UNKNOWN SECRET

UNKNOWN SECRET CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

The shadow

The house was empty, but I wasn't alone.
goosebumps raced up my arms.My head split. I grabbed my skull - Emily checked the wall clock.

Click. 10pm exactly.

Heart hammering. Waiting

It clicked at exactly 10pm. I closed my eyes, my heart pounding, waiting for something between fear and curiosity.

Outside, the downpour hadn't let up by 10:15pm. My shoulders sagged and my eyes felt too heavy to open.

I loosened up and gave up on the idea of returning back to my apartment that night.

" It's already past 10 pm- the gates are all locked not to be opened until 6am in the morning." she recounted, with an angelic smile.

Those were the first long words Emily said to me since I entered the house. She entered the kitchen and few seconds she was handling a glass of water

My lips pulled up, but my throat felt dry. My stomach tightened when she held out the glass. I swallowed, forced my hand to steady and took it before she noticed.

I lifted the glass to my lips, paused, then tipped it back. The water tasted flat. Too flat.She went to her room, and came back heading towards the kitchen.

She stopped mid-way and said, " Let me get you something hot to drink before I prepare dinner- since the weather is still very cold."

"Uhm-mmm." ...... My voice cracked on the first syllables. I swallowed hard and hoped she didn't notice.

A few minutes later she pressed a warm mug into my hands. Steam curled up between us. "Thanks," I said, and tugged the corners of my mouth up, but it didn't reach my eyes.

Her mouth curved up as she flickered the TV on. Her thumb paused on a romantic scene before she set the remote down, gave a small nod, and headed back to the kitchen. I stayed where I was and watched her go.

I sipped the coffee slowly while I dug my phone out of the bag. Thumb hovered over the call log, then the messages. Nothing new. The signal bar flickered at one dot, and my throat tightened at the thought of trying to call.

A few minutes later she came back with both hands full-tray loaded with four plates. Steam rolled off the bubbling kimchi jjigae in the center, next to a tangle of glossy japchae, golden pan fried zucchini, and a small mound of garlicky spinach. The smell hit before she even set it down.

The smell hit me and my mouth went dry for half a second before it flooded. I swallowed hard and leaned forward.

She laid out the plates, tapped the table, and said, "Sit," I slid into the chair. She scooped food onto my plate and slid it across, steam still curling off the rice. I didn't say anything. I just watched her for a second, then picked up my chopsticks and started eating.

We ate quietly, halfway through the spoon slipped from my fingers and clattered against the bowl. When I looked up, she wasn't eating anymore. She was staring at the doorway, motionless, like she'd heard something I couldn't.

She smiled over her bowl. "Mr Kang never looked at you after freshman year. What changed?"

The question hit me sideways. I set my chopsticks down, opened my mouth, and heard myself giving her an answer before I'd decided to speak.

" I just gave him the tip of the iceberg. I told my boyfriend about it, and he handled the rest. He never told me what he did to make him stop chasing me.
You know my boyfriend's in the military."

The smile stayed, but it shifted- curious now. She watched me from the corner of her eye, waiting to see what I'd do with it.

"Umm, so if anything bad happens to you, your boyfriend in the military just... shows up?" She said, half - laughing. She tapped her chopsticks against the bowl, a smile pulling to one side. " That's convenient. Really convenient."

She smiled, blotted her mouth carefully with the napkin, and kept eating. Like she'd said something ordinary, not a threat.

I kept my eyes on her as she ate quietly and deliberately. I couldn't parse what she'd said, but something in her stillness felt mischievous. Like she was waiting.

So I asked her. "Why are the lecturers scared of you? Even the guys in our department go out of their way to avoid you. Are you a...." The word stuck in my mouth.

" Don't you have a boyfriend?" I said still chewing. She didn't look up.
"Yeah. I do, but he is far away" she muttered with a smile and mischievous look.

"Oh! I see" I nodded

"So what do you do to those stubborn lecturers that makes them fall in line?" I asked, gazing at her. I tried to sound friendly now. I watched her as she smiled and wiped her mouth again.

"I think I'm full," she said, standing up and cleaning the table. I helped her pack the plates.In the kitchen, she finally answered. Drying her hands.

"Gods don't argue with ants. The ground does that for them." She said, mischievous.

I stopped chewing. The kimchi turned to ash in my mouth.

Danger clicked into place.