Mama, Milly, Ronix, Rodric... I miss you all, Kathleen thought to herself, remembering how the lady she called Mama saved her from the jungle and how Milly gave her a name.

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Because of me, you had to bear the attack, she pondered, blaming herself.

Taking all of the blame for the attack onto herself, she sat there, lost in thought.

Knock, knock.

Kathleen finally came to her senses when she heard the door being knocked on.

Knock, knock. The knocking was unsettling, as if the person was in a hurry.

“Who is it?” she asked, wiping the lingering tears from her eyes.

“It’s me.”

From the voice alone, she could tell it was Barren, impatiently banging on the door.

“I’m coming,” she said, getting up and moving toward the door to open it.

"---"

Knock, knock.

What is she doing inside? Is she asleep or something? I thought, so I knocked again and yelled loudly, “Kathleen!”

Knock, knock.

“Wake up, Kathleen!”

Wait... I finally noticed the door handle. I think it’s unlocked. I tried pushing the door slightly with some force, and it opened immediately.

“Kathleen!” I yelled as I entered the room.

“Hey, this is not the time for joking. Where are you?”

As I said that, I looked around the room. But… where is she? There’s no one here.

From the way the bed was made, I could tell she was here. But now she’s gone. And why wasn’t her door locked from the inside?

Then, the thought finally crossed my mind—she’s not in this room. Did something happen to her?

I ran toward our room hurriedly to inform the others that Kathleen was missing.

The door was already open, so I didn’t have to knock or anything. I just barged into the room and looked at Barren and Eddy.

“S-she’s not… in her room,” I said, panting heavily after running as fast as I could to get there.

"But what is that? They’re not even a bit surprised," I said, confused.

"We already know," Barren replied, pointing to an unfamiliar letter on the table.

"It’s all written in here," Simon added as he began reading the letter aloud.

Greetings,

How are you guys?

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Do you remember me, Eddy, Barren, Simon?

Oh, I think I’m being way too formal.

Yes, it’s me—your worst nightmare. I am the one you abandoned that day.

Why did you guys do that? I trusted you. I thought we were friends. But you left me there to die.

But, see the irony? I’m alive.

How is Viola doing?

Oh, sorry about that. She’s kind of dead—I forgot.

And don’t be impatient. You guys will join her soon. As for the other girl…

Yes, I am the one who set this all up for you guys to meet. It’s my master plan.

Oh, Barren, you are far too intelligent for your own good, but alas, even you were fooled this time. I played you all like puppets.

And as for the girl—who do you think she is?

No, no, no, no. Viola is dead. She’s not Viola. But...

Nah, I’m not going to tell you. That’s too easy. Instead, find her, and you will learn who she is and how she is connected to Viola.

I know you’ve already sent someone to fetch that girl, but she’s not there.

I know you’re asking yourself: Then where is she?

You already know the answer. I don’t think I need to explain anymore. She is within our care.

Hope you will forgive me for taking her without your permission.

this part is only for you eddy

“Why, Eddy, why? I thought so highly of you. I trusted you… and Viola did too. But…”

You know what? Let the past stay in the past. I hope we meet soon, Eddy.

Yours, once a friend and now your worst enemy. Goodbye for now, my hero.

The mood in the room changed dramatically, the air growing heavier with tension.

“Who is that?” I asked, looking frantically at them for answers.

No one said a word.

I repeated, louder this time, “Tell me, damn it! Who is that? Why the hell did he kidnap Kathleen? And what about the part where he says you guys left him to die?” My emotions spiraled out of control as I demanded answers.

“Theo, calm down,” Barren said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Let us tell you what happened that day… two years ago, when your brother changed, and we lost two of our friends.”

“Is that all right, Eddy? Simon?”

They both nodded silently, their expressions grim, as if saying yes without words.

“There’s no point in hiding it anymore.”

"------"

“Where am I?” Kathleen’s mind floated in a daze.

She couldn’t see clearly in front of her due to the deep fog, but she could distinctly make out six figures standing ahead.

She started moving toward them, waving her hand and yelling, “Hello! Can you hear me?”

The air felt heavy against her skin, and the atmosphere was suffocating, as though nature itself had forgotten to breathe.

Then, a sudden feeling washed over her—she had seen this before. But where?

As she moved forward, the figures ahead became clearer and clearer. She realized she had seen this in one of her dreams. Not exactly the same, though, because this time there was an extra figure with them.

“Hello! Can you hear me?” she yelled again, as loud as she could, but no one seemed to notice her.

The scene before her was just as she remembered: Kathleen herself sitting beside a window, with Theo sitting sideways, looking toward her back. In front of Theo, Barren was standing, just like before. Behind Theo, Eddy stood with his hand reaching toward Theo’s head.

As for the faceless figure she had seen before, it was still there, standing beside the version of herself by the window—a blank face, devoid of any features.

But now, there was a sixth figure. This new figure was standing behind her, not as tall as Barren but still taller than Eddy.

Kathleen squinted, focusing hard on the new figure. Slowly, it became clearer. Her heart skipped a beat—it was Simon. There was no doubt about it. It was him.

“Hi!” she yelled once again toward them, but the five figures seemed to ignore her entirely. Only the faceless figure noticed her. Just as before, it began to approach her, lifting its hand as if to acknowledge her presence.

Kathleen steeled herself. “I won’t get scared this time,” she thought, gathering every ounce of courage she had. She stepped forward toward the faceless figure.

But alas, the fog began to clear.

“No!” she yelled desperately. “No! This time, I want to know who you are!”

In a fit of panic, she started running toward the figure with all her might, but no matter how hard she tried, her body wouldn’t move as she wanted. It was as if her strength had been drained entirely.

“No!” she screamed, putting all her remaining effort into raising her hand toward the figure. To her surprise, the figure mirrored her movement, lifting its hand toward her.

But it was no use.

The world around her began to darken, becoming as featureless and void as the faceless figure she had seen moments before.

"---"

“Where am I?” Kathleen woke up abruptly in a dark room, her heart pounding.

To be continued.....