II.

A BUBBLING sensation of a warm skin that submerges itself in a never-ending body of water. The cold sweeping of touch, which inevitably blows through the fabric.

I heaved a sigh.

"What are you thinking about?" My gaze moves slowly to the woman sitting in the living room, fries on the center table.

She had such beautiful locks of blonde hair; a small doll-like face; porcelain fair skin; bright dark chocolate eyes with long black eyelashes; a small pointed nose; and full pinkish lips.

She was munching away on some snacks atop the table while watching a horror movie.

"No, it's nothing, Ma'am," I say, and immediately turn my gaze away from her. This woman who is now lounging in the living room of this condominium is no one but the employer who has taken me from the streets.

Compared to a beauty like her, I am like an ugly duckling mixed with the beautiful swans.

"Psh, if you're still thinking about the rent, I said, you won't need to worry about it. I'm not charging you with anything. You're my housekeeper," she tries to reassure me and then puts another fry inside of her mouth. "Now, why don't you sit beside me? I'm just waiting for my cousin to knock on the door. He'll be here in a few minutes."

Truth be told, after the incident from earlier this morning, I woke up to the sound of knocking. The same man faced me the second time, and I looked like an idiot who did not know what to do.

He said that I looked like someone who had just cried her eyes out and asked me if I was okay.

Again, I slammed the door on his face.

Meanwhile, Ma'am Bright appeared at the door in the pre-evening as expected. She was still wearing her school uniform and proceeded to dress up in casual wear in her room. Afterwards, she had her eyes on the television and snacks on the fridge the whole time and kept inviting me to watch a movie with her.

"A-Alright," I say, and then slowly walk in her direction. Despite a week having passed since we met each other, I still feel shy around her.

She looks like someone who has come out of a fictional story with such beautiful features that I can't help but be mesmerized.

Not only was her face an asset, but her whole body looked like a living doll with an hour-glass body, an average height of five feet four inches, and graceful etiquette.

"So, have you watched this movie before?" Bright points at the television while a woman who has long black hair jumps at its victim.

I shook my head.

"Too bad, this is an old movie called Sadako, and she's always been famous in Japan as a lingering ghost," she narrates, and then looks at the television again.

"They say she has cursed millions of lives for she was not given eternal rest."

My eyes move to stare at the woman on the television. It was only a horror movie made of an urban legend, but I saw myself in her.

A small smile flashes across my lips.

"I see, that's unfortunate," I comment.

Not long after our short movie marathon, just as Bright mentioned, a knock on the door took place. I was about to walk towards the entrance when she stopped me in my tracks and proceeded to open the door herself.

"Hello, Sammy!" Bright immediately exclaimed from the inside of the room. "If it isn't my good old cousin!" she added, and then, with a gaping smile, embraced someone from the other side of the door.

"My dear child, it has been a while since you visited us here." The familiar sound of the voice piqued my ears.

Ma'am Bright slowly let the two people enter, only for me to freeze on my own two feet.

"Oh my, hello dear. We meet again," Amanda comments, and with a gentle smile she raises her lips and her eyes squint in delight.

"I hope you two have been good to my friend. It hasn't been long since she started staying here," Bright narrates and invites the two people towards the living room.

As the man walks towards the room, our eyes lock for a second. There was a hint of glaring in his stare before he sat down in the living room. I gulped.

Damn it. Does it have to be them, of all people? I even slammed the door on his face twice!

"Don't worry about that, my child. I actually just met her earlier this morning and gave her some cookies." Amanda turned toward my direction and asked, "Have you tasted the cookies we baked? How were they? I hope it suits your taste."

A forced grin flashes through my lips from her sudden question. "A-Ah, yes, it was good. The sweetness was just the right amount," I replied, almost stuttering.

I'm not used to people talking to me much, which makes me feel uncomfortable.

"That's good to know—"

"Grandma, you gave your homemade cookies to Queen? What about me?" Bright purses her lower lip and pouts in front of her family. She then furrows her brow in front of her, to which the man speaks and flicks her forehead.

"You act like a spoiled brat most of the time," the man says, and then the two proceed in a short, staring contest.

"Now, now, my dear. I brought more pastries. How could I ever forget about my grandchild?" Amanda comments, and stops the two from having a petty argument.

Indeed, the old lady brought another bag of pastries in her hand. Unlike what she brought earlier in the morning, what I was staring at right now were pastries I had never seen before in my life. They all look appetizing.

The interaction between the three took nothing more than a few hours. However, within those hours, I already wanted to disappear out of embarrassment. Throughout dinner, Sam keeps glancing at me whenever he has a chance.

I don't know what it means, but it made me feel uncomfortable.

When Amanda and Sam bid their farewell, I was the one who saw them through the door because Bright excused herself for a moment. Again, the man stares at me as though he wants to say something.

I let out a sigh.

"What do you want? Do you have something you want to say to me?" I ask.

The man looks startled by my sudden demeanor and immediately scratches the back of his head.

It was just rude how he kept glancing at me earlier that I couldn't help but ask. I'm well aware of my actions earlier, but it's still rude to stare at someone.

"Ah . . .  it's nothing," Sam denies, which makes me crease my forehead.

Well, whatever. It's not like I should care about him. It just so happens that my employer is his cousin, and I have to interact with him.

"Alright then," I say, and then proceed to close the door when he suddenly puts his arm across the board of the door. "What now?" I asked, one of my eyebrows raising upward.

"I'm not sure what you're going through, but," he pauses for a second before staring directly into my eyes. "Please don't hurt yourself," he adds, which makes my eyes widen.

What did he just . . . say?

I bit my lower lip instead of retaliating against his words.

"Thank you," I weakly answer, and with that, the man leaves and follows through Amanda, who is now in front of their room. 

I don't know what that man actually means, but his words did indeed go through me for a second there. His thoughts probably conspired with my actions from yesterday to what he witnessed earlier, and he assumed my circumstances; a weak smile formed on my lips.

"Naïve," I say and then finally lock the door.

After that short conversation I had with Bright's cousin, the night ended just like that. My employer stayed in her room the whole time after the interaction, and I was back in my room, still swayed from the countless thoughts I had.

The room was as dark as the night sky, the silence as deafening as the thoughts in my head.

People say that they should put whatever bothers you into light, but that's not something you can easily apply to everyone.

Sometimes, silence is the key to burying secrets, and it will forever haunt you.

"So, do you have anything planned for the day?" The next day, after light had embezzled the room, the sound of birds chirping and the aromatic smell of sunny side eggs and bacon engulfed the whole place.

"I was planning to clean up the place as usual, Ma'am," I replied, and then proceeded to pour her a glass of water and put it beside her plate.

"Thank you," she says, and then immediately drinks it. "Say, have you ever gone out to the shop?"

"Yes? I buy groceries–"

"No, no, I meant shopping just for fun." Bright cut my words, which made me close my mouth again.

Shopping? Isn't that just a waste of money and time?

"Wait, don't tell me you haven't tried it even once?" She looked at me in disbelief. Her forehead was creasing, her mouth was almost half open and her eyes were unwaveringly looking at me.

"N-No?" I answer, almost unsure.

"Oh, my gosh! I should take you out sometime!" she immediately exclaims, which makes my eyes wonder.

Why?

"Maybe after I've done my research this week, I'll take you out!"

"You don't have to do that, Ma'am," I say, trying to oppose the idea. I'm a total stranger and almost like a free-loader here. Why would she give me a lot of things? Am I not suspicious of her?

"What? I can and I have to!" Bright comments and scoops her bacon and rice into her mouth. "I'm your employer! You won't have any choice but to follow me. Besides, this will be a good chance for you to unwind."

I bit my lower lip.

Seriously? Sometimes, I feel like she's too much.

I didn't argue with her anymore and just ate the food on my plate. Once I'd done so, it was now time for her to go home because of her schooling.

"I'll probably be back by next week, so I hope to see you looking forward to it!" she says, and with that, closes the door.

Meanwhile, I begin with the same routine I always have. After the heavy meal we had, I took out the trash as usual.

It was a daily routine towards the elevator when I noticed the familiar stature of a man approaching the same designation as I was.

The two of us look at each other for a second before we look away from one another.

"You're out to take the trash again," the man starts. I stole a glance at him and he was just staring at the space of the elevator.

"Yes," I quickly reply.

"I hope you thought of what I said last night," he reminds me, which makes me crease my forehead.

What does he know about my situation, anyway?

"Mind your own business," I said, and, coincidentally, we were already on the ground floor. I quickly take a step outside of the elevator and look at him again. "I don't know what your deal is, but I'm fine, alright?" I say and quickly walk off with the trash bags I have in my hand.

"Yeah, yeah, if you say so," the man comments.