Chapter IX
1076 Words
Rosette opened the black door and looked for Anthony inside the room. No one was there but a queen sized bed welcomed her sight. The room was almost empty with only one bed and a closet in a corner.
No light switch could be seen inside.
She walked back and thought where could Anthony be. Lost in her thoughts, she accidentally bumped the bookshelf and shaken it uncontrollably. A piece of photo fell along with the other books. Rosette ignored it and steadied the shelf first with her both hands.
Next thing she did, she picked up all the things that fell on the floor.
A photo of a young boy with milky eyes had captured her curiosity. The boy in the picture was holding a trophy with a unique design copied from a musical note. At the back of it, two words were written in a cursive penmanship.
My Melody
She hid the photo in her back pocket and arranged the fallen books. She got out from the room and walked as if nothing happened.
She almost reached the main hallway when Collin's figure ascended from the stairs. Rosette's steps slowed down until she could not lift a foot. He caught her coming from the narrow path which led to Anthony's room.
Collin's jaw tightened as he clenched his hand. "What did you do in there?" He shifted his gaze from her to the door at her back.
She bit her lips, trying to suck the coldness from it. Not a word came out from her mouth.
"Do I have to repeat it?" Collin's voice deepened as he looked back again. "Who is he?"
Her brows raised up and her eyes widened in disbelief. She followed where his eyes were darted to and saw Anthony peeping from the door of his room.
No way!
Confusion and fear collided. She took a few big steps towards Collin and dragged him, almost running, to her room.
"How did he get there?" she mumbled. She ran her fingers through her hair and gripped them.
"What are you saying?" Collin grabbed her arm and forcibly turned her to face him. "Who is he and what did you two do there?" he asked, almost like a shout.
"He is Anthony and I don't why he's there, okay!? I just returned his belonging that's why I was there. But..." Rosette paused for a moment as she tried to recall the scene.
"Why is he there?" she asked in a whisper.
"Are you trying to fool me?" He harshly let go of her arm and played with his smirk. "Of course he was there because it's his room!" Collin shouted and pointed a finger towards the door of her room, giving emphasis to Anthony.
"No, you do not understand, Collin!" Rosette shouted back, pushing her forefinger on his chest. "I was so sure that I didn't see him inside. He was not in his bedroom, even."
"Then how did he get there exactly at the same time when you stepped out of his room, huh?" Collin cross-questioned her with his arms folded on his chest.
"I do not know either. That's why I'm asking!" No matter how many times she would think about it, his appearance only sent her a lingering shivery sensation.
Collin hissed then turned his back to her. He went out of the room and slammed the door.
Rosette grabbed a handful of her hair, feeling frustrated. She silently hoped that he would come back and tell her that he believed... but he never did any of those.
She lain half of her body on the edge of the bed and stared at nothingness until her eyes couldn't hold the weight.
She did not know for how long she had been asleep, but when she woke up, darkness greeted her sight. Her whole body was already on the bed, covered with a blanket.
Rosette smiled at the thought of Collin. She looked for her cellphone, blindly touching the bedside table and found it. Her hand felt unfamiliar of the gadget. It was a bit larger than hers. She tried to open it and took a minute before the light flashed from the screen.
It was Collin's.
The phone had no screen lock, so she had no trouble accessing his apps. A thing caught her attention and froze her limbs when she opened his gallery.
Photos of a particular girl in white was all over it. Her face was not that vivid and she never exposed her whole face in front of the camera. She always posed sideways.
But it was not the girl that shuddered Rosette, it was the background where she took the photos.
Rosette opened the flashlight of the phone so she could see the switch. She clicked it and light flooded in. She opened the pictures one by one and overlaid it in every corner, trying to fit the background.
What the h*ll!
She gasped the moment she confirmed her theory. "Who is this girl?" she asked.
The creaking sound of the door made her flinched. Collin's phone almost slipped out from her hand. And her heart thundered inside. She was patting her left chest as she tured around to see who came in.
"Are you okay, babe?" Collin asked. He crossed their distance with big steps.
"No... Not really." She shook her head, still trying to calm herself.
"What happened?" Collin looked for her water bottle, opened it and gave it to her.
She drunk from it and still could not find a word to tell him so she just handed him his smartphone.
His brows met as he confusingly accepted it. He was still waiting for her answer when she mutedly signaled him to take a look at his phone. He did.
His eyes slowly widened while scrolling the photos. He covered his mouth with a clenched hand and cursed.
"I think she took them when we were at the lighthouse." She finally found her voice back.
"Do you know her?" Collin looked back into her eyes again.
"Nah." She shook her head once more. She had not seen that face before anywhere in the island. Not even in the hostel.
"Do you think we should leave this place by tomorrow?" Collin raised his eyebrows to her.
She stared at the guy in font of her. She had never seen him as serious as now.
"No. I don't want to leave yet."
- Writer
