20

Something's strange.

That's what came into my mind the moment I woke up. I just can't put a finger on what the thing that made this day different from others. I tried looking at myself in the mirror and tried to recall what happened last night. We've got a name. The phone that Joanna gave suddenly beeped. A new recording was taken last night. I tapped the music icon and played the newly saved recording that happened last night. 11: 39 p.m.

How did that happen? I don't remember calling Eros' phone. It will only work if I called him and record it myself but it can't record everything unless I do so.

"Is this thing even work, Elias?" that familiar voice.

"I believe so, Master Aeneas" uncertainty is evident in the voice of this other man. I caught the Aeneas part. Is he talking to Eros' brother?

"Elias" this 'Master Aeneas' called. "We got no room for being unsure of things. The order is very clear, we can't just let Eros mess things up"

"Yes, Master. Let me check his phone to know if it's really working" I heard rustles then I heard the 'Elias speak again. "It's already recording. She can receive that early in the morning. You may speak now, Master"

I heard the clearing of the throat before I heard his voice. "If you can hear what I'm going to say, then Elias will be saved from wasting my patience, time and saliva in talking in this phone. I don't like your taste in phones. Stop your nonsense with your bestfriend, amateurs. You can't just investigate about us without us knowing about it. Leave everything as it is and never do such thing as stupid as this. You're much safer that way, for a while, at least" then a loud beep was heard.

They knew about us. I tried refreshing the phone in case something might pop up, but nothing happened. I moved faster than ever. I got the necklace from the drawer and wore it. I just hid it under my uniform then went downstairs. I didn't even sat down for breakfast and went straight to the garage. Eros is not around and the other driver sent me to school. I couldn't care less. I need to talk to Joanna and told her what happened.

When we arrived, I was about to get out when I heard the driver spoke "Be careful, Miss. Do what he just said, you're safer that way"

Do what he just said? Does he have something to do with the person that just left the message for me?

Even when the car drove off. I still looked at where it has gone. Did he just warned me? Things are more complicated that it is. I can't just take my hand off of it.

I looked at the waiting shed and saw no signs of Joanna there. I walked to our room and saw a bodyguard standing outside of it. I saw Joanna inside of our room then I sat beside her. I tapped her shoulder because she looked like she's in deep thoughts. She's even surprised to see me there.

"Did something happened?" I asked her.

"Sort of"

"What 'sort of?' happened?"

"There are people who went inside our home uninvited"

"Someone broke into your house? Did something was taken? Do you need help?"

"Yes. No and no. The house is just messy right now. The intruders didn't took anything but they left something" she looked in my eyes seriously.

"What?"

"A message, more like a threat. Just a second" she rummages through her bag and got her phone from it. She tapped something first before showing something to me. It's a photo of a wall in their living room. True to her words, it's messy. The sofa is upside down with different paints on it. The tv is crashed on the ground. It even has a hammer . The rug is pinned on the wall then the message using the paint.

'Never consider this as a child's play. What you are searching over might be put you in danger'

"I was also told to stop what we are doing. The phone that you gave is a one-way communication, right?"

"Yes. It has no sim card. There's just no way you could receive a text or call from anybody" I nodded.

"That's not the case in me" I told her what happened earlier.

"It must be something that we have which gave us away" Something? Could it be?

I unbuttoned the first three of my shirt and let her saw what I have in my neck. Her mouth opened then she immediately point it numerously. "I had it checked last night, right?"

"Yes. There's no light that came out of it. Just the picture"

"We are sure about the container, but what about the lid?" I removed it from my neck and we both stood up then walked outside the room. Her bodyguard looked alerted about our sudden decision.

We went to the laboratory. She examined it using the microscope while I sat down on the chair and waited for her. "Hey" she suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Did you know that there's something interesting in the letters engraved in this pendant?"

"What is it?" I stood up and looked at it myself. The word Aeneas is engraved using three names to make it. Eros. Aeneas. Amy.

Amy. I didn't even expected her name to be there. Do they have a plan together? I don't even want to think of it. I backed off and let her disassemble the pendant. In the lid we saw a little chip in it. Joanna also put it on the microscope. I heard her gasp. She even looked for something around the lab.

"What is it?" but she didn't listened. She continued looking for something. I just let her and sat down. I don't want to be a hindrance to what she's looking for. She sat down with a paper and a pen in her hand.

If she just said that she is looking for those, I could've helped her. I rolled my eyes and thought that she might be back in her usual self. I was shocked when she handed me the paper with her penmanship on it. The letters are all in uppercase. It is big and clear.

'THIS NECKLACE HAS A MICROPHONE. THEY KNEW WHAT WE HAVE DONE'