What if?

Manhattan.

One of the most densely populated boroughs of New York city.

An ideal place for many to live, with its tall infrastructural buildings, its wonderful scenery of a developed city, the famous places for tourism like the times square, ancient museums, and many others.

For Calla….it was a place she never wanted to visit again in her life. Manhattan, specifically New York city, the place that she was born. It was also the place she grew up under her sister's shadow, and then, where the incident took place which occurred to her current circumstances.

Despite having many negative recollections in New York city Calla still loved the place because that had been where she met him for the first time, her husband.

Nevertheless, Calla still did not want to go back there. She already knew that the minute she stepped into that place, it would be very hard to get out, given the trouble that would surely find way to her doorstep, without her lifting a finger.

The fact she killed her twin sister still remained as people's opinions of herself. Her family was the same as well.

"Further information will be discussed to each one of you through an email. All students must ensure to be on the lookout for the school's email as this is compulsory trip and will be added as an additional grade. Until then, stay safe and be a good student of our university. Thank you.''

The announcement ended, and the noise in the hallway doubled as the students' focus was now on the fact that the university had planned a trip for them.

Calla stood alone with her head lowered to the ground. Underneath her hoodie, away from many gazes, her eyes shook, particularly the dark pupil. Her entire countenance was unstable. The sweaty palm of her hands, the nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach, the dizzy focus of her vision…Calla was drowned in many uncertainties all because of one announcement.

'I-I need to leave!' She was uncomfortable with how most of the students were happily discussing the upcoming trip to New York city, a place where she never wanted to step foot in again.

But now…she had to, because of her university.

'Please…anywhere but here….' Calla's unfocused eyes glanced around herself. As though she just remembered the door leading to this hallway from the outside, her feet took off the ground without thinking and she dashed out from her department.

Her sudden speedy movement surprised most of the students discussing in the hallway.

''What's up with her?''

''Has she gone crazy?''

''Maybe, she's crazy with happiness….haha.''

''Yeah right. You seriously believe that rumor?''

''I don't know but it seems plausible since she knows Prince Vincent and the Comms beauty…''

Calla was unaware of commotion she caused back in her department. Even if she knew, her thought at the moment was just to leave that place. As she ran, following the path her feet took her, her mind was thrusted into little flashbacks of her twin sister's funeral

'That's her…she's the one who killed the beautiful Young miss Anderson.'

'Aren't they twin sisters?'

'Perhaps she was jealous of her sister.'

'What a cruel person.'

'I thought the police said the driver had alcohol in his system?'

'Who knows…..she must have paid them to have said that.'

'That's true…After all, anything is possible with money.'

''Huuukkkk!…'' Coming back to reality, Calla had a sharp intake of air. Before she could take a look of her surrounding, her feet collided with one another leading to her, tripping on herself and falling to the ground. Her hands instinctively stretched out, her fingers grabbing a slippery hold of the grasses. Because of that, she was able to avoid falling flat of the ground.

 ''Ha….Ha….Ha….'' Calla panted, releasing tiny puff of breath, trying to calm her pounding heart and breathlessness. Her unfocused gaze gradually began to become one, and the first thing her eyes came in contact with was erected structure of some green grasses.

'Grass?' Still panting, Calla wondered, raising herself up with the palm of her hands now resting on prickling tips of the grasses.

''Ah….I came here…'' Calla realized, her eyes taking in the familiar backyard of the commercial department. That's right. She ran all the way from her department to the place where she and Vincent had a moment to themselves.

Did she unknowingly hoped to see him?

''I can't believe I came all the way here….''Calla laughed mockingly to herself. Her eyes held blame and hatred only to herself and no one. Just because of that time, she unknowingly became independent on Vincent? And for what? Because he showed kindness to herself and not for the reason that she was connected to her twin sister? Even though latter had been dead for years?

Vincent didn't even know her twin sister. Of course he would be kind to her. He probably pitied her because of how lonely she looked all the time in the university.

Why was it that she came here and not somewhere else?

'I'm so pathetic….' Calla bit her lower lips, tears welled up around her eyelids. Her fingernail dug into the soil of the grasses.

Was it because her parents did not raise herself like they had done with her twin sister?

'What if….it was the opposite?' This time, Calla was already standing, and the palm of her hand rested on the thick bark of the sturdy tree. Her head filled with many thoughts, and her gaze not focused on the present.

What if her parents had raised her, the exact way they had done with her twin sister? Perhaps she wouldn't have been dependent on a little kindness from another human being.

Perhaps, she would have been very different from this version of herself, a more confidence and an emotionally strong person.

She wouldn't have been in this university, known as the masked freak by many.

She wouldn't have been a daughter-in-law that her mother-in-law disliked from the start.

She might have even had a chance with him. Since he adored her twin sister's beauty and confidence, she would have been the same and he might have liked herself instead of her sister.

After all, she was the first among two of them to have known him.

Still…..

''It doesn't change anything…..'' Calla voiced out her thoughts in a murmur, her gaze now focused on the thick bark of the sturdy tree. The many 'what ifs' in her head, were nothing but a figment of her selfish desires that could never change to the harsh reality of her present.

''I'm the worst.''

*****

Emerging out of the building of the commercial department, Calla dragged her feet on the ground, her pallid face still remained the same as before.

''Rosie, where are you off to now?''

''I'm going home.''

''Why don't you join us to an evening spa?''

''Lacy's father owns the bestest spa on the planet. Their massages are the best!''

''I think they've added a new spa treatment.''

''What is it, Lacy? I think I saw a pimple on my face this morning.''

*murmur* *murmur*

Catching the familiar voices of Lacy and her two friends with her ears, Calla's gaze wandered over to the direction of their voices. Her eyes took in the backs of the four group of girls chatting amongst themselves. Well…Lacy and her friends were conversing with each other. Rose on the other hand, just smiled and bobbed her head from time to time.

The girls were at a distance, quite away from Calla. Nevertheless, their voices seemed to be the loudest in the midst of others.

Perhaps her stare was a bit much and noticeable, because Rose's eyes met hers, just as the girls turned, walking ahead to their destination.

Other than flashing a smile, Rose did nothing of sought like before in the zoology department. She did not call out to Calla, and calmly returned her gaze back to the chatty Lacy and her friends.

''…...'' For some reason, Calla felt that smile had a meaning. However, there was no way for her to find anything, since she wasn't familiar with Rose.

*buzz* *buzz*

The sound of a phone vibrating from the pockets of her hoodie attracted Calla's attention. Sliding her hand into the pocket, she brought out the phone, facing the lighted screen to her eyes.

*Are you okay, Calla? *

*I can handle things over here, until you get better. Should I come over after work? *

She received two messages from Jenna. Earlier before she left backyard of the commercial department, she had messaged Jenna, telling her that she wouldn't make it to the pet shop.

As of now, Calla just wanted to go to her apartment and not the mansion where she would see rose and possibly her mother-in-law.

Even if it was quite a distance from Manhattan, her mother-in-law always had the time to pop up in the mansion time to time.

*No need, Jenna. I just need to lie down and clear my head.* Unlocking her phone with a password known to herself, she typed in her reply, and pressed the button on the side to lock the screen.

That's right. All she needed right now was to be away from that mansion for a few days. Once her mood was stabilized, she would return back, hopefully with no sight of rose in the mansion.

>>>Arc 1 has finally ended! Arc 2 will begin in the next day! Enjoy and Post soon!<<<