Someone I'm Not

24| Evil is not dead

"What?" Houdini asks as they both stop arguing and look at Soroya. The woman shrugged her shoulders; her eyes were teary.

"All I can remember is that the nurse gave me two medicines and told me to sleep. After that, I woke up in the back seat as if everything that happened at the hospital was just a dream. Until you guys mentioned it."

"b-but, that's ridiculous! We saw you standing at the front gate! You even waved at us and walked your way into the car. How come you can't remember anything of it?" This time, Vianne got more and more confused about what had happened.

"When. . . When I get inside the car, am I already wearing this outfit?" Soroya asks as she gestures to the shirt and jeans covering her skin.

"Yeah. You even told us that the hospital gave you that because it was spare clothes from the hospital." Vianne explained.

"And what was the first thing I did when I got inside the vehicle?"

"You doze off. . ." Houdini joined the conversation, finally getting some information that he could connect to. "That's right. . . This situation only happens when. . ." Houdini stops and looks at Soroya, straight dead in her eyes.

"When what, Houdini?" he only shakes his head.

"Your killer." he pauses again and looks at his watch. "We need to hurry."

•••

It took them a couple of days to pull over. Houdini was the one who got out first, looking around to spot any suspicious activities. When the coast was clear, he got back to the car and peeked through the open window. "It's clear. Let's go."

It was confusing for Soroya to know where they were. On the other hand, Vianne seemed too relaxed about the situation.

"Do you know where we're going, sis?" Soroya asks as they follow Houdini from behind. Vianne chuckles softly at Soroya's question.

"It does kind of feel weird hearing you call me that. We both clearly know you're not my sister by soul, right?" Vianne throws a statement that makes Soroya realize that Vianne already knew about her condition. Instead, she awkwardly chuckles and scratches her nape.

"I'm sorry. Maybe you know about this whole s**t is still processing in my head." Soroya tries to defend herself, but it only makes Vianne smile wider.

"Oh, please, don't be sorry. You didn't even do anything wrong. Besides. . ." Vianne stops at her sentence, not knowing if telling something more of what she's feeling will somehow make her feel a bit better. Soroya waited for her response, hoping she would open up without the feeling of being forced. "I can't even recall the last time my sister called me 'sis.'"

Hearing Vianne's words hit Phoenix real hard. Yes, he possessed Soroya's body, but he's still in control of his own emotions. And it made him recall one thing— the past.

"Well, I get it why she suddenly changed, but I guess it was somehow my fault. . . Or maybe that's what I was saying to myself all along." They both stopped in their tracks when Houdini stopped right in front of an old bungalow. The surroundings were dark, and the breeze was getting colder, but the house felt warm when they entered. It almost felt like home, but it also felt strange at the same time.

"I'll go look for Eduardus." Houdini excuses before walking to the kitchen, hoping to find Eduardus. That leaves Vianne and Soroya.

"Vianne. . . I- 'm sorry."

"Oh no. It's okay, Phoenix." A small smile forms on Vianne's lips while she keeps eye contact. "Besides, I'm delighted to pretend that it was my sister who called me sis. For me, that's enough to have faith." she then walked off, leading herself upstairs. Soroya stood there for a second, trying to process what had happened.

On the other hand was Houdini, who had already made his way through the kitchen. Seeing that no one was there but only the cooked dinner ready to be served, he noticed the back door of the kitchen slightly opened. He took his chance and walked his way there. And his instinct didn't disappoint him.

"Did you come here to tell me it's dinner time?"

"We need to talk about this case you're currently dealing with." Houdini didn't beat around the bush and went straight to his concern. He steps out of the kitchen and stops midway to be a bit closer to the man he's talking to. With his head shaking, he managed to speak.

"Evil is not dead, Eduardus. Evil is not dead."

•••

[Morning]

[8:00 am]

"Hey, breakfast is ready, people! Get your asses down here before we all get to be late for class." Philip called his friends, who seemed to have no care about getting late for the day. When no one responded, he decided to wash his hands and took a seat at the dining table. Staring at his well-cooked sunny-side-up and bacon that his wealthy friend Bret brought from home, the memory of yesterday started dawning on him once more.

'Was it all just some sort of a nightmare? But it felt so f*****g real. I was there, I saw it with my two eyes. . . And the next thing I knew was, I was waking up from my classroom desk, just when the class was about to start. I asked my seatmate how long I'd been asleep, and he told me it was only a couple of minutes since I got out to get something I had forgotten. Was all of that a coincidence?'

"Yeah, man. I was even surprised you're up this early. Have you taken something to make you the early bird now?" Philip flinched a bit when he came back to reality, seeing his friends Nico and Bret talking about him while they laughed as a joke.

"Laugh all you can, guys." Philip faked his laugh, not showing any hint of humor for the day. The situation he was in yesterday had already got into his senses, and now, he couldn't shake it off that quickly.

"Hey, are you alright, man?" Nico asked when he noticed something. "Did the vampire suck all the blood of jolliness inside your body?"

"Yeah. . . funny." Nico attempted to throw a joke, but when he saw no changes in Philip's mood, he turned to Bret and nudged him lightly. It was a hint for him to speak as well.

"Hey. What's the matter, bro? You know that you can tell us anything, right?"

"Is this about the relationship-"

"Oh, God, no!" Philip washes his face with his dry hands. He even released a long sigh, signifying his exhaustion and tiredness. "I just didn't get enough sleep last night, okay? I feel so drained, and if only I could get myself absent for today, I would," he explains, not mentioning why he didn't get the rest his body deserved. But when he looked over his friends, he furrowed his brows. "what do those stares mean?" he asked, completely confused as to why Nico and Bret were throwing him a gaze of doubt.

"Why do I feel like you don't trust me?" he asks. Later, h watches Nico lean forward, hands on the table.

"We do want to believe you, bro. Like, being exhausted from this s**t, but why do you have to lie to us about one thing?" Nico dared to ask.

"What. . . What are you guys talking about? I ain't lying about anything-"

"Well, you slept pretty well last night, bro. The moment we arrived here from school, you went straight to your bed at six o'clock and never came out until then."

"What?" Philip couldn't believe what he had heard at that moment.

"Compared to the rest of us, you had the longest time to rest."

--

For the next couple of minutes after the confrontation Philip had with his two friends, he finally had decided not to attend the class for the day. Hurrying himself to make an excuse letter for the teacher's consideration, he finalizes it before his friends attend. And ever since they left, he has never left his chair on the dining table.

"Oof, you're not feeling good yourself?" Philip was half-shocked by Phoenix's presence. He had almost forgotten him because he was too coped up with Nico and Bret after their conversation a few minutes earlier.

"Phoenix? I thought you went to school with Bret and Nico?" he asks as Phoenix approaches the fridge and takes out the milk carton.

"I was about to go, but I wasn't feeling good, even able to stand up. So, I gave Nico my excuse letter since he's the closest one to my first subject class today."

"Oh, I see," Philip replied, not too happy about his condition.

"What about you, bro? You went to sleep early last night, but you looked exhausted. Didn't you have a good night's sleep?" Phoenix asks as he takes a seat right across from Philip. Sliding one plate in his direction, he waited for Philip's reply while serving himself breakfast.

"I. I don't know what to believe anymore," Philip replied, his voice hinted at dullness as he rested his chin on the table. "Hey, Phoenix? Can I tell you something? But, please don't freak out?"

"Hmm, sure. Go ahead, bro." Philip takes a deep breath and clears his throat, looking around them as if someone was impossibly watching from the corner before he starts talking, while Phoenix starts savoring the food on his plate.

"I think I saw something yesterday. . . It was, uh. I don't even know where to begin, hah!" Philip felt nervous, thinking if it was the right decision to open up already or not. Phoenix reaches for his hand and gives it a gentle, friendly squeeze, assuring him that he would be all ears. With the calmness brought by his affirmation, he tried his best to shake the doubt off and continue with his reasons. "I think I've seen something I wasn't supposed to see. Like, you know? It was oddly weird because it wasn't familiar, not even in the movies!" Philip pauses, and his gaze falls into his slippers. "But a part of me was amazed, thinking how nature works in its mysterious ways. It was bright and dark at the same time, it was colorful and dull combined, and it was threateningly amazing."

"Maybe you've mistaken what you saw for a dream last night?" Phoenix tried to narrow down the situation, trying to understand his friend. But, Philip didn't let his comment get into the reality he currently believed in.

"no, no, no. I am pretty damn sure about what I saw, Phoenix- yeah, at first, I thought it was just a dream, but it felt real and weird. And also, my body could still feel the ache after the strong gush of wind. Right. . . I was with another woman too." once again, his voice lost its spark of hope. Her name is Vianne. But I don't know where she is now. I mean, I don't even know where Soroya is."

"Okay, okay, hold on a minute here, bro. Take a deep breath first, will you? Phoenix stops his friend so Philip can take a deep breath. When he is, Phoenix places down his utensils and sips from his milk before speaking. "I understand that you saw something and that there were people with you who saw what happened, but you never told me yet what it looked like. . . Can you describe what you saw? Like, is it a thing or-"

"No, no! It is not an object! It was an occurrence. . .It was, Uhm," Philip tries to get back to his memory lane so he can see clearly and explain to Phoenix what he just saw. "There was an extreme tornado-like wind that came from those colorful winds-" when he recalls a much clearer vision of what transpired yesterday, his eyes widen, "yes! There are people there that can support what I'm telling you! Soroya- yes, she was there. She can support what I'm telling you! I know it's really impossible, but trust me, I am telling the-"

But before she could even continue what he had to say, a specific person decided to cut him off.

"There's no need to defend what you saw, Philip." Philip flinched as he turned around to see Eduardus coming out from the dark edge of the living area. Philip's eyes widened in surprise and fear as he raised his pointer finger.

"Y-you"

"Philip, I know you're overwhelmed by the events that you saw. . ."

"Ahhh!" Philip screams as he falls from the chair, now seated on the ground. "H-how- where's Phoenix!?" he asks with a trembling voice- his eyes darted from the other guy who is now seated to where Phoenix, the man he just opened up with, was sitting.

"We need your help."