16 Hacker

It felt like my brain wasn't functioning anymore. My body was aching, my head was spinning and my vision was blurrying. And before I knew, my head hit the ground.

....

I slowly open my eyes and see myself cradled in a woman's embrace while she tries to make her way out of the fire engulfing the place. I can't see her face but I can feel her warmth and kindness as she protects me from the raging fire.

"Caleb.... P-Please...keep this boy safe...please..." she says and kisses my forehead as tears roll down her face and fall onto my cheeks.

"Are you awake? Rai?" I heard a faint voice echoing in my ears. I fluttered open my eyes to see a familiar ceiling above me. I looked to my side and saw Noel sitting next to the bed while casually popping a chewing gum into his mouth.

"Those dreams again..." I mumbled as I clutched my throbbing head.

"What...what happened?" I winced and groaned as I tried to sit up straight.

"Do you always have to get yourself into trouble?" Noel sighed. He looked too tired himself to scold me.

"Maybe." I replied with a sheepish smile. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"It wasn't me. A group of girls brought you here. They told they found you unconscious near a convenience store. They seemed very concerned about you and wanted to make sure that you're alright so they handed me some medicines, too." A sly smile played on his lips. "Say, who are they? Your admirers?"

"Uh, you could say that. They come to my coffee shop almost everyday to drink the coffee I make. I should thank them later for their kindness." I smiled.

"Kindness?" Noel rolled his eyes so hard that he could have possibly seen what's behind him. "You're too naïve."

I ignored his comment.

He patted my back and got up and put on his coat, "I'll get going, then. I have some paperwork waiting for me at the office. I'll come back within an hour. If you need anything, just call me— no— call THEM." He smirked.

As soon as he began walking away, I let my mind drift to Hazel. My thoughts were swirling and disconcerting. I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. I had so many questions but I had no one to ask. Noel brushed it off the last time I tried talking about it but this time I was determined to get an answer from him.

"Hey!" I called out to him before he could leave.

He turned around and raised an eyebrow, as if asking me what happened.

"How long...how long did you and Hazel know each other?" I asked nervously. Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew it couldn't be what I thought it was. Or maybe I was wishing that it wouldn't be true.

"Oh." The question surely surprised him since it was so out of the blue but he chose not to dig deep into it, "It was last year. She was newly admitted here."

My shoulders dropped and all the colour from my face vanished. It felt like my stomach was ripped out of my body.

"Since you've finished asking your questions, I'll get going." He definitely caught my expression but knowing that it was Noel, he didn't bother to ask any question since he was too perplexed to comfort me and still had a lot in his plate than anyone else at the moment.

She was definitely hiding something and I wanted to find out what and why. The truth had hit me harder than I prepared myself to endure. She lied to me when she told she was here ever since she was 7, and she lied to me that she was disabled...but why?

Determined, I got out of bed and put on my jacket even though my legs were still aching.

I got out and walked towards her apartment. I was about to knock but something made me pause. I noticed that the door was slightly cracked open. The door was not locked. I knew that if I got in now, I might or might not like what I would be uncovering in there.

I took a deep breath, "Okay, let's do this." I began pushing the door slowly, with a heavy heart, wishing that my suspicions would be proved wrong. Every passing second seemed like eternity.

When the torment was finally over, I gazed at what was inside her apartment. "What in the world...."

Instead of meeting Hazel, I felt like I had entered into a huge cave. A large black and red leather chair rested at the centre of the living room surrounded by a number of laptops and computers of the latest model. The computers weren't switched off and that meant Hazel had just gotten out. The computers were the only source of light in the apartment. The floor was very messy; patches of carpet could be seen in between the many other devices that were scattered all over the place which I couldn't even identify. It looked more like a cave for hibernating than an apartment.

Suddenly, the entire place was filled with the sound of an alarm and a robotic feminine voice kept repeating "Intruder! Intruder! Intruder!"

On hearing the alarm, my heart began racing. The room was then filled with red lights which startled me even more. It was clearly some kind of a security system and it was definitely bad news for me since it was alarming the entire building about the 'intruder'. I instantly began regretting my decision. I was confused about why in the world she would need such a security system.

Just as I was about to leave, someone kicked the front door open. I immediately looked behind me. There, I saw Hazel glaring at the 'intruder' with a gun pointed towards him. She looked like an entirely different version of herself. The polar opposite of what she was like. Her expression slightly softened as soon as she realised who it was and slowly lowered her gun.

"What are you doing here?" Her face turned calm and impassive. It's as if she was trying to act distant towards me.

I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. She had a gun— a real gun. "What is all of this? What're you hiding from me, Hazel?"

I looked at her legs. They were perfectly fine. My suspicions were terribly right. She was never disabled and nor was she the keeper of the Peace Blossoms Orphanage.

She looked at me with with a blank expression but I could see a hint of regret and sadness in her eyes. She opened her lips to say something but ended up sighing. She brushed past me and sat on her chair, typing something on her laptop. As soon as her fingers paused, the alarm automatically switched off and there was nothing but silence and a tense atmosphere surrounding us.

She was the one to break the ice between us first, just as she always had. But this time, it wasn't 'Hazel' talking to me. "I intended to tell you sooner...that I wasn't who you thought I was. I certainly cannot disclose my identity but I can tell you this; I'm not Hazel. I'm not your friend. Everything was just an act. I'm just..a selfish, dangerous hacker who you wouldn't want to be around."

Those words made my gut sink. So that was how betrayal felt like. Just then, I realised I never knew this woman. I thought we'd gotten closer over the days but it was all just a lie.

"What if I said I don't care if you're a hacker?" I asked.

Her eyebrows raised slightly in surprise but it soon lowered back.

"It doesn't matter anymore what you think of me. You were friends with Hazel, not me. I'm not the cheerful and kind girl you think I am. I'm not someone you should be getting close with. You could end up dead." Her voice was calm and cold, and her words pierced through my chest.

"Mr. Ryan...Does Mr. Ryan know about this?" I asked.

She shook her head, "I work in an environment where I have to deal with people who want to kill me. Making friends or seeking help isn't something I should do. It'll only hurt."

"Then why did you come here? Why did you... befriend me?" I asked with a sad gaze.

She stared at me with cold and distant eyes, and then raised her gun, "You're not in any position to know. Leave before I pull the trigger."

I stared at her, pleading her not to do this anymore.

"I said leave!" she shouted.

Realising that it wasn't going my way, I glanced at her one last time and left before my calm demeanor turned into anger and frustration.

I didn't know how I would face Noel. What would he think when he realizes that his best friend...never existed?