THE PERFECT MURDER.

18

a/n: last update for a little while

THE RETREAT BACK TO DOYEON'S is painful. Not physically, emotionally. For most of it I try to keep my resolve, and not collapse on the ground and cry. It's dark too, and normally I would be more attentive of my surroundings, especially on this side of town, but I'm far too gone in my mind to pay any attention to this. It hurts how he pushed me away. Even as I walk away from his place, my anger starts to dissolve into something else. Insecurity. For the first time in my life, I'm not even sure if I can distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.

I recognize the white Volvo parked on the side of the road, eyes shifting over the familiar plate numbers. It's Lisa's car. Which does not make much sense to me, I'm still on the east side. The walk up to the west side isn't for another ten minutes. Why would she deliberately be here? Confused, I follow down the road. At this point, my argument with Lalisa from days earlier doesn't even seem to be a concern anymore. I've already chased away her and Yeonjun.

A campfire is lit in the distance, noise coming from many of the others standing near it. Some sit in lawn chairs, others are holding the recognizable red solo cups. Their branded jackets which I had seen on Yeonjun earlier make my blood chill. No. This is a Gorgon den. The fact that Lisa could be here only scares me more. She could be in danger. I brush aside my lingering fears regarding them, and any of the anger I had harbored, and pick up my pace.

Then I see her. Sitting in a red chair, leg crossed over the other, laughing at something BamBam was saying. He's also drinking something, neither of them aware of my presence. I'm not even sure if my eyes are betraying me, it doesn't look anything like her being held against her will. Both of them are wearing the same jackets.

"Lisa?" I breathe, and her head snaps in my direction instantly. Now I had never seen panic on my older sister's expression, but it's definitely there. Her face pales, and she stands.

"What are you doing here?"

"Mai—"

"What is going on?" I ask, and now the partygoers around us quiet, watching our conversation with an intrigued expression. "Why are you wearing one of their jackets? Are you also in this gang too?"

Her momentary silence unsettles me. "Mai, listen. I can explain..."

"Lamai?" There it is. That voice again, from the morgue. I always wondered where I had heard it, why had it sounded so familiar. The last time I had heard that voice now comes back, the moment when Lalisa had shattered her glass figurines, and screamed at her to get out of the house.

She's standing right there. My mom. Any tears that I had been desperately trying to hold in for the entire evening flow free now, more confused than anything else to try and keep a calm resolve.

"Mom." Lisa glowers. "Now is not the time to shock her with your reappearance."

"You...you knew she was here? In the east side, this entire time?" Her hesitation again, it only plunges me down into the darker road of hurt, betrayal, and anger. There's too much of this, all at once. So I turn, shoving my way through the crowd to leave. Her actions showed a lot. Lisa hid my entire life from me. She hid her identity as a Gorgon member itself, hid my mother...who I thought had left so many years ago, and yet was still here. Under my nose, this entire time.

"Mai, let me explain!"

"No!" I shriek, rubbing at my cheeks. "I don't want to hear it from you Lisa, this is enough. Really. The fact that my entire life was a lie...and that you willingly kept all of this from me, I don't think I really need to hear it from you."

"If you're smart you would leave me alone." I add, then continue my ascent, letting the bitter and salty tears streamline down my cheeks for the remainder of the way back.

a/n: ahhh this is kindaa sucky