Chapter 3: Sneaky Paparazzi’s Discovery
“I don’t admire people who don’t fear death. It only implies that they do not live a life worth living for.”
11:46 PM
I lifted my heavy creamy white Victorian gown revealing my glittery kitten heals, partially soaked with mud. Avoiding the lifeless twigs and thorny shrubbery, I kept my heavy A-line skirt close so it won’t get caught up with the unkempt dry vines that had strangled themselves with the shrubbery, maybe from few years ago. Now, they’re nothing but a dry mass of weeds that adds up to the eeriness of this isolated not so green greenery.
The loud booming of ‘Cemetery Drive by My Chemical Romance’ from the ball is slowly coming out of earshot. It was getting darker and darker as I kept moving forward; the lyrics of the song sinking in. It was only the faint light of the beautiful round moon that gave luminescence to the spine-chilling path I’m taking. I was about to call out Kendra’s name but my diamond tiara got caught up with a dry branch.
Shit. This is it, I’m going back.
I looked back to the end of the hallway where I came from. It was already far away- far enough that my view of it was almost covered by dry leafless trees; far enough to be afraid.
The cold wind blew against me, sending my bare shoulders and exposed legs into slight shivers. My heart gave a sudden leap as I noticed movements from the deeper part of the forest. I watched intently as I notice it was a person. It was a dark girl in beige colored gown- it was Kendra.
Oh Kendra honey, I’m gonna kill you for delaying your own coronation.
I smiled at the thought and walked towards her. I wanted to congratulate her for winning over Tiffany but then, I came to a halt when I heard her talking.
“Please, please just tonight. Please Reece, please.”
Quickly, I hid myself behind a huge oak tree and checked who it was that she’s with. My paparazzi instinct just comes out naturally every time I tumble into a good piece of news. And lo and behold she was with the ravishingly handsome homecoming king nominee; Mr. Reece Daniel Dragomir.
“I already told you Kendra, I like somebody else.” He sounded hopeless, irritated and angry at the same time.
“So it really is her, huh? You know what I can do to her Reece. I can bring her down anytime I want.” She threatened.
“You do not talk about her like that.” He was almost yelling. His baby blue eyes turned into a deeper hue of blue. “What do you want?” He hissed.
“Kiss me. Kiss me and I’ll never get them to touch her.”
I pressed my back, back against the sturdy trunk of the huge oak tree that hid me from them. I don’t care about your ‘Lover’s quarrels’, I’m just here to take an evidence of your entanglement. Pulling out my small pink cannon digital camera from my gown’s pocket, I realized that I was in a perfect angle of view.
I could have Mr. Dragomir’s face on full view while I could make small adjustments to get a better view of Kendra’s. I didn’t want to have my flash destroy their little moment of lust so instead of turning off the flash that might cause a clicking sound as I capture, I opted to record a video of them.
My heart was beating fast. I feel like some undercover agent. I imagined the tree where I’m hiding falling apart, exposing me from my subjects. I’ll surely be out running in the hills from embarrassment. I guess this is why I love my job; it’s the thrill. I’ll just publish their kissy moment as a picture and hide the original video. There smooching is safe with me.
I focused my lens on them and recorded their long unmoving kiss. I was too afraid to go out and watch as I record so I chose to watch them on the little screen. I clicked it on; recording.
Somehow, I was noticing something strange. Mr. Dragomir was distancing his face away from Kendra as she forcefully thumped a fist against his chest. Kendra was struggling; that I’m sure of.
I zoomed on their faces. Mr. Dragomir was void of all emotions. His eyes were a hue darker as he seemed to ingest a thick white blob of mist coming from Kendra’s mouth. She seemed to be chocking as she let go of an empty champagne glass, letting it shatter as it hit a small rock beside her muddy golden pumps.
At first glance I thought it was sisha- a popular flavored smoke I once tried in Avery’s house party. Good times. But this surely isn’t.
If it’s sisha, where’s the bottle and why so secretly? They should even brag about it if they’re doing it.
I frowned at the thought of him forcing Kendra to do something she’s struggling from. I watched intently as he officially broke off the kiss.
The clock strikes twelve. Ding-dong ding-dong. The faint sound of the school’s sound system signaling midnight was still audible despite our far distance, deep in the forest. It’s now the traditional King and Queen dance.
I wish I knew it. I wish I’d show myself and had them interrupted. I wish I had screamed her name before my crown got caught up. I wish I did something, anything just to distract them. Unfortunately I did not. I didn’t know that what I was going to see next will haunt me for the rest of my life.
I saw Kendra slip effortlessly from his grip on her waist and fall hard into the soft muddy ground; dead.
I was frozen. I couldn’t move. My hand was still on the recording camera-trembling. My eyes glued on its small screen. But my Sherlock Holmes instincts came to me all of a sudden as Mr. Dragomir straightened his back and fluffed his coat like nothing happened. I studied if he had some kind of weapon- a knife, a gun with a silencer; nothing. Nothing to prove my very first deduction wrong; that he sucked her soul out of her.
I wanted to believe it was poison that he had in his lips but he didn’t even bother to wipe it down. He turned around to face the open door in the hall where I exited. He looked way better than he was minutes ago. His lips were pink and full, his cheeks were supple, and his blue eyes reflected the full moon as he brushed his fingers through his short blonde spiky hair.
He walked back to the building like nothing happened. As he disappeared through the door, I ran to check Kendra’s vital signs. I was hopelessly hoping to find her alive somehow but she wasn’t.
She wasn’t breathing. She was suffering from severe cyanosis and her carotid pulse is no longer palpable. Her fingers were cold against my laced gloved hands. Thin black veins ran from her hairline through her forehead. Her lips where pale white; cracking. And the once dark brown eyes are now covered with white film; dull lifeless and slightly gauged out. Her limbs had thicker bluish green veins that protruded against her skin.
It was the most horrifying sight I’ve ever laid eyes on. I didn’t want to believe what my brain was telling me; that Mr. Dragomir is something inhuman and that he just killed a friend of mine. But I was lacking hypothesis on what just happened. If I didn’t believe what I myself have seen, who and what in the name of logic am I going to believe? I was the only witness. I was the only witness of Mr. Dragomir sucking the living daylights out of Kendra’s mouth.
I was lost in the dilemma of calling 911 and become an accessory in the crime for my delirious accusation of the innocent looking Mr. Dragomir or go back to the ball, safe in Tyler’s arms.
I half heartedly opted for the latter choice so I ran inside the program hall and cleaned the mud off the lower hem of my skirt. Throwing my lace gloves inside my purse which I grabbed from the long table, I patted myself with damp hands trying to wake my strained eyes.
I stared hard at my face in the mirror, recalling Kendra’s brutal murder. I shook the thoughts out of my head as I went out of the powder room.
“Kendra’s nowhere to be found. Now it’s the slut who’s wearing the crown instead of the real queen; speaking of medieval concubines.” Stacy informed me as my eyes darted to the stage. I wasn’t looking at the waving Tiffany, for I had my piercing gaze reserved for the homecoming king beside her.
How can he smile like that? He was waving happily at his friends at the corner of the room and fist pumping the air like a normal American teenager with overflowing testosterone. No one would ever notice that he’s something completely different from what he seems to be.
“Oh and by the way you missed it; Reece is the homecoming king and the dance, oh the dance. It was magical. I wish you were there to see it. It was the big climax you’ve worked so hard for. The fairy lights, the mist effect on the flooring, the music, everything; it was pure magic.” She stated in an unusual dramatic choice of words but I didn’t pay too much attention.
I never had my hand removed on the huge ribbon ornament in my belt hiding the secret pocket that housed my camera. I clutched it like my whole life depended on it for the remaining twenty minutes of the program.
To expose or not to expose? To be branded crazy or to stay the same?
“You didn’t even bother to wear this.” Tyler spoke as he opened his car door for me to get in. I almost forgot about his proposal. It’s not my fault that what had happened just took away the remaining sanity that I had.
He slid the ring on my right hand’s ring finger and it fit perfectly. The artistically cut boulder on top of the white gold that enclosed my finger glittered silently in the moonlight, mimicking my unsaid love for him.
I look at him, he looks at me. I smile, he smiles. I couldn’t take the deafening silence much longer, I had to break it.
“Is this serious?”
“What is?”
“This- this whole marriage proposal scheme.”
“You mean you didn’t believe a thing I said?” There was sinister coldness in his voice as he accelerated his speed and intentionally skewing the car, overtaking a huge truck.
My heart gave a sudden leap as my hand involuntarily flew onto my chest. “Jesus Christ Tyler! Will you slow down?” I’ve never raised my voice on him before.
“Of course I believe in you. I...I just thought marriage in high school won’t be so appropriate.” I had to make something up to soothe him. Truth is; I didn’t know what I’d say. I love him and there’s no questioning that. But I’m just not ready for commitments like this.
“Well if this would make you more comfortable we; won’t be getting married now.” His cheerfulness is starting to come back. “I just wanted to make sure you’ll still be my property even before I leave for college.”
“I never admired your choice of words.” One thing I didn’t like about him is how he uses his words but I never told him that ever since. So why now? Maybe I’m just too weirded out from everything that just happened within this hour that I couldn’t think straight.
No words came out of our mouths as he decelerated the speed.
“I’m sorry. I’m just… stressed out… maybe.” I said as the car engine died.
“I know you’re just tired from everything and maybe slightly upset that you missed the climax that you’ve planned but I just want you to know something before I let you go tonight.” He said as I stepped out of the car door that he opened for me.
I looked at his bright blue pools of eternal love that glittered through the pale moonlight.
“I love you. Always have, always will.” He said and shut the car door close.