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Science is our only love~flashback_4

We were enveloped in a deep silence when the teacher's return shattered it. Holding his tools, he resumed the lesson, saying, "Let's start now, shall we? Since you've introduced yourselves to each other... Grab that... Lucas, now pour the acidic..."

One hour later...

The awkwardness had dissipated, and I found myself laughing heartily as we tidied up.

Mr. Amendez shared jokes so hilarious that I couldn't help but smile. For the first time throughout the lesson, I felt genuinely cheerful. As I burst into laughter, I caught Lucas looking at me, his smile mirroring mine. He broke the silence, saying, "I'm sorry for everything that happened. I was just... I apologize; I can be quite a pain sometimes." His laughter was a balm to my heart, and I replied, "Yeah, I know...!! I mean, it's not true... I just wanted to share a bit of my experiences. I wouldn't wish for you to go through all the difficulties I faced when I was popular."

During our exchange of awkward glance, we made our way home. Though not walking together, I interrupted, "It's been five minutes, do you also take the same street?" He confirmed, smiling, "I do."

"Ah, what a crazy coincidence... Wait, this is my apartment, so why are you still here?" I wondered aloud.

He answered, "Oh, I live right here."

"Wait, that's your house? That really big one? Wow, you must be really..." I paused, thinking sarcastically, 'Am I in a cliché prince-saves-the-maiden story?' ... "Never mind," I concluded awkwardly.

"Well, yeah, that's my house over there. So, we live very close to each other. I didn't even realize. Maybe tomorrow, we could walk to school... together?" My cheeks reddened as I quickly responded, nervously, "Sure, of course we can walk together. Ah, I need to go now. I'll see you later, I guess." I hurried into my apartment, pondering the odd sensations within my heart. I kept telling myself that there was no time for love and that I needed to move on. As I attempted to unlock the door, I found it ajar. Upon pushing it open, I froze as I entered...

...

But upon stepping inside, I halted abruptly. A little girl with cream-white skin and thin black hair stood before me, appearing pale and terrified. She looked around my apartment, her fear evident. I recognized the boy beside her – the neighbour's child – with his light brown skin and puffy brown hair. "Why are you so terrified?" I pointed at the girl. "And why are you in my apartment?" I demanded.

They stared at me, their silence deafening. "Excuse me, why are you even in my house? I'll call the landlord on you. Now get out!" I said, containing my anger and confusion.

The quiet girl's squeaky voice finally spoke, "Don't you know? Don't you want to know what happened to the person before you in this place? Why this place has been abandoned for so many years until you came?"

Curiosity began to gnaw at me. Could this person be speaking the truth? Could it be a prank? Nevertheless, I had nothing to lose. I locked the door, listened, and said in my deepest voice, "Look, kids, if you tell me, I'll let you go."

The little boy answered, rolling his eyes, "Like they say, everything comes with a price."

I sighed. "Fine. Come on, how much do you want?"

He paused and then replied, "Um... 10 tylles (100 USD)."

"You want 10 tylles? Really? If that's all you want." I handed him a 10 tylle note. "Here you go. Now, spill, little boy!" I adopted my darkest voice once more as he tapped the girl beside him. "Come on, tell her, Ella."

The little girl looked terrified as she quivered. "I still remember it to this day... the last person who was here. I shouldn't speak of it, but I will tell you. I used to live near here, in this flat next door. I still do, but I moved far away from this place. So, I used to hear rumours that this place was haunted... because it was haunted.

And I believed it. I came here to check if it was true. This happened a day before Halloween. I saw a ghost of a girl – she had blood on her hands. She looked ghostly pale, with scars on her skin. She wore a ripped shirt and resembled the zombie/ghost of the girl who lived in this house." She looked towards the boy; he nodded, still shivering.

"I saw that girl too. Ella ran to my house crying, so we both came here. We saw it – we saw a ghost. When we blinked, she was gone, and all we saw was a girl's lifeless body. We called the police immediately.

There was no proof of who killed her from that day. So, that ghost haunts my dreams and my surroundings. Only when I started going to church did I begin to forget that dead girl's ghost. I still remember the words it said in my dream: 'I will get revenge because they ruined my experiment.'"

Terrified by their words, I watched as the boy left my apartment, leaving me dumbfounded.

"I'll never forget it to this day of my life. That's why no one lives here anymore..."

"I don't think you should live here," she whispered, before running away.

I shivered, feeling uncomfortable in the place I had called home. The realization dawned upon me: the place I had been living was a crime scene... my own apartment. An urge to leave overwhelmed me and I knew I couldn't ignore it. I approached the landlord, requesting a change in the dates for moving to the next apartment, and began packing my belongings.

The landlord approached me. "I've arranged various dates for you to visit apartments, up until next Friday. Are you alright? You seem shaken. Is it those two children? They often come here, talking about..."

I stared at her, confirming the reality of the situation. She reassured me, "Obviously, darling. Don't tell me you actually believe that."

Feeling helpless, I replied, "I don't know... I don't know what I believe, and I don't care anymore." Walking away, I headed to school that morning. I saw Lucas, and my cheeks flushed slightly. I couldn't blame myself; it wasn't my fault. But no matter how much I told myself that, I couldn't escape the crimson hue that tinted my cheeks. He approached me, saying, "Good morning. You're pretty red. Is something wrong?"

With his concerned gaze upon me, I stammered, "No, I'm completely fine. There's absolutely nothing wrong. I'm just... not because... You know, it happens – headaches sometimes. But I'm going to be fine. Let's go to school now."

Throughout the day at school, things seemed normal. As Lucas walked away from his group of friends, I forced a crooked smile and joined my own friends. Yet, I was still creeped out by what I was told by those kids.

Was it true..?

It could've been a lie, but I heard before I moved in personally by the head manager of the flat that there had been an 'accident' there...

Had I really been living in the house, where a murder was placed for a whole month?

Note: Tylle/tylles = pounds, dollars (USD) 1 tylle is equal to 10 USD.

Tylerian form of Money.