Art of Deceit

IX

CHAPTER NINE
fallen

I'm lugging at my luggage, trying to reach Annora for the 6th time but it kept prompting me to leave a message. I got on a flight as soon as I figured out that Taehyung had left.

I had no idea what made him leave or what would make him leave such a cryptic message.

I hailed down a cab, not even bothering to go home first as I told the cab driver the directions to Woods Field. It had taken me close to a day to get here from Italy and I wasn't even sure if Annora was still here waiting, but I didn't know what else to do.

So here I was again, staring at the sign in the middle of the night as the familiar sinister feeling crawled up my spine.

I fish out my phone as soon as the cab pulls out, driving away. I call Annora once more and then I hear the faint ringtone in the distance. "Shit," I cuss under my breath.

I was torn between going in and waiting out here. What if this was my mind playing games with me again? Leading me straight to whatever demented thing was tormenting me.

"Jina!" I hear the scream and any doubts I had about going in flew out of my head as I dropped my luggage, running straight into the woods.

"Annora!" I'm screaming back at her, "Where are you?" I'm running through the woods, branches scratching and tearing at my skin.

"Jina!" She's screaming again and I try to follow her voice.

As soon as I feel I'm reaching, I trip over something. I land on the ground, hard, my palms splitting open on the rocks on the ground, trying to break my fall. And then I feel my fingers touch something cold.

I look up, ignoring the sharp pains shooting all over my body as I picked up the phone on the ground. I see the missed calls I had left and immediately recognise Annora's wallpaper. It was of her and my brother.

The light from her phone illuminates something on the floor and I snatch up what looked like a torn piece of paper.

Jina,

I pause, my breath halting the moment I recognise Yeona's handwriting. This is the letter. But only half of it. Where was the other half?

I look around the ground as fast as I can, wanting to read this once and for all but also needing to find Annora. I come up empty and so without wasting any more time, I read the first half of the note.

Jina,

I know we don't talk much now, but I don't know who else to turn to. I don't know who else will believe me. I'm not even sure you will, but I have to try to tell someone.

Warn someone.

About him.

He seemed harmless, lovable even. Too lovable. Like he had somehow mastered the art of deceit.

I don't know how, but he's breaking me. My sanity's falling apart, literally, piece by piece. I can feel my soul being drained away, and I don't know how.

After getting to know him, I've been seeing this thing and it's been tormenting me with every step I take.

Whatever you do, you need to stay away from him, from them. The three of them, they're not who they say they are. Two of them, Dawn and Jungkook, have been trying to protect me from themselves, from him and his shadow but I didn't understand it.

I was too blinded by love. A love that's ruining me.

And then everything started making sense when I overheard them speaking.