Jae Ham
"My self esteem has two levels; I'm a worthless piece of shit who deserves no love..and, bow down before me bitches, I am your queen," says Knox, sitting on the round marble table.
Flair rolls her eyes at Knox. "I bow to no one," she retorts airily, popping a mint into her mouth before tossing another mint at Cole, who catches it in his mouth. "Anyone else want one?"
"Over here please," says Core while he's using Chess's back as a desk for his homework.Flair throws a mint at Core, but it hits him on his forehead then falls to the grassy ground. Sitting next to Knox on the table, Res bursts into laughter. "That was epic.. sixty second rule," says Res before he picks up the mint and tosses it into his mouth, much to our group's revulsion.
Cleo wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Res, that's gross!" she swats his arm using her magazine. Beside her on the marble bench is Arrow, diligently reading his handouts. Opposite me is Penelope, immersed in her laptop. Her fingers tap fluidly over the keyboard, making frantic clicking sounds.
After a second or two, she snaps her fingers. "Guys, someone finally posted a decent video from yesterday's Frosh Party!" she exclaims loudly. "About time," she adds with a scoff. "The other videos either have crappy audio or low quality definition."
"Ooh, let me see, let me see!" Flair excitedly plops down on the space next to Penelope,who lends Flair one side of her earphones. "Wow, she's incredible," says both girls. "You think that mask is part of her costume?" Penn wonders, to which Flair shrugs,clueless.
Chess springs up, making Arrow fumble backward. "Are you two watching porn?" Within two seconds, Chess is standing behind Penn and Flair. "Oh, it's just.. wait, that girl looks hot." Hearing that makes Res and Cole join them. "Hey, I know this song," says Cole. "It's Mic Drop by B.T.S."
Res gives a low whistle, impressed. "Where the hell did she learn to dance like that?" A minute later, Arrow stands up as well and peers at the laptop screen. "I love her outfit," he comments with a giddy smile. "Shame she's not wearing a bucket hat."
Arrow squints his eyes. "That shirt looks familiar.." Suddenly, Arrow looks at me, and I just know. He realizes it's my shirt. He's not only a fashion major but he's also my friend of ten years. He can easily recognize our clothes from a mile away. To my relief,Arrow doesn't say anything; he quietly watches the rest of the video with the others.
Penn peers at me from behind her laptop. "Jae, don't you want to watch this? She's from your batch, isn't she?" Flair's eyes twinkle. "It's impossible that you don't know her," says Flair. "You're both psychology majors. Her name is in the title; Sage Heart. You should invite her to eat with us during lunch later!"
"I don't know if she'll say yes," I warn Flair. "She prefers to eat alone." "Oh," says Flair, sounding dejected. "But you will ask, right?" she wheedles. "There's no harm in trying!" Chess lets out a snort. "Title of your sex tape." Flair rolls her eyes at him then smiles at me. "So you'll ask her?"
Res crosses his legs and props his elbows on the table behind him. "What's the big deal, Flair? Do you have a crush on her or something?" "Just because I find her attractive doesn't mean I like her," replies Flair with a smug smile. "She appeals to my eyes, not my heart. It's not that deep."
Cole guffaws and pats Res on his back. "Want some water to treat that burn?" Res flashes him an irritated look. "Shut up and help me with this!" Res shoves his math worksheets in Cole's chuckling face.
"Hey, check this out," whispers Penelope,typing away on her laptop. "An old article just popped up. It's about the Sara Chan Case from four years ago." A mystery? I'm game. Everyone returns to their original spot while I leap up from my seat and sit down next to Penelope.
"I've heard of that somewhere," I say while Penn slowly scrolls down the page. "Give me a quick rundown of the story." Penn frowns at me. "You know it's probably a hoax, right?" she asks.
"Who knows?" I shrug. "Reality can be stranger than fiction. Not everything you read is true and not everything you hear is factual. Sometimes,the untold story is the truest of them all. Why should I believe a source that wasn't there when it happened?"
"Tone down the enthusiasm, Jae." Penn smilingly exhales, dropping her shoulders. She peruses her gaze over the text on the screen. "To sum it up, the government discovered a girl with a rare power. According to this article, she has the ability to see people's heart glow a different color based on their emotion."
I furrow my eyebrows at Penelope. "How did they manage to find someone like that?" "That's just it," says Penn conspiratorially, shooting me a brief glance. "She was born with distinct amber eyes the color of volcanic lava. They're supposed to be gorgeous but dangerous. Nobody's ever seen a picture of them, however, because the media was paid to keep everything under wraps."
"But that's not all," she continues, her voice a reverent whisper. "The girl was only discovered when she turned thirteen, because that's when her eyes would glow every time she lays eyes on someone's heart." "So it's like a curse?" I ask. "Aurora touched the spindle when she was eighteen. So the girl's eyes started glowing after she became a teenager?"
"As far as I know, yes." Penn nods her head at the laptop. "Apparently, she was abducted repetitively because several organizations wanted to keep her for themselves. They kidnapped her for ransom or for nefarious purposes. Not only was she priceless due to her unique power, but she's also the daughter of the late Selina and Alexander Chan.
Back when she was still a wealthy supermodel, Selina Hale, that's her maiden name, was the sole heir to Hale House of Fashions. Her family managed a worldwide chain of fashion brands and companies while her husband Alexander owned three successful industries; real estate, internet media, and online games."
"Are they still alive?" I ask Penelope, and to my dismay, she shakes her head. "They passed away four years ago," she says, "But the reason for their deaths remains unknown up to this day. Whatever happened to them,the government made sure to keep it confidential for as long as possible."
I nod slowly, logging in this information. "And Sara Chan?" "The newspapers say she committed suicide, but I don't believe it because her body was never recovered." Penn closes the tab, turns off her laptop, and closes the lid before releasing a heavy sigh. She looks at me. "Jae, I know you're curious, but please don't do anything stupid like sleuthing around for more answers. This is serious stuff, and we don't want you to get hurt."
"I'm human, Penn." I smile at her. "I'm not immune to pain."
