2.15

Hanna is fed up with Bella whining to her about the trip for the second week in a row, so she keeps telling her roommate that she just doesn't feel like staying in the mountains. She wants to use the time to spend with her mom.

— Please, after all, it's a month-long vacation! You have three whole weeks to enjoy your family. This is an opportunity for a decent spark between you and Joseph. Do you want to regret later that you destroyed such an opportunity? Trips are the best way to get closer to the person you care about.

The nineteen-year-old fulminates her with her eyes.

— Tell me... why do you want so much for me to go too?

— What a stupid question! — jumps on her, highly indignant. She catches her under the arm and charmingly batting his eyelids. — I would rather not be the only girl in their company. You're the one who is the apple of their eye. I'm just starting to be in a relationship with Tom. Besides, going away without a friend is like not taking your favorite underwear with you.

What a comparison, thinks Hannah, feeling like laughing out loud.

— Friends? — she repeats, rejoicing in her mind that Bella doesn't consider her to be a mere roommate.

— Well, yes... don't just say you would rather not be friends with me. I guess I don't have such a terrible character?

Hannah hastily shakes her head.

— I'm just glad you think of me that way.

The teenager smiles slightly. This is the first time she has been called by a peer — a friend. So far, she has had female friends, but they turned out to be fake and groped her behind her back. She couldn't trust any of them, so since she was a child her only friend was the boy next door. But during the summer, before going to high school, he moved abroad with his parents.

Now Hannah has friends, well, and most importantly, Bella. She can tell her everything, what's bothering her and ask for advice.

— I will think about this trip and by Christmas I will give you an answer, agreed?

— Let it be.

The girls leave the store and head to the parking lot. Hannah opens the trunk to hide there the commercials with the purchased gifts.

— Damn! I forgot something! — exclaims Bella and folds her hands compassionately. — I beg, give me two minutes, and I'm back.

— All right. I'm in no hurry.

The blonde runs back to the store, and Hannah sighs and shakes her head at this only. Bella still has her head in the clouds, and it's no news that she has forgotten something again.

The nineteen-year-old closes the trunk. She looks around and only now realizes that at this hour the parking lot has already deserted. It's dark, so the darkest scenarios run through her thoughts. The December wind is so penetrating that the girl pulls her scarf over her face and intends to get into the car to get warm.

— How is it possible that you are still alive, stupid bitch? — She wrinkles her eyebrows when she hears a male voice behind her back. She tentatively turns her face and looks over her shoulder at the silhouette of a tall boy with a dark hood pulled over his head.

— Who are you? — she asks and squints to see his face in the darkness. — Do we know each other?

— Are you going to pretend to be an idiot, Hannah? — He walks up to her and aggressively grabs her forearm. The girl wants to break away from him, but he is too strong. As a result, he jerks her around like a rag doll. — I thought I was delusional the last time I saw you, and yet you are really alive. How did you make it?

— Let me go — she says in a sharper voice, although her heart rises to her throat. — How do you know my name?

— Before, you were an emotionless bitch, but I see that with age you have gained a sense of humor.

Could it be that he was talking about her twin? That's the first thing that comes to mind. After all, she was using her name.

— I'm not Danielle. I'm sure you're confusing me with my sister.

— What Danielle? What are you talking about! — he shouts, pushing her to the ground. The girl clenches her eyelids as she feels that she has taken off her knee. He grabs her by the jacket and helps her to her feet. Unfortunately, he does it too brutally, causing the teenager to feel more pain. — What are you playing at, Hannah? Did you think that after getting out of prison, I would just let you go like that? She's dead! She died because of you! And you walk the streets as if nothing happened!

He grabs her by the chin, then aggressively pushes her away. Hannah falls to the ground. She feels a piercing pain in the area of her spine and is unable to move for a while.

— I really don't know who you are — she says quietly, hoping he will let her go.

— Are you still pretending you don't know me?

He crouches in front of her and grabs her by the collar of her jacket, looking directly into her weeping eyes. Only now does Hannah remember that she has seen him before. It's the boy who stopped in the street to look at her longer. She immediately sensed that something was wrong with him, since he was looking at her with hatred in his eyes.

— I'm sure you take me for my dead sister. I really don't know you — she says in a broken voice, in her mind praying that Bella has already left the store.

He looks at her in a way as if analyzing whether she is actually lying. When he sees that the girl is looking hard into his eyes, he begins to doubt whether she is definitely the person he thinks she is.

— Let's say you are her twin, but how do you explain the fact that your name is Hannah?

She recalls Jin's words and closes her eyelids. What if he was actually telling the truth? Was Danielle pretending to be her, not because of longing, but because she was trying to ensure a clean sheet? Was she trying to clock everything on her?

— I think she was attempting to set me up for something, although I still don't know what's going on. I swear I'm not the person you think I am.

He lets go of the collar of her jacket as Hannah wipes tears from her cheeks. She is so scared that she just can't stop crying.

— Leave her, you imbecile, or I'll kill you! — The teenager hears her friend's panicked voice and a moment later watches as Bella takes a big swing with the frying pan she just bought and hits the stranger's head with it. The boy looks miffed for a brief moment. — What did this scoundrel do to you? Who is he? — asks the blonde as she crouches down next to her roommate. — You have a cut knee. That wanker hit you!

Hannah watches as Bella leaps at him and grabs his hair, and it looks like she wants to rip it out along with the roots. The boy defends himself and accidentally, or perhaps with intent, hits her in the stomach with his elbow. The blonde bends in half, feeling that she is dying of pain.

He runs away.

— Bella! — The teenager crouches down next to her friend and rests her cheek on her shoulder. — Are you all right? I'm sorry. It's because of me. You shouldn't stand up for me.

— Come on. That bastard is lucky I didn't kill him with a frying pan.

The brunette laughs through her tears.

— Was it because of the frying pan that you returned to the store?

— At the last minute, I remembered about the housekeeper. I think the devil tempted me to leave you alone at such a late hour.

*

The girls decide to leave the gifts they bought in the trunk of the car. It's late, so they don't attract attention with their appearance. Hannah is limping on one leg because she is suffering from pain in her knee, while Bella is clutching her stomach, getting the impression that all her insides have been ripped apart.

— Promise not to tell Tom about what happened in front of the store. He won't hold his tongue. I don't want Joseph to find out about it. I know he won't let it go. — Hannah informs her friend as they enter the dormitory. — I just want to forget about it.

— Are you abnormal? — Bella jumps on her as they walk toward the stairs. — If you were alone, there is no telling what else he would do to you. The man attacked you. Look at the state he has brought us to!

— Bella, I know. I'm sorry you got hurt because of me, but I really don't like the police, and it shocks me to think that I would have to make a statement. I know that the store has cameras and that they could catch him, but I don't want that. It scares the hell out of me. Besides, it's not sure if it captured anything. I was at the other end of the parking lot, and it's dark outside...

The blonde looks at her with a look that suggests she is not of sound mind.

— Are you going to forgive the man? Is he supposed to feel impunity after he groundlessly attacked you?

— He knew who I was. He mistook me for my dead sister. Apparently, he has some unresolved issues with her.

Bella stops in mid-step. She looks confused.

— Did you have a twin sister?

— It's a long story and if I can't sleep I'll tell you about it tonight. One thing is for sure: my sister was the devil incarnate, and I get the impression that she has enemies everywhere, and I'm getting the brunt of it.

Hannah's roommate sighs as he puts his arm around her.

— Why then should you suffer for your sister's mistakes? I don't understand. You have too good a heart, Hannah.

— Someone made me realize earlier that I am weak. I think he's right.

*

— Sorry. I couldn't keep quiet in front of Tom, and yet he can't hold his tongue — Bella says as she walks out of the bathroom with a frightened look on her face. She stands in front of the front door, as if trying to barricade it. She clutches the phone in her hand, which beeps a message occasionally. — Tom texted me that Joseph got mad and is coming here to kill you.

— What! — Hannah's hair stands up on end as she lies down in bed. She looks at her roommate with anxiety in her eyes, fearing that he will actually burst into their room soon. — Bella, could you quickly lock the door then?

But he's perfectly timed because just at that moment he rushes into the room like a storm, accidentally pushing the blonde away, which lands on the floor. The girl looks at him with wide-open eyes as he approaches Hannah's bed with a possessive face. He is so furious that if this were a scene from a fairy tale, smoke might evaporate from his ears.

— How many times have I told you not to go to the store before closing time itself? — His voice is calm, and that's what's most disturbing about him because in a moment he will explode like a cannon. — How many times have I told you that eventually something will happen if you are so stubborn?

Hannah grabs a hair slide that is lying on the table by her bed and aims it at Joseph's face.

— Don't come any closer, or I'll gouge your eyes out. If you don't get out of here, I'll start screaming. When they find you at this hour in the girls' room, you'll be thrown out of the dorm — she warns him, looking at him with frightened eyes.

But he pays no attention to her threats and grabs her by the foot like a lurking tiger. He pulls her out from under the quilt and rolls up her pajama leg, which has a picture of "Hello Kitty" on it.

— There's that damn pink cat again — he mutters under her breath. — Are all your pajamas with "Hello Kitty"? — She doesn't answer. With docile eyes, she watches him as he pulls ointment from his pocket to lubricate her wound. — You took care of me last time, so now it's my turn.

The teenager doesn't take her eyes off him as he crouches in front of her and takes care of the wound on her knee. Although she feels the pain, it's pleasant currently because Joseph is the one making sure it heals quickly.

Bella crinkles her eyebrows as she sits on the floor and watches her roommate, who currently is gazing at her love like the most beautiful painting in the world. She looks as if someone has hypnotized her.

Now one hundred percent she will go to the mountains, she thinks, smiling under her breath.

— Sometimes knock yourself in the stupid little head. — The spell breaks when he taps her on the head with his finger. — Because I'm starting to get the impression that you're getting dumber and dumber as you get older. You can't be responsible at all.

Hannah clouds up as Joseph chastises her again. He throws her an ointment on the bed, which she is supposed to apply three times a day to heal her injured knee.

— He mistakes me for his sister. It's not my fault that I look the same as my dead twin — she defends herself, offended by his words. — Nothing of the sort happened. He just jumped to the wrong person.

Joseph raises his hands, as if he wants to shake her by all her hair, but eventually tightens his lips to contain his anger.

— I'd better get out of here because I can't listen to you anymore. — He walks toward the door, but stops in mid-step when he passes Bella. — And you... — The girl lifts her face. — Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to take care of your belly. — The boy crinkles his eyebrows. — You are as reckless as your roommate. You're both worthy of each other.

He leaves the room, slamming the door too hard. The girls look at each other in silence for a long moment.

— He's a monster, although you have to admit he's attractive. — Bella starts laughing silly. — I'm not at all surprised that you lost your head for him.

— Well, I don't know... me, I think my heart made a huge mistake. — Hannah grimaces like a child. — Would you like to have such a husband? I would be afraid to go home with the thought that a tyrant is waiting for me there.

— You are exaggerating. He's narcissistic, but it's only out of concern for you. He is loved. — She shrugs her shoulders.

— Well-loved. Perfect. Almost like a prince on a white horse.

*

Hannah enters her room to pack before leaving the dorm; however, she is surprised at the threshold by her roommate. A blonde woman dressed in a reindeer mask screams right in her face, causing the teenager to nearly have a heart attack. She closes her eyelids and puts her hand on her left breast, trying to calm down.

— Bella, I have told you so many times that you will drive me to the grave with this.

— Merry Christmas, my beautiful roommate. — She embraces her tightly, at which Hannah smiles. — We haven't gotten to know each other well enough to know everything about each other yet, but I hope my gift isn't hopeless.

Bella hands her friend a cardboard box decorated with Christmas paper and a pink bow.

— Thank you. I also hope you won't be disappointed. — Hannah walks over to her bed and takes out a gift for Bella from under it. — And to make you happy, I decided to go to the mountains just for your sake. I would rather not leave you alone with those nasty creatures.

The girls burst into laughter.

— You know... I don't know if my gift will please Tom. What if I disappoint him?

— He has such a personality that he will enjoy even a straw. I bought him something funny. — Hannah shrugs her shoulders. — He has a great character. You have nothing to worry about.

— And what do you have for the devil?

The brunette crosses her arms on her chest, smiling mysteriously.

— Something to match his hellish personality. I hope he doesn't kill me with it.

The blonde shudders at the thought of what Hannah has come up with again. She prefers not to know what crazy idea she has come up with this time.

Both girls look over their shoulders as Joseph enters the room with a gift in hand.

— Speaking of the wolf.

— Girl, I have something for you. — His mischievous smile proves that he definitely decided to play a prank on her.

— Great because I also want to gift you something.

Bella hurriedly grabs the gift prepared for Tom and runs out of the room, not wanting to participate in their games.

Hanna takes out from under the bed a package that is equal to her height.

— It's a hard life when you're one meter sixty-three. How is it possible that the gift is your size? — He laughs in her face. — Here. — He presses the package into her hand.

The girl tears the white paper and squints when she sees that he continues to look at her with amusement in his eyes.

— You'll be happy. — The teenage girl opens her mouth as she takes the pink Hello Kitty package in her hand, which contains children's cosmetics. — Age-wise, it's a perfect match for you. — He shrugs his shoulders as she glares at him.

— You have a hopeless sense of humor, but it's my gift that fits you perfectly. Open it, devil — she rushes him, and her eyes sparkle with indefinite happiness as the boy tears the paper. He puts his hand to his mouth, trying not to parry with laughter. — And how do you like it? I had a hard time getting to my dorm with it.

— It's the best gift I've received in my whole life. — He takes in his hands a rod on which hangs a black, hairy devil. — It will fit perfectly in my dark room.

The nineteen-year-old is proud of her choice.

— How well I know you... — She turns her back to him to approach the bed and put the gift there, but the boy grabs her hand and pulls her back to him. Hannah looks at his face for a long moment, not understanding what he is about to do. She lowers her gaze when he takes something out of his pants pocket.

She blinks her eyelids when she notices that it's a small box with gold lettering of a well-known company. Joseph pulls out a beautifully shiny bracelet, which he immediately puts on her wrist.

Hannah can't get the word out.

She is surprised.

— Never take it off. My initials are there, which means that from now on, you are mine.

She stares at the letters "JS" for a long moment, then lifts her face and looks him straight in the eyes. A pleasant avalanche of warmth floods her body, and her heart starts beating harder again.

The girl doesn't understand him, as he changes his mind every once in a while. After all, what does he expect from her?

If he continues to be like this, he will surely kill her the next time he approaches her. Her heart can't take it any longer.