Art of Deceit

XIII

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Yeona

"Thank you for coming, dear." Mrs Lee brought me into her arms. "I'm sure Yeona would have wanted this." She smiled at me.

She definitely looked better than she did  a few weeks ago when they held the funeral. Even though you could catch a certain sense of loss in her eyes, she seemed strong and more well composed. If it was just a facade, she was doing a good job with putting up a front.

Not knowing what else to do, I simply smile back at her. Soon, she moved out of the way, allowing me to roam the house freely. I found myself standing in front of Yeona's room. For some reason, I hesitated to step inside.

Goosebumps poked at my skin as memories of when we were younger rushed through my head.

When we were about 6 years old, we used to act like we were detectives that had to solve mysteries. Yeona would hide objects in little cracks of her cupboard or under a loose wooden plank of her floor. She claimed it would add to the suspense.

Yeona had always loved the mystery and the unknown. The fact that everything revolving around her disappearance was a mystery in itself was unsettling.

I took in a deep breath, stepping into the room and the hairs behind my neck stood as a chill dripped down my spine. I feel something rush by me and I fall to the floor.

An icy cold shiver drips down my back as I stared at the dauntingly familiar form. "Y-Yeona?" I faltered, seeing her figure at the corner of her room.

"It wasn't an accident." I heard her whisper from what seemed like everywhere. I felt my eyes sting as tears start brimming my eyelashes. I let out shallow breaths as I pressed my eyes shut.

"This isn't real." I whispered to myself as I tried my best to stop shivering. I reluctantly opened my eyes, only to see the empty room, with half of her stuff in boxes while the others still remained on her shelf.

I got a hold of myself as I tried standing back up. I pressed my palm onto the floor, pushing myself up but as I did, the wood gave way. I gasped as I fell back onto the ground. With a groan, I sit back up whilst staring at the wooden plank.

I attempted to push it back into the ground but something white caught my attention. My chest heaved as I pulled against the wooden plank, struggling to take it out.

After a few seconds, I managed to yank it out and there laid a letter. My eyes fixated on the envelope that had my name written on it while my heart thumped violently against my chest.

"Jina!" A voice called out. My hand sprung out, grabbing the letter and shoving it down the pocket of my jeans. I pressed the wooden plank back into its place as Dawn stumbled into the room, seeing my form on the floor.

She seemed almost oblivious to the fact that she was standing in Yeona's room.

I stared at her, anxious at what she was about to tell me.

"It's Annora."

"What's going on, Dawn?" I asked as she turned the engine of her car off.

"I don't know yet, Anna called." Dawn got out of the car frantically, rushing into the hospital as I followed behind her.
 

Anna was Annora's older sister. Their parents passed away when Annora was really young and because of this, Anna stepped up. She was now the breadwinner of their household.

We ran into the ICU to see Anna sitting at the waiting area. "Anna." Dawn called out as we walked towards her.

She looked up at us with blood shot eyes, as though she had been sobbing. "It's okay," she managed to say. "She's stable now." A weak smile tugged onto her quivering lips.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting down next to her with Dawn sitting beside me.

"They're thinking it's a hit and run." She stated. I felt Dawn's form tense up and so did mine. My heart started pacing as I slumped further into the seat, closing my eyes. I said a few prayers under my breath, hoping she'd be fine.

"Jina." The sweet voice woke me up.

"Hm?" I hummed as I opened my eyes, seeing a blurry figure of Dawn standing in front of me.

"Here," she passed me a cup of coffee. I held onto the styrofoam cup as I watched the way the steam floated from the hot liquid.

"What time is it?" I asked groggily.

"A quarter past midnight." Dawn said, sitting next to me.

"Any news?" I asked and she shook her head.

We have been here for hours yet nothing. "No news means good news right?" I tried remaining optimistic while Dawn shrugged.

"I guess so," she blew onto her coffee right before sipping it.

Anna then came walking into the waiting room. "Hey, I'm sorry but do you guys have change?" She asked sheepishly.

"I do!" I reached into my pocket, digging for some coins. As I pulled out the change, the letter that Yeona wrote to me fell out.

"Shit." I cussed under my breath, leaning over to reach for it.

"What is that?" Dawn asked but I brushed it off.

I passed Anna the change whilst subtly stuffing the letter back into my pocket, hoping that Dawn would not bring it up.

I felt my phone buzz and had completely forgotten about the life of my own. I fished out my phone and was greeted by a flood of missed calls and messages from my family. As I scrolled through the notifications, I came across one from my art teacher, Mr Choi.

I viewed the message. "We got called in." I whispered under my breath the moment I realised Annora and I were called in for an interview with Mona Ophelia.

"Is that Anna?" Dawn spoke out the moment we hear a faint sob.

I dropped my phone as the both of us jolt from our seats.

"Anna," I gasped as I see her on the floor. "Hey." I knelt down before her, Dawn doing the same as she leaned onto me.

"They put her under an induced-coma, I know it's for her own good but it's just all," she choked a bit. "Too real." She shook her head, covering her face with trembling hands.

"I know," I sighed as I held her, trying my best to console her.

"She's all I have left." Another whimper broke through her. "I can't lose her too."

I didn't know what to say, I was at a loss for words mainly because I was broken too. It was hard to remain optimistic especially in a time like this. I couldn't bring myself to say everything will get better when my mind was in a dark place. Anna didn't need me lying to her about this, possibly making her feel worse.
 

Tears start pooling up in my eyes and I threw my head back, not wanting to cry. I had to be strong, Anna needed a shoulder to cry on.

"I need to go," Dawn said as she looked at her phone screen, tears welling up in her eyes as well.

"What?" I stared at her in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I'll be back." She wiped the tear that streamed down her face.