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"What's your relationship with Lisa Manoban?"
Jennie is asked a simple yet tricky question. Of course she knows the answer to this, however, the answer does not fit well in the current situation.
There are four white walls and one big window that surround Jennie. She can feel the air conditioner on the loops of her skin, caressing her clothes like a soft lullaby. She counts the seats that the room has; there are seven in total and Jennie sits on the fourth one.
She observes keenly; an encroaching melody singing on either of her ears like a broken record. Jennie is nowhere near anxious yet when she notices that interrogator's face, Jennie knows she has to act chiefly rather than hawkishly.
The interrogator wears a sedate kind of face, he holds a notepad on his left hand and ballpen on the right. His eyes remain stoic-- no signs of quivering can be seen.
Saying that Jennie isn't scared is an understatement. She is intimidated that the clothes she's in becomes hot rather than warm. She swings her eyes left and right for her to recognize the faces of this room quietly.
She observes the clock on the wall that says five thirty in the afternoon, she observes the quiet aura circulating the stolid walls, and Jennie observes the interrogator's schemes.
From his movements, to his ragged breaths, and even the impatient tapping on his notepad because Jennie is taking too long to answer.
She knows why she is asked to be here. Jennie knows that they think that Lisa did not commit suicide-- they know something even more than that.
Jennie has to answer now.
"We're friends." Jennie answers calmly. "I have known her since we were five." She looks at him in the eyes. "She was more of a solitary person. She was always alone even as a kid. However, I remember that she liked to talk to my mother's plants."
"I always notices her in our backyard, talking to those green plants and she sometimes watered it."
Jennie snickers. "That's how I met her."
Five-year-old Jennie glances at the window to find that weird girl with fringes as a haircut on their garden again. She was talking to one of her mom's orchids, holding an ugly doll that sits close to her lap.
Jennie has been going to their garden for days now and Jennie notices that she always looked like she had finished crying and there are bruises all over her skin-- especially on her knees.
Jennie strides down on their stairs, wanting to observe the girl closely. She went out of her house and into the garden where there she sees the girl closely. "What are you doing here?"
The girl seems shocked at her questio because she looks up at Jennie and stands up. She was about to run away but Jennie already stops her. "I have noticed that you came here a lot, don't you have any garden?"
She didn't answer for a moment but she shakes her head. "I don't." She manages to say. Jennie blinks in confusion before walking closer to her, glancing at the girl's doll. "Your doll looks ugly."
The girl pouts at that before pulling the doll closer to her petite frame. Jennie looks at her before extending her hand. "I have more dolls in my room, would you like to see them?"
It seems like Jennie's words make the girl happy because instantly, she smiles, nodding her head. "I'd love to." She simply says whilst Jennie smiles. "My name is Jennie, what's yours?"
"Pranpriya-- I-I mean Lisa. My name is Lisa."
"Lisa." Jennie repeats her name before slowly holding her hand to drag her inside her house. "What a beautiful name."
"Lisa and I have always played dolls and also dress-ups." Jennie laughs a little. "But sometimes, Lisa would act strange, like sometimes she groans in pain like she's hurt or sometimes she's limping. As a kid, I did not understand why she was acting like that."
"But one night, I heard Lisa yelling for help..."
Jennie looks at her window, hoping to see the dark haired girl. Exactly two days ago, Lisa stopped by to tell her that she's not gonna meet her because of some personal issues and Jennie can already tell what it is.
The way Lisa's bruises talk so loudly, Jennie can clearly see what is happening behind Lisa's closed doors. Jennie is worried for her plus, she couldn't sleep well either. Lisa is her first friend ever and she doesn't wanna lose her.
She was hoping that Lisa would come back after a day but she didn't.
What scares her more is that she can hear some screams and glasses crashing at her neighbor's house. Which technically, is Lisa's. Jennie walks out of her bedroom and down the frigid stairs. She tiptoes her way to the entrance of their house and soon enough, Jennie can feel the ground on her bare feet.
Jennie runs toward the fence, wanting to hop on it to see what the commotion is about because she's a curious little child.
Also a worried friend.
However, Jennie stops her movements when she hears someone yelling. That voice is too familiar, she thinks.
"Help!!! Please!!" It was Lisa.
Jennie widens her eyes and she quickly peeks through the hole on the fence and there she saw Lisa being dragged like a trash by her father. Her head is filled with blood and her fringes are nowhere to be seen as her hair was cut down like she was a boy.
"Please!! Please!! Help me!! Daddy stop please!" Lisa shouts and tries to pry away but her father is too strong. Jennie watches in shock and in fear, not knowing what is happening to her friend that night.
Lisa accidentally glances her way and sees her. "Jennie!!" She shouts her name and Jennie widens her eyes in fear when Lisa's father saw her. "You little prick! Come here!" Lisa is dragged inside and Jennie just watches.
Ever since then, they stopped talking.
Nor did she ever see Lisa again... until highschool came.
"So you're saying that you saw her getting abused by her own father?" The interrogator asks the now emotionless Jennie. "Yes," she replies instantly.
"And you just watched?" He enquires once again which makes Jennie feel lik a giant piece of shit. Jennie grimaces. This is why she never opened up to anyone about this because they would think she's a monster.
"I thought you two are close friends? Both of you used to play barbie dolls, styled each other's hair, and shares secrets. How come you never called for help?" The interrogator clicks his pen.
Jennie's breath becomes ragged. "What do expect from a nine-year-old? Call 911 or something?" She scoffs unbelievably.
"No, but you were Lisa's friend. She could've escaped his father--" the interrogator is cut off.
"You know nothing." Jennie stands up, wanting to leave the room as it suffocates her. She knows that what the interrogator said is true.
But she won't admit it-- no.
"Thanks for your time, Ms. Kim." The interrogator writes something before saying. "See you tomorrow, same time." Jennie has to nod her head to agree because if she runs away, she will instantly be pressed as a suspect.
This is ridiculous.
Jennie walks out of the room, seeing Jisoo and Chaeyoung on the settee whilst waiting for her to finish. "How was it---"
