Chapter 18:

 

 Hours had passed and they still didn’t have leads of the whereabouts of Victoria Song. And while all of them were busy girl hunting, we were playing cards in our living room. Yep, we didn’t care what was happening outside because our plan was already done and all equipment was set-up already and hints were going to be sent every three hours from the first hour.

 

“I win!” Bom shouted. She had a really good card this time. She hogged the money in the table. We all laughed at her because of her mischievous expression. Well, I will give her the benefit of the doubt because it was her first time winning.

 

We quieted up when our phones beeped. “Another already?”CL asked.

 

Daesung looked at his watch. “Yep, it’s already late in the afternoon and 7 hours had passed while we were busy fooling ourselves in this living room,” he stated.

 

“Busy fooling around, huh?” Bom said in a goofy tone. While they were goofing with each other I opened the new message.

 

Serpents and friends,

 

                This already your third hint and still didn’t find her. Are you all stupid? Well, if you are busy hacking and tracing every message I send to you then you’re all going to waste time. It’s a life you’re supposed to find not me.

 

                This is the second to the last hint I can give you.

 

                SHE’S NOT BURIED BUT SHE’S IN HIDING. SHE NEEDED AIR. AND SHE’S IN A LAIR.

 

                                                                XOXO Reapers (tick tock, tick tock)

 

“I would leave you guys in here. I have to cook our dinner.” I winked at them.

 

“Yes, it’s time to taste the best dish of the best chef in town,” Youngbae shouted in glee.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I replied to him while rolling my eyes. “You should stay Minzy,” I added.

 

Then they started talking to her like she was our dearest friends for years. They were telling her about the dishes I cooked for them. Yeah, they treated me like a chef when we were together. Several times actually.

 

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I opened the fridge and decided to cook, their favourite lemon roasted chicken paired with mashed potato and savoury gravy that the boys like. I sighed. Those wouldn’t be enough for these growing children.

 

I put my hand on my head and rubbed it softly. I was thinking so deeply that I didn’t hear that we have other guests. They just shouted to me that we have unexpected ones. “Dara, we have visitors!” Bom shouted not in a charming way but an irritated one.

 

Who were our visitors? I wiped my hands before going to see who they were. I raised a brow but instantly retracted it then smiled.

 

“What do we owe you for this visit? And may I ask who you are?” I asked like I didn’t know what they were going to do but I didn’t know them. Maybe, they got tired in watching us do nothing but play and fool ourselves. Oh yeah! We knew about them watching our every move ever since we stepped foot in our home earlier.

 

“I’m sorry. I am Reina and they are my members,” she said so high and mighty.

 

I wanted to scowl at her attitude and I knew too that CL and Bom were stopping their selves from turning to a right now. “Good evening Reina. And why are you here?” I asked so politely.

 

Reina looked at Minzy. “I have to talk to her.” She pointed.

 

I looked at Minzy with her horrified look. This girl was the leader of the serpents. Well, it was a pleasure seeing her. “Oh! Sure. You can talk in the living room,” I offered.

 

“No, I have to talk to her alone,” she said sternly.

 

Gosh! I should kill this girl. She was irritating me. “Okay,” I said. Well, I didn’t want a fight right now. Minzy felt like she was let down by me. “But she has to be back for dinner.”

 

They all looked at me. I gave them a not so sweet but a little authoritative tone in there. Reina was shock at first but she covered it up with a smile. “Sure.”

 

They were already outside when I remembered my set plan for her to get out of suspicion of getting out information. After all, they were on surveillance the whole seven hours.

 

I then grabbed the same folder she had given me but different papers inside. “Minzy, you forgot this.” I waved it and Minzy was like a devastated girl. “Well, I don’t know anyone who can edit the story you made.” I smiled at her.

 

I saw Minzy’s face lighten up. “Sorry about that. I just hope that you know someone,” she said.

 

“Well, maybe they have,” I said to her.

 

While Minzy was gone, we scurried away from the door and went on with our lives. Just kidding! We had to do that because we were still under surveillance. But I knew she was safe because I didn’t hear the engine of the car igniting to life.

 

I looked to the four people in the living room cracking up because of the movie they were watching. Daesung looked at me then winked. I scoffed at that and went back to the kitchen.

 

I started preparing dinner. Well, I added a vegetable au gratin in the menu and fresh salad. Well, I hoped that will do.

 

When, I was finished in doing all that and waiting for the food that was in the oven. I came back and watch with them. Then the doorbell rang. I nudged Daesung. He rolled his eyes and opened the damn door.

 

“Oh! That was quick,” he muttered.

 

“Oh! She’s back in one piece,” Bom said.

 

We had watched almost all the latest movie we had in stock. Good thing, the chicken and au gratin was done. Daesung and Youngbae helped me prepare the table. We called the girls when we were done.

 

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We had a not so silent dinner as always. Bom and Daesung were always teasing each other then, CL will join in sometimes, teasing all of us then the two, Bom and Daesung, will picked it up and teased all of us too. It was a good thing we were not barbaric. We didn’t throw food at each other’s face but I guess Bom and Daesung were almost bound to do it.

 

Well, the only thing they could throw was the gravy. That was the only thing that was left. I told you, they were growing children. On the other hand, Minzy was laughing her off when Bom threw the gravy in Daesung’s face. See, they are bound to do it.

 

I cracked up too. Daesung was like a gooey brown monster but Daesung stood up and hugged and rubbed his face to Bom. Bom was whining but laughing anyway.

 

“We still have dessert but I guess you were too full for that,” I said.

 

The bickering stopped and looked at me. “Why didn’t you say so?” Bom said. “I still have a space for dessert.”

 

I laughed softly. Bom really was one of kind. Woman like us will think about their figure but we were not them and we enjoyed our food.

 

“Wash your face, you, two, before I serve the dessert.” I ordered. They both whined but went to the kitchen.

 

“Did you still have time to do dessert?” CL asked.

 

I shook my head. “Nanny left it in the fridge. Maybe, she knows Bom was going to devour it,” I replied.

 

“We should thank her for that then,” CL answered. I nodded in response before going to the kitchen to get the strawberry shortcake trifles she made. Those were one fine dessert. It was one of her specialty.

 

Then the phones beeped again. We all went silent. “The last hint,” Bom said when she was seated.

 

“Yes,” I said while serving them the dessert. CL opened the message and read it aloud.

 

Serpents and friends,

 

                What the hell happened? You’re in the last two hours of the deadline. Well, the last hint is here.

 

                All of you know this place. It was somewhere were large crowd go. It can be every day, whenever they want or maybe never. She was there just in line of sight. Just look at the lights so bright.

 

                                                                XOXO Reapers (2 hours left)

 

“How do these guys know if she still wasn’t found?” Minzy asked.

 

We all looked at her. “Well, maybe they have eyes everywhere,” Bom answered. And she had a point there.

 

But here was the clue to know if Victoria was already found. If they found her and freed her from the shackles gripping on her, there was a single wire when cut will send me a simple message of F. It means found.

 

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And maybe, you were still confused on how we abducted that girl. It was the night we were preoccupied with some boys. Well, the moment we had finished with that, we offered water which they drunk. It had a single drop of sleeping potion. It was like a fairy tale thing but it was a sleeping mixture that was strong that even a cow can be knocked out. Funny and unreal as it may seem but it was true. I didn’t know how our own chemist did that but she was the best in that thing and I didn’t want to be her enemy which was the same for her, she didn’t want us as enemy.

 

Back to the story, when we made sure the boys were down and not budging an inch. We went to Victoria’s apartment and saw her sleeping form. She was wearing pink pyjamas. I wanted to laugh on how she was so Barbie like. We then injected the sleeping mixture to her too and she was knocked out in just a second.

 

 Then Daesung and Youngbae were there and they carried her to the place where she was now.

 

Confused on how we didn’t get caught? Well, the cameras in there were already hacked by me. I didn’t shut them off but I tampered them with the same looked on how the street was and that was what they can see. They won’t see us walking so casually on the street.

 

Then we went back to our home, stripped our clothes off then slept with the guys.

 

So that was what happened. Victoria was careless enough to not think someone might be after her. Well, her window was unlocked, like she was inviting you in.

 

Well, past was past. And Victoria was nearing in her death. If only she was a bit kind, I may have not killed her like this or I may never have to kill her because she was different when she killed Elliot but she was the y girl I saw in the party and she became much worse.

 

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After the dinner, Minzy went home. When I said home for her, not the apartment she used to live in but she said her parents’ house. She came back to her home and that would be best after all.

 

When she was gone, Daesung and Youngbae were sleeping in the couch. We laughed at them. It was like they were children that when they were full they sleep. But we covered them with blanket because it was still cold outside.

 

“It should have stopped by now,” CL said.

 

“Yeah,” Bom answered.

 

They meant that the tank had already no oxygen to give. I bet she can live with 30 minutes because there was still oxygen in her box left for her to breathe in.

 

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Five more minutes and the game was done.

 

After ten minutes, my other phone beeped. I opened it and saw that they had found her.

 

“Too late. We should sleep too,” CL said.

 

I nodded and kissed them in the cheek for good night. They should have found her earlier but she can’t even tell who kidnapped her even if they found her. I told you she was asking for kidnappers when her window was opened.

 

Death. Yes, she was dead when they found her. It was inevitable if they were genius enough to read between the lines of the hint. It was already saying where she was but they were keen on finding the culprits.

 

Fun. We earned a new friend and we had fun the whole day. It was like we didn’t know what was happening outside.

 

Four. There are still four more persons in the game should not meet us. We were the last personsthey wanted to meet.