Liars don't Escape

Chapter 11.

The doorbell rang. Celine walked towards the door and opened it. It was Laura. She had a small suitcase with her. She asked Laura to sit on the sofa and so she did. She noticed the closed door of Celine's room, is the girl in there? She wondered.

'So, where is that girl?' Laura asked.

'She is inside, inside my room.' She replied and peeped at her door but the door was closed. 'I didn't realize when she closed the door. It's fine, she's already way too upset, she must've wanted some alone time.'

'Well, are you sure you can stay here alone? I mean, you never stayed alone right?'

'Yeah, I haven't but c'mon I can. I am a grown-up person. I'm just worried about her. I don't know how to talk to her.'

'Hmm... ' Laura sighed. 'Let her be alone and be patient with her.'
Celine nodded.
'Well I brought your suitcase, if there's nothing else, I'll get going. Grandma might be waiting.'

'Alright then.' 

Laura stood and walked out of the door, waving her goodbye. Celine closed the door.

She walked to the kitchen and poured some water into a glass and grabbed it as she walked toward her room. She gently knocked on the door. There was no response. She again knocked. The door opened slowly. Maria opened the door. Celine went in, Maria's face was red and teary.

Celine kept the glass on a chest of drawers beside the door. She wiped Maria's face and hugged her. She patted her head and made her sit on the bed.

'I can understand what you are going through, I have gone through the same phase a few days ago.' said Celine. Maria looked at her with her teary face and painful eyes, a heart-melting glare. Celine wiped her face with her palms gently, trying to console her but can she? She couldn't help herself, can she help Maria? Sometimes we just have to go with it, bear it, the most right choice, is to bear it silently.

'I wasn't able to spend a proper time with them last time, if I had known that was the last time, I wouldn't have let time pass.' she said with a shivering voice, breaking bit by bit.

'We all wish, if once and only once we could stop the time and don't let it pass. Your parents always loved you and they know that you loved them too. Today they wouldn't want you to cry like this they want you to live a good life. Pray for their peace. It's not easy, I understand.' Celine said calming her. Maria kept crying and Celine continued to pat her head. Her cries were painful. She was painful, feeling her was painful. Her wailing triggered her pain, compelling her to shed tears too. She hugged Maria and patted her back. Maria continued to weep.

As time passed, her weeping stopped and she slept on Celine's shoulder. Celine made her head lay on the pillow and legs on the bed. She opened the blanket and covered her. She closed the lights and left the door open and got out of the room. 

She went to the kitchen. There was a small chest of plastic drawers on her right. She opened the third one and grabbed the pack of oats. She walked towards the fridge which was right opposite the stove. She grabbed the bottle of milk out of it. She opened the stove, poured some milk into a utensil used for heating milk and kept it on the stove.

Her doorbell rang. She came out of the kitchen and looked at the wall clock hanging inside the hall room. It was 8:30 pm. She opened the door. It was Richard.

'You! What brought you here?' Celine asked being amused.

'Umm... simply.' he replied with a soft smile

'Simply?'

'No, not simply.' he said in a low voice. He had a plastic bag in his hands. He forwarded it to Celine.

'What's this?' She asked.

'Food.' he said. 'I bought some for Maria, in case you burn something.' he said and smiled calmly.

'I won't.' she frowned. 'You can keep this.' 

'Just keep it.' he said and kept it beside her. ' I also wanted to tell something else'

'What?' she raised her brows.

'Maria's parent's accident was not an accident, it was done on purpose.' Richard informed.

'On purpose?' She asked, surprised.'  Why?'

'Hmm... the driver was only acting drunk, he wasn't.'

'OH.'

'And... Maria'sparent'ss burial will be tomorrow, they are in the morgue right now. I'll text you the time and place.'

'Okay, I'll bring her. Anything else?'

'Just wanted to ask, why are you staying here? I mean you could've gone neighbour's.'

'Yeah, but I've already been living there for 3-4 days, now I even have Maria with me, their privacy might get disturbed. Since the work here is done, why not come back to my house.'

'Well, is it safe around here alone? ' He asked observing the area, looking around.

'Obviously. I have been living here for nine years. It's safe and I'm not alone.'

'Hmm... well I couldn't get any information about her relatives, no one had yet contacted the police, maybe you have to keep her for another day.' he said.

'THAT'S FINE.' 

He nodded.

'I'll get going then. Take care.' he said and walked towards his car. 

As she watched him go inside his car, the night became warmer. She picked up the plastic bag and closed the door. She kept the polythene on the sofa and went back to the kitchen. The milk had boiled. She cooked the oats and poured them inside a bowl. She kept the bowl on a plate and a spoon beside it. She took the bowl and walked toward her room. The room door was closed. She remember, she opened the and left. Well, the door wasn't locked. She thought, it might have happened because of the wind but there wasn't any. She opened the door. Maria was still sleeping. She kept it on her side table. As she was coming out of the room, her hand accidentally slid on the glass kept on the chest of drawers. The glass fell and it broke into pieces while water spilt all over the floor. The sound of the glass breaking was loud, Celine looked back at Maria to check on her, she was sleeping soundly, she found it a bit strange, that voice didn't wake her but then she thought that she might be too tired. She went outside the room. She took a broom and a cloth. As she walked towards her room, the lights seem to be opened. Some loud gross sounds of chewing and licking sounds, saliva dropping, and monstrous sounds were coming. The sounds scared her. Her heart skipped beats. She wasn't sure what was happening.

She slowly stepped in. She saw Maria, she was sitting on the bed, on her left hand was the bowl of oats while her other hand was completely dirty and covered with oats. There were spills on the floor. Her face was dirty, there was milk dripping from her lips while she was licking. As Celine looked at her, she was scared for a moment. She was asleep like a minute ago. Her eyes were strangely black, she remember them as brown.

'You're awake?'

Maria cleared her throat. 

'Hmm... the glass broke, it woke me.'

'Oh, sorry for that. What happened? Your hand...' she asked curiously.

'Umm... I accidentally spilt it.'

'OH! Don't worry I'll clean it. You go wash your hands.' she said.

Maria got up from the bed.

'Your eyes, are black or brown?' she asked hesitatingly. 'Funny question.' she smiled. 'I JUST seem to notice now, they are too black, I thought they were brown.' she laughed awkwardly.

Maria stared right into her eye. The stare shivered her a bit but she was fine. Her stare somehow warned Celine that something isn't right.

'You noticed it wrong. They were always too black.' Maria said coldly and went out of the room.

Celine cleaned the spilt water and the glass. She wiped the spilt oats and left hurriedly.