Chapter 14: Lost

I am sitting with unknown people drinking tea even though I don't like tea.

"Grandma this is Lia." Hazen sat besides me introducing me to her.

"She's the one who is in your class?" She smiled looking at me. "Well look at her she's so pretty." She puts the tea cup down on the table.

I don't know where to look I'm getting nervous, why did he want me to meet his grandma?

I politely force a smile and sit straight. "It's nice to meet you." I say looking at her than looking down again.

"Same here, don't need to get shy, you can get comfortable." She said keeping her smile.

I smile back in response.

Looks like he's close with his grandma. Where are his parents and his older brother?

I keep having thoughts, his grandma is sweet but I want to go from here my energy for socialising is draining.

I finally excuse myself from there and go downstairs. I start looking for Marina who disappeared again. The mansion is so big that I will surely get lost, I walk to god knows where. I glance around as I kept walking.

I'm lost. I don't know where am I, why did I even get up from there? I should've stayed. I keep complaining and stressing. It's ok, it's just a mansion not a labyrinth. I calm myself for a while.

Ugh. It's no less than a labyrinth. As I walked around for a while I finally saw a familiar face, Mr.Sam was sitting on a chair looking at his phone. I walk to him.

"Mr.Sam?"

"Oh, Lia? what are you doing here? shouldn't you be with Hazen?"

"Well, I was just looking around and got lost."

"I understand, come sit with me." He said chuckling as I sat in front of him a round table between us.

"Are you having fun?"

"Uh…"

"Do you feel uncomfortable?"

"No, I was just overwhelmed- I mean I don't like socialising a lot."

"Well you know-" He was cut off by a phone ringing.

"Get comfortable i'll be back." Saying that he left.

I sat there alone. It was a bad idea to come here. I kept regretting my decision to join Marina.

I feel someone's eyes on me. I turn me head around and no one is there. I am completely alone here, a place away from the hall where nobody is sitting.

That was creepy. I should leave, I get up and walk out. As i'm walking out I still can feel somebody staring at me from behind. I walk in a faster pace nervously looking here and there, I suddenly bump into something, I gasp shutting my eyes thinking that I was going to get kidnapped right there.

"I told you, you'll get lost."

I open one eye peeking, with my hands still on a defending position. I stand straight.

"Oh, Hazen." I say letting out a sigh of relief.

"Do you work for mafias?"

"Huh?"

"Do you?"

"No."

"Then why do you always think someone will kidnap you?"

"Do kidnappers only kidnap people that work for mafias?"

"Not really, but you always look so careful and you keep looking around as if you're planning to steal something." He hid his smile as he teased me.

"What can I steal?" I mumble.

"My heart."

What does that mean?

"I don't like stealing."

"You don't?"

I start walking, he follows behind me.

"I don't and stop joking around."

I stop walking mid way as I remembered to ask him something, I turn around his chest touching my nose I blink and step back.

"You want a hug?"

I roll my eyes at him.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"What?" He learned over a wall crossing his arms over his chest.

"Why did you introduce me to your grandma?"

He stares at me for a while before answering.

"Because she asked me to bring the most dumbest person to see how one looks and I couldn't think anyone dumber than you."

I roll my eyes again.

"Can't you give me a straight answer for once?"

"It was a straight and sincere answer."

He was smiling I could see him controlling his laugh. I never saw him laughing before I suddenly think, I shake the thoughts off and start walking again.

"You're annoying." I say.

He doesn't answer. I turn around. He tilts his head to the side. Was he offended? I turn around and start walking again. He should be I don't care.

I don't know where i'm walking to and why is he following me. There was just sounds of our steps or should I say my steps because he was walking like a ninja.

"Do you like this mansion?" He asks.

"Why? are you gonna give it to me?" I joke sarcastically.

"If you want to."

"No thanks and I don't like it. It doesn't feel like a house, it's more like a labyrinth."

"You're not gonna ask who's is it?"

"No."

"It's mine."

"I didn't ask."

Silence.

"And how about my car?"

"What about your car?"

"It's really expensive, It was imported here from Dubai."

I don't answer.

"Are you shocked?"

I stop and look back.

"Shock?"

"Yeah, when I tell girls about these things they're usually shocked."

"I don't see a reason to get shocked."

"Why not? This mansion is 60 million and my car is 20 million." He says proudly.

"Are you trying to show off?"

"I don't need to try."

"I am not interested."

As I was about to walk he holds my arm.

"Let's go there." He walks.

"No, let me go, I need to find Marina."

He doesn't stop.

"Roof?" I say as we go upstairs.

"Yes."

"Are you gonna push me down?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Does it look like I want that?"

We reach to the roof, it's slightly dark and the floor is full of artificial grass.

He leaves my arm and goes towards the railing. I sigh and walk in the same direction.

"Are you gonna ask me to help you hide a body?"

"You watch too much crime movies."

"I don't."

"Is that all you think about?"

"What?"

"Crimes and kidnapping…"

"I'm somwhere unknown and with an unknown someone, isn't it all that I should think about?"

"I'm unknown?"

I nod.

"I am your classmate."

"I know."

"Then how am I unknown?"

"Because I know nothing about you, just your name and age, doesn't that make you unknown?"

"So you want to get to know me?"

"Did I say that?"

"Well, you practically did."

"It just sounded that way, I didn't mean that."

He chuckles.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"9:42"

"Huh?!" I gasp.

"What?"

"I have to leave at 10."

"Why?"

"Because I have to."

"What are you, Cinderella?" He scoffs, lightly chuckling.

I sprint to the door and stop, I turn around and smile. He looks at me furrowing his eyebrows slightly.

"Can you drop me?" I ask.

"Oh."

"I don't have anyone else to ask."

He walks towards me.

"Why don't you stay till 12 there's gonna be fireworks."

"No, I can't."

"I can talk to your mom later if you want-"

"No!" I blink several times thinking what could happen if he meets my mom.

"Tell her you are with your boyfriend."

"What?! no! I am not allowed to date."

"Why?"

"Because I am not. Will you drop me or not?"

"Did you kill your ex?"

"Huh? Why do ask these sensless questions?"

"I don't know, I'm just thinking what could be the reason that you're not allowed to date."

"I never dated and I plan it to stay that way."

"So you will stay single forever?"

"I will straight up get married- are you gonna drop me?"

"You asked me the same question three times already."

"You don't answer. Will you drop-"

"Yes."

"Thanks. I have to look for Marina."

"Do you have to?"

"Of course, she also has to leave now."

I start to look for Marina, after a while that felt like an eternity I found her.

"Why do you always disappear?" I ask.

"I can ask the same thing."

"Whatever, let's go he's gonna drop us."

"He will?"

"Yes, let's go."

Me and Marina change our clothes to the ones we were wearing before.

——

Hazen walks in front of us, we follow him to his car.

"Were you with him?" Marina asks.

"Kind of."

"So you were." She smirks.

"Stop it, you look creepy."

"Maybe he likes you."

"Yeah, i'm the only girl left in this world, right?"

Marina was about to say something but I sprint to the car and sit closing the door.

The drive was silent. He dropped Marina off and then me. I reached home slightly late but thankfully my mom was sleeping so I took ninja steps to my bedroom. I took my make up off and went to sleep. I was still creeped out when I felt someone staring at me. Was it a ghost or a real person?