4: Confessions

Eph seems taken aback by Smaze's words.

Is she supposed not to know him at all?

Eyes were on her. She feels like she was on a hotseat.

But why is that even happening.

She just uttered his name.

"Yeah. Smaze Astrid. The brain of the Investigation Club. Isn't that right?" Eph answered nervously. Uttering every word carefully.

"Cut it off guys. You're scaring her. "

Those words by Exe made the IC's members take their gazes away.

Eph sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry if we scare you, Ms. Kerubin. It's just that you utter my name with so much familiarity. The three of you, please take a sit."

As the three newcomers sit, one of the members having a blonde hair and thick glasses stood up.

"I'm Lizzy. The spokesperson of Investigation Club. Before we start analyzing the evidences and statements gathered, I would give brief infos about the victims."

She stated the names of the victims as pictures flashed in the big white screen.

Ephemeron closes her eyes from time to time because even images after the incidents are flashed in that big screen.

But she did not dare to even blink when it was the turn of her friends.

"Natasha Ville. She jumped from the 64th floor of Building in Makati. Marc Andrew Perez. He hang himself in his condo. George Shaw. Died because of over dosage."

Tears escape from Eph's eyes as she stare at the smiling faces of her friends.

They were happy. Who would have thought that these things will happen.

She wiped her tears and try her best to focus.

"What I will about to show you are statements of people who are connected or interacted with the victims. " Lizzy informed them.

She then played videos with people in silhouette form and changed voice.

The first one is obviously a girl even it's voice is changed into a deep one.

"Asha, Xyan, George and Andrew. They were good persons. Everybody knows that. They were carefree.. free-spirited. That's why it's been a shocking news for me when I heard they committed uhm.. suicide. But actually, days before everything happened, there was already something strange in them. It was first exhibited by Asha, which is the one who first died. She became short-tempered and acts like a ticking time bomb. I noticed this symptoms to the other 3 as well. If I had knew, these were signs that they have problems *sob* I should have reached out as their *toooot*"

Another video is played.

"I am one of Xyan's friend. Ow. Former friend, rather. Well, she pushed me away. I had an argument with her. It's actually very very simple. But it seems like she's doing everything to make things worst. I was dumbfounded at first. But as time goes by, I get sick of her upbringing. Yes. I hated her. Oops. Don't you dare accuse me of being the culprit, 'kay? I just hated her. May her soul rest in peace. "

<Epheron's Point of View>

Video after video is played. Some were not about my friends that's why I do not pay much attention. Yes. It's not only my friends who had been affected. It's like a virus that infect the students of Icarus University one by one.

"This is the last one." Lizzy informed us.

"Uhm. This is embarrassing but uhm. I'm a stalker, no, scratch that. Admirer. I'm an admirer of George. Ow. That's a better term. Uhm.. I'm always updated about the happenings around him. I know his friends. I know his hobbies. I know almost everything about him. This includes the brands of his accessories. That's why I always notice when things doesn't go as I expected it to be. I've seen him holding this uhm.. gold necklace that have a pendant that looks like an equal sign that is divided by a slant line. You might think I'm bluffing because the police never discovered this necklace in his things. That confused me. I swear. He had that necklace!"

As the last silhouette person describe the necklace she's been talking about, I can visualize its image in my mind.

Equal sign that is divided with a slant line.

Unparalleled.