5
681 Words
Beauty POV
"Behave, okay?" I reminded my cat, but it just stared at me with its round eyes, so I chuckled. I tapped its fluffy head before closing the door of my apartment.
I checked my watch. It's already 1:30 pm.
I glanced at the sky as if a heavy rain was about to fall.
I quickly hailed a taxi before the rain caught up. I texted Winowa the location of our meeting. I chose our usual meeting place.
As I looked out the window of the car, I caught sight of the name of the Village. Nashville Village. The name of the Village where I live. This place is kinda...far from the center. Not very well-known and hidden.
Many tall trees lay on the road with no houses in sight. At first, I felt lost. Not until I reached the end. And I was greeted by a place that was so different. Quiet and calm yet dangerous.
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Two hours passed, and I reached the center. Del Valley, to be exact. I got off the taxi and walked to the coffee shop. I wore my eyeglasses before entering.
I glanced at a woman in a black dress. Her face was serious, but when she saw me, it changed into a bubbly one.
"Beauty!" she exclaimed, so I laughed.
I miss her.
She quickly hugged me. We sat on the couch, and she immediately started talking about what happened to her last week until she turned the conversation to me.
"So, how about you?" she asked, showing interest in what happened in my life in the past month.
"Ahm...fine," I said simply and sipped my coffee. She sighed and narrowed her eyes at me.
"Eh? Impossible! It's been days, and 'fine' is all you say. Come on, Beauty! Never had a crush or ...."
I furrowed my brows. Crush?
"Yeah, crush! Like you meet a handsome guy, then he's always on your mind, and you start to fantasize about him--"
I pursed my lips. I never---'Danger is everywhere. Remember that.'
I was stunned. Why did his cold voice suddenly flash into my mind? I blinked.
"I n-never..." I bit my lip.
"O...kay," she said, her eyes narrowing as if not convinced by my words. She stamped her hands on the table.
"Anyway, where do you rent? You didn't even tell me?" she said in a slightly annoyed tone.
Since I moved, I didn't tell her because I knew she insisted on coming along.
"Nashville Village."
She paused.
"Village what?!"
"Nashville Village."
"Wait...is that village part of South Centro?" she asked curiously. She fell silent for a moment, as if thinking.
I remained silent. Yes, I remember it's part of South Centro.
"That village is far..." she said softly, almost in a whisper. She looked up at me.
I nodded.
"Where did you rent?" she asked next.
"At Foster Building, it's close to the new University I'm attending and--"
"That building is haunted, Beauty."
I froze. H-uh?
"I remember---that building is old. It's an apartment, right? My schoolmate said...that no one rents there because strange things happen there...like a creepy thing," she recounted with a shiver.
( FLASHBACK )
The landlady was pleased. She smiled at me, "That's good, it's been a while since it was last rented. So, when are you moving in, dear?"
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"T-there's a noise next to my apartment--"
"Oh, my, were you scared? I'm sorry...there's a cleaning crew in that apartment." she quickly said with a gentle smile.
( END OF FLASHBACK )
I remember that day. Even though there was a noise every night, the landlady seemed unfazed. No one complained about the noises heard at night.
"Are you sure you still want to rent that apartment? I heard there's a ghost that appears there at night."
"A g-ghost?" I stammered.
"Yes, there's said to be one there that appears and makes noise at night because a woman was killed there... Creepy, right?"
'A ghost'
I forced myself to think. My steps felt heavy as I headed to the Foster building. Like before, it was quiet
- Writer
