Chapter 5

*

“It’s nothing Shin, let’s just go home,” Travis said after a few seconds and just at the moment that he was already able to regain his composure. Shin Alexandra then cannot help but frown because of the answer that she got from Travis, she was honestly expecting that he will inform her of what he just saw but he didn’t. Honestly, she already has a feeling that it is something that will ruin her mood or that it is something that she shouldn’t hear in the first place.

And also, it is pretty obvious as well with how her friend reacted – that he is trying to avoid the topic which confirms her suspicion that it is something that they do not want her to know. But because of that, the more that she wants to know what exactly it is that he had seen on his phone that made him have such a reaction plastered on his face.

“I am going to ask again and this is the last time that I am going to ask it, what is it that you have seen in your phone just now?” she asked, in a cold voice – honestly, Shin has always been cold because she is the type of woman that keeps a straight face rather than a smiling one however what is different now is the obvious fact that she is already literally exerting her authority in the group right now and that is because she badly wants to know what is it and she knows herself well, she will most likely not be able to sleep even if she is already pretty much tired from everything that happened today because she will keep on thinking on what is it that Travis didn’t tell her.

And just then, she heard Travis let out a sigh as he handed to her his phone. She already expected that Travis will then give her his phone to show her what he had seen because she already sounded a lot more serious than she already is. She then grabbed her phone Travis and she looked at the screen to see what he had seen a while ago the moment that she laid her eyes on it, she cannot help but to freeze in his position and at the same time, her whole body went numb.

She is already numb – some who can interact with her in that one year that she was been away will be able to attest that she had become someone far worse than she is in the past and the fact that she has become lifeless, someone who is fitting to be considered already as a living dead. However, right now, she felt the coldness in her intensify, and also, she felt her whole body getting even more numb than it already is.

Shin just took a glimpse at the photo – or rather the news that Travis has been looking at since a few minutes ago and then after that she immediately gave back Travis his phone. Her four friends at that moment had this worried expression plastered on their faces but other than that they also have this expression that tells her that she should just say the word or that she can just give any order that she wants and that they will immediately do what she wishes.

“Here grab your phone and we’re going to go home already, I’m tired” that is the only thing that Shin said that immediately made the four look at each other because they didn’t expect what Shin has said – they are honestly expecting for her make a nasty statement about the image or rather the news that she had seen, however, the thing is she didn’t and because of that they do not know if she really just don’t care or that she already had enough of the bullshits of the persons in the image.

However, the thing is that even if that is what Shin has said and she acted like she doesn’t care the four can feel that there is something different about her and that with just one wrong move they are going to experience her bad side and with all honesty, they do not want to see her bad side again, the last time that they have experienced Shin’s bad side is about four years ago and they do not want to experience it again because they almost really died because of that – well, almost… They are really lucky enough that Shin was able to control her emotions during that time.

But since Shin already said that they need to go home, then they should follow what she said before she burst out.

*

After a short while, Shin and her four friends finally got home, the moment that she entered the house that is also the moment that she removed her prosthetic mask. All the time that she was doing her thing – teaching those who disobeyed her and broke the rules that she set a lesson that they are not going to forget in their lives she is wearing that prosthetic mask to hide her identity, well it is not only her that is wearing one anyways because her four friends are also wearing the same because it is necessary so that no one will ever find out who they are outside the underground world.

They wear prosthetic masks not only just to not let anyone know who they are but also to keep their lives balanced and not to mention that it is to prevent anyone in the underground world that hates them from actually attacking someone related to them to just make them weak and surrender.

It is a rule in the underground society that one should never show their weakness because that weakness will surely be anyone’s downfall.

After Shin removed her prosthetic mask that is also the time that she removed her wig and untied her pony-tailed hair. She then grabs the remote of the television and was about to push the power button when she remembered something that she saw a while back before they went home because of that she cannot help but click her tongue and she turns around to face her friends and without any warning, she threw the remote to Sebastian and luckily Sebastian’s senses are sharp and his reflexes are quite flexible that is why he was able to catch the remote that was thrown to him.

He then looked at Shin with a confused look however a short while he already realized the reason why Shin throw at him the remote and that is because she was about to open the television but because of what she saw a while ago it is natural for her to change her mind. Since the image that Travis first saw and that he let Shin see as well a while ago is from a national and famous news publication then it is a given that it will also be reported on live television and the probability is high that what is on that online news is just being reported now and that those individuals are being interviewed, of course, those people like the publicity they are getting.

Of course, Shin cannot just throw the remote at the television because it is not a good thing if she is going to have something destroyed again in her home not to mention that she only got back.

“You go watch whatever you want just to keep the volume down, I’m going to rest” that is what Shin said to the four, and without any more interruptions she then made her way to the stairs to go up to her room for her to finally take a rest because it has been a long and tiring day for her, not to mention the fact that she shouldn’t stress herself out because it is a feeling that she is not allowed to feel in the first place.

“I just returned and a lot of shit already happened – am I cursed or what?” that is what Shin said to herself as she made her way to her room.

*

The moment that Shin is already out of sight of the four men, they cannot help but look at each other, and at the same time they even synchronously shrug their shoulders.

“Did she forget that all the rooms here are soundproof?” Jake asked and automatically Kristian covered his mouth with his left hand and Kristian’s right hand is on his mouth giving Jake a sign that he should stay quiet.

“Tone down your voice asshole, if Shin hears you who knows what will happen to you later” that is what Sebastian said giving a warning to his longtime friend. Well, indeed Jake has a point that all the rooms here in the house of Shin are sound proof which is why even if they make loud noises here in the living room, she wouldn’t be able to hear a click or something that could disturb her sleep.

“Let’s just let her be, maybe she is still shocked by what she saw. I mean yeah, it’s been a year but still let us not deny the fact that she liked that man – the first man she liked in the first place” that is what Travis said and the three of them couldn’t agree more to what he said because it is a fact that they cannot deny.

And although it has already been a year since everything happened, it honestly feels to them that everything just happened yesterday – the things that are the reason why Shin left and didn’t contact them for a year. However, they also cannot deny the fact that Shin’s disappearance is also a good thing because she was able to heal from the pain that happened caused her – or did she heal?

But in one way or another, they are glad that finally Shin chooses to come back and the moment that they have seen her at the airport is the same moment that they have vowed once again to be her protectors and not let what happened in the past, happen again.

But, what happened?

*to be continued*