DAYMARE 16: Spy Alliance

Class dismissed. I saw Lorean and Vance go out of the classroom ahead of me. They’re dodging me… again.

I couldn’t focus on anything at school all day because my mind was stuck on Lorean and Vance, plus Hestral’s case.

A classmate who’s known for being nosy went beside me. “Hey, Lewin, what happened between you three?”

Ah, yes, they’re clueless about our friendship affairs.

“Nothing worth your time, man.”

“Geez, you’ve been secretive about this, huh?” he scoffed.

I carried my backpack. “Let’s just say, we had a big misunderstanding.”

“Lorean must still be grieving until now,” he murmured.

“You’re right.”

“Give them more time. They had it rough. The death of Lorean’s brother made her wish to take a break for a year, but Vance convinced her not to, so that they could graduate together. And Vance thought it would be better for Lorean to distract her with studies.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. She may be doing well with her studies, but for sure, she’s still in a bad emotional and mental state.”

He tapped my shoulder. “You’ll get through this one too.”

I nodded and smiled.

He went ahead of me and went home.

Glad that I got some words of encouragement from a classmate there. Didn’t know that Lorean was grieving that much that she wished to pause her studies.

If I can give them more space and be more understanding, this issue will be resolved. Our friendship will be restored.

I went straight home.

I sat down on my bed, trying to sort my thoughts out.

If Nicole and Lloyd really planned to kill Hestral, why would they do that?

And if Hestral killed them, why did she end up killing herself?

Was she scared of going to prison?

What happened between the three of them?

Why did their friendship go to ruin like that?

I needed answers.

So, I decided to read more of Hestral’s diary inside the flash drive that Mr. Sergio and Sir Johace gave me.

A few minutes later, I finished reading everything.

She wrote about all these strange things she felt and saw.

She said she often hears and sees weird stuff especially when the wallpaper on her phone suddenly changes or when she’s watching a movie alone in her locked bedroom.

Does she have a third eye or something?

I don’t typically believe in that nonsense stuff, but what if it’s real?

Wait, do I have one too? Because I also keep on hearing, seeing, and feeling paranormal activities that I never experienced before we moved in here.

The diary also showed Hestral’s regrets about living in this province.

If only she’d stood up to her parents and refused to come here, maybe she’d still be alive. If she hadn’t settled for a simple life, maybe things wouldn’t have gone so wrong. If she hadn’t discovered that novel online, maybe her peaceful life wouldn’t have turned into a grave nightmare.

It was Hestral’s biggest life regret.

What was written at the end of the document seriously hit me hard. I didn’t fully understand what she meant right away, but it stuck with me.

‘If only I didn’t know and open that freakin’ novel that can be read online, my peaceful life wouldn’t be as hell as this.

You, the one who’s reading my note right now, if you’re reading this, then I might as well be dead right now, lying my cold corpse somewhere.

I didn’t know how this impossible thing could happen, but there is only one thing I know. The moment you read it, you will be the next victim, or I’d rather euphemize it, ‘you are the next author of the story’. Not just the author of the story, but you will be the main protagonist of the story.

My worst luck led me to be the first author of it.

Once I’m dead, the one who’ll read it next will be the next author.’

I don’t know why, but that same wave of horror hit me again, like my skin just knew before my brain did. The hairs on my arms stood straight up.

Out of pure disturbance, I slammed Hestral’s netbook shut and rubbed my face hard, trying to shake things off.

What the hell did she mean by that?

She didn’t even say what it was.

And how could she know she was going to die?

She even left a note as if she were seeing the future of her fate.

Did she know Nicole and Vance were after her?

Was the reason she wrote her diary was because she was planning to end it herself?

I’m too confused if I should believe Hestral’s diary.

My gut says there’s something more there, but… it still sounds unthinkable.

How does an online story about her even connect to all of these?

Sh*t!

“Winwin, someone’s looking for you!” my older sister’s voice rang out from downstairs.

I snapped the netbook shut and shoved it away.

“Who?” I shouted back, irritated.

Of course, someone had to bother me right when I was knee-deep in this.

“His name is Jethro, your classmate,” she answered.

I froze halfway down the stairs, frowning. “Jethro? Who’s that?”

That name doesn’t ring a bell. If my memory serves me right, never in my life have I had a classmate with that name.

“He said he’s your classmate. You’ve been studying there for months, and you still don’t know your classmates?” Vea kept nagging while I headed down.

On the sofa sat a guy my age in the same uniform as mine. He stood the second he saw me.

“Hello, I’m Jethro.” He stuck his hand out.

I shook his hand and sat down across from him.

“Uh… who are you again?” I asked, scratching my head.

“Come again,” He raised a brow.

“Ah, sorry. I don’t think I know you, hehe.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Might be because I’m a transferee. I was a new classmate in your class a while ago.”

Right. There was a new kid in my class today, but I never bothered paying attention, so my brain’s got nothing named Jethro.

“Ah, okay! So… why are you here?”

“Actually, I need to know something about this house. You do know the Gern family lived here last year, right?”

I stiffened. How the hell does a new kid know that?

“I’ll be out. There’s a drink and biscuits in the fridge. Feed your classmate, okay?” Vea said and went out of the house. She’s on a work offset while Janey is taking her nap upstairs.

“Okay,” I closed the door when she exited.

I excused myself for a moment and walked to the kitchen. I served this guy some snacks.

“Yes, I know that the Gern family owns this house we’re renting, and they lived here.”

“I’ll get straight to the point,” he said, watching my reaction. “I know you, Mr. Truvel. You used to study at Clairene Academy—same as me. Hestral Gern was my classmate and my best friend. I know you know a thing or two about what happened to her. I’m here to find the one who murdered her. I need your cooperation.”

He knows me and Hestral!

He went to Clairene, too. I couldn’t recall him, though, when I was still studying there.

“Yes, Mr. Truvel. For the record, Private Detective Johace gave me some information about you. He said you could help me with this. I repeated a year on purpose, just so I could study Grade 10 again here.”

Eh? Sir Johace is involved in this. They made me swear not to tell a soul, yet they told this guy right here.

How determined this guy can be that he repeated a year just for this investigation.

It took me a second to shake off the shock.

“So, you’re saying, you moved here just to investigate Hestral’s death?”

“Exactly,”

“But why me? And please just call me Lewin.” I jabbed my thumb at my chest.

“Because you know something about your friends, Nicole and Vance. And they are connected to this.”

“What do you need from them?” I wonder what this guy wants from them. “Besides, they’re not my friends anymore.”

“Because Nicole Ronale and Lloyd Santia planned to murder Hestral.”

My eyes went wide. “What do you mean?”

I never thought I would hear this from him.

“Indeed. I know you’re smart enough to have suspected their siblings.”

So… Nicole and Lloyd were involved.

“You sure about that?” I asked him.

“The records and autopsy say so. No doubt about it.” He confirmed.

I gulped. The papers did say suicide… but if he’s right…

“But why? Why would they do that? They were friends.”

“And that’s why I’m here—to find out the reason.”

“Wait, murder?” I blurted. “But… I thought she killed herself. That’s what the records said.”

“Hestral isn’t that type of person. She wouldn’t give up just like that. She is stronger than you can think of, even if she is breaking inside. She doesn’t go back down easily.”

“Have you read her diary?” I asked.

“The single document in her old netbook, yes…” he paused for seconds. “And it’s insane.”

“Yeah, I don’t get it either.” Even Jethro here is weirded out by her diary. “Aside from Lorean and Vance, what else do you want from me?”

“Work with me,” he said, holding out his hand.

I hesitated at first, but then I shook my hand with them.

“Deal,” I agreed to do this investigation with him because my curiosity wouldn’t let me walk away.

“Great. Then start observing Vance Ronale and Lorean Santia.” He remarked seriously. “You mentioned you weren’t friends with them anymore.”