✓1.0 | Letters From Serena

09 | F

BETHANY GOH WAS on a mission to search for Vanessa Tan. Despite her best efforts, searching for Vanessa was like searching for a needle in a haystack—damn near impossible.

Vanessa Tan knew how to slip under everyone's radar. Any form of social media she had was privatised and she was a wallflower in terms of social events, always there but never one to draw attention to herself.

She blended right into the background. And if Oaskville wasn't a town that thrived on knowing everything, Bethany wouldn't have noticed her.

However impossible it may seem, Bethany remained optimistic. Impossible didn't mean not possible and she refused to let herself rest until she found Vanessa. Her determination stemmed from the fact that she was searching for the truth, the truth that would give her her official closure.

The truth that would satiate her curiosity that had been growing since meeting Serena and finding out she was nothing like what many depicted her to be. The truth that she would eventually be able to tell to Marigold when she was older, not the glorified version— the raw truth, no matter how brutal it may be.

Serena's truth.

And to do that, she needed to know the real occurrence of events that occurred between Seth Naifeh and Serena Wilson all those years ago. Even with her perseverance, she was unsure if Vanessa would be willing to tell her even when she had found her.

Out of Serena's two closest girlfriends, Yasmin Asghar and Vanessa Tan, Vanessa Tan was the more intimidating of the two— at least, in Bethany's opinion.

Whereas Yasmin Asghar made her opinion of you clear from the onset, Vanessa Tan was the type to take a more implicit approach. Never making her opinion of you clear, her eyes only scanned you calculatively and coldly each time you spoke, the light blue colours seeming to burn into your soul.

That was enough to make anyone run for the hills.

But, she would cross that bridge when it came to be.

As she drove by the Oaksville school, she finally spotted Vanessa—in an embrace with Meiji. Shock coloured her face. Vanessa Tan, hugging someone in itself was a rare sight in itself but with Meiji Osaimai?

Bethany knew Meiji Osaimai from their occasional bump-ins at social scenarios. From personal observations, she knew that he had an estranged relationship with Vanessa.

So to see them hugging each other? Completely gobsmacking. She wouldn't get involved though, their business was their business. Rumours only ever hurt after all.

As she drove into the school's parking compound, the sound of her car revving informed them of her presence. Vanessa retracted her hands just as Bethany cut the ignition of her car.

Vanessa recognised the girl immediately— one of Serena's volunteer buddies, Bethany Goh. Vanessa had never exchanged many words with her in spite of the fact that they shared a number of classes together. She barely noticed her as she kept to herself most of the time.

Vanessa found her voice first and spoke, tone unwavering.
"Can I help you?"

To the average person, her tone may have been rude or even cold but Bethany knew better than to take offense to the girl's methods of elocution. It was just the way she was brought up — dissective and assertive.

"Actually, you can. I want to clarify something about..." she hesitated before gathering sufficient confidence to push through and finish her sentence, "Serena and Seth."

Vanessa's posture hardened immediately, her defensive stance taking place.

"Excuse me? Why-"

Vanessa cut herself off as soon as she saw Bethany clutching a letter tight in her hand, similar to the one she had just received.