~Chapter 46~

It's been 24 hours since Rio went missing without a trace from right beside her. Emilia wasn't sure how and what to feel. Her boyfriend went missing from her side without her knowing right after they spent a hot, passionate night. Unfortunately she didn't find anything in the CCTV camera of the motel either. Thankfully the police didn't take it as a silly couple fight. In fact she got to know more about the kidnapping case all those years ago, it wasn't just a kidnapping case apparently, there was rape and assault as well, the evidences that was collected from his five year old body has been recorded as well. The rapist and kidnapper who goes by the name, Neena, has been out few months early on parole of good behavior in the prison and the police are suspecting that the psychopath who was responsible for the unfortunate deaths of Mrs. Roberts and Miss Inlon along with her fiancé is none other than Neena. Only she has enough motive to circle around her prey in a much possible distance only to jump and hunt them when they have their guard down, just like a hyena.

"Well that's surprising. You never woke up this early for school." Miss Johannes yawned as she descended down the stairs. Her niece is sitting quietly at the crack of dawn on the sofa of the living room. Miss Reikan Johannes started making her way in her kitchen. She brewed fresh coffee and offered a cup to her radio silent niece.

She has never seen this child being so silent. After getting discharged from Rambourgh hospital, she did take her time to warm up to her new guardian; it did take years of effort to build trust between a broken, abandoned child and an adult. During that time period too, she was never this quiet. She really fell hard for that boy, huh.

Reikan sipped her coffee while Emilia sat quietly on the counter of the kitchen holding her coffee mug. The latter had gone to the police station yesterday and ever since then not much words were exchanged between the guardian and the ward.

"What did the police say?"

The blonde mumbled something which Miss Reikan Johannes didn't catch.

"What? What was that?"

"...….I am a monster."

"Huh?"

It took a while for Emilia to tell her aunt in details what exactly transpired between her and Rio, what happened to Rio all those years back—the probable reasons why he was a wallflower of the school and how she feels partly guilty of what happened to him at present and feels utterly helpless of not being able to do anything.

"After all the similar things that happened with him, I too, made him go through all those things once again!" Emilia cried out. "What's the difference between me and Neena then? We both are same type of monsters!"

"Oh honey," Reikan hugged her niece. "You did not know anything. Had you known, I am sure you would have approached him differently; you are a sensible child my dear, I know you are, I may not be your biological mother, but I still saw you grow up into a beautiful, young lady who has litt~le wild side." She chuckled softly. "I also have seen Rio Sanders and despite being a meek one, he's a strong person. His surrounding situation, you, made him strong—the last few months of his high school, I saw him how he changed—be it for you or for himself. That's why," she wiped Emilia's tears. "That's why do not blame yourself for doing something unintentionally of stuff that you weren't aware of it previously."

"B-but but what if—what if he—"

"Dear, what happens to him is nothing we can control at present. I am sure Rio will be okay. What we, you can do is stay strong and pray that nothing bad happens to him, alright?" Reikan patted her head.

"Rio is a strong one. He'll be fine." Before the aunt went off to complete her morning routine she remembered something; "Did you inform his friends?"

"Uh..." Emilia's expression revealed that she hadn't thought about it.

"You could use some company."

"So you're saying that a crazy, bitch-ass psychopath had been loitering around us, the school, around Rio for past several months and we didn't know shit?" Seon-Hul summarized what her bestie has uttered for the past few minutes. Luke has been gravely silent all throughout the conversation. Emilia nodded.

"Wha—wowww just aish shibael." Seon-Hul scoffed in disbelief. "This is just unbelievable!" she threw her hands in the air.

"Nobody realized it in fact. Heck even I talked to her, I did find something uneasy about her but I didn't pay any mind to it!"

"No, she made that none of us pay no mind to it. Miss Inlon did become awfully quiet and grave around a month our senior year started."

"And there were awful tad number of rumors about her sudden change in behavior as well but none of us probed deeper into it." Luke broke his silence. Both he and Seon-Hul were surprised to see each other at the front of Emilia Johannes' house. He thought that maybe Rio and his girlfriend are playing some other trick to make him and Seon-Hul start being comfortable to each other once again since their last scheme made things between them even more awkward but he was proven wrong when the pink haired girl asked; "Do you know why they called us?" he shrugged in return signaling that he too is as clueless as her.

Upon entering the house, Luke was greeted by sophisticated looking furniture and wallpapers. This is his first time coming to the queen bee of his high school's hive. He had heard snippets from Adalicia Farsen—the only friendly girl from the jock basketball friend group who talks with almost everybody irrespective of their hierarchy in the high school. She has only scene bits of the interior from outside when she and some other girls were waiting at the backseat of Daniel's car to pick up Emilia for party.

Noticing Emilia's unusual non-chirpy behavior, he was about to ask her but Seon-Hul beat him to it. Unlike him who marveled at the interior of the house, she was quick to catch hold of the terrible expression of her bestie. But after listening to Emilia has to say, Luke didn't know what to say. His friend is missing, three people were murdered and the police is absolutely useless for it's been 24 hours and Rio is still missing! It doesn't take long for history to repeat itself. Rio had barely fixed his broken self and had started to live his life as a normal teenager but fate wasn't having it!

"Yes none of us probed deeper into it because it wasn't any of our business 'cuz we love to gossip that's what we were doing! Creating rumors! And that fucker took advantage of the situation!"

"All the dead bodies that were retrieved had their faces disfigured; it was as if somebody had peeled off the skin from their face."

"Wow talk about being creepy and disgusting." Seon-Hul scrunched her nose.

"So uh….as creepy as it sounds…..she basically peeled off the skins to make a um mask outta it?" Luke felt bile rise in his throat.

"That's what the police suspects." Emilia nodded sighing. "Gosh it's so fucking painful for not being able to do anything for the one I love!"

A silence ensued between the three as they took their own time to register the sudden love confession that had spilled out of Emilia Johannes' mouth.

"Emilia, this is coming from a very seriously concerned friend but um," Luke tried carefully; "did you just confess your love for my friend?"

A hiccup from Emilia and her red face was enough to confirm it.

After that, the three of them talked some more and before they departed, Luke hesitated but he turned around to serve a warning to Emilia in low voice.

"You…. just be careful okay? You never know what that psychopath is thinking. Take care."