act so brazenly? It's as if I weren't seeing their whole world.
"What are you two doing in my room?" I asked calmly.
Finally acknowledging my existence, they untangled their pretzeled limbs and sat appropriately.
"Sup Leo! Where have you been?" Lyn asked, promptly changing the subject.
Audrey had her legs closed and she was looking down on her hands that were resting on her lap.
If I'm not mistaken, there's supposed to be only one Rat. So why're there two of them?
"I asked first." I replied.
"Yeah, Audrey invited me to hang out in the lounge, and I wanted to try the bar as well. So… Audrey thought it would be fun to invite you too." Lyn answered confidently. It's as if she weren't embarrassed at all.
If I heard it correctly, Audrey herself is the one who decided to invite me.
I guess I misread the signs. Neither of them are the imposter, they were just being gracious by inviting me.
Audrey shook off her discomfiture, regaining her composure. She unabashedly looked at me and said, "You weren't in your room when we came, so we lay around and waited."
"Yeah, locking the door is my doing." Lyn said. "That was your punishment for making us wait for like forever."
"But now that you're here," Audrey said, "wanna go?"
There's nothing much to do and I would probably consider coming with them—but I don't know about Jillian.
"Well actually, it depends if you would like Jillian to tag along." I said.
"Wait, Jillian's here?..." Lyn exclaimed.
I scooted aside to give a way for Jillian.
Jillian then entered the room and Lyn immediately pounced over to her, bundling Jillian around her arms.
"I missed you much, Jil." Lyn said before giving Jillian a peck on the cheek.
Jillian hugged her back and their bosoms were squishing together right in front of my eyes—maybe I'm lucky to behold such a rare sight.
At any rate, it's been just an hour since the last meeting. Lyn must be seeming to have said that she missed Jillian already.
It could be due to human nature, or perhaps, Girls' things that I'm unable to comprehend.
"Would you consider the four of us going? Audrey." I asked Audrey.
Lyn noticed Jillian struggling to breathe, so she let go of her before she got squashed. She then took Jillian's hand and held it, saying, "Of course, we'll all go. The more the merrier."
I asked Audrey, not Lyn. My eyes were fixed on Audrey's dull countenance, waiting for her answer.
"Sure." Audrey begrudgingly agreed. "Wanna come with us, Jil?"
"If Leo would go, then I'll go." Jillian said softly.
"That's great!" Audrey exclaimed, faking a titter.
I can distinctly tell that Audrey looks jealous.
"By the way, Leo," Lyn said, "Before we got in your room earlier, we found Stephanie peeking inside your room. When we went over to her, she said she was looking for you." "Do you have business with her?" She frowned.
Jillian turned her gaze at me.
There goes her overzealous stare again, it's like she's striking a laser beam at me.
I have to handle that question considerately. Giving the wrong answer might earn me some hate.
"There's nothing between me and Stephanie, don't make up things." I said.
Jillian let out a soft sigh of relief.
That indicates that I said the correct answer.
At any rate, I wonder what Stephanie was peeking at inside my room.
It could be a key point to identifying the Rat, and that information might help me to prevail.
~~~~~~
The four of us who were slightly acquainted headed over to the bar.
When we got there, the two class-A students occupied the counter stool and were having casual chats.
With them occupying the commodious seat, we decided to pick the seat with a square-table right around the corner of the bar.
I took the seat on one side of the table whilst Audrey took the opposite side.
The seats were two-by-two on each side, and it's Jillian's turn to grab her seat.
Without hesitations, Jillian sat down next to me.
Then Lyn sat next to Audrey.
On the center of the table was an artificial potted plant and standing next to it was a half folded paper that seems to be the menu.
Lyn grabbed the menu first, then Audrey swivelled her chair towards Lyn and they looked through the menu with their heads close together.
As the two of them searched for the drinks they wanted to order, I took a moment to breathe and inspect the area.
As usual, the bartender was busy wiping a wine glass; this upscale pub seemed to be the hangout place of the wealthy ones.
Additionally, the LED strip light that is connected on the corner of the wall gives off the perfect ambience that brings me to solace.
The weak lights coming from every corner still leaves a glint of darkness which highlights the bright orange tone of the apparatuses that are made of padauk wood.
"I'm down for a cocktail." Lyn said.
"And I want a red wine." Audrey said. "What do you two want?"
Lyn laid down the menu and slid it across the table over to me.
"Have a look." Lyn said.
"I want water." I said immediately as she was passing the menu over.
"Huh? You can't be serious dude." Lyn mumbled.
"In case you didn't know, everything here is complimentary. We can have any drinks without charges." Audrey said.
I'm well aware of that, it's just the fact that water is healthier than any beverage.
"But I want water." I said coldly.
"Ehh… You're no fun, Leo." Lyn groaned. "How 'bout you, Jil? What do you want?"
"I-umm… water sounds nice." Jillian said.
"What?!" Lyn sighed. "You two can't just spoil the fun… But, if that's what you want then there's nothing I could do."
Jillian was patently mirroring me.
"Hey mister!" Lyn called out the bartender. "can we have a tequila sunrise and a red zinfandel… And also, two glasses of water."
"Coming right up, Ma'am." the bartender said elegantly.
We then waited for our drinks to get served.
The two class-A students stood up from their seats and left.
"You know, it's reasonable for Leo to prefer water over liquors since he's an average dude, so I get it…" Lyn said.
~That's quite an offensive statement.
"...But you, Jillian," Lyn added, "why'd you ordered water? Don't tell me you chose it because Leo chose it too."
"Umm… No, It's just that I get tipsy even with an ounce of alcohol."
"If that's what you're bothered about, you could've just ordered a non-alcoholic wine."
The bartender came to our table, carrying a round tray with our ordered drinks.
He placed the tray on the table and left it there before going back to the counter.
We took our drinks out of the tray one-by-one.
Jillian then took a sip of cold water before replying, "I can't drink something I'm not familiar with. So I'd rather stick to the one I could trust and feel comfortable with."
Her tone sounds wistful.
~Was she inferring something deep with those words?
Lyn cracked up, her laughter resounded through the lounge. "For all I thought you're just a typical shy-type girl, Jil. I never expected you could be hilarious."
She continued chortling non-stop.
"B-But I wasn't trying to crack a joke." Jillian said, perplexed.
I don't get the reason why Lyn was laughing. There's nothing actually funny. Maybe her humor is just unknown, or perhaps, she's trying to break the melodrama.
Lyn continued giggling as she swilled her cocktail. Then, she gagged.
"Ack~" Lyn coughed perpetually, causing driblets of tequila run from her mouth.
Audrey grabbed the napkin on the tray and rubbed it on Lyn's lips down to her chin.
"You can't laugh while drinking, please don't act so childish, Lyn." Audrey said as she was tenderly cleaning up Lyn's face.
"Thanks, Audrey, you're the best." Lyn said with a delighted smile.
As I watched the two of them have wholesome moment, I noticed that Lyn was incredibly taller compared to Audrey.
"Anyways, it's about 12, we should get to cabin 42 before the second meeting." Lyn said.
"You guys could go ahead of me, I'll just finish my wine then I'll catch up with you later." Audrey said.
Lyn chugged the tequila, then went over to Jillian.
"Leo, Jil, let's go." Lyn grabbed Jillian by her wrist and pulled her upwards, forcing her to stand up.
I looked at Lyn from her head down to her toes, she's wearing sandals that have 5cm flat heels.
~Perhaps that's the reason she appears tall.
"Leo?" Jillian mused.
I turned my head away.
"You can go ahead with Lyn, I'm going to stay here for a little while." I said.
"Uh… okay." Jillian said in a dismal, fainted tone.
"Later, you two." Lyn and Jillian went out, leaving me and Audrey alone.
Once the two of them exited, Audrey shocked me by blatantly asking a question.
"Do you have a crush on me?"
"Ehh?"
She leaned closer.
She decisively placed her elbows on the table and propped her chin between her palms—staring at me soberly.
"Come again?" I said, confused.
"I said 'I like you'."
"Ehh?"
"I'm serious."
"O...kay." I said coldly.
Even if I was taken aback by her sudden confession, my neutral countenance stayed the same as I bravely stared back at her.
She leaned even closer.
"What if I kiss you on an impulse? Would you keep up with it, or would you push me away?"
"I'm befuddled, I can't follow."
She leaned even more, to the point where she's nearly standing.
Her hands were lying flat down on the table and our heads were 5 inches apart.
Her face looks serious, it's as if she was intending to steal my first kiss.
I avoided blinking so I can push her away when she goes for my virgin lips.
"Leo…" her right hand slowly came in and touched my chin.
Her fingertips pressed against the bottom of my chin as she gently lifted up my face until our noses were nearly in contact.
~I can hear her soft breathe, and vague intentions.
Then, she asked, "By chance, are you the imposter?"
"Ehh?"
I immediately pulled my head away from her and averted my eyes.
I scratched the back of my head and said, "Wha-What are you talking about?" I tittered, "Am I the imposter? Of course not, ehehehe~"
She sat back on her seat and her dead-serious countenance disappeared.
She gave me a passionate smile and asked, "Why're you acting weird all of a sudden?"
I glanced to my upper right and said, "Why would you think that I'm the Rat? You know that it can't be me."
"Are you sure? If you're really telling the truth, why are you averting your eyes?"
I slowly and nervously turned my gaze at her.
"See, I'm not the imposter." I said as I was blinking excessively on purpose.
"I'm just teasing you." she chuckled mischievously. "Who am I to doubt your honesty? Of course I believe you, Leo, so don't get too worked up." she giggled.
I've been keeping a neutral expression on my face up until now. This is the first time she has seen me act differently than normal. Those body languages that I portrayed were a distinct indication that I'm lying.
~I suppose my acting skill is still as refined as before.
Suddenly, an agonising scream echoed from the corridor through the lounge.
Worried, we left our drinks on the table and hurried to the commotion.
We bolted through the corridor and there we found Jillian, Lyn, and a class-A student horrified as they looked at the unconscious body of the other class-A student lying down on the floor.
Blood continuously runs through the victim's temple and the floor was spattered by her blood.
Jillian was crying with her hands as she stood behind Lyn.
The friend of the unconscious girl was on her knees, wailing aloud.
And Lyn had her eyes ominously broadened as she looked down on the horrifying scene. She was holding the crumpled PE shirt on her left hand and her sandals on the other—I was mildly surprised to see the edge of her heels drenched in blood.
~It's unfolding according to plan.