2.4

Hannah sits in the room, nervously moving her leg as she looks at the posters Bella has hung all over the wall by her bed. Currently, the handsome faces of the idols interest her the least, as her thoughts are still with the words she heard from Jin.

Did something so terrible happen more than three years ago that her mind has completely erased the memories of that day?

The girl realizes that this is a temporary memory lapse. It is a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. She had previously read a lot about it. People lose their memory when they experience too much shock.

What did the teenager actually witness? What did she see?

She puts her hands to her face and sighs loudly. Out of the corner of her eye, she glances at her roommate, who enters the room dressed in her best clothes. Hannah flutters her eyelids at the sight of her, as she looks like an entirely different person.

— Wow, but you've put yourself away — she says appreciatively as Bella spins around her axis.

— And so must you. We're roommates, and we're going to be the prettiest this evening.

— I don't like to go too overboard with my clothes when I go to a party.

— I implore you. You don't know how soon a second night like this will come, so let's make the most of it tonight. You have to look stunning so that guys will drop like flies at the sight of you — she announces as she takes out of the closet a white, tight mid-thigh dress that Hannah bought this summer. It looked great on the mannequin, but so far, the girl hasn't worn it because she says she looks too provocative in it. — She is sensational. With dark hair and strong lipstick on your lips, you will make quite a show.

— I'm bold, but I generally don't like to attract so much attention with my appearance.

— Most people from the dorm go to this party. Do you think you'll be the only dressed-up girl? A while ago I passed the freshmen in the corridor — she emphasizes clearly, shaking her head — in this dress you will look like a classy woman. They all retaliated like juvenile sluts.

Hannah pulls down her eyebrows, surprised by strong vocabulary Bella. This is the first time a blonde has expressed herself so ugly.

— But I'm definitely not going to wear heeled shoes — she defends herself, putting her hands out in front of her.

— I won't force you to do that. You have to dance all night, and since I have quite thick heels, I will feel comfortable in them. — She throws the dress at Hannah and moves her eyebrows meaningfully. — I can't wait to see you. The cake will probably fall down from the impression.

— Hey! Why are you talking about him?

— I'm not an idiot. I see the way he looks at you. Apparently, you're the blind one if you don't see it.

*

Hannah looks around the club, noticing that half the room is made up of students who have decided to party this evening. The girls are so daringly dressed that the 19-year-old stops having doubts about her dress.

Only now she can admit that she actually looks most elegant in it.

Bella approaches her and forces her to take a photo, which she immediately posts on social media to brag to her friends about tonight.

— Drinks for the most beautiful girls in the club. — Max sets the glasses on the table, sitting down next to Hannah on the leather couch. — Here, no one will check your evidence. No worries.

— I have to thank you. I don't drink alcohol. My health does not allow me to do so.

The boy looks disappointed.

— So I should bring water, my goddess?

Hannah croaks at these words. She has nothing against this boy, but from the first meeting he irritates her with his attitude. He pretends to be cool, although it doesn't work out for him at all.

— Max, let it go. You would rather not get in trouble with Joseph, do you? — Bella's words clearly worry her friend, because he moves away from Hannah like a scalded man when he spots the third-year. Joseph heads to their table accompanied by his roommates.

— It was nice, but I think I'll go make some new friends.

He intends to run away, but Joseph beckons him with his finger, letting him know that he will bitterly regret it if he leaves now.

— Sit down. — He points to the couch, taking a seat next to him. — Did you bring her alcohol without agreeing with her beforehand? — He takes the glass in his hand, sniffing its contents.

Max swallows his saliva nervously. With fear in his eyes, he watches Jin and Tom, who are sitting next to the girls.

— I just wanted to be pleasant. I didn't mean anything bad.

— Pleasant? — he repeats, smiling mockingly. — And what did I tell you last time at the cafeteria?

— That I should stay away from it.

— Well, exactly, so what? Now you disregard my words?

— No, sorry. — The boy's hands are trembling because Joseph's voice sounds terrible when he speaks to him slowly and too softly. — I promise not to go near her again.

Hannah feels like bursting into laughter when she sees Joseph's playfulness.

Bella's friend has clearly become his victim.

— Give him a break. You're acting like a high school student.

Tom glances with interest at Bella, who is so confused by their company that she keeps fiddling with her phone. She browses social networks and finally lifts her gaze when she feels his intense gaze on her.

— Isn't that hair color too light? — he riddles her, to which she only opens her mouth.

— Tom, what are you talking about? — speaks up in Jin's amused voice, seeing that the girl is confused. — Don't worry about what he says — he turns to her, resting his elbows on his knees. — His way of making friends is strange. He is called an alien for a reason.

— It's true. Do you know what the first sentence was when he spoke to me in high school? — Hannah interjects, no longer intending to keep an eye on Joseph, who teases Max. — It was a cry of excitement and uttering the words: my handle from Adams!

Bella crinkles her eyebrows and wonders for a long moment what the point of this is.

— The handle from Adams? — she repeats, looking at the outraged boy.

— And what's funny about that? — he mutters, puffing out his lips in anger. — I'm curious how she ended up under the bed, where apparently someone was playing with the boarding school caretaker. — He looks at Joseph, but Bella pays no attention.

Hannah coughs nervously, thinking this will help avoid an argument, but Joseph fortunately doesn't hear the hint.

— I'll go get the drinks. Hannah, what do you want to drink? — asks Jin as he rises from the couch.

— Water with lemon is enough for me.

The boy nods and walks away to the bar, at which point the 19-year-old approaches Tom to take the epiphany off his face.

She pokes him in the arm and smiles charmingly as he glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

— Are you angry with me? — She puts her chin on his shoulder, trying to be charming to amuse him. — You have really started to grow up. Before, you couldn't get angry at me. You were making fun of yourself.

— I told you that I'm no longer the same as I was in high school. I'm not going to make an idiot of myself anymore.

Joseph squints when he notices that Max is staring at Hannah's exposed legs, which the girl is too boldly displaying in her dress.

He gets up from the couch and removes a navy-blue jacket, which he throws over her thighs.

— Since you've dressed like this, act like a classy woman.

Bella opens her eyes wider, charmed by his thoughtful gesture. Impressed, she puts her hands to her mouth.

— Are you playing big brother again? — asks the brunette as he sits back in his seat and fleetingly looks at her with anger in his eyes.

The girl recalls the words of Bella, who insists that Joseph sees in her something more than simple concern for her younger friend.

*

Hannah pulls her hair away from her forehead and brushes it with her hand, no longer having the strength to dance any longer. She lets Bella know that she is going to take a break, but she chooses the wrong moment, as Tom joins her. He stops her on the dance floor.

— Just don't tell me you're giving up already.

— I need to rest — she replies, but he grabs her hand and pulls her close, making her fall into his arms.

— One song and you're free.

The brunette smiles and nods in agreement. She moves to the rhythm of the song at her friend's side, but her gaze finds the table where Joseph sits, accompanied by Jin. The girl sees that they are talking about something, glancing in her direction occasionally.

Jin pulls a phone out of his pocket and wrinkles his eyebrows, looking as if he doesn't feel like talking to the person who is calling him, but eventually, he leaves the table and heads toward the bathrooms. The song ends, and then Tom takes aim at a surprised Bella. He says something in her ear and kidnaps her to dance, and Hannah takes advantage of this and runs straight to the bathroom.

She is not stupid and sees that something is going on with Jin. Every day he looks more and more worried. In high school he wasn't like that. He was able to mask himself and pretend everything was fine.

What, then, has changed?

The girl stops in front of the door to the men's bathroom, ignoring the guys' indignant stares. She looks inside, but doesn't see Jin anywhere. She realizes that he must be hiding in the cabin. And this is confirmed by his voice when he finally speaks:

— I don't like it. The danger may have passed, but I still think it's too soon. Wait a little longer.

The teenage girl wrinkles her eyebrows, wondering what he's talking about.

Some boy wants to express his indignation that she went into the men's bathroom, but she puts her finger to her lips, begging him to turn a blind eye.

— That's where my fiancé is, and I suspect he's cheating on me, so I'm begging… just a moment — she says in a whisper, to which he merely shakes his head and leaves.

— So what if she's dead? Remember, everyone around you has been cheated on and quite a scandal may come out of it. Let's not complicate it more. You have to hold off for now. I've dug myself into quite a shit because of you, anyway. I will be hated. — He falls silent for a while, and Hannah still doesn't understand any of this. What is Jin hiding like this? — In your whole life, you will not be able to repay me for what I did for you. If it weren't for my connections… everything would look different.

The boy ends the conversation, so Hannah quickly runs to the exit. In the aisle, she bumps her face into Joseph's chest. She lifts her head and nervously bites her lip when she realizes that Jin is leaving the cabin. She grabs the Joseph's hand and drags him to the end of the hallway.

— You and Jin have been acting strangely lately. What's the matter? — asks her question as his friend leaves the bathroom and heads back to the table.

— He is hiding something from me and won't tell me. I know it's related to my sister — replies the girl, crossing her arms on her chest.

— Secrets related to your family? It's cute that Jin is also involved.

— Also? What do you mean? — She asks, pulling down his eyebrows. — You know something?

— Would you be happy if you had a brother? — He looks carefully at Hannah's face, seeing that she is confused by his words.

— So what? Are you saying that Jin is my foster brother? — Joseph sighs loudly, but doesn't say a word. — Wait… do you know of anything? Do you know someone else who is related to my family?

— You are talking out of turn. You immediately draw some conclusions from outer space. I just asked out of pure curiosity, what would your reaction be? — He shrugs his shoulders. — I'm not interested in your family. You are complicated enough.

The boy starts laughing when he sees her uncomprehending expression and then lifts his face. At first, he squints, taking it for an image that was created from too much alcohol drunk. But when she stops in mid-step and looks at her with wide-open eyes, Joseph has no doubt that this girl is really facing him.

A wave of boiling avalanche floods his left breast, and he swallows his saliva harder as he measures her figure and realizes that she is even more beautiful than when he saw her last time in high school.

— Halsey? — he exclaims when she finally smiles at the sight of him and tucks a strand of brown hair behind her ear.

Hannah looks over her shoulder and measures with her eyes a girl with the appearance of a model, at whom even in the best dress she comes off poorly.

She looks at her face and for a moment wonders where she has seen her before. The name echoes in her head, and then it comes to her. It's Halsey. Joseph's first love. The girl through whom he took revenge on high school students, believing that they were the ones who led to her dropping out of school.

The only person who managed to steal the devil's heart.