[A/N: Chapter soundtrack: Lady Gaga - Poker Face]
"So that's what you were after, I see..."
The light from the chandelier casted an ominous hue across the taller boy's face.
"Can you blame me?" He smirked at Aybel, challenging him.
"After all, it's human nature to pursue things that excite our interest. And right now, finding out exactly what you were doing before being sent here is what excites me."
"So... we could take the easy way; tell me, what was it? What have you done that you believe is worthy of this punishment?"
"Punishment?" Aybel muttered, as he tried to wrap his head around Caine's words. "You're assuming I did something wrong before ending up here? That I deserve this?"
"Yes, I am!" Caine yelled throwing his arms up in the air. Slowly circling around the chandelier, he questioned: "Do you honestly think that this is just some kind of elaborate prank or mistake?"
"Besides, what other reason would any of us have to get sent here other than being sent for punishment? There's nothing to gain from this experience, so what's the point?" He shrugged stopping in front of Aybel.
Well, that's a unique theory. I mean, I'm not exactly a saint...
Sure, I've done some horrible things that ideally should keep me up at night. But as far as I know, in my entire life I haven't actually done anything that constitutes being thrown out of a high rise by an ethereal hand in the sky.
I've never really even bothered anyone, much less done anything bad enough to deserve this kind of punishment.
I'm just a somewhat normal kid with a somewhat normal life. That's it.
"You have absolutely no idea... do you?"
Caine let out a sigh. "Well, it is only natural for those who've been sent to hell to try to run away from their sins. Fine then, the hard way it is... I'll try to guess what you were doing~"
"First off, I have to confess, Aybel, your choice of attire is brilliant," Caine began, rubbing his chin.
"The white uniform, so pure and clean, yet sullied by those innocent blood stains... Well, it's not uncommon for doctors to get their hands dirty. But for a high schooler..."
"An interesting contradiction, wouldn't you agree? So much so that it's left blood on the collar too, which means it had to be from a really bad injury..."
"You're right." Accepting his words, Aybel maintained eye contact.
"The cut on my neck is from an accident." He grabbed at his neck, pulling the collar to the side a bit as he does. A long thin cut on his collarbone became visible.
"So it was a neck injury after all!"
"Correct."
"Hmm..." Caine leaned closer to the wound, trying to get a better look.
"The location of that cut is odd though. A neck... How and why? Why the neck of all places? Well, maybe it's from some kind of accident. Perhaps you were cooking and the knife slipped. A kitchen knife wound."
"But if that's what happened, why is your uniform so messy? You see, something tells me this wasn't just any ordinary accident."
Caine's smile suddenly widened as if a thought just occurred to him. "Unless, of course, you killed someone..."
"That would definitely be a more plausible reason. After all, murder tends to leave quite a mess... It would also explain the different blood stains. Yes," Caine nodded to himself as if the story was all coming together.
"Now we're getting somewhere... So tell me, Aybel... who did you kill? Did they surprise you with a knife and leave that wound on your neck?"
Aybel gave a weak smile, his poker face hadn't changed a bit. "Are you sure you haven't seen the answer written down somewhere? Well, yes, I did murder someone."
"Ha!" The amnesiac chuckled for a few seconds. Then his expression shifted, and he was dead serious all of a sudden. "Like I actually believe for one second that you killed anyone."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. There's no use lying, Aybel~ It's futile."
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you the truth. Just know that there's a lot about me that even I can't explain. And no, what I was doing wasn't nearly as sinister or interesting as all that. Like you said, a kitchen knife wound. I needed to stop the bleeding, hence the first aid kit."
"Ah, yes. The first aid kit." Nodding his head, it was clear Caine found a new angle for his interrogation.
"Even if all the blood stains did come from that injury, any normal person would have simply gone to get stitches at a hospital. Why on earth would someone try to stop the bleeding themselves only for it to get that bad?"
Aybel shrugged. "It was nighttime. The clinics were too busy treating emergencies."
"Heh." Wagging his finger, Caine remarked: "That's a pretty reasonable answer. There really isn't anything to refute. It does, however, leave a question in mind: What were you doing anyway that resulted in the knife cutting your neck?" He asked.
"After dinner, I was washing up the kitchen when I slipped and fell on the knife." Aybel responded, as simply as if he was talking to his mother.
"Hmm..." Caine stroked his chin as he got into 'think mode' yet again. "I'm still not so sure... the only other option I see is that it was inflicted by someone else."
"But, now... Who would be mad enough to attack a kind and innocent boy like you in such a way, hm?" The corners of his mouth turned up in a sly smirk.
"Was it a stalker?" His smirk deepened.
"A jealous ex-girlfriend..." He pressed, stepping closer.
"Perhaps a girl's father who didn't want this boy stealing their daughter's heart..." Caine froze.
"Yeah, I don't buy it." He shrugged.
"What a dull, drab world it would be if the answers were that obvious. You know what I think? That wound of yours is way too superficial." Lifting his hand, Caine placed a finger on his own collarbone.
"Ah hah. It's right below the artery too, which means it was a half-assed attempt to injure you. Even I can tell there's no malice in that cut at all. If the intent was to kill you, instead of a little nick like that, they'd slash the tendons in your neck-"
SWISH!
He made a violent cutting gesture under Aybel's neck, then he looked at him, a cheeky smirk on his face.
"You didn't flinch."
"Not even close. It would take way more than that to move me."
Caine laughed out loud before his expression grew serious.
"But the question still remains... why would someone go to such lengths to injure someone as gentle as you?" He pondered aloud staring at the crowded sky.
"Hmm... If the intent was to do it on yourself though... You wouldn't want to die or be left with permanent damage." He turned his head to look at Aybel, as if sizing him up.
"You're definitely not an idiot. Therefore, this was almost certainly done by yourself. So, now the question is: Why would you do something like that? You don't strike me as the suicidal type."
"Is that so?"
"It's more than clear that what you did wasn't out of self-hatred. Maybe... you were forced to... right? You had no choice. Is that it?" He asked, a twinkle in his barely visible eyes as he spoke.
Aybel looked up at the torrent of falling people, searching for something to say. After a moment of consideration, he trained his eyes back onto Caine, his face neutral.
"Is that the kind of answer you want from me? Would it satisfy you enough to allow you to rest peacefully at night? If that's what you are looking for... then yes. You're right."
Caine heaved a sigh. "Well, I'm no expert in self-harm, but I just doubt anyone would actually do that to themselves willingly."
Oh, if you only knew... Thought Aybel.
"But maybe it's the truth after all. Whatever the case, there's a lot more to this story."
"Hmm..." Caine crossed his arms, thinking for a minute as he examined Aybel's white garb once more.
"It seems odd to have that much dried blood from only a minor injury. Okay, let's say you were bleeding as much as a cow to fill half the ocean, which I doubt, you shouldn't even be alive, or at the very least you should be pretty damn close to death."
"Unless, however," he leaned in closer to Aybel. "This blood isn't necessarily your own..."
"If that's the case, and you weren't attacked," he paused, considering his next words. "Then who did you want to patch up, Aybel? Was it a friend? A family member...?"
Suddenly, his attention landed on something hidden beneath Aybel's vest... A wide grin slowly grew on his face.
"That photograph you're hiding... it's a picture of happiness... Isn't it?"
"..."
To Be Continued...