Chapter 3

*PREVIOUSLY* There's a girl wearing a porcelain mask, standing in their garden.

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The past few days have been exhausting. With all the moving and stuff, all I really want to do is to lock myself in my room and eat ice cream while watching movies. I don't really want to think about the girl because this place is already creepy enough. I don't want to scare myself with nonsense. But of course, being me, I thought I can find the words that the has written on that piece of paper, in one of my books because I have read them somewhere before but I can't find it, of course, so I just give up.

Mom tells me to buy some things for her at the mall so I am currently here inside the mall, trying to hide in my oversize and worn out shirt with denim shorts that belongs to my dad because I am trying to not be seen by any of my parents' friends. They are all annoying and I was not in the mood to fake around with them. I was tired enough by doing nothing but walking in this huge ass mall.

I stop the cart in the alley of candies and chocolates inside the grocery store because I decided I deserve to buy some treats with my mother's money after buying all the shit she wanted me to buy.

I grab two chocolates. "This one? Or this one?' I mutter to myself while I choose between the cookies and cream Hershey's or Kit Kat.

I smile with evil intentions while I place them in the cart, nodding in satisfaction.

"What you smirking for?"

My body still in where I stand and I frown, realizing that I will be bothered by one of my parents friends.

I look behind me and observe the man who is around my age. He is smiling at me as if he knows me.

"Um... Can you like, I don't know, mind your own business?" I tell him as if it's the most obvious thing in the world while frowning at the man.

He smiles brighter, showing very visible dimples on both sides of his cheeks. "You don't remember me?"

My brows furrow and I continue staring at the man with curiosity. His dimples look very familiar but it's not like he's the only one with dimples.

I check him out from head to toe and even though he's rude, he's cute. And I feel like I've seen him somewhere before I just can't remember where.

"Done checking me out?" He wriggles his brow playfully. "Do you remember me now?" He moves closer to me while pushing his cart aside so he's now in front of me.

"No, I'm sorry. You look familiar though." I say while proceeding to take whatever I want to buy.

"Well then. Hi, I'm Ace, your best friend in middle school." He extends out his hand for me to shake while still playfully smiling.

My eyes widen and my mouth agape in 'o'. I smiled excitedly whem memories of my childhood flush back in my mind. I remember my childhood friend.

"Oh...Hi, I'm so sorry! I just...uh..." I awkwardly try to explain my ignorance while trying to apologize for forgetting an old great friend.

He just chuckles and shook his head in disappointment. "My mind is uh...too occupied with other things that I didn't even recognize you."

"It's fine. You do look exhausted so I was hesitating on whether to approach you or not. But I did anyway, considering we haven't spoken to each other since you left." He said with a soft and understanding smile but I can see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes as if he still remembers each part of what happened that day.

But I left him like that because I have no other choice. To be honest, I wanted him to forget me too so he would not feel hurt by me anymore.

I laugh nervously, the guilt creeping up on me again. "What are you doing here anyway? I didn't expect you to be here in Montville."

"Eh...you know, moving and stuff happens. How 'bout you?" He cooly said, allowing me to change the depressing topic that I am sure none of us would like to recollect.

I scratch my nape and I smile. "Same as you. Thankfully people are a bit nicer than the people who live in the city." I rolled my eyes at the thought of the people back where we used to live. "But it scares me off to be honest because I'm not so used to people being so freaking nice and I don't know...something's kinda off..." I trail off while remembering what happened and it sends chills down my spine just thinking about it.

Ace shrug. "Not everybody's the same so..."

I nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

He looks at me for a few seconds before he says, "Uh, so I should get going so I can leave you alone or else you'll start getting moody but here," He takes out something off his pocket and he extends his hand. "My number. We should stick to knowing each other because I don't want to be lonely in here."

"Gee, thanks. Should I give you my number too?" I roll my eyes at him but can't help to chuckle since he knows me too well. I don't even know myself that much anymore.

He grins. I take that as a yes so I give him my number and before he walks away he grabs my arm and leans on my ear, whispering things that surely mean that he knows something is up. "You should seriously stick with me, only me. You shouldn't trust anyone here because you're right not everything is the way it seems so just trust yourself. I promise to help you get out of this."

I look at him confused but before I can say anything, he walks off with a grin on his face as if nothing happened.

I glanced around me and noticed people glancing at my way with suspicious gazes but once I look at them, they look away as if nothing happened too.

I wrap myself with my arms, comforting myself with a self hug because suddenly, I feel goosebumps rising on my body and I shiver as if it was winter so I look around me, wondering why am I shivering like a cold air past by me. It's not even cold inside. I look down at my cart and just continue walking because I don't want the creepiness of it all to get inside my head all over again.