Ferti scanned the area and looked for any herbs that she could spot. Due to her not having any skills that could help spot herbs, she had to look carefully.
"There it is!" she ran over to a small patch of green herbs. At first glance, the small patch of herbs resembled weeds and could be overlooked by many people, however upon closer inspection one could see the smoothness of the herbs compared to weeds. She started to carefully remove the herb, making sure she did not pull out the roots so that the herbs could regrow. "But this... is not good enough..." she let out a sigh due to the normal quality of the herb but continued on with the job.
-
Ferti had been wondering this whole time how much to pay the clerk at The Herb Garden so that she could learn how to grow herbs. She didn't really know what he wanted but just as she was wondering she stumbled upon a short story in the book she was reading. In the short story, it tells a tale of a boy whose older brother is dying. The boy's older brother is known as a prodigy while the boy is known for being below average and he gets ridiculed a lot. Despite this, the boy loves the older brother and is willing to do anything for him to live.
No doctor or healer in the town can save the brother from his deadly disease and the boy is losing hope. Just when he is about to give up he hears a story about this old witch who lives in the woods and about how she can cure any disease that exists. He goes to visit that witch and the witch asks him what he can give her in exchange for his brother's life. The boy empties his pockets and gave the witch what little money he had. The witch takes the money and hands him a small potion bottle from her shelf. The boy runs back home and feeds his brother the potion and the brother gets better immediately.
Shortly, however, the brother grows sick again. The boy is confused and he runs back to the witch. The witch tells him that the witch only gave him as much as he gave her. After understanding the situation the brother asks what the witch wants in return and after hearing her answer he nods. She gives him another potion and he runs back and gives it to his brother. This time the disease does not return. After a year the boy returns to the witch with a knife in his hand. He gives her the knife and lies on her table uttering the last words he would ever speak. His last words were that the better one should continue to live in the end.
-
Ferti came up with a payment after reading the story. She decided to look for the best herbs that she could and turn that in as her payment instead. It was the only thing that seemed to make sense after she thought about it.
-
After about four hours of collecting some basic herbs, Ferti was tired and she sat down under a tree to rest. She looked over the inventory box of her herbs and she noticed that she had not found anything extraordinary. She had ventured pretty far out, but everything she had found has either been average, or below average.
"Should I just give one of these, or should I continue to find some better ones?" she talked to herself, a habit when she's thinking. She bit on the nail of her thumb. Her eyebrows knitted together and she didn't know what to do. She glanced across from her to see a dark blue flower resting in a bed of white lilies. The bed of flowers was below her as the tree she was under, was on a small hill. She smiled at the beautiful scenery before her. After resting for a while, she got up and continued searching.
-
Ferti arrived at the library five minutes before it opened. She didn't find any more different herbs so she gave up on it for now. Her first priority was finishing all the books so she would be able to move on to the upper floors.
She entered the library and went upstairs. After returning her books, instead of going to where she left off she decided to head to the plants' section. She knew that she wouldn't be able to learn the skill of harvesting herbs or any other plants but she wanted to read more about it to gain more knowledge.
The good thing about VRMMORPGs made by Cloud Climbing Company is that each game is extremely detailed. Everything has a story just like the real world despite everyone being NPCs and whatnot. The library in the game is a great place that people can take advantage of but people don't really like using it because they can just find the answer if they search it up on the forums. Ferti was different because she enjoyed these details and didn't like relying heavily on forums because she felt it took away concepts of the games she could've figured out by herself. Not only that but also because the books contained information that forums online didn't have.
As Ferti continued to read through the books looking for better clues a screen suddenly appeared in front of her.
New Skill obtained!
Player earned skill!
Name: Bookworm
Skills:
-Able to go through a book that you have once already in this skills archive
-Able to recall information learned from book faster
-Able to apply knowledge and information learned from book when you learn a new skill pertaining to those knowledge
-Able to read books faster
-Able to buy books at a cheaper price.
-Cheaper payment fee when joining a library
Level: 1
New title earned!
Title: Walking Encyclopedia
She cringed at the title before going to her stats menu and disabling it so that other players would not be able to see it.
"What kind of skill is this anyway?" she questioned before going back to her book.
-
After finishing the plant section and not learning much from the herbs around the outskirts of Meleheim kingdom, she went back to where she had left off previously. The books she was on now was books about textile and she figured that they would come in handy in the future. She pushed a book back onto the shelf and grabbed the next book on the list. This book felt different as the cover was made of leather and it looked worn out. An eyebrow went up when she saw the title of the book. It read The Adventures of an Adventurous Adventurer: Volume 8.
"Puha... Haha?" she said as she read the author's name out loud. She let out a sigh as she flipped open the book. "The designers sure got lazy with this one," she muttered as she flipped to the first page figuring that they had misplaced this book in the wrong section. The first page looked like a page entry from a journal. Unlike Ferti's usual method of flipping through pages quickly because she was able to read everything faster that way, she stopped and read this one like how a normal person would read.
-
Dear Journal,
I have finally reached Meleheim kingdom in my search to find the rare herb call Hocus Po Hosuc Posuc. This is the newest quest because of a nobleman whose daughter is passing away soon. He hopes to give her just a few moments of complete painlessness from her disease so they can just have one more talk. Apparently, this herb can help as it is a strong hallu painkiller that makes one feels no pain at all. The only place that this herb has been found is in Meleheim kingdom by our grandpa Ma Muha Haha. Grandpa dated in his journal that he had found it in Meleheim but being my stupid self, I accidentally dropped grandpa's journal into the water before I could finish reading the entry. All the handwriting is now bla blurry and it's going to take me a while to make out anything again until I find someone who has a spell to help me. I hope to find this before she passes away.
Sincerely,
P.H.
-
Ferti bit her lip as flipped to the next page, curiosity peeking through her eyes.
-
Dear Journal,
I have searched almost everywhere but I can't seem to find this damn herb. Grandpa mention something blac blue and white and something about tail first and something about fi- something but I can't seem to find it at all. I looked everywhere where's there's blue and white. If I can't find it soon I'm afraid that the nobleman's daughter is going to pass before they can spend any time together. I will continue to look for it.
Sincerely,
P.H.
-
"Blue and white?" Ferti thought about this for a while. "Didn't I see something blue and white earlier? What was it?" she bit the nail of her thumb as she searched through her memories. A small image appeared in her head and the lightbulb turned on. "The flowers!" she snapped her fingers. She smiled as she looked back down and turned the page of the book.
-
Dear Journal,
It was too late. I have failed the quest this time and the nobleman's daughter had passed away. The guilt weighs upon my heart and I will make sure to take this to heart. I can't believe that I could've given them a moment together if I had only not dropped grandpa's journal into the water. It's been a sad day but I will go look for another quest to fulfill. For this one life, I could have given a better quality of life to, I will continue to work hard for 100 more people.
Sincerely,
P.H.
-
"Maybe... just maybe..." Ferti slid down the ladder that she was on and walked as fast as she could to Floy. She slammed the book on the table, her face flushed red. "I would like to check this out!" her words ran out of her mouth. Floy set his book down and picked up the book.
"Ah... this piece of trash? If you want I can just sell it to you. I've been meaning to throw away some of these useless books we have around here anywa-"
"How much?!" Ferti didn't wait for him to finish. Floy eyes widened at her before he cleared his throat.
"Uh... 10 coppers?" Floy said. Ferti was about to say yes until she thought about it for a moment. She realized that if Floy realized this book wasn't actually useless and that she was willing to buy it so ecstatically, that Floy would realize something was up and wouldn't sell it.
"10 coppers for trash? Don't you think you're ripping me off too much here?" Ferti crossed her arms and shook her head. Floy narrowed his green eyes at her.
"Really? Are you sure you're not willing to buy it? Maybe this book has something very important that you need?" Floy probed, "If not, why would you be checking this out?"
"I think you're misunderstanding my intentions," Ferti said back.
"Oh really now? You seemed very enthusiastic about this book," Floy waved the book back and forth.
"That's cause I have an appointment and I need to leave soon so I wanted to check out this book before I left. I do want to be able to enter the upper floors as soon as I can. Don't you see me here everyday reading?" Ferti shrugged. Floy looked at her with doubt in his eyes.
"But you usually check out three books. How come you're just checking out one today then?"
"Well, that's cause this one seems to be a harder read."
"Really?"
"Of course. Now then, if you're not going to sell the book to me then can you just check it out for me now? I don't want to be late for my appointment," Ferti began tapping her foot. Floy narrowed his eyes at her again before
"How much you willing to pay for this?"
"At most, five coppers. At least, two coppers."
"Why not just one copper?"
"Well, I do think pretty highly of the library and books. Buying a book for just one copper doesn't seem right to me," Ferti shook her head. Floy handed her the book.
"Four, and it's yours."
"Yes sir," Ferti said as she grabbed the book and dropped four coppers into his small hand. Afterward, she gave him a small bow and ran out of the library.
-
She panted as she reached the area where the bed of flowers was. She looked around to see no players in sight. It seemed like not many liked to venture out this side of the kingdom much. She pumped her fists happily before standing straight up. The bed of flowers was quite big as she began to take a step towards the blue flower.
"Sorry. Forgive me," she uttered as she stepped on the white lilies beneath her. She looked up to see the blue flower just within reach. She didn't really understand what was going on but she felt like she was doing the right thing. She was just a couple steps away when she put her foot out and placed it onto the ground. The only thing was, she didn't land on the ground as her body stepped onto nothing and she began falling.
"Wah!" she let out a small yelp as she instinctively reached out to grab anything around her. Her fingers couldn't reach anything but it wasn't long until she felt her behind hit something hard. "Unf!" she let out a grunt.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
-25 HP
"Ahhh..." she groaned as she slowly stood up. She rubbed her behind as she glanced around.
CAVE: You are the first to discover Snib's Crib!
Rewards:
- +50 fame
-Everyday for one week you will gain 2x EXP and item drops here
-Rarest items will drop from killing the first monster of each type here
-Continuous kills will drop common items
WARNING: THIS IS NOT PART OF THE SAFE ZONE! YOU ARE NOT IN THE SAFE ZONE ANYMORE! YOU WILL DIE IF YOUR HEALTH REACHES 0!
"Hmm... nice?" she wondered. She wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing for she was so low level at the moment that anything could kill her.
There was darkness mostly all around her except for where she stood. She looked up and saw a circle of light beaming down from above her. She could still faintly make out the lilies as if they were just holograms up there. "Where is this?" she questioned as she continued to look around. From under a circle of light, she spotted a bush of some kind. She squinted her eyes and saw some faint purple splattered here and there. Her face brightened up as her pearly whites showed and she started to run towards the bush.
"Identify!" she said as she bent down in front of the bush.
Fail to identify object!
Fail to identify object!
Object identified!
Name: Hosuc Posuc
Class: Yellow Class
These grass are found in the Snib's Crib. They are used as a painkiller and also have other potential uses. They are rare to find. Beware! If a bush of Hosuc Posuc is around then a Snib is also nearby.
"A snib?" Ferti frowned as she looked at the description.
"Heeeekkeee!" she felt shivers run up her back as she heard a loud hiss from behind her. She turned around to see a huge monster towering over her that resembled a king cobra. The monster bared his sharp fangs at her and she saw the purple venom from the tips of his teeth. Ferti knew that she was not going to survive an attack from the monster in front of her. "Identify!" she yelled as he whipped himself towards her.
Fail to identify monster!
"What the fu-" she couldn't even finish her sentence as she felt sharp teeth sank into her back. She felt herself being lifted and then slammed down back onto the ground. She had never felt so grateful that VRMMORPGs had decreased the pains sensors 1/100 compared to how they would really feel.
CRITICAL HIT! -327 HP
YOU'VE BEEN POISONED! -6 HP / 1 SEC
"Ugh." she groaned as she lifted her head up. She only had 18 HP left and she was going to die within three seconds. She rolled over and looked up. "Iden...tify." she croaked out.
Fail to identify monster!
"Oh my fu-" lights flashed around her before her screen went black.
You have just died and is banned to enter the game for the next two hours.
-
Mona pulled the helmet off herself. She placed the helmet back down on the ground and groaned.
"Why does this always happen?" she asked herself. She let out another groan before the corners of her lips went up and out came a laugh. At first, it was quiet, then it grew louder and louder until she had a hard time breathing. She wrapped her slender arms around her flat stomach and rolled about on her bed. Tears began to form at the corner of her big eyes. She's never felt so happy in so long. She thought she had killed this feeling and that it would never resurrect itself again for a sinner like her but there she was, laughing. She was a small child again wrapped in the arms of the sound of her laughter.
After finally calming down she laid on her side. There was a gnawing and scratching in her stomach but she ignored it.
"Sleep for dinner... doesn't sound too bad," she said as she closed her eyes.
-
When she awoke, the scratching in her stomach had turned flow blown into a vicious tiger roaring loud and tearing her insides apart. She sat up and her head started to spin. It took her a moment to regain her composure. She glanced at the clock and it was already one in the afternoon. She had slept for ten hours. She yawned as she got up and got ready.
-
Mona reached the front of the line at the fast food MacDonos.
"Hello there! What can I get for you?" the girl in front of her beamed. Mona squinted up at the menu as she yawned.
"Um... can I get five MacChick burgers, five Simple Cheezeburgers, two large fries, and a large drink?" she asked.
"Will that be for here, or to go?" the girl said, trying control the muscles on her face.
"For here please," Mona said.
"Alright. That will be $16.84," the girl said. Mona handed her the money and then sat herself down in a booth. She leaned her head back onto the seat as she continued to yawn.
"Snib. Snib. Snib. Snib. Snib," she chanted quietly trying to formulate a plan in her head, "I need to go over that journal entry again. I was too excited that I didn't really memorize anything. Damn me," Mona continued to whisper to herself. "What should I d-" she felt a hand grab her shoulder.
"Mina?!" a voice called out. The name shattered her thoughts as her eyes began traveling up. "It's you, right?" her eyes met with clear brown ones. The boy in front of her had a cheerful smile on his face, yet his face did not register into her head. She brushed his hand off her.
"I'm sorry. I'm not Mina," she scowled as she turned her head away.
"Don't be like this Mina! We haven't seen each other in so long, you can't just pretend you don't know me anymore!" the boy said as he took a seat across from her. Mona looked up and glared at him. She started to get up.
"Hey! What're you doing?" the boy said as he grabbed her hand. She felt the warmness of his big hand on her cold ones and she snatched her hand away.
"If you're going to sit here then I'm going to move." she hissed back. The boy also got up from his seat as she turned away.
"Hey! It's me," he said loudly, "it's Matthew Ludeiberg, remember? Back from Youth Elementary?!" Mona froze in her track. That hollow feeling inside of her just grew more empty and she couldn't feel anything around her anymore. The music playing in the restaurant, the people's chatter, and the man's voice. She couldn't hear any of them anymore. She could only hear two girls' voices play in her head.
~
"If we do this then everything will be alright!"
"Really? You'll do that for me?"
"Of course! We're sisters aren't we?"
"Thank you! You're the best!"
"You're the best!"
"You're the best!"
"You're the best!"
"...the best!"
"...the best!"
"...best!"
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! HOW?!"
~
"Mina?" Matthew's voice rang in her head. She felt her body being turned around as if she weighed nothing. The world started to spin around her. Her long legs gave way as she felt herself plummeting. Her eyelids, without her permission, started to lower themselves.
"Mina?! Mina?!" his voice sounded so muffled to her as if he was behind a door. Her pink lips parted, uttering just a small, desperate noise.
"Sorry."
-
"... nu...tion...ake...soon..."
"...ure...right...nde...and..."
Mona could hear voices speaking, however, she could not wake. She was too exhausted for everything around her. Her body kept her asleep.
-
Her eyes fluttered open and she felt that the tiger's paw viciously clawing at her stomach. She sat up and looked around her. She was lying in a king-sized bed. She looked to the side to see a door and then turned her head to the other side to see a huge window. The window was opened halfway and she felt a breeze blow against her, carrying her long locks back. The sun touched her pale skin and she closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth. It has been a while since she felt so much peace in the real world.
"You're up!" a familiar voice called out to her. Her still water was disturbed as she turned her head to see Matthew standing there holding a metal tray with food on it. Matthew flashed a smile at her and began to walk toward her.
"Where am I?" Mona asked.
"My apartment," he replied.
"Did you bring me here?"
"Well... I didn't really have much of a choice," Matthew set the tray down on the overbed table, "you literally fainted in my arms, and I couldn't just leave you at MacDonos now, could I?" he pushed the table in front of Mona. Mona looked down to see steaming chicken soup, mashed potatoes, and peaches.
"You could've just left me there. You had no obligation to do any of this," as she said this, she felt the tiger wagging its tail at the food.
"No, I couldn't have. Why would I do that to somebody?! C'mon Mina, you know I'm not a person like that," Matthew shook his head. Mona felt the tiger disappear and creep back into the jungle. She bit her bottom lip and pushed the table away.
"No. I wouldn't know that," her words were deadly sharp and cold as she looked up into Matthew's eyes, "I'm not Mina so I wouldn't know any of that." Matthew looked down at her confused.
"Huh? What are you talk..." he stopped mid-sentence before his brown eyes turned softer as he gazed down at her, "Mo...na?" his voice was gentle. Mona glared at him before looking away.
"That's right. I'm Mona," she said.
"Where's Mi-"
"She's dead."
"What?!" Matthew exclaimed.
"It's been two years already. I'm surprised you haven't heard the news," Mona looked down and stared at the soft blue blanket laying over her thighs.
"How?!" Matthew asked, his eyes big from shock.
"It was a traffic incident, I heard."
"Traffic incident? Where?"
"In front of the academy."
"But... how... this couldn't be..." Matthew eyebrows knitted together. Mona pulled the blanket off of her and slid her legs out.
"You're disappointed aren't you, that I'm not the twin you are looking for," her tone was ice cold. He looked at her and shook his head.
"No! I'm no-"
"You don't need to lie. You wouldn't be the first one. A lot of people before you were already disappointed... disappointed that it was me who lived," Mona stood up.
"No. It's not like tha-"
"I'm leaving," Mona walked passed him.
"Wait!" she felt fingers wrap around her arm and felt herself being pulled back. Mona looked up and her eyes turned into knives as she glared at him.
"Let go," she demanded. His grip weakened before he pulled away.
"At least eat something before you go," he said looking at her with a gaze that embraced her in warmth. She ignored it.
"I do not need you to take care of me. I'm not like how I was back then anymore," Mona turned on her heels and started to head back out the door. She didn't get very far as she ran into something, no someone.
"Ah," she let out a quiet yelp as she felt herself falling backward. She didn't fall very far as she then felt a strong hand on the curve of her back. Her eyes traveled up to meet dark blue eyes. The eyes were like whirlpools as they sucked her into them deeper and deeper. She felt herself getting trapped and she averted her eyes.
"Are you okay?" a low voice asked. It snapped her back to reality as she pushed herself off of him.
"Sorry," she quickly said as she looked down to see his long legs. She pressed her lips together before looking back up to see his face as he towered a head taller than her. His face was round and so were his eyes. His nose stood tall on the center of his face and his thin lips rested below them.
"I brought the water bottle, Mat," he said as he raised his hand up, holding a water bottle.
"Thanks man, but I don't think we're gonna need it anymore."
"Why?" the man asked.
"Uh, well..."
"Cause I'm leaving now," Mona informed as she walked back up to him, "and if you'll excuse me," she looked up at him. He looked at her with a confused before he smiled awkwardly, revealing the indents in his cheeks.
"Um... are you not hungry?" he asked.
"I'm not," the tiger roared out loud in protest and she bit her lip as her face flushed red. The man let out a soft boyish laugh as he looked at her.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," the tiger roared again and this time she felt like killing herself, "now, if you'll excuse me," she walked passed him.
"Wait," she felt his warm hand grab her, "do you have money? Do you know where you are? Do know where you are going?" she heard him say. She stared at his hand wrapped around her wrist. She didn't know why, but she hesitated to pull.
"I will be fine by myself," she said as she pulled her arm back.
"No, you are my guest now and I want to make sure you get home safe," he replied. Mona stared into his eyes. They were clear and still just like an undisturbed pond. She felt as if she could almost see pass them into his soul but she looked down.
"Fine," she gave up. She was tired and the tiger was not getting any happier.
She sat down at their dinner table and Matthew had set the food from the bed in front of her. She looked at Matthew as he sat across from her and gave a small smile. He was exactly the same as he was years before. A heavy rock weighed down in her conscious as she looked down. She tried kicking it away but she only hurt herself more as the rock continued to stand there glaring a hole through her face.
"Here," the man said. Mona looked up to see him handing her a spoon. She took it, her cold hands brushing against his warm ones. The man sat down next to Matthew and smiled at her. "Ah right, I haven't introduced myself yet. Nice to meet you my name is Noah," he reached his arm out from across the table. Mona stared at his extended hand before wiping her hand on her pants and grabbing it.
"NIce to meet you... I'm Mona," she replied as she felt his grip on her hand. It was only for a moment but she felt her whole body warm up before they parted again.
"Mona, huh? Interesting name," he nodded his head. Mona looked at both of them to see nothing laid out in front of them.
"Aren't you two going to eat?" she asked.
"Oh, we already ate earlier at MacDonos."
"I see... thank you for the meal," she said as her spoon dug into the soft mash potatoes. Matthew looked relieved as his lips curled upwards.
"It's all homemade so I hope it's to your tastes," Noah said.
"You don't need to worry though, Noah's a pretty good cook," Matthew said with a smug. Mona nodded at the two as she put the spoon in her mouth. The potatoes melted on her tongue as she closed her eyes to enjoy the creamy taste and texture. It was as if as a beast unleashed inside of her as she continued to gobble down the food. She heard the other two chuckle but she didn't care as she continued to eat.
After she was done she placed her spoon down.
"...thank... you..." she expressed her gratitude quietly. Matthew smiled at her before getting up from his chair.
"Let me take you home," he offered.
"You say that as if you are going to be the one driving," Noah stood up and shoved him with his elbow, "lemme go get my keys and we can head out," he left. Mona kept her head hung low as she felt her conscious staring down at her.
"When did you move here?" she asked as she saw boxes laying around the apartment.
"Just a couple days ago," Matthew replied.
"Are you and Noah related?"
"No, just roommates. We met through a mutual friend and just kind of clicked so we decided to move here together. He's going to the med university around here and I'm transferring to Sky Wall Academy."
"Sky Wall Academy..." Mona frowned as she thought about the school. She let out a sigh and turned her head to see a VR helmet lying on the living room table.
"Do you... play VR games?" she looked at Matthew. Matthew's eyebrows went up before he gave her a smile and nodded her head.
"Yes, I do!"
"What about Noah?"
"Sadly, that one doesn't. He's our age but he's already in med school so he spends most of his time just studying. Do you play any VR games?"
"No," she lied, "Mina was the one who enjoyed them."
"Ahh... I see," Matthew let out a nervous laugh. The haunting silence returned as the two didn't know what else to say.
"Ok, let's go!" Noah returned to the kitchen. Mona stood up from her seat and nodded her head.
-
The drive was only about five minutes as Noah pulled up to an apartment building.
"Thank you," Mona said as she opened the door.
"No problem!" Noah turned his head to face her, "Remember to take care of yourself too Mona. Your body is like a car and without fuel, it will start to dysfunction until it stops working. We wouldn't want that happening now, would we?" he flashed her a smile. Mona nodded her head at his remark.
"I understand... and Matthew?
"Yes?" Matthew peeked out from the passenger seat.
"May I speak to you for a moment?" she asked. She watched as Matthew looked at Noah before opening his door and stepping out.
The two of them stood at the entrance of the apartment building. Mona leaned her back onto the wall as she placed her hands in her pocket.
"I'm sorry... for earlier," she apologized.
"No, no, that was my fault. I assumed you were somebody who you were not... it's understandable," Matthew replied.
"No. It's not understandable at all. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I'm sorry."
"It's alright. I'm sorry too, for mistaking you for your sister," Matthew gave her a sad smile. Mona looked at him and pressed her lips together.
"Thank you... it's been a while since I ate such good food," she said after a moment.
"No, it's alright. If you want we could do it more ofte- no let's do it more often! Since I know where you live now I can always come to say hi with Noah!" he suggested cheerfully.
"No. We shouldn't meet anymore," her voice was cold.
"Huh? Why?"
"I don't want to meet anymore."
"...huh? Wha-"
"You should get going now. Noah's still waiting for you," she nodded her head towards the direction of the car.
"But Mona, why?! It's been so long since we've seen each othe-"
"But I was not the one you wanted to see. The one you wanted to see was her, and she's gone now! I won't be her replacement for you, Noah!" she yelled. He looked devastated, his chin trembled as if he was looking for words to say.
"Bu-"
"No. No buts or anything. I don't want to meet anymore and the next time we meet don't say anything to me and continue on your way," Mona yelled, "now go! Go!"
Matthew's eyes were shattered as his head hung low and he turned around. He was within an arms reach of the car when he turned back to face her.
"When I learned you weren't Mina... I was happy too," he said before opening the car door and getting in.
Mona's body froze as she watched them drive off into the distance. A single tear slipped from her eye as her lips fell downwards.
"Goodbye old friend," she said, barely audible. Her body felt cold to the very core as she wiped her tear away. She turned on her heel and began walking away from that apartment complex, to her real one.