'Melissa'

Birds' chirping was harmoniously echoing in Tristan's ears. The morning sun was beautifully shining and the gentle breeze was swaying Tristan's loose hair as he peeked outside the window.

As soon as they arrived at the hotel they checked in to yesterday, they all fell asleep. Now, it's their first day in a foreign country.

Tristan looked over his shoulder when someone knocked. He slowly paced towards the door and opened it. Tanya's smile greeted him outside.

"I'll fix your makeup now," Tanya said.

Tristan didn't respond but, he left his door open to let Tanya in then, he walked towards his make-up table.

"Are you still sleepy?" Tanya asked while clipping Tristan's hair.

"No. I just felt... Heavy?"

"Heavy? Why?"

Tristan closed his eyes. "I don't know."

He honestly didn't know why he suddenly felt heavy. He wasn't sleepy, but he felt something was pulling his eyes down. He slept enough, but his body was still tired. He couldn't think of anything, he was so blank that he barely remember whether he ate breakfast or not.

"You may be tired from the trip," Tanya told while applying his make-up.

"Yeah. Maybe," he sighed.

Strangely enough, he also slept during their flight.

.

.

.

"Is he okay?" Whifler whispered to Tanya.

He noticed Tristan's weary eyes and drooping shoulders. Although he was doing great at the shoot, his vibe seemed off.

Tanya shrugged her shoulders. "He told me he felt heavy earlier. Maybe he was just tired? It was his first travel after all."

Whifler was still bothered, his forehead wrinkled as he glanced at Tristan. "I don't think he was tired. He seemed... Lonely."

"Huh?" Tanya stared at Tristan as well, then she chortled. "I see. I see. He's homesick!"

"That fast? We just arrived here last night."

"Dunno? You know, it varies from person to person. If that's not the case, then maybe he just missed Summer."

Whifler nodded when she mentioned Summer. "I agree with the second one."

Tanya lifted her head with her eyes half-closed, looking at the bright sky. They were currently at the open space where Tristan was shooting at the moment.

Tanya spread her arms and breathed in and out. "The temperature here is nice, don't you think?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Anyway. How's Trish?" Tanya asked which made Whifler's gaze lowered. Tanya felt uneasy and worried. "What's with the look?"

"She hasn't contacted me yet. I tried to dial her but, I think her phone was off."

"Mrs. Fuentavilla is quite strict. She hates lying. I'm pretty sure she'll make a big deal out of it when she finds out. I hope Trish is fine," Tanya sighed.

Whifler became more worried. But, a part of him was still trusting her. "Yeah. I hope, too."

.

.

Time flew so quickly. Their 1st day was over in just a blink. After the tiring shoot, they all fell asleep, and now it was their 2nd day in the foreign country.

Nothing happened much, besides their usual routine after a whole day's shoot. They woke up at 5:00 am to fix their stuff and Whifler will have a touch-up meeting with the clients. (The shoot went pretty smoothly, so they have an extra day before going back.)

After all their obligations, they rested in the living room, exhausted. Whifler who was checking his logbook for the nth time—making sure he didn't overlook something, Tristan who was staring at the ceiling while his arms spread widely on the couch's arms, and Tanya who was cleaning her toenails.

"Perfect!" Tanya grinned, looking at her shimmering green toenails. "Ah! I'll post this!'

Whifler raised his one brow as he glanced at Tanya, excitedly picked up her phone, and took a picture of her toes. "They don't want to see your toes."

"Shut up." Tanya rolled her eyes. She swiftly smiled as she posted it with a caption of 'My toes were as pretty as me and as greener as my mind!' Then, she scrolled up her news feed.

"They'll puke for sure." Whifler deadpanned, teasing Tanya.

"Duh! I didn't post your face so—" Tanya halted, reading the article that went through her news feed.

Her sweat became cold, her eyes rounded in surprise and her fingers were slowly shaking, loosening the hold of her cellphone. Her throat dried up she couldn't say a word, and all of her muscles stiffened.

Whifler noticed Tanya's sudden silence. So, he once again glanced at her. His forehead wrinkled in confusion, staring at her pale face. "What's got into you?"

Tanya turned her head, still shocked. Her eyes became wet and she finally managed to breathe. "T-The Director... A-And... Melissa."

"Director and Melissa, what?"

"T-They're. T-They're."

Tristan became intrigued as well. "Cut it off, Tanya. Say it."

Tanya bit her lower lip as her tears streamed down her cheeks. "They're dead."

"Dead?!" Tristan jolted up. "Who's dead? Director who? Melissa who?"

"Please don't tell us it was Melissa." Whifler was now in great discomfort. Hoping it wasn't the Melissa they knew (Summer's assistant).

But, the moment Tanya lowered her head and whimpered, Whifler knew right away. He closed his logbook and cursed. With his chest tightened, his emotions were mixed up.

"Wait. Wait! I'm confused. Who is it?!" Tristan butted in, baffled at their dejected faces.

Whifler covered his face with his palm. "It was Melissa... Melissa Deon."

Tristan was shut. He clearly remembered Melissa's surname. And yes, Summer's assistant was dead.

Tristan slowly sat, stupefied. "What happened?"

"S-She killed herself." Tanya sobbed, remembering Melissa's innocent smile and shy gestures. "The article stated t-that... She was molested repeatedly by Director Osca."

Whifler clenched his fist. "That director! He was rumored as a pervert before, but no one paid attention to it!"

"They even made him handle the—" Whifler stopped and snapped his head to look at Tanya. "He's the director of the Lady Psychopath... The movie in which Summer recently got the lead role, right?"

Tanya nodded, discomfort was still seen on her face. "He was dead. M-Melissa pushed him from the rooftop, then she killed herself after."

"I don't believe that. That was just probably someone's prank. Like Gale did." Tristan told, but Tanya shook her head.

"The censored pictures and videos of their dead bodies were all over the social media," Tanya responded with a cracky voice.

"They were found early this morning," Tanya added.

"How's Summer?" Whifler worriedly asked. Tanya shook her head again.

"I don't know. No message from her since yesterday morning."

Tristan's brows furrowed in worry. "She's still probably in shock... Melissa's death was so sudden."

Tristan stood up and headed to his room. "I'll call her."

Whifler and Tanya followed him with their gazes then they sighed. They were supposed to be relaxed but, hearing that tragic news, their energy suddenly drained out.

Melissa was like their family. She was sweet, shy, and a good person. She's innocent and the baby of their circle. She's quiet yet she's keeping up with the fun. She wasn't interacting but, her presence was enough to let you know she was around you, delighted. They still couldn't believe what happened to her. Her life ended in tragedy.

Who would've thought she'll be gone just like that?

Whifler looked at Tanya. "She wouldn't do things like that."

Tanya gazed down. "I know, but... We also didn't know her suffering which lead her to commit such a thing."

Whifler fell silent, agreeing with Tanya.

'Melissa... Why you didn't tell us?'