"What the hell happened to your face???" is the question that I predict my sister would ask once she saw a wound on my left forehead.
Before heading up to The Brew, I took the time to go to the bicycle workshop. I lied to the mechanic, saying that I fell off the bike while crossing the woods. After cleaning up myself in the workshop toilet, I hurried to The Brew by walking for twenty minutes. Which it pretty exhausting.
And now here I am. Try to handle the situation as well as possible. "I fell from a bike." I say..
"Well, I can see right through it. But it's nonsense if you just fall down and hurt your forehead." She frowns hard and her hand tries to reach my forehead.
"I didn't bring my helmet."
"Still. This is not just a typical injury. Do you think I don't know the difference? Chloe, when you were six, you learned to ride a bike only with two wheels for weeks and many times you fell on the street without a helmet but you never had a wound like this, unless you fell hard."
I remember that day. I cried after school because I felt embarrassed when most of my friends were able to ride a two-wheeled bicycle while I couldn't. Hanna invited me to ride a bike in the park. The first week wasn't good enough but the following week I started to feel confident. Until now, cycling is one of my physical hobbies.
After taking a deep breath, I venture to look into my sister's suspicious eyes. "Someone ran me off the road. I jumped and I forgot I didn't bring my helmet."
"What??"
I shrug my shoulders. Trying to be calm.
Hanna groans. "Where the hell is your boyfriend?"
"He has practice for tonight's game. He doesn't even know about this, yet." I mutter.
"God ... if this is true." Hanna pinch the bridge of her nose.
As I always did when she was anxious, I hold her hand on the table and squeeze it a little. "Hanna, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong? Everything!" She shut her eyes for a moment after realizing that her tone was rising. "This might sound crazy, but Mona and I found Archer's old phone in his car. I got a voice message from him and he sounds just like him."
I frown hard. "Wait ... what do you mean?"
"Archer Dunhill or Eliot Rollins, whatever the hell his name. He might be still alive."
I feel the floor around me shaking.
"That's-that's impossible, Jesus!" I rub my face and fly it past my hair.
"I thought so. It's a grand zero conspiracy." She complains. "And that means, you're not in a safe place to wandering alone, Chloe." She leans over. "I think he's following you too."
"Wait, so do you really mean he crawled out of his own grave? That's insane, we— " I catch my breath. I just realized that the louder I sounded, the more it would attract people's attention.
"Yeah, I know. But that is not the most important thing. Now you're a target, Chloe. If he really is a big boss and rises from his grave, then it won't be safe for you to stay in Rosewood."
I cut her off. "Wait, do you imply that the person who intentionally hit me was Eliot?"
"Of course! Then who else? You're the one who confessed to me, remember?" Her eyes suddenly squints. "Are you sure there isn't anything else you hide from me? You know you can't do it now, do you?"
"God, no! I swear, it's all of them. You know about my bad records and how I got myself in trouble. You know about my suicide friend." I lower my voice in the last sentence.
Hanna sighs and folding her arms. "Chloe, maybe you should stay with Dad for a while."
"What? Hell no." I lean my back on the chair and stare in the other direction. "I can't deal with Dad without holding back from asking him."
"Asking him what?"
"You know." I keep turning my head away.
Hanna looks confused at first. Eventually she gets my point. "Don't tell me that you are still thinking about those damn bitch fantasy words."
My head rotates automatically to find my sister folding her arms across her chest.
"She might be talked about bullshit, Hanna. But I know her. She told me something. "
"And what was that, huh? What is exactly in your mind?" Her eyes challenge me.
"Don't start it, Hanna." I exhale. "Every time I try to talk about it, you scold the hell of me and tell me to drop it. Guess what? I can't. i-I looked into her profile."
"Whose profile?"
"Felicia Jones." I press on that name.
Hanna rolls her eyes and tips her head back. "My God, Chloe..." She looks back at me. "Who is she and why are you looking for that name?"
"I think you know why." I shrug.
"No, I don't."
And or a few seconds we stared at each other in silence.
"Fine. Because it's highly possible she is my birth mother."
"What the hell on earth are you talking about? Your mother is Ashley Marin, Chloe." She stares at me in disbelief.
"Exactly. She's my mother. But the other one is probably the mother who gave birth to me."
Hanna seems to refrain from exploding. "Are we really going to talk over this shit? Isn't Eliot Rollins enough for you?"
I sigh deeply. "Right. I'm sorry. But I have the right to know the naked truth, Hanna. I have enough to deal with secrets."
She's looking at me with her tiring eyes. "What secret, Chloe? Why are you still bringing this up and convincing yourself that Marianna is telling the truth?"
"Because when I look at her profile she looks exactly like me, Hanna."
Hanna doesn't blink. She gasped at the news I had just revealed. "What was that supposed to mean?"
"It means that there's thousands of theories behind this."
"And why would you keep convincing yourself about that stupid theories?"
"Because—" I start off. "You'd never fight me with evidence. You never told me exactly when was mom holding me and when I was taken home from the labor. I saw your picture in mom's arms after you were taken home from the hospital—the three of you together, with dad. Where's that kind of picture of me? There's no photo of mom holding me in the hospital. We both know how she never wants to miss every precious family moment."
Both of her eyelids drop slowly as she turns away. The fact that I had already brought up still crushing me after I discovered that my sister knew that was the truth.
"Am I being adopted?" I ask her after feeling good enough to speak up.
"What? No, you're not. Why are you asking that kind of question?"
"If that's what you say, is it true that I am the bastard child of an affair between Dad with other women?"
Hanna seems to be increasingly difficult to speak up. So, I guess my initial theory is correct. Dad has a history with Felicia Jones.
"You're mom and dad's daughter. You're my sister. Cut it out, Chloe." She warns me. "I mean it."
"Then—" I say. "I'll take that as yes."
Somehow my heart suddenly collapsed. Hanna isn't smart enough to lie to my face. I always know everytime my sister being dishonest. I know her my whole life.
"Chloe, whatever the truth you believe in, it won't change the fact that we are family. I'm your sister, by blood." She assures me. Her voices almost like soothing.
"I know." I quietly look down.
If that's the case, I'm still part of the Marin. It's just that I'm not the biological daughter of a mother who has been raising me with so much love. She'd never treated me like I was a shit. I could feel her affection to me. She loved me like I was her own daughter.
"Can you please promise me not to digging out about Felicia Jones again? At least until we overcome Rollins situation. This will not give you any favor."
I lift my gaze slowly. She is not much better than me. Not so long ago she was abducted by A.D and only God and her know what A.D was doing to her. Hanna never told me anything about it. And even more sadly, she broke up with Jordan.
It's only a matter of time. When she told me her engagement was called off and she was forced herself to wear a fake ring, I knew it because she didn't want her friends to find out. Especially Spencer and Caleb. It seems like she had seen hope between her relationship with Caleb.
If I recall, Caleb was her best boyfriend.
"Okay." I murmur "I'm sorry."
Hanna let a sigh of relief. I can feel her eyes softening. "Me too." She says softly. "Let's just go home and figure something out."
I nod. "Couldn't agree more."
She rose to her feet and offers me her hand. I look up and find her smiling softly at me. "You need balm and plaster for your wound."
She put her arm around my shoulders. And with that, we step outside together, leaving The Brew behind us.
##
Hanna and the others discussed about Archer Dunhill's at Lucas's loft. As far as I heard, they were still trying to avoid the police suspicion. Big boss and Archer were two different things that happen to have a connection that connects me to the five women before me.
"There seems to be no other way but to dig back the grave to make sure that he stays there," Spencer says.
"Look, we can't force things for now. Archer might be out there and we don't get any clues. " Aria says.
"I think the right way to make sure is to go to his apartment." Alison blurt out.
"Are you sure you want to do it?" Emily asked in a tone of concern.
Alison takes a deep breath. "Not yet"
"Then let me and Aria go find something there." Emily says.
Aria seems doubtful but I knew she had no choice. Feeling bored out my head, I decide to rose on my feet and walking towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Asked Hanna before I made to the knob.
"Go home and change clothes and go back to school. FYI, I feel bored. It's obvious I'm just a loyal listener here." I tell her.
The five of them look at me strangely.
I shrug. "Friday football's game. Ollie's got to play and I've got to be there for my boyfriend."
Hanna sighs then stand on her feet. "Fine. I'll take you there. "
###
Rosewood high school stadium was filled with cheers from the audience.
The last time I came here was a few weeks ago, I was tagging along with Gracey. She hadn't returned to Rosewood and only asked me to make sure Trevor wasn't looking at another girl. In fact, Trevor is a loyal boyfriend. I don't see him fooling around to other girls. As I walk past him, he's talking to Coach Adam, he waves his hands when he saw me. I wave him back.
I look for Oliver's whereabouts. He's near the atrium, I rush over to him. He didn't see me because he was backing me. My steps restrain when I saw him calling someone on his phone.
I know I shouldn't eavesdrop, but I wonder who that is.
"No, I told you I quit. I don't want to be involved anymore." He says through his gritted teeth.
"You can't threaten me like that! I've done what you want, so leave me the hell alone — leave her alone!"
Oliver run his fingers through his hair. He looks like about to kick whatever it is in front of him.
"I'll give back all the money. Really, stop bothering me! I— " He trails off. It seems like someone on the other side of the phone is raving about something. "Yes you're right. I violated cooperation. She is not no one to me and if I had known you tried to hurt her—" He suddenly look at his cellphone screen then press it to his ear again. "Hello? Hey, hello?? God dammit!"
Oliver turns around. His eyes widened in my sight behind him. "Chloe? Since when are you here?"
My eyes narrowed. He looks nervous. Why is he nervous? Is there something he has hidden from me?
"Who was that? Why do you look so angry?"
"It is nothing." He says quickly.
Somehow I don't buy it.
"Doesn't seem like nothing." I say.
"It does. Look—" He approaches me and cups my face. His eyes pierced deep into my eyes. "I promise that there's nothing you need to worry about, okay?" His hand touches the plaster on my temple. "What happened?"
I hold his hands and lower it. "Someone ran me off the road."
"What??"
"Yeah. Bummer."
"Who did that?"
"I don't know! I think maybe big boss or Sara Harvey or A.D. whoever the hell they were."
His jaw thighten. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I was preoccupied. It was after school and my sister took me to her BFFs and I had no other choice than to listen to their next moves."
Oliver groans in annoyance. "Please tell me you didn't plan on having other plans that don't involve them, do you?"
"No — yes." I say, fickle.
"God, Chloe. You can't keep hiding things from them. You've been attacked, only God knows what A.D will do to you next." He glares at me as much as a cold dead body.
I don't understand why his reaction was so nagging. I think he's been through a lot of pressure lately and I'm one of them. "I know you're worried but I have a plan. Tonight, after the game. You're in?"
"What? What plan?"
Then, I explain to him about Archer Dunhill's terrorizing my sister and her friends and the possibility that the man had met Sara Harvey at the Radley hotel.
"That's crazy." He says, his forehead and chin wrinkled.
"Well, I don't disagree."
"Chloe, please. Don't be careless. Let's think about the other solution together after the game." His eyes pleaded me.
"I'm sorry, Ollie. I don't mean to ruin your night. But I think you have the right to know. You were there that night."
His nose flares. "So, you just follow them like a lost puppy?"
"That's my plan. But it's kinda subjective."
Oliver looks away to take a deep breath. "Okay, I'll be with you right after the game. But please promise me you won't leave and rush there all by yourself?" He grips onto my shoulders.
I sigh. "Fine." I say, though not so sure.
"I'll find a way to dig in it." He promised.
I just managed to smile.
He leans over and kisses my lips. He did it very softly and full of emotion. "I won't let bad things happen to you again. I-I can't. You're the most important person in my life."
I blink several times. He got me take his soft spot. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I am." He pecks my lips. "I love you."
I hadn't had the chance to give back the L word, coach Adam shout out his name and told him to join the field with the others immediately.
"I'll see you after the game." I say. He then walks over to the middle of the green field.
Coach Adam provides direction and strategy. All team members listen to what he said. Except for Oliver who occasionally turned to me. Even though his face was covered in a helmet, an expression of anxiety was seen there.
I decided to look for a seat. When I found an empty place. My eyes accidentally met with Seth. He stood a few feet away from me. I don't know if he followed the game. But seeing him staring at me tightly with both hands in a jacket pocket made me conclude that he was following other motives.
Just as the whistle was blown, Seth turns around and going to another direction. I wanted to try calling him or chasing him but the crowd beat me up.
When I turn my head, the game has begun. A good start for Rosewood High School because players with number 15 on his back takes the ball and try to avoid the opponent's pursuit.
I can't wait anymore. The game didn't last for a while and my chance to find out the truth could have missed.
And finally, I decided to break my promise.
##
Finding Sara Harvey's whereabouts is not easy.
At first I thought she was in the hotel bar but she wasn't even there. I had time to ask Marcus Harris, a former one of mom's coworkers who knew me to check in Sara's status. She still stayed at the hotel and she hasn't checked out.
I couldn't help but decide to check her hotel room. I still keep copies of access entering Sara's room.
Access for entry is denied. I tried again and again. It failed. It seems like Sara changed rooms or asked for a lock change.
With my eyes down and shortened breath, I walk in the other direction. Strangely, I saw a flash of Sara's shadow at the end of the corridor. I run to the end and found Sara really there. She's dressed all in black, including the beanie she wore.
My eyes narrow as she grinning at me. "You knew it." I murmur. "You knew that I was trying to follow you."
The grin is increasingly cunning. "Do you think I don't know when my access is tapped? You are wrong. You think you've stepped forward ahead of me, in fact, you're put your head up too high. Tell your technician to stop it immediately or I'll report it to the police."
I tilt my head in a halting voice. "You did it right? You were the one who ran me off the road with a fucking jeep!"
"No, it wasn't me." She shrugs. "I mean, I wasn't the one behind the wheel."
My forehead wrinkles. "But you were in the car? What the fuck do you want from me?"
Her gaze flickered instantly. "I warned you, the storm is coming, Chloe. Big boss is waiting. "
I can't hide my astonishment. "That's impossible. Big boss is... it's not the one that I thought. "
"You can say he's already dead." She says coldly.
I don't know where she knows about that. A.D. How come?
"You bitches haven't deterred yet."
"So, all the messages are a trap to get me hooked?" Now I start to doubt Seth. This is all more than a coincidence. "Who's the one who really helped you?"
"Why don't you play a guess?"
"No, it's impossible." I shake my head trying to deny something beyond my expectation. "What do you want from me?"
"Big boss wants all the former cronies to disappear. You know what that means, right? The business is going well but he doesn't want the small risk to harm his business, so it's a shame you have to be removed from the game as soon as possible."
My throat choked. Seeing Sara's hand in the pocket of her leather jacket made me ask what was inside? Does she carry a weapon? I don't think it will be difficult for her to shoot me without leaving a trace.
"You want to kill me." I murmur.
"I wish. As desired by big boss. But you're lucky A.D doesn't want that to happen."
"Are you talking shit?"
"You don't trust me? it's up to you, Marin. A.D is in control. If you think you can be free from big boss, then you are wrong. You're just thrown into the bigger shark tank."
"What does A.D want from me? I think since he kidnapped my sister, he didn't want to deal with me anymore. And now he is protecting me? "
Sara smiles slyly. "As usual. Too many questions. Can I suggest something? You're better off being alert from now on." She tilts her head, her index finger pointing at my forehead. "I think that hurts, right?"
"Fuck it." I swore to her. "Is Archer Dunhill the real big boss?"
Sara didn't budge. This further fueled my anger.
I pull the collar of her jacket as hard as possible and she looks surprised at my spontaneous action. "Stop wasting my time! What are you planning on me? who the hell is big boss?"
Sara steps on my foot then pulls the collar of my jacket and push me until I fell down. This bitch has boiled my temper.
When I stand up and to do the same, she takes out a folding knife from her jacket pocket. I retreated for a moment.
"Don't you fucking think you can touch me like that, little bitch." She says as cold as ice. Her eyes darkened like a demon. "Do you want to know who is the Big Boss? He is not Archer. The man who died in your sister's hand is only a slave to revenge from Mary Drake's wrath."
"Mary Drake?" This is getting crazy. The world seems to be chasing Alison and the others together. "So, big boss is she?"
Sara rolls her eyes. This game of tug-of-war is confusing me. But what I'm worried about, where does she know that Archer died because of Hanna?
"How do you know about his death?"
"Why?" She smiles sarcastically. "Are you afraid I'll do something about it? Are you sure you want to hear it? Only one question - how does it feel if you see your dear sister behind bars, again?"
My hands clench. This woman increasingly managed to take over the situation to make me rash.
"Poor Chloe. Living in a lie and be lied to and then watch everyone leave your side. Have you seen your biological mother?"
The whole room feels spinning. I think I want to throw up. How could she know everything?
"Did A.D dig up everything about me?"
"Enough about A.D." She put the knife back into the jacket. "Your space is getting narrower. It should be compared to constantly following me, you think of a way out to get out of this situation."
"Clearly Hanna didn't beat your ass hard enough after you slapped me with a book. You're all insane." I say, shaking my head. "You're all fucking psycho."
"Now you know how it feels to be chained. I'm just looking for something to survive. If you're smart, you should look for ways to get out of the mess. It is not from your sister or her friends."
"Stay away from them." I fire back.
"Really? You don't get to play hero, little Marin. You are on the brink."
"You did all of this as A.D's little puppy, for what? To make me join the A-team?"
She tips her head back. "Stop asking questions! The more you ask, the more I want to rip off your head."
I look down for a moment then looked up slowly. "I will kill you."
"You're in no position to take the will. You certainly don't want to see anyone you care about get hurt."
I walk over. Our distance is mere while I want to show her that she can't keep humbling me and treats me like a shit.
"You can't threaten me."
"Why not?"
"Because I will make you regret it first."
"Do you think you can do it? What you did all your life just run off, Marin."
"Don't test me." I clench my teeth.
"Or what?" she folds her arms across her chest with challenging look.
My nose flares. I pull the collar of her jacket again and push her until her back hit the wall. If the devil in me takes over completely, then I can become a real villain here.
She was about to fight me but this time I was far more prepared. The space of movement remained narrow because I exerted all my strength to corner her. When her hand tried to reach into her jacket, which I thought was preparing to take a folding knife and thrust it into my stomach — I had already parried it first.
She grabs my hair and I let out a scream for a moment. I push down her body once again but she had managed to pull out her folding knife. She was about to point it at me but another voice stopped her.
"STOP!"
I stand up and turn to the voice. I thought it was the voice of one of the hotel workers, but it turns out that the voice belonged to someone I didn't expect to be here.
"Oliver?"
Did he get out of the game just to pull me out of the hotel?
"I told you not to do it alone!" He shouts at me. Worried plastering his face.
But then, Sara's applause distracted us. She shakes her head in awe. "Well, well, well. Look who's pretending to be a hero here."
Oliver's jaw tighten and he pulls me backwards. "Stay back, Sara."
"Oh, stop pretending like you don't know anything, Oliver. You make this even more interesting. Quibble with the reason for liking this girl and begging to stop being the wings?"
My eyes widen. My mouth falls open. I turn my whole body and find him avoiding my gaze.
"Is-is that true?" I stammer. The air space I breathe seems to thin out.
"Chloe, I—"
"I told you, you wouldn't expect it, Marin." Sara speaks to me again.
"What the fuck is going on??" I look at them back and forth. I really don't understand what is wrong.
"Oh, please. You want me to read it out loud to you? Alright, the guy you consider to be your perfect boyfriend, he is not what you think. He is not your hero."
"Shut the fuck up, Sara!" Oliver snaps at her in fiery glare. I'd never see him so furious before.
"No, you shut up, Brentson. You almost killed her then."
No.. no this is not true. I can't keep being here.
My view grows darker and longer. I don't know what I feel now. This is too heavy to weighing my shoulders.
"Chloe, listen to me. Let me explain everything to you." Oliver tries to persuade me to listen to him.
But I was already limp. This truth was felt against me.
"No... that's bullshit." I think I needed to throw up.
"Chloe, i—"
And a hard slap landed on his face.
Along with my darkening view.