Chapter 17:

 

All were gasping with either the photo or the reapers. CL, Bom and I were acting confused because we were normal students. Every serpent came out of their rooms and if I were correct they will have an unplanned meeting. Victoria Song was not a low ranker after all. That was why I wanted this to be fun.

 

Well, the bow and arrow was burned and crushed on the explosion earlier and the message sent was going to be untraceable because the moment the messages were sent the phone will explode on its own. It was not yet a perfect plan until all of them give up within the time limit. I wondered if they will give up on her.

 

“Who are the reapers anyway?” Bom asked. We just shrugged at her.

 

All eyes turned 360 degrees on us. “You do not know about them?” Elisa, a classmate, said.

 

“We would answer if we knew but for your information, no. We don’t know them,” CL snapped.

 

I sighed. Well, at least she didn’t add my favorite phrase she knew. It was ‘little brain of yours’ whenever she got irritated about obvious things and the word ‘stupid’. “Well, whoever they were, why would they kidnapped her and what is the reaping?” I asked to stop CL from saying anything more to a normal student.

 

“The Reapers were the first gang situated in London,” Seungri answered.

 

“So you mean that there is another gang other than the three?” I asked.

 

Seungri nodded.

 

“They were far more ruthless in what I heard when I was still a child,” Top said this time. “They were thwarted by the three gangs and I think the leader was killed but they don’t know who did it. And according to the older members, they were known for killing without glancing back, a second,” he added.

 

I nodded with the information being given.

 

“So if they were the real reapers, why would they want a game rather than killing her in a heartbeat,” CL inquired.

 

“Are you saying that these are not the real reapers?” Elisa asked.

 

“She had a point there. Why would they want to let her live for 12 hours?” Top asked. He was thinking about it too.

 

“And the reason they want to kill Victoria?” I asked.

 

“That’s what we are missing,” Jiyong answered.

 

“Well, I think we don’t have class today?” Bom asked. I nodded in response. “Much that I hate her but she didn’t deserve this.”

 

“I know right. We won’t have another to fight with,” CL said.

 

I then noticed that Minzy didn’t go out. “Why are you here?” I asked her when she saw I was looking at her.

 

“I’m not a member of the serpent, anymore. They banished me,” she said.

 

I looked at her. She wasn’t upset about it though, that was a fact. She even looked happy and relieved about it. She was now wearing a simple jeans and shirt. Well, she was a nerd to start with. I sighed. “Let’s go girls. This is not our problem,” I said to them.

 

“Yeah, we better go and I miss my laptop already,” CL said.

 

“Watching ?” I teased.

 

She chortled. “As much as I want to but I don’t need to watch that. I miss my romantic-comedy movies,” she replied.

 

“Yeah, your body is itself,” Bom replied giggling.

 

“Damn right!” CL shouted while picking her bag.

 

I walked outside and Minzy followed me. “Can I talk to you?” she said.

 

I looked at her, utterly speechless. Minzy, the Barbie girl, was speaking politely at me. I almost slapped her to wake her up but I didn’t. “Why?”

 

“It’s something about tattoos?” Minzy said straight to my eye. I read about the real meaning in her eyes. It was something confidential. Did she figure who we were? I bet it wasn’t that. Something about Victoria, I guess.

 

I nodded. “If it’s about removing them cleanly, I know some people. I can recommend them to you,” I replied casually.

 

“That’s great,” Minzy replied, a little bit relieved.

 

“You can come with us at home because Dara, here, doesn’t know what their numbers are,” CL replied. She was just at her back looking at us and I think she got what she wanted to say.

 

As we got in our car, people were looking at us. Probably, shock and wondering why she was coming with us and I think she was the main suspect because she was banished after all. Well, we didn’t care about those stares because we have the right who to talk even if she was a past enemy.

 

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We were sitting in couch and watching while sipping tea. It was made by mom. She stayed here last night. “Here, you can eat this.” She offered Minzy the biscuits and cookies she had made. Minzy gladly took one and just one bite, she knew they were yummy.

 

“They are great,” Minzy praised.

 

“Thanks. You can bring home some. After all, they were fed up with those cookies,” mom said.

 

The three of us laughed at her complaint. “I love them, Mom but I ate those for fifteen years of my life.” That was always my reply.

               

CL the jamming device if ever there was some device with her. Bom then her laptop to play her favorite GTA. She was now out of this world but that was just an act. Then mom stood up, I looked at her curiously.

 

“As much as I wanted to stay, I have meeting this evening so I better go,” she said.

 

I nodded, stood up, and kissed her in the forehead like I was the mom. “Be safe on the way home. Tell driver to drive safely,” I said.

 

Mom nodded and hugged me. “See you on Saturday again,” she said. Bom and CL went and kissed and hugged her. Minzy said goodbye shyly.

 

When mom was already gone, we went back to our own business. “So what do you want with us?” I asked her my eyes still on the television.

 

“I want to show you this.” Minzy gave me a brown envelope. I took it and looked at her suspiciously. “Open it.” She urged.

 

I opened it and saw the contents of the envelope. It was files and photos of us. “Where did you get these? And judging from it, these were not the original copies,” I remarked.

 

“Yes, they were not the original copies but if I get those things they will condemn you of stealing it,” she replied.

 

“She had a point there,” Bom said without looking away from her game.

 

“And to the question, where did I get it? I got it from the office of the leader. They were checking on you because they think you killed Amy and Lyka. They were in the higher ups,” Minzy informed.

 

“And why are you letting us know this?” CL asked and she wasn’t looking too.

 

“So you mean we are suspects in that crime?” I asked. She nodded. I chuckled. “Then why are you telling this to primary suspects?”

 

Minzy looked at the three of us but I was the one only looking at her. “Because I have the feeling they were right,” she answered.

 

I scoffed. “If that’s what you think, what’s your reason?”

 

“Are you telling me I am right?” Minzy asked. I shrugged. “First of all, it is not to blackmail you, then second of all, I just want to ruin them and lastly, because I knew you were not bullies but you only bully girls who were a to you. I noticed that when I stopped being the queen bee. You didn’t even throw insults at me for being weak,” she expressed.

 

“Ruin them? Is this because before they let you go they torture you?” I asked.

 

CL looked at me and even Bom.  “You notice, huh. Yes, they bullied me especially Victoria. She didn’t let me left unscathed,” she said with wrath in her voice.

 

“You do know that you can be a primary suspect for the missing hussy,” I told her.

 

“I know and all of those people pointed that to me except for eight people,” Minzy remarked.

 

I was about to say something when our phone beeped.

 

Serpents and friends,

 

An hour had passed and no leads yet. Are you still in a meeting? We might as well give you a clue: IT IS NOT FAR, IT IS NOT NEAR BUT IF YOU SEE RIGHT THROUGH IT, IT WAS JUST IN FRONT OF YOU.

 

                                                                                                XOXO reapers

 

“That is a good clue but I didn’t get it,” Bom said and looked back to her game.

 

“Well, it doesn’t concern us anyway,” CL stated.

 

“Well, you said eight. If I was right on the six, they were us and the three joker boys. Who are the other two?” I asked her.

 

“Your friend Youngbae and Daesung, when all that happened, all people scornfully looked at me and they just went on with their lives,” Minzy responded.

 

“Yeah, they’re like that,” I answered her. The doorbell rang. “Who is it?” I shouted.

 

“It’s us!” Youngbae and Daesung shouted back.

 

“Speaking of the angels,” I said then get up to open the door. They were grinning like children and showed me what they were bringing. “Come in.”

 

“CL, Bom! We’re bringing snacks,” they shouted. Then the two stopped when they saw Minzy. “Oh you have a guest?” Youngbae said.

 

“Oh! Hey! Want to eat with us?” Daesung offered. I told you so, they were like that. They didn’t care about the world.

 

“It’s chaos outside. What the hell is happening anyway?” Youngbae asked.

 

“Victoria was kidnapped by some lunatics,” Bom replied, stealing the box of pizza that was in the hand of Youngbae. She then went back to her place and got one slice and devoured it. CL did it too.

 

“You can get some, if you’re not on a diet,” I told her while grabbing one slice.

 

“So what’s the verdict with her?” Daesung asked pointing at Minzy.

 

“Verdict on what?” I asked him.

 

“Oh so she’s not. Sorry, my fault,” he said.

 

I looked at Minzy, she was frowning. “Oh! Don’t get the wrong idea. He was not asking for the verdict of you being a suspect but being in the circle,” I straightened out.

 

I saw relief in her face. “What circle was he talking about?” Minzy asked.

 

But before I can reply again, I was interrupted. “What are those?” Youngbae asked.

 

“Files, the serpents gathered. They think we were the one who killed Amy and Lyka,” I replied.

 

“Oh!” They both said. “Shouldn’t it be us?” Daesung asked.

 

I laughed. “You have a point there.” Then Daesung and Youngbae hugged me. Minzy were looking at us like we were fools.

 

“Don’t be bothered by them. They are always like that. And speaking of circle, it means circle of friends because we don’t invite other people in our home,” CL answered for me.

 

“Oh!”

               

“Don’t worry, we won’t push you anyway and we won’t accept you easily since you were a serpent,” Bom replied.

 

Minzy nodded taking in the information.

 

“But you should know we are dangerous,” Daesung replied coldly.

 

“I know that. I had the feeling about it because you’re not afraid of them. You do what you please,” she replied. “But…”

 

“Go on, we don’t bite,” Youngbae teased.

 

“But I’ll be happy to be your friend,” Minzy said shyly.

 

We exchanged glances then laughed. She blushed even more deeply. “What do you think guys?” I asked.

 

“Welcome to the family,” They, all, said.

 

“But I have to warn you that there are secrets that we can’t tell for now, because trust is earned and built,” I told her with a stern expression.

 

“I know I’m willing to wait. Do I have to change my looks to fit in?” Minzy asked.

 

We chuckled. “No, you can do what you are comfortable with. And before this gets out of hand let’s celebrate, we have beers on the fridge. Get them, Daesung,” I commanded.

 

New. It doesn’t mean that you were mean once; you were always going to be like that. And we won’t like you. It just means that you were in a test were you will grow into something called friend.

 

Game. This was not yet finished and we were still enjoying it. I hope that they will find her soon but I don’t want her to be alive by then. A life for a life was still my rules. It was going to be until I hunt the last of the three, who killed my brother.