CHAPTER 39
1002 Words
"Girls, have you heard?" Jen said to Janine and Jackie. They are now in the cafeteria. "I forgot to tell you earlier I was so busy."
"What is it?" Janine took a huge bite on her burger.
"Professor Charice said Berna has been acting weird recently. She's her husband's niece, by the way."
"That's why she knows her." Jackie nodded. She paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "What kind of weird acting she does?"
"She said, Berna rarely goes out of her room. Food is just sent to her room's front door, yet she doesn't eat anything for two days now. Her granny is worried."
"It's probably because of what happened to her baby," Jackie said. "Or she's still thinking about that scumbag."
"Can you give me her address? I want to visit and check her situation," Janine said. "I want to make sure she'll be fine. I don't want to think we saved someone but still ended miserably."
"That would be nice," Jen said. She was about to check the computer when she suddenly remembered something. "This is not something unusual, like last time, right?"
"W-we're not sure yet," Janine replied with an awkward smile.
"I'm coming with you,ladies." Jen took out his phone and called someone. "Join us. We're visiting a student." She waited a few seconds, listening on what the other person is saying. "Yes, be here early. I'm also going on under time. Bye."
"Who's that?" Jackie's curious about the person Jen called.
"It's Steve," she casually said.
"Are you two already that close?" Jackie gave Jen a suspicious look.
"What? Are we not allowed to be friends?"
"Just friends?" Janine asked. "Plain friends?"
"Yeah, why? We just love talking about anything under the sun!" She focused on her computer and looked for Berna's address. She took her pen and a note to write the address down. "We;re good for today.
Marvin and you will go to Henry's house, while the four of us will go to Berna's house."
"Why do we need to split up?" Jackie's one eyebrow raised.
"Hmm... that's what the person in the background said earlier."
"Who?" Jackie was clueless about it.
"Someone in the background said he'll take you later. You know who." Jen pouted her lips. "If he likes you, why not tell you?"
"He doesn't like me. We're friends, just like you and Steve." Jackie averted her gaze.
"Jackie is clueless and numb," Janine said. "Marvin's been showing clues all over yet she's still clueless."
"Whatever," Jackie said, shrugging her shoulders. "Let's just go back to our classroom." She stood up and picked her sling bag and walked out.
"Right. See you later." Janine waved her hand before she followed Jackie, laughing on her defensive best friend.
*****
It them an hour before reaching Berna's house. Janine, Mark, Jen and Steve went out of the car.
"They are well-off," Jen said, staring at the huge red gate of the mansion. It is about two meters high and the entire mansion is surrounded by a high wall, above two meters.
Mark walked towards the smaller gate for pedestrian and pressed the door bell. No one came, he pressed it the second time. The gate opened and the guard appeared. "Who are you looking for?"
"We're Berna's schoolmate. We were the one's who sent her to the hospital. Is she here?" Janine said.
"Let me talk to Madam Natty." The guard closed the door again and left. A few minutes past before he came back. "You can now come in." He opened the gate wider to let them in.
They walked on the pathway allotted for visitors, lined with orchids and plants on both sides.
"It's beautiful," Jen said in amazement.
The mansion is quiet. It's color is off-white and brown and it has two floors. It looks an old mansion but still well-maintained. It is surrounded by trees and flowers, but the cold breeze that surrounds it is different.
"Can you feel the coldness yet warm feeling at the same time that would make you have a goosebumps?" Steve asked Janine. She nodded. It's an eerie feeling that she felt when she first encounter the Soul-eater.
They reached the main door of the mansion. Mrs. Natty Sarmiento was there, waiting for them.
"Thank you for dropping by, Janine," the old lady said, welcoming them. "I appreciate your kindness on my Berna."
"How is is doing, Madam?" Janine asked. She glanced at the opened main door, hoping to see Berna.
"She hasn't gone out of her room since her Mom left for Monaco." She opened the door wide to let the visitors in.
"I'll try to call her to see if she will come out of her room. Stay here for a while." She left them at the living area. The old lady went upstairs to check on her granddaughter.
Janine is restless and nervous. Something isn't right. "Steve," she called his name.
"You can sense it," he whispered.
"What was it?" Mark asked Janine.
"It's a different feeling upon entering the mansion. Restless and negative. It's not a good feeling." Janine sighed while looking up on the stairs. She heard heavy footsteps going down from the second floor.
Mrs. Sarmiento walked down the stairs followed by Berna. She looks thin and gloomy. Her hair is a mess and her clothes looks crumpled.
"Your friends came by, Berna." She smiled to her daughter. They landed on the first floor. The old lady fixed her hair and her clothes.
"Who are you?" she asked, but her facial expression is empty.
"Berna, they were the ones who brought you to the hospital and saved you," Mrs. Sarmiento explained.
"Thank you," Berna said, then she turned her back and started going upstairs.
"Berna!" her grandmother called her.
"I need to go back," she said emotionless, then continued walking upstairs.
"Can you see it?" Steve whispered to Janine. She nodded. Her entire body froze while looking at Berna's back. The black shadow is with her!
- Writer
