It's all start from her
(Third point of view)
Is life always this chaotic? No, it hasn't always been. I'm pondering where it all began, how things took this turn. It didn't start as if I was born with it. She's the one who piqued my curiosity in life, not out of nowhere. The beginning traces back to a vague memory I can't recall.
My mom was aware of my other personality; it began when I was around six. But my memories of her aren't vivid.
The real starting point was in 9th grade, when school bullying escalated. I wasn't their primary target; they extracted everything from me – my notes, half of my brain, and my compliant hands that diligently filled their books with hushed written responses.
Things took a turn for the worse when she entered my life at the age of 15. Even now, when I try to recall what happened back then, it remains as vivid as if it occurred just yesterday.
At Maroon High School, there was a girl in my class who endured relentless bullying from both the girls and the boys. She was cruelly labelled as the unfortunate "Lackey number 1." The torment she endured was so severe that I found it difficult to meet her gaze when she sat beside me as my desk partner.
She carried an air of silence around her, setting her up as the perfect target. A particularly harsh slap across her face left her cheeks crimson, as if it had happened twenty times over. Yet, there seemed to be no trace left of any support for her. Not even a teacher dared to intervene, turning a blind eye to her swollen lips and dishevelled hair. Throughout the day, the cruel whispers persisted behind her back, a constant companion to her struggles.
During PE class, I realised I'd left my tracksuit back in the classroom. Trudging from the ground floor to the seventh floor, exhaustion and pain pounded at my knees. A thought crossed my mind—why not have the playground on the top floor or install an elevator? Anything to spare me from the gruelling climb of 192 steps just to retrieve my PE attire.
The agony was overwhelming, a relentless reminder of how much it sucked. "Ugh, it's killing me," I groaned inwardly, my frustration echoing through my thoughts.
With a heavy sigh, I turned the doorknob and pushed open the classroom door. And there she was—Lily, perched on the window frame, caught in a moment that seemed to freeze time.
Idhaya entered the room, her fingers fumbling inside her bag until she retrieved her PT track suit. Casting a swift glance around, her eyes landed on Lily. Despite the visible knuckles battered and knees scraped, her left eye swollen, Lily seemed strangely unburdened, lost in the world of music playing through her headphones.
Caught up in her own world, Lily remained oblivious to Idhaya's presence from the moment she entered the room.
Hesitantly, Idhaya began to pivot on her heels, intending to exit the room without drawing attention. But then, something made her heart skip a beat.
Changing her mind, Idhaya swiftly turned back around, unzipping her bag to retrieve a tube of ointment. Bracing herself, she mustered the courage to place the ointment beside Lily. Just as she was about to slip away unnoticed, her hand was unexpectedly clasped by another.
Her heart raced, suspended in the raw moment, as she turned to meet the unexpected connection.
"What do you think you're doing, huh? An act of kindness?" Lily's voice trembled weakly.
"What?" The words tumbled out of Idhaya's mouth, bewildered.
"You were never like this before," Lily choked back tears that streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"Before? ..." Idhaya whispered, her mind racing to remember when she had encountered Lily before. This year was the first time she had even heard her name, due to her recent transfer.
"Haya? Remember, you promised to protect me? But you never followed through," Lily's words carried a heavy weight of disappointment.
Lily's accusation struck Idhaya hard. "I... I never even looked at you, even when my deskmate cried," she stammered, realising the truth in Lily's words.
"What do you think you're doing now? A sudden act of kindness?" Lily's voice wavered, revealing her vulnerability.
"What?" The question repeated, capturing Idhaya's confusion.
"Back then, you were never like this," Lily's eyes glistened with unshed tears, her pain palpable.
"Back then?" Idhaya repeated, her mind retracing her past actions. She had no recollection of Lily until this year, making her accusation poignant.
"Haya? Remember when you promised to protect me? You never did, not once. You never even spared a glance for me, even when your deskmate was in tears," Lily's words hung heavy in the air, a poignant reminder of Idhaya's past negligence.
"When did I promise you that? I'm sorry, but I think you've mistaken me for someone else," Idhaya replied, confusion evident in her tone.
Lily's response was gentle, "Don't worry, I'm not blaming you. You left me behind, and now you're acting differently. Thank you for finally making me feel acknowledged." A tearful smile graced Lily's face as she released Idhaya's hand.
"You can go," Lily continued, her voice softening. "Let's just pretend this never happened."
As Idhaya tried to process the situation, she found herself unable to recall any previous interactions with Lily. She gathered her tracksuit, ready to leave, when Lily's voice called out again. But this time, it wasn't her usual name, Idhaya. Instead, the name echoed as "Haya... haya." The sound resonated so loudly that she turned her head, only to find the window frame empty.
At that moment, a sense of bewilderment settled over Idhaya. The encounter had left her with more questions than answers, a mysterious connection to a past she couldn't recall.
Screams pierced the air, and Idhaya's eyes darted downwards. There lay Lily, sprawled on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding her motionless form. The chaotic scene ignited a flurry of panic among the students, their voices rising in a crescendo of fear. Amid the chaos, several pairs of eyes fixated on Idhaya, sus
picion knitting their brows as if casting doubt upon her.